steven tyler, jennifer lopez and randy jackson. steven is always great to watch, but it wasn’t until the other night when they had to bleep him a few times did he become a thrill to listen to, because i wish he were more scathing in his remarks. wait… he was bleeped for things he said that are the exact opposite of scathing remarks; he’s just too kind most of the time. jlo, well, she’s like the next paula abdul, but everyone who knows me knows that there is only one paula in my books. and randy… oh, randy. i think this year he is beginning to sound sensible. is it because he’s the veteran judge?

i miss simon.

last year, my favorites lily scott, tyler grady and jermaine sellers were eliminated too early. when i say too early, i mean as early as prior to the big stage where the dirty dozen moves on to better things like dramatic lights and sliding staircases and humongous led-projected images, etc., etc. and so forth.

so when idol changed the format (yet again) this year, letting only five of each gender move on to the second live show (plus wild card picks), i just put my hands up and thought as usual my favorites aren’t getting through with all the bizarre voting patterns that have been going on.

but, you know what, i was wrong. i may not be a jinxed fan, after all.

paul mcdonald with the disturbingly white set of teeth, the raspy voice and loose swagger (man, this word is used too often in that show) is my favorite and possibly major crush…

…casey abrams, who makes me think of reefers (oh please, admit it, he reminds you of the same things too) and dark corner hipster pubs that allow cats on the tabletops…

…and jacob lusk, the closest to an old school r&b singer as we can get this year (or any other year, for that matter)…

…all sailed through to the next round. as for the girls, i can’t say i have a particular favorite, though for weirdness, i want to say naima adedapo. but she is still no lily scott nor megan joy corkrey. so far.

so, did your favorites make it through?

the book, written by sara gruen, itself has gained a following even before talks of a movie adaptation surfaced. but when it was confirmed some time ago that mr. edward cullen himself was playing jacob, the following increased probably ten-fold thanks to the world’s most ravenous fans.

i’m not sure how literary snobs view this sudden popular attention from girls a-twitter to one book destined to be a modern classic (a book most of them would likely not even glance at if it weren’t affiliated with pattinson), but i am all for moving this story from the pages to the big screen whatever which way they want to do it. besides, i can always count on obsessed fans to post behind-the-scenes photos online.

this one, for instance. probably the part where jacob jankowski tries to hop onto a passing train.

directed by francis lawrence (constantine, i am legend), the movie is scheduled for release in 2011.

here’s jacob bruised and bloodied.

playing marlena, the beautiful rider in the circus’ equestrian act, is reese witherspoon.

she and robert play the star-crossed lovers, and, as rumors have it, are creating such wonderful chemistry, it might make the alleged girlfriend jealous.

in the role of the antagonist, august (animal trainer in the book, ringleader in the movie), is cristoph waltz. the one who made our jaws drop in awe as col. hans landa, the ss jew hunter in inglourious basterds.

here are jacob and august in what appears to be a conversation on top of a moving train.

and here they are… uh, probably going on set.

mark povinelli plays kinko/walter, the little man jacob makes friends with.

author sara gruen herself makes a cameo appearance. here she is with tai, the elephant who plays rosie.

since this is a circus movie, expect more animals…

let’s not forget the streets for the big parade.

and, of course, the circus train where much of the story occurs.

and here are my three favorite photos on set, so far.

true to devoted fan form, robert pattinson followers have put up an unofficial website for the movie. probably one of the best fan-made movie sites today, it is the most comprehensive source of information on water for elephants you can ever hope to find. including set photos, casting calls, tweets from people involved in the film and even this very interesting account from an extra. with journalistic tenacity, one blogger even went on location to take photos of the old hotel where some scenes were shot.

my favorite photos from her “coverage”:

head on down to the website for more things water for elephants. even if you aren’t a big fan of pattinson, you would find the goings-on behind the scenes such a magical thing to behold. let the fangirls unfold this spectacle before your very eyes!

the social network, based on ben mezrich’s book the accidental billionaires: the founding of facebook, a tale of sex, money, genius and betrayal, premiers october 1 this year. that’s right, facebook. your favorite cyber hangout has a founding story rich enough for a red carpet premier in tinseltown. a history from six long(?) years ago.

it features jesse eisenberg, andrew garfield, justin timberlake, brenda song and rashida jones. and the score will be written by none other than trent reznor of nine inch nails. it is directed by david fincher (se7en, fight club, alien 3, panic room, zodiac, the curious case of benjamin button). with all these names behind it, it has this tremendous pressure to be cool.

image from manny the movie guy.

the book on which the movie was based was published mid-09 and has been reported as an unreliable resource for straight, hard facts. mezrich, after all, is given to exaggeration (e.g., burning down the house, which served as basis for the gambling movie 21; story here) and many incidents you read in the book never occurred at all. or so write certain sources. say, the part where one of the founders pick up a victoria’s secret model at a party, which is widely known as an embellishment (check this too: says here that the book proposal had saverin making out with the hottie, but the published work had zuckerberg doing that instead. way to make facts hold water).

it is said that mark zuckerberg, facebook ceo, is not a fan of the book nor the movie and has even expressed his dislike publicly.

as for the movie rearing its head in facebook ads, that seems to be very unlikely too, given the parameters of posting ads there (story here).

in any case, i would most likely watch it because i am not so jaded as to believe everything in a film that says “based on a true story”. i did watch 21 and enjoyed it. there’s nothing the matter with simply thinking it was entirely a piece of fiction, even though burning down the house was a long-standing bestseller in the nonfiction genre.

but it’s a different case with the social network. unlike 21 where most moviegoers would likely feel detached from the card sharks since not many of us know how to play blackjack and even less actually gamble in casinos, mezrich’s next book-to-movie work may leave a deeper imprint as, although very little of us understand their coding jargon, we are so insanely familiar with facebook that it’s easy to feel for the founders as depicted in the movie. it’s really up to you whether to believe it or not.

for the reason of david fincher alone, i recommend we watch it. before se7en was released, people were already wary of it being just another silly horror flick, but look at how it turned out. before fight club was released, people were saying it was just going to be a movie with losers beating each other up, but look at how it turned out. for the social network, i would like to put my faith in the david fincher.

trailer here:

anyhow, here are a few facts about social networking sites (sns) i gathered (i swear, i didn’t fabricate anything. i write what i read from reliable sources. or at least i think they are reliable):

• based on the definition of sns, the very first of its kind was sixdegrees.com created in 1994 but defunct by 2001.
• the first sns to utilize features to find and manage friends as we know them now is friendster in 2002. when it went live the first quarter of ’03, it spread so fast and so thoroughly that such publications as time (even citing it as one of the 50 coolest sites), esquire and vanity fair wrote about it and its innovations. its creators themselves appeared in several talk shows.
• friendster was followed by myspace, linkedin and bebo a year later. facebook emerged in 2004 and has since grown to become the largest.
• by 2008(?) it is said that there are over 250 active sns. though this source, written in 2006, claim there are around 650. it is hard to determine how many there really are as scores of them spring up and get put down through certain periods.
• facebook clearly dominates the race for members with over 400 million as of this period. it looks poised to break the 500 million mark soon.
• how about the other popular sites? myspace: 130 million, twitter: 75 million, bebo: 40 million, hi5: 80 million, friendster: 90 million, orkut: 100 million, windows live spaces: 120 million, qzone (china): 200 million. as you can see, no one comes close to facebook.
• facebook was initially meant as an exclusive harvard only networking site.

how about you, which sns are you a member of?

who is he, you ask? he was anton in terry gilliam’s the imaginarium of doctor parnassus. if that performance is not enough to convince you that he has the acting chops to leave an indelible mark in the business, maybe you weren’t really paying attention. or maybe you think it doesn’t really take much acting to pull off the role of the friendly neighborhood spider-man…

he is 26 years old and, like tobey maguire before him, has that schoolboy look that can pass for a high school peter parker. he was a gymnast, so we can be assured that he can hack the action sequences.

the next spider-man film, slated for 2012, will be rebooted (that is, the series will start over with new ideas) and sam raimi will no longer be involved. it will instead be directed my marc webb (who was signed into the project last january), renowned music video director who has worked with some of the biggest names in music since 1997. the only movie credit to his name is the critically acclaimed (500) days of summer, a film that shows he can give the mary jane – peter romance angle superb vision, but has yet to prove his mettle in faced-paced action.

going back to andrew… you might also remember him as todd in lions for lambs and francis in the other boleyn girl. for his performance as jack in boy a he won a bafta award in 2008. he has also appeared on television, most notably in the crime drama red riding.

with his male model good looks, he will certainly leave a horde of swooning ladies in his wake as spidey.

speaking of modeling, he appeared in vogue december last year with one imaginarium co-star, model lily cole, in a hansel-and-gretel-inspired photo shoot. no less than annie leibovitz herself is responsible for these ethereal photos. i’m sure you can spot lady gaga in two of these.

images from comic book resources, the independent, fametastic and vogue.

while many girls ogle at carrie bradshaw’s and blair waldorf’s wardrobes, i find fi’s fashion sense more to my liking. first of all, it is by far more accessible than carrie’s or blair’s. and given burn notice is set in miami where the sun shines all year (as it does in the philippines and fiji), her style is something that can translate to our reality. well, that is, if we can starve and exhaust ourselves into her unreal physique…

check those abs then let’s check ours. she just turned forty. pardon me while i nurse my self-esteem.

season 4 of burn notice premiered early this month and we can’t wait to get a load of more michael et al as they work their way through undercover miami negotiating with money launderers, transacting with counterfeiters and dealing with weapons runners.

if you admire fiona as much as i do, you might want to emulate her style. it’s not very hard to follow. here are the key pieces in her wardrobe:

• oversize sunglasses
• tank tops and basic cotton tees
• billowy tops
• scarf tops or scarf dresses
• straight or slim cut jeans
• lingerie as outerwear
• shirtdress
• short shorts (but not hot pants)
• sensible yet stylish wedges
• stacked bracelets, usually rope and beads
• leather strap wristwatch
• that brown fanny pack — i think she single-handedly made this bag look sexy for this generation
• and… uh, guns. do not include in your wardrobe.

here are a few photos for inspiration:

you wouldn’t mess with a girl playing with fire, would you?

i think michael and fi make the hottest couple on tv today.

good news for burn notice fans! the show has been officially renewed for two more seasons! that’s right, we can expect more michael, fi, sam and madeline in the next two years!

photos from usa network, coconut grove grapevine, ign, tv guide, zimbio.

if you are a music geek-cum-gamer who has made a personal career of emulating the king of pop’s singing and dancing, your self-taught skills can at long last be put to test this holiday season… when leading game developer ubisoft releases their michael jackson video game!

though not the first michael jackson video game ever created, this one would revolutionize fanaticism by utilizing motion sensors.

according to michaeljackson.com:

The game is family entertainment at its best and will provide an interactive experience that enables players to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and re-live his most iconic performances through their own singing and dancing.  The upcoming game will include the most famous tracks from Michael Jackson’s extensive catalogue such as Beat It and Billie Jean, as well as an array of his awe-inspiring dance moves for players to learn and emulate within the game. Additionally, fans will be able to sing along and test their vocal skills while immersed in the performance.

from mtv.com:

The company is staying mum on many of the details, but when asked whether the Jackson game would be accompanied by unique gaming hardware like the “Dance Dance Revolution” dance pad or “Rock Band” guitar, the rep told MTV News via e-mail that “the game is based upon performance (so both singing and dancing).”

the game will be available for ps3, psp, nintendo wii, nintendo ds and xbox 360.

here’s the live demo at this year’s e3:

click here for the hd view.

as we wait with bated breath for the release, let’s take a little trip down memory lane with a look at the old michael jackson’s moonwalker sega console game…

…and the arcade version.

click here for the multiple player mode.

based on last year’s talk, when the video game was but a distant fantasy, it was mentioned that the game has been in development for a while already and michael jackson himself had provided some of the speaking parts. i hope this is true. this game will sell like hotcakes!

can you stand the anticipation? can you?! can you?!

this week, words like “rigged”, “upset” and “unexpected” are surfacing all over threads on idol news.

question: is it fair to say that this year lee pulled the rug from under crystal’s feet with another upset? can we even consider him the underdog?

of course, not. and here’s why:

1. he is simon cowell’s anointed one. cowell himself told dewyze, “i fought for you to be here. i still believe in you”. while the judges have been more liberal with praise on bowersox in the beginning, it became more and more apparent as the season went on that the judges seemed to favor dewyze over the rest of the pack. in separate interviews, simon (on the ellen degenes show) and randy (on… i forgot which show) both predicted dewyze winning this season. and i believe this is a great parting shot for cowell: his last season on the show and his prediction is realized, his “prizefighter” grabs the top spot, proving cowell does indeed have a producer’s ear.

2. dewyze scored higher on dialidol during finals week. dialidol, the outfit that measures voting results based on signals they track on each contestant’s line, has been 100% accurate this season: they have correctly predicted who gets voted off week after week. it was easy to put my confidence in them saying dewyze would win.

3. there is a rock singer-songwriter winning streak. there was cook against wholesome, disney-crowd-pleasing archuleta. there was allen against ostentatious glam rocker lambert. you can clearly see that the demographic to which this show appeals is one that prefers singing-songwriting rockers with a sensitive side (cook cried onstage as had dewyze) from simple beginnings.

4. dewyze sings in a more identifiable genre. ok, how many times have we heard “commercial” from dioguardi and “you can make a record with that” from jackson to describe dewyze’s performances? as for bowersox, she has that folksy, hippie poet sound and vibe to her (for crying out loud, she performs on a rug, has a head full of dreads, a big sunflower tattoo on her back and sings to what looks like a bong to me; she couldn’t be more hippie than if she were a freak in the 70′s), something that isn’t very… well, trendy these days. i mean alanis and jewel are so mid-90′s.  we know it’s timing too. and dewyze had really good timing.

5. dewyze didn’t start a favorite; he developed as the show progressed. which is the case in all other idol winners (perhaps with the exception of reuben studdard who’s been the frontrunner from the very beginning? let me watch our season 2 dvd again to verify). people like to see contestants who ascend the ranks, improve as the weeks go by. that way, fans keep voting because they want to see more from these growing artists. however, once a contestant hits his/her peak early in the season (as dioguardi pointed out to poor andrew garcia this year), his/her succeeding performances will be pitted against it and there will be nowhere else to go but down.

6. dewyze has never been at the bottom the entire season. bowersox was with michael lynche at the bottom the night he was voted off. the following week, she was with casey james when he was voted off. couldn’t you have foretold the final results after that?

so there. the reasons why i think it was so predictable for dewyze to win. yes, bowersox is very talented, she will go places i’m sure, but the idol title belongs to a frau bait for the third year in a row.

in time, we will see who sells more records: the folksy flower child or the shy sensitive rocker. for now, let’s just allow dewyze, this bundle of nerves with self-confidence issues, bask in the glory of victory.

you just can’t fight simon cowell when he places his hands on the head of a hopeful.

fil-am nicole scherzinger with pro partner derek hough. further proof that pinays got that natural rhythm!

check out more of nicole and derek’s performances on, where else?, you tube!

i haven’t seen the show yet (it is telecast here early evening), but i have read the real-time bloggers’ take on the episode and a fellow fantard’s opinions over ym.

i guess jamie foxx isn’t a very good mentor, if that’s the case. nevertheless, i like the guy. though i can’t seem to block out the memory of him staring into danny gokey’s eyes point blank in intimidation. i have reason to believe he did the same thing (or almost the same) to lee dewyze. i’ll find out soon enough.

anyhow, i just wanted to write so i can post those photos. they are beyond awesome. especially the lee + crystal.

The Hurt Locker should have won for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and Kathryn Bigelow should have gotten the Best Director win, period.

Instead, Avatar, which I call “Titanic: Take 2″, won for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and James Cameron wins for Best Director. I’m sorely tempted to believe Avatar’s win was a triumph of glossy, shallow style and overinflated hype over serious substance and thoughtful intelligence…

and the hangover winning against (500) days of summer? and qt not getting best screenplay, having lost to one that was adapted? i don’t rant like other buffs who hate the idea of distinguishing drama from comedy/musical saying a good movie should be a good movie no matter what genre, but i’m beginning to see the irony in failing to distinguish original from adapted screenplay. i really don’t know what’s up with the foreign press, i am tempted to take ricky gervais’ joke about buying the awards seriously.

anyhow, i think i can get over this and i think the only real upset that can occur in this year’s awards show is if christoph waltz loses to whoever in the world. winning for his supporting role in inglourious basterds was a no-brainer.

and since i can’t say anything good about avatar taking the plum, i might as well move on to the red carpet…

there were less black and more pales this year. the ones who wore color wore them loud and proud. the ones who wore crystals wore them plenty. i like that more ladies were taking to prints. and oh, i loved very much that it rained because i am crazy about scenes with umbrellas. look at the gentlemen keep their ladies from getting wet!

images from zimbio.

i like…

shaun robinson. i’m into layering different textures and this one created a beautiful rosebud effect in the most royal shades of blue.

dianna agron. i would have chosen a more youthful color and hairstyle, but the empire cut and flowy drape of her dress more than make up for it.

chloe sevigny. at first, i didn’t know what to make of the ruffles extending down to her sides, but it just kind of grew on me eventually. especially after she declared onstage that someone ripped her dress.

tina fey. i like this best. length and silhouette are reminiscent of the 40′s and 50′s, but the cut and print are very modern. and the shoes are gorgeous!

fergie. i actually think the tan brunette look is working for her, though i’d probably miss her being blond and wish she goes back to being one again later. the lavender brings out the blue of her eyes. that’s josh duhamel’s hand holding out the brolly for her.

amy adams. she was one of the few who attended the ceremony in a short dress. i love her shabby updo with the side-swept bangs! and the copper of her clutch and shoes are the best.

drew barrymore. my second favorite. i didn’t know what to think about the anemone sprouting from her hip at first, but like chloe’s ruffles, the strangeness grew on me and i like the overall effect. it’s the perfect sheer and scattered crystals.

lara spencer. the plain white dress made the perfect canvas for her blue cuff and necklace, as well as the pink of her clutch and cocktail ring.

ginnifer goodwin. my favorite photo moment. the blue of her dress provided a very sharp contrast against the red of the carpet. and her striking black hair, shoes and brolly with her fair skin made her stand out.

maria menounos. her dress, on the other hand, matched the carpet. props to her for braving the weather even if the train of her gorgeous dress was getting all soggy!

toni colette. i’m loving the art deco-inspired gold sparkle!

jane adams. she could have done without the necklace and carried a smaller clutch. but it’s a very pretty dress nevertheless.

jaime pressly. i wasn’t so keen on the dress, but when i saw the shoes, i was smitten. and i have always thought she had the most beautiful legs in hollywood!

olivia wilde. the slink and sparkle of the dress is very studio 54, i like! and she carried the coolest clutch of the night.

maggie gyllenhaal. if there is one lady who can pull off an unorthodox design like this, that would be maggie. she’s just too cool like that.

kate hudson. this is a dress that takes getting used to. because this is kate, known to be very ballsy with her wardrobe choices, i’m going to say i like this ensemble, feathers and all. i think she has the best arms and shoulders in hollywood.

felicity huffman. wait, i change my mind, i think felicity huffman has the best arms and shoulders in hollywood.

christina hendricks. she owns this look! she and nicole kidman had the same shade of dress, same shade of hair and same shade of skin that night, but i think christina was more exciting to see.

christina aguilera. another christina, only this one’s a music superstar. which means she can get away with more outlandish designs. i like the married with children classy christina aguilera! such a far cry from her dirrrty persona.

emily blunt. okay, by this time, i’m getting tired of strapless column dresses, but i just have to toss emily in. because she wore just the right amount of deconstruction (unlike zoe saldana) and she wore awesome cuffs.

sophia loren. this era, sophia will never do wrong in my eyes. she is 75 years old and still rocks more than you and me combined!

unlike younger celebs now who hold a clutch in one hand while the other is pressed to the waist, she carries a shoulder evening bag and waves to the crowd more than she poses! that’s old school hollywood, when good movies had good performances and good stories… wait, don’t get me started.

did i mention that she’s 75?