HENNESSY ARTISTRY in Manila Tonight!

THE GLOBAL ART OF MIXING

When the best cognac in the world blends with the world’s best mu­sical talent - it is not only an event but a unique experience not to be missed. For the fifth year running, Moet Hennessy Asia Pacific is delighted to announce the launch of its musical platform Hennessy Artistry in Manila, a unique platform entirely dedicated to Mixability that characterizes the Hennessy universe.

For the occasion, Hennessy will be welcoming international superstar DJs Rasmus Faber and Lauren Pope, alternative group Pupil, rock band Kjwan and pop group True Faith. These vastly dif­ferent artists will come together for an exceptional, once in a lifetime event, which will take place on November 19 2010 in The Fort’s NBC Tent. Hennessy offers this unique opportunity to see talented musicians from radically different worlds sharing the pleasure of performing their music together, just as Hennessy elaborates its cognacs, combining the best eaux-de-vie from its cellars.

This private event is part of our global series mounted for Hennessy appreciators. At these Hennessy artistry events held throughout the world, our invited guests will experience the universe of Hennessy’s mixed drinks based on four basic flavors that mix perfectly with Hennessy Cognac. Hennessy berry, citrus, ginger, and apple are the perfect additional to the world’s best co¬gnac. At the event, these Hennessy Long Drinks will be free flowing all night, giving a chance for Hennessy fans as well as the uninitiated to enjoy Hennessy Cognac in these delicious variations.


Hosting this milestone event will be Channel V VJs Alvey and Solenn while the internationally awarded Philippine All Stars will be opening the night with their fresh hip hop moves and inspired break dancing.

For its much anticipated Manila debut, the Hennessy Artistry Halo event will be headlined by acclaimed Swedish DJ Rasmus Faber, spinning everything from house to jazz to soul to pop, while injecting it with his signature live piano.  English DJ and glamour model Lauren Pope will keep the crowd in a frenzy playing her sexy style of electro, progressive house as well as hip hop and R&B.  Also performing will be local acts from diverse genres.  Pupil, headed by Philippine music scene stalwart, Ely Buendia, brings a post punk edge to the evening.  Acclaimed rock band Kjwan’s hard-driving riffs will raise the intensity to next level. While True Faith, a mainstay in OPM for almost twenty years, will have the crowd dancing to nostalgic tunes.  One of the evening’s many surprises will be seeing established artists seamlessly mix various gen­res of music together live on stage making it a true Hennessy experience.

Hennessy Artistry Manila - ARTISTS

DJ LAUREN POPE - UK

In 2007, Pope made the jump into the world as a DJ. Already a recognized face on the London club scene, she quickly established herself as one of West London's top DJs. In 2008, she managed to land weekly residencies in both Ibiza and Majorca, as well as Dolce in London.






Since joining the club circuit, Pope has played high-profile events and clubs all over the world, including Exeter, Dubai, Moscow, Ibiza, Magaluf, Kavos, Shanghai, Rome, Croatia, Spain and most recently Miami for the Winter Music Conference as she attempts to crack the US market






DJ RASMUS FABER - SWEDEN


Global trotting dj, trained pianist, producer and songwriter, record label owner and remixer to the stars. Sweden's Rasmus Faber is a name many of you will have come across in the last 8 years and one look through his biography is like reading a who´s who and where´s where of the electronic music scene.






Undeniably one of the most energetic and captivating entertainers of the House Music scene, Rasmus sets himself apart from his industry counterparts by incorporating not just three CDJ’s and an ever busy mix of key matched tracks but also flawless live piano playing which add a whole live element that leaves crowds and critics amazed and dance floors in shambles.






TRUEFAITH


True Faith started in 1992, and since then, has become one of the Philippines' most popular and accomplished bands.






At first, True Faith mined mid-'80s new wave sounds for its breezy pop formula, but the group eventually ventured further into the Philippine mainstream, firmly embracing middle of the road radio.






Presently, this Viva Records label band has 13 best-selling albums under its belt . Its music is best described as a blend of jazz, folk, pop and rock music.






KJWAN


The band won Favorite Indie Artist in the local music channel MYX’s music awards night. Their video “Pintura” nabbed “Favorite Guest Appearance” with the help of a seasoned actress, Chin-Chin Gutierrez. They enjoyed a month long feature as Yahoo Southeast Asia’s band of the month and another month long feature as “Celebrity VJs” in MYX for the whole month of April 2006. They also got nominated in 6 categories in the 2007 NU Rock Awards for Artist of the Year, Best Live Act, Album of the Year, Producer of the Year (with Angee Rozul), Vocalist of the Year (Marc Abaya) and Guitarist of the Year (Boogie Romero).


At this time, the band also had the chance to show what Philippine rock is made of to various countries abroad. They headlined HK-Live, in Central, HK last October 2007. HK-Live is a monthly showcase of the Hottest Acts around asia in HK’s Fringe Club. They were also part of the Annual Baybeats Music Festival in Singapore.










PUPIL


Formed in Mid-2005 by Ely Buendia ( Vocals, Guitars) Yan Yuszon (Guitars) and Dok Sergio (Bass), they were joined by the veteran drummer Wendell Garcia in 2007. The Band’s big break came also in 2005 with the release of their debut album “Beautiful Machines” which included the singles “Nasaan ka?” “Dianetic” and “Dulo ng Dila.” The second album “Wildlife” was names 2008 album of the year at the NU Rock awards which also honored them as artist of the year, best producer of the year and won the best music video (Monobloc).








 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Character Posters

It's 4 days to go before we meet Harry and the Gang as they battle with Voldemort for their lives. Warner Bros. released the following character to promote the upcoming fantasy adventure "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - Part 1.

Coca Cola Christmas Tree Lighting

Shake up the happiness. Wake up the happiness. It’s Christmas Time!

The new Coca Cola Jingle sure lights up the mood and prepare us for the most awaited season of the year, Christmas Time. Coca Cola, together with Araneta started the season by painting the town red and leading the festivities last November 12, 2010 at the Araneta Coliseum parking lot.

The festivity started by the grand parade led by a convoy of Coca Cola Christmas trucks carrying the Coca Cola ambassadors Kim Chiu and Enchong Dee with teen celebrities. The trucks marched and rocked along Araneta Center with lively renditions of popular Christmas jingles.

The happiness doesn’t end there, as Nicole Hyala and Chris Tsuper of Love Radio opened the various games and activity for everyone to enjoy. Different Coca Cola booths were set up to play with or just take picture with. As the day was about to end, the highlight of the event was coming to a close too. The much awaited lighting of the Giant Christmas Tree situated at the heart of Araneta Center was momentously celebrated, as custom since 1981. Standing at almost 100ft., this year’s tree is bedecked with more than 10,000 lights and hundreds of stars and Coca Cola Christmas balls, with huge ribbons and colourful gift boxes to accent. Through the years, it has been a beacon of hope among the Filipinos; a most cherished icon that signals the beginning of the holiday season and reminds us to always believe in the magic and happiness it brings, the same way Coca-Cola inspires.

Shake up the happiness. Wake up the happiness. It’s Christmas Time!

Open Coca Cola and drink to happiness! There is a surprise that awaits everyone who will open a bottle of Coca Cola. You can take home a contour glass in just three steps:

• 1.        Buy Coca-Cola, Coke Light, Coke Zero, Sprite or Royal Tru Orange in any of the 500ml, 750ml, 1L, 1.5L and 2L packs.
• 2.        Look under the Santa cap for the “Coke Glass” text and collect 2 more regular Coca-Cola Santa caps.
• 3.        Exchange these caps for one Coca-Cola Christmas Contour Glass from any 7 Eleven store, selected sari-sari stores or public markets and Coca-Cola Sales offices nationwide.

Redeeming of the Coca Cola Glasses is from November 15-December 31, 2010 only.

This Christmas, let us all open and celebrate magical moments together shared with nothing less than the irreplaceable sparkle that uniquely refreshes and makes us happy- Coca-Cola. 

Energizing Christmas Spirit. Open Coca-Cola, Open Happiness.

VOLDEMORT HUNTS DOWN HARRY IN “DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1

In Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” -- the seventh and final adventure in the Harry Potter film series told in two full-length parts -- Lord Voldemort is on a mission: to end the life of “the Boy Who Lived.”

Director David Yates says, “Voldemort is on the cusp of absolute power. He’s been hiding in the shadows, biding his time until he could come back and impose his will on the rest of the world. Everything else in his master plan has come together; he just needs to deal with this one tiny detail. Voldemort doesn’t understand how this ‘child’ has become his strongest adversary, but he does know he must be the one to kill Harry Potter. First of all, it was destined and, secondly, there is the sheer satisfaction of it after being thwarted so often. It’s beyond personal at this point.”

 The Death Eaters regard the Dark Lord with a mixture of reverence and fear, knowing he needs little provocation to turn on even his most loyal followers. If they need a reminder of that threat, it is there in the companion always at Voldemort’s side—and the only living creature Voldemort treats with actual tenderness—the great snake named Nagini. Voldemort has summoned his most elite Death Eaters to Malfoy Manor to plan when, where and how to ambush Harry Potter. The last to arrive is Severus Snape, played by Alan Rickman. Snape informs those assembled when Harry will be leaving his Privet Drive home, warning them that he will be “given every protection” by the Order of the Phoenix. Nevertheless, Fiennes states, “Voldemort believes he is finally going to defeat Harry Potter. He is enjoying his rule, emperor-like.”  However, Voldemort has discovered that he cannot kill Harry Potter with his own wand. He has extracted from wand maker Ollivander (John Hurt) that his and Harry’s wands are “twins,” possessing the same core and thereby robbing them of their power against each other. In a voice dripping with thinly veiled malice, he suggests that Lucius Malfoy have the “honor” of giving up his wand to Voldemort.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” will be released worldwide starting November 18, 2010, and “Part 2” starting July 15, 2011.

UNSTOPPABLE Movie Review

A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed “The Beast” and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer(Denzel Washington) and a young conductor (Chris Pine), aboard another train in the runaway’s path, devise an incredible plan to try and stop it – and prevent certain disaster in a heavily populated area.

The Story is great. The plot came in at the early part of the movie and after that you just have to hold on to your seat as the intensity build up. I like how the story revolves with ordinary people, and a very unlikely situation in a town. Denzel and Chris is a good team up, they complement each other’s line in the movie. Denzel is a great actor with or without gun. Expect a roller coaster ride while watching the movie, except, you won’t see a roller coaster instead a roaring monster train. I find the movie a bit technical also, because of the nature of the problem, but it’s easy to understand even if you’re not adept to trains and how it works. The intensity and excitement of the movie will leave you breathless and you’ll find yourself joining the gasps of all movie viewers in every extreme part of the movie.



Unstoppable is directed by Tony Scott and opens in cinemas on November 12.

HOLIDAY ADVISORY - November 16, 2010

November 16, 2010, Tuesday, is a national holiday for the entire Philippines in observance of Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), as per Republic Act No. 9849.

Those who will report to work on this day will be compensated with an additional one hundred percent (100%) of daily rate.

NUVALI Evoliving

Nuvali Evoliving inspires an Eco friendly and sustainable community living in our modern time. 


This is not my first time to visit Nuvali, whenever we eat at Paseo De Sta. Rosa we head straight to Nuvali to feed some fishes. Last October, bloggers were invited to tour around Nuvali and discover more than the fishes that is waiting to be fed.

The First Stop. Bird Sanctuary. Communing with nature is one of Nuvali's offering to its community. We visited the Gazeebo, this is were we can Bird Watch and learn more about the birds withing the area.

The Second Stop. Avida Settings. This is just one of the residentials projects that Nuvali has in store for those who wants to settle in an Eco friendly neighborhood. Together with Avida, Abrio, Montecito, Santierra, Treveia and Venare are the upcoming residential projects.

The Third Stop. We toured around the the exhibit of Evoliving Center, Nuvali's iconic structure of sustainable building concept and design. The Evoliving Center features an interactive display that highlights the importance of a green and sustainable lifestyle.

After the tour around Nuvali, we were ferried to Solenad via a boat ride through Nuvali's multifunctional 4-hectare lake teeming with koi fishes. The bloggers enjoyed the feeding the Koi fishes that's literally pounding on each other just so they will get food. 

The tour around Nuvali is not complete ofcourse without having a meal to end the event. We were divided into 5 groups to try and check out five of the best restaurants in Nuvali. Our group was in Kanin Get It (check out my foodblog for food review).  The people from Kanin Club and Cafe Breton is also the same people behind Kanin Get it. 


It was just a half day tour but feels like it's a whole day event already. Communing with nature and enjoying it's abundance is really a great thing to do in Nuvali.

“TAKERS” – A GRIPPING, EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT CRIME THRILLER

A group of high-living young criminals bankroll their extravagant lifestyle with a series of painstakingly planned bank robberies while a dedicated police officer makes it his personal mission to stop them in Columbia Pictures' taut, edge-of your seat crime thriller “Takers.” After years of meticulously planned heists, the crew is convinced by one of their own to risk it all for one last big score, but pulling off the job of a lifetime with a dogged detective and a vicious rival gang on their tail is a tall order, even for these seasoned pros.

            A recent No. 1 box-office hit in the U.S., “Takers” stars Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez, Michael Ealy, Tip “T.I.” Harris, with Chris Brown and Hayden Christensen. In the film, longtime friends Gordon Betts (Elba), John Rahway (Walker), A.J. (Christensen), and the Attica brothers, Jake (Ealy) and Jesse (Brown) finance an extravagant lifestyle filled with hot cars, hotter women and unlimited cash by staging high stakes bank robberies. They avoid being caught by planning to the tiniest detail, leaving no clues and pulling off one—and only one—job per year. Their latest successful caper, a $2 million heist, attracts the attention of LAPD Detective Jack Welles (Dillon), an old-school cop who has sacrificed his marriage, his child and any semblance of a personal life for the job. Despite a lack of support from the department, Welles is determined to track down the elusive gang before they strike again. As the crew celebrates their latest daring robbery in a chic downtown cocktail lounge, Ghost (T.I.), a former comrade-in-arms recently released from prison, drops in with an irresistible proposal. The only member of the crew arrested for an earlier job, Ghost says he has a plan that will net each of them enough money to hang up their ski masks forever: the robbery of an armored car carrying over $12 million. But it has to happen in five days or the opportunity will evaporate. 

 Although doing another job right away goes against the crew’s strict rules of conduct, the lure of all that money proves too great and they decide to risk a daring daylight hold-up on a crowded downtown Los Angeles street. With just a few days to prepare, the crew sets in motion an intricate scheme that unknowingly puts them on a collision course with a group of ruthless Russian mobsters. In the meantime, Welles is unraveling a complex web of evidence that takes him from a small time arms dealer to the Russians and finally… crew leader Gordon Betts. With the clock ticking down, ancient rivalries, unexpected double-crosses, unknown enemies and just plain bad luck complicate the plan, resulting in a deadly showdown no one saw coming. 

            Opening soon across the Philippines, “Takers” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads.  Like them at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join their fan contests.

Get ready for DUE DATE

From Todd Phillips, the director of the smash comedy “The Hangover,” comes “Due Date” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as two unlikely companions who are thrown together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous.  

In the film, Downey plays Peter Highman, an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away.  As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve. 

The Can, contains the ashes of Ethan's Father

The Dog

Robert Downey Jr. is Peter Highman, an architect on his way back to L.A. from a business trip in Atlanta. He’s on a tight schedule because his wife is expecting their first child and the date is all set.

 Zach Galifianakis is Ethan Tremblay, who stars as the human lightning rod for trouble. Ethan lives in his own head. He has no talent, and he’s on his way to Hollywood to capitalize on that.

Jamie Foxx, who recently starred with Downey in “The Soloist,” comes aboard in the role of Peter’s old college buddy, Darryl. 

The entire shoot of “Due Date” has been fuelled with an “anything goes” spirit of improvisation, according to Todd Phillips, director. “They throw lines at each other, but we normally talk about it before,” he says.  “Still, the spirit of improvising is in the film in a way that makes it feel alive.”

    Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 5, “Due Date” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.