Philippine Consulate in New York Urges Filipino-Americans to Vote for Ramiele Malubay

Yes, American Idol is of national importance in the Philippines. But who wouldn't???

(Where was the Nigerian Consulate for Chikezie???)

[quote]

Dear Friends in Media and Community:

Please find below letter of Mr. Joseph Zing requesting for assistance in promoting Ramiele Malubay - the Filipina contestant on Americal Idol.

Your support to our very own kababayan would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Philippine Consulate General New York

* * *

The Honorable Ms.Rebong:

We write to your honorable office asking for your valuable help in promoting and supporting your very own Ramiele Malubay - the Filipina contestant on American Idol.

She has the talent and charisma to reach all the way to the top. However, as she struggles against insurmountable odds, she needs the very committed support of her fellow countrymen in this battle. In fact, she is the only genuine Amateur competing against seasoned professionals.

Any help your office can extend will be greatly appreciated by her committed fans, including the thousands of Filipinos living here in the USA and in the Philippines. Should you have the time, please visit her official fan site at http://www.ramiele.com.

Thank you very much for whatever manner of assistance you may be able to extend to her.

Sincerely,

Joseph Zing

[/quote]

Source: rickeydotorg

Virus Newton: deja con cara de WTF a tus amigos

Si tienes un amigo poseedor de un Mac y tuvieras la oportunidad de hacerle esta broma yo no la dejaría pasar porque personalmente es el virus más original que he visto y, según dicen no es nada maligno para el ordenador. Recordad que sólo vale para Mac y mirad el vídeo:

Madonna fan de Britney Spears

'La Reina del Pop', Madonna, se ejercita en el gimnasio a ritmo de Britney Spears, en Londres.
La cantante se somete diariamente a una sesión de entrenamiento con el tema de Brit, "Break the ice", según declaraciones de la misma Madonna en una entrevista de radio.
También declaró que se considera una fan de Britney, motivo por el que utiliza su canción en sus ejercicios de pilates y danza aeróbica.
Madonna está a punto de lanzar su nuevo disco, titulado Hard Candy, del que se desprende "Four minutes", el primer sencillo que promociona 'La Chica Material' y donde une su voz con la de Justin Timberlake.
Con todo el estilo de Timbaland, el productor del material, Madonna planea que Hard Candy la catapulte nuevamente a los primeros lugares de popularidad. La cantante ya prepara el tour que la podría mantener ocupada en el segundo semestre del año.

Fuente : Esmas.com

Ubuntu 7.10 sale imbatido en el PWN2OWN 2008

El otro día comentábamos que el MacBook Air fue hackeado en el concurso "PWN to OWN" en solo 2 minutos aprovechando según parece algún bug de seguridad de Safari. El siguiente en caer ha sido Windows Vista.

Tal y como decíamos en el post anterior el último día del concurso permitieron a los participantes aprovechar vulnerabilidades de aplicaciones de terceros. Fue entonces cuando Shane Macaulay consiguió comprometer al equipo que corría el Windows Vista aprovechando un exploit que tiene como responsable al Flash de Adobe.

Finalmente, la portátil Sony Vaio corriendo Ubuntu 7.10 fue la victoriosa del evento, dado que nadie pudo explotar una vulnerabilidad de forma satisfactoria ni siquiera utilizando software de terceros.

En estos momentos Apple ya estaría trabajando para parchear la vulnerabilidad que dejó en tela de juicio a su tan querido MacBook Air

Según LinuxWorld en el concurso algún participante conocía la forma de comprometer a la maquina con Ubuntu, pero al parecer ninguno se sentó a desarrollar el exploit.

¿Es posible que el respeto por linux de parte de la comunidad hacker haya influido de alguna forma en el desarrollo del PWN to OWN?

Ubuntu 8.04 Beta

Para aquellos que no puedan esperar, ya está disponible para descarga la beta del nuevo Ubuntu 8.04, que será la segunda versión de Ubuntu con "Long Term Service", esto es, con soporte para los 3 próximos años. Se puede actualizar también desde la version 7.10, así como la 6.06 LTS. Aquí, la lista de novedades desde la última versión, con la inclusión de Gnome 2.22 y Xorg 7.3 a la cabeza. También está disponible el nuevo Kubuntu, que está vez ha sido dividido en en dos sub-sabores dependiendo de que se quiera un KDE estable (3.5.9 en este caso) o la última versión de este escritorio, la 4.0, pero con menos garantías de estabilidad.

Download:
http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta#download

Z3, el primer ordenador de la historia moderna

Berlín, 22 de junio de 1910. Ese día nació Konrad Zuse, un chico al que la historia le tenía preparado un papel trascendental en el devenir de la computación moderna. Graduado como ingeniero civil en la Universidad Técnica de Berlín en 1935, para sacarse la carrera tuvo que realizar una gran cantidad de cálculos a mano, algo que encontraba aburrido, por lo que comenzó a idear una máquina que fuera capaz de llevar a cabo este tipo de operaciones de manera automática.

Tras acabar su etapa universitaria entró a trabajar en la empresa Henschel & Sohn pero un año más tarde dejó su empleo para empezar a construir la máquina programable con la que llevaba soñando desde su época de estudiante.

Sus esfuerzos se vieron recompensados cuando en 1936 creó la primera calculadora mecánica binaria de programabilidad limitada que leía las instrucciones desde una cinta perforada y funcionaba con electricidad. Su nombre: Z1. A pesar de que nunca acabó de funcionar correctamente por la mala calidad de los materiales empleados en su construcción, sentó las bases de los futuros proyectos de Zuse.

Con la llegada de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Zuse fue llamado a filas, pero se libró de acudir al frente a cambio de utilizar sus conocimientos para desarrollar nuevas computadoras más potentes y funcionales. Así, y tras conseguir el apoyo del Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt (algo así como Instituto de Investigaciones Aerodinámicas), en 1939 terminó el diseño y construcción de una versión mejorada de la Z1 que incorporaba circuitos eléctricos con relés a la que llamó, cómo no, Z2.

A partir de ese momento, Zuse comenzó a diseñar un nuevo prototipo que vio finalmente la luz el 12 mayo de 1941. Bautizado como Z3, ha pasado a los anales de la historia moderna como el primer ordenador programable y completamente automático del que se tiene constancia. Contaba con 2.000 relés, tenía una frecuencia de reloj de entre 5 y 10 Hz, una longitud de palabra de 22 bits y realizaba los cálculos con aritmética en coma flotante puramente binaria.

El Z3 utilizaba una cinta externa para almacenar los programas con los que trabajaba y, a pesar de que no disponía de ninguna instrucción de salto condicional, se podían construir bucles y llevar a cabo tareas y cálculos que resultaban muy complejos para la época de la que estamos hablando.

Desgraciadamente, esta joya de la computación fue destruida en 1944 durante un bombardeo aliado sobre Berlín. Aún así, existe una réplica completamente funcional del Z3 expuesta de manera permanente en el Deutsches Museum, sito en la ciudad germana de Múnich.

3 Pinoys Make It To Australia’s "So You Think You Can Dance"

3 Filipino-Australians made it to the Down Under’s edition of So You Think You Can Dance. The hit reality show is like American Idol for dancers and Australia bought the franchise from Fremantle Media for its local version. From thousands who auditioned, 10 girls and 10 guys made it to the final cut including 2 pinays and one pinoy!

The 3 Filipinos who made it to the Top 20 are:

Rhiannon Villareal

Joel De Carteret

Demi Sorono

So You Think You Can Dance - Australia is already half-way of its first season as half of the Top 20 were eliminated in previous episodes. Our very own Joel de Carteret has just been eliminated last week, however, Demi and Rhiannon made it to the Top 10 and still in the running to win the title of Australia’s most favorite dancer.

Know more about Joel de Carteret.
Know more about Demi Soronon.
Know more about Rhiannon Villareal.

KC CONCEPCION Working on Her First Music Album

KC Concepcion is now a multi-hyphenate. She started out as a commercial model, and later tried her hand at theater and television acting. Now, she's giving recording a shot, via her still untitled debut album under Sony BMG. This album will be released in May 2008.

KC's participated in the whole creative process of making the album. She's proud of what the album will become.

"Maganda po 'yong feel ng album kasi gusto naming mangyari 'yong music niya—‘pag bumiyabiyahe kayo or long road trip—‘yon ang nilalagay n'yo sa CD player n'yo. Para siyang easy listening na very relaxed, very masarap pakinggan. Hindi siya bumibirit, hindi siya masyadong nag-i-impose sa listener," said KC.

So far, she has recorded about one fourth of the whole album. It will offer some originals and revivals, like a Top 40 popularized by Barbadian singer Rihanna.

"Gumawa kami ng bagong version ng ‘Umbrella' na very ethereal, pinatong-patungan namin ng vocals ko. Umiba 'yong tunog ng ‘Umbrella' dito. Ballad pa rin po siya, parang naging very mystical siya."

There are also some hit songs from the '80s and early '90s. "We also have ‘Just Can't Get Enough,' ‘80s, na ang tumugtog po don Pinikpikan. And we have ballads like ‘It Must Have Been Love' at marami pang iba mga Tagalog songs na surprise. One is from my favorite artist Joey Ayala, na favorite song ko from his collection."

Her mom Sharon Cuneta has listened to some of the raw tracks that KC has recorded so far. "Nasa iPod po niya [‘yong songs], pero hindi pa kasi tapos. Every time naririnig namin, meron kaming gustong idagdag or bawasan. Marami pang mangyayaring mixing, so hindi pa final 'yong tracks."

What remains sure is that what KC has done in her yet-to-be-released album has pleased her mom. Says KC: "Excited siya at gusto niya 'yong mga kanta."

BRITNEY SPEARS Delivered the Highest Rating Ever for "How I Met Your Mother"

The first television appearance of Britney Spears in the CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” drove up a record-breaking 10.62 million viewers for the series according to Nielsen Media Research.

The figure is up more than 1 million viewers from the week before, and some 2.4 million from what the sitcom averaged before the season was upended by the Hollywood writers strike.

Monday’s much-awaited telecast also generated the largest audience between the ages of 18 and 49 in the show’s three-year history.

Watch the video clip of How I Met Your Mother - All Britney Spears parts:

2008 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award Winners

The big winner as almost anyone could have predicted in this year's Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award (KCA) is teen sensation Miley Cyrus who took home awards for Favorite TV Actress and Favorite Female Singer.

Here is the KCA Winners as Voted on by Kids:

* Favorite TV Show: Drake and Josh
* Favorite Reality Show: American Idol
* Favorite TV Actor: Drake Bell
* Favorite TV Actress: Miley Cyrus
* Favorite Cartoon: Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Favorite Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks
* Favorite Movie Actor: Johnny Depp
* Favorite Movie Actress: Jessica Alba
* Favorite Animated Movie: Ratatouille
* Favorite Animated Voice: Eddie Murphy (Shrek The Third)
* Favorite Music Group: The Jonas Brothers
* Favorite Song: “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne
* Favorite Female Singer: Miley Cyrus
* Favorite Male Singer: Chris Brown
* Favorite Male Athlete: Tony Hawk
* Favorite Female Athlete: Danica Patrick
* Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series
* Favorite Video Game: Madden NFL 2008
* Wannabe Award: Cameron Diaz

Vote For FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008

Yes, it's back! Who will top the FHM Top 100 Sexiest Women list this time? Will it be Katrina Halili (possibly her 3rd time in a row?), Angel Locsin (revenge!), Ehra Madrigal, Angelica Panganiban, Bianca King or another girl will surprise us?!....which goes by the name of Marian Rivera.

Voting period is from April 1 to June 15 only.

How to vote? Here's how:

1. Register online at: http://www.fhm.com.ph/beamember/beamember

2. Or thru your mobile phone:

Instructions:

1. The FHM 100 Sexiest poll is open to all Smart, Globe, Sun, Talk N’ Text and Addict Mobile subscribers.

2. To vote, the texter must text in FHM100 and send to 2948. Example: FHM100 Marian Rivera. Texting of votes costs P2.50 for Smart, Talk N’ Text, Globe and Addict Mobile while P2.00 for Sun.

3. 1 text vote = 5 entries

4. To get a complete list of all keywords, text FHM100 to 2948.

5. Send all keywords to 2948 for Smart, Globe, Sun, Talk N’ Text and Addict Mobile subscribers.

GMA 7's PINOY IDOL Premiers on April 5, Saturday

All systems go for the premiere of Pinoy Idol, the Philippines franchise of the no. 1 tv program in the land! The pilot episode is going to be aired this Saturday, April 5, 2008, on GMA 7 Kapuso network, right after Pinoy Records.

As part of the upcoming pilot episode of Pinoy Idol on GMA 7, SOP Constellation of Stars performed a medley of Idol songs by Carrie Underwood to Clay Aiken, from Guy Sebastian to Chris Daughtry. And the finale - the wildly popular “I Am Your Brother” by Filipino-American Reynaldo Lapuz (Pambihira!).

Jaya - I Believe by Fantasia Barrino

Kyla - This is My Now by Jordin Sparks

Regine Velasquez - Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

Janno Gibbs - Do I Make You Proud by Taylor Hicks

Ogie Alcasid - Angels Brought Me Here by Guy Sebastian

Jay-R - Home by Chris Daughtry

Jolina Magdangal - A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson

(Jay-R and Jolina Magdangal’s part were not included in the video)

Fit ‘n Right Got 2B Fit Challenge 2008 Winners

JR Marfori and Julie Puentenegra bested 8 other finalists to become the fit, fab, firm, and famous ambassadors of Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Got 2B Fit Challenge 2008.

Male Goldilocks Go Lite Special Winner:

JR Marfori

Before: 221 lbs.

Now: 194 lbs.

Female Goldilocks Go Lite Special Winner:

Julie Puentenegra

Before: 156 lbs.

Now: 141 lbs.

The Non-Winning Finalists:

Male Contestants

Alex Lindenberg

Jim Oller

Elmer Sanga

John Seprado

Female Contestants

Joanne Ignacio

Angel Landayan

Amy Macuto

Gayle Valencia

GERALD ANDERSON Chosen to Play JULIAN in the Pinoy Version of "My Girl"

Binigyan ng solo presscon ng ABS-CBN ang young actor na si Gerald Anderson para sa official announcement ng pagkakapili sa kanya bilang leading man ni Kim Chiu na gaganap sa kauna-unahanang Koreanovela franchise na gagawan ng Pinoy version ng Kapamilya network, ang My Girl. This is another first na handog ng ABS-CBN sa kasaysayan ng telebisyon sa buong Asya.

Iba-iba ang pangalan na lumutang kung sino ang magiging kapareha ni Kim sa My Girl pagkatapos i-announce sa presscon ng "Dream Big Kapamilya"—to launch the new seasons of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus at Pinoy Dream Academy—na si Kim ang gaganap bilang Jasmine na lead sa naturang Koreanovela.

Pero nilinaw ng executive at business unit head ng ABS-CBN na si Mr. Deo Endrinal sa presscon na bago pa man i-announce na si Kim na ang napili nila para sa My Girl, napagdesisyunan na rin nila that time na si Gerald ang makakapareha niya at gaganap bilang 21-year-old na si Julian. Hindi lang daw nila agad in-announce na kasama rin si Gerald sa My Girl dahil presscon nga ni Kim 'yon para sa Dream Big Kapamilya shows.

"Happy po ako siyempre and excited din ako. It's my first time kasi. Oh, I have to go through some workshop para mag-mature ang acting ko and internally na rin," sabi ni Gerald sa interview.

Sinimulan na rin daw ni Gerald na panoorin ang Korean version ng My Girl and so far, nasa seventh episode na siya.

"It's very good. I really like Julian's character. He's very strong and affectionate also," sambit ng young actor.

Sinorpresa naman si Gerald ni Kim nang umapir din ang young actress sa solo presscon ng ka-love team. Natanong tuloy si Gerald kung ano ang ireregalo niya sa nalalapit na 18th birthday ni Kim sa April 19.

"Surprise," ngiti ni Gerald. "Basta malalaman din ninyo 'yon."

Anytime now ay magsisimula na sina Gerald at Kim sa taping ng My Girl, na nakatakdang ipalabas sa May. Pero sa April, mauunang ipalabas ang isa pang show ng pares na pagbibidahan ni Claudine Barretto, ang Maligno.

"Hindi sila mag-overlap," paniniguro ni Gerald.

KATRINA HALILI has a New Coffee Table Book

Aminado ang sexy young actress na si Katrina Halili na isang malaking sugal ang kanyang pagpu-produce ng sarili niyang coffeetable book. Dito, ipapakita niya raw ang lahat ng kanyang makakakaya bilang isang sexy model. Pangarap daw kasi ni Katrina ang ma-feature sa ganitong klaseng babasahin.

“Kasi nung bata pa ako, mahilig akong tumingin ng magazines. Tapos ngayon nagshu-shoot ako na ako ng FHM, ‘tapos nakahiligan ko na rin siya. Naisip ko, bakit hindi ko gawin,” kuwento ni Katrina sa GMA News.

Boracay Island ang napiling location ni Katrina sa kanyang unang layout. Sa isang cove malapit sa Station 1 ng Bora naganap ang pictorial. Hindi maikakaila na nakikipagsabayan ang kaseksihan ni Katrina sa ganda ng lokasyon.

Isang sea goddess at isang socialite shipwreck survivor ang drama ni Katrina sa kanyang unang mga layout.

Read the rest of the story HERE

Rediscovering DINGDONG DANTES

Can’t get enough of this season’s “King of Briefs”?

Click here for more!

Related Article:
DINGDONG is now a Bench Body Endorser

YILMAZ BEKTAS Reportedly Dating 2006 Miss Universe ZULEYKA MENDOZA

MOVING ON?
Matagal-tagal na ring walang naririnig mula sa estranged Turkish husband ni Ruffa Gutierrez na si Yilmaz Bektas pagkatapos niyang bisitahin ang asawa at ang kanilang dalawang anak dito sa Pilipinas noong August 2007.

Pero ngayong linggo ay lumabas sa mga pahayagan at magazines sa Turkey, kagaya ng Hurriyet, na may bagong babaeng idini-date si Yilmaz. Ang bagong babae sa buhay ng Turkish businessman, ayon sa mga reports, ay si Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza—ang 2006 Miss Universe mula sa Puerto Rico.

Sa isang issue ng Hurriyet ay may artikulo tungkol sa relasyon nina Yilmaz at ng 20 years old na si Zuleyka. Nabanggit din ang pangalan ni Ruffa, ang 1994 Miss World 2nd Runner-up, na asawa nga ng Turkish businessman. Sa kasalukuyan ay inaayos na nina Yilmaz at Ruffa ang kanilang divorce upang mapawalang-bisa ang kanilang kasal.

Kasama rin sa naturang artikulo ang isang solo picture ni Zuleyka at dalawang litrato na magkasama sila ni Yilmaz na tila kuha sa isang party. Sa isang larawan ay parehong naninigarilyo ng tobacco sina Yilmaz at Zuleyka, samantalang sa isa naman ay tila may ibinubulong si Yilmaz kay Zuleyka habang hawak-hawak ng Turkish businessman ang leeg ng dating Miss Universe.

Pagkatapos ng kanyang reign bilang Miss Universe, susubukan naman ngayon ni Zuleyka ang mundo ng pag-arte bilang television actress. Kasama siya sa Telemundo soap opera na Dame Chocolate.

RUFFA KNOWS.

Pagkatapos lumabas ng balitang ito tungkol kina Yilmaz at Zuleyka, marami ang nagtatanong kung alam na ito ni Ruffa. Ayon sa mga nakapaligid sa TV host-actress ay alam na ito ni Ruffa at ng kanyang pamilya.

Ayon sa malalapit na kaibigan ni Ruffa, naiyak ang TV host-actress nang mabalitaang may girlfriend na si Yilmaz.

Nag-aalala ang mga kaibigan ni Ruffa na baka sa mga bagong pangyayaring ito ay magkabalikan pa ang mag-asawa. Sabi nila, ganun daw kasi talaga ang ugali ni Yilmaz. Pinapagselos lang nito si Ruffa sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita na may iba nang babae sa buhay niya bilang pang-akit ulit sa asawa.

Kung si Yilmaz ay may bago nang minamahal, sa tingin naman ng mga kaibigan ni Ruffa, ay wala pa ring ipinapalit ang TV host-actress sa kanyang asawa ng ilang taon.

ANNABELLE IS HAPPY.

Pero kung meron namang natutuwa sa balitang tungkol sa relasyon diumano nina Yilmaz at Zuleyka, ito ay walang iba kundi ang ina ni Ruffa na si Annabelle Rama. Hindi naman kaila sa lahat ang kagustuhan ni Annabelle na tuluyan nang iwanan ng kanyang anak si Yilmaz.

Inaamin pa nga ni Annabelle sa mga malalapit sa kanya na araw-araw niyang ipinagdadasal sa Sto. Niño niya na huwag nang balikan ni Ruffa si Yilmaz. At ang isang paraan na nakikita niya upang mangyari ito ay ang makahanap ng ibang pag-ibig si Yilmaz, na tila nagkaroon na ng katuparan ngayon.

Tungkol naman sa mga anak nina Ruffa at Yilmaz na sina Lorin at Venice, ayon sa malalapit na kaibigan ng TV host-actress, tila hindi na nabibigyan ni Yilmaz ng atensiyon, panahon, at suporta ang mga bata. Ayon sa mga kaibigan ni Ruffa, ito raw ang ikinalulungkot ni Ruffa.

Source: pep

Entertainment Live's Detailed Report on IRA EIGENMANN's Alleged Nude Photos

See video report below courtesy of ABS-CBN's Entertainment Live!

PBB Teen Edition Plus Housemate's Guardians Enter the Big Brother House

As what Lauren Dyogi announced as a first in any Big Brother shows around the world, the guardians of the 14 teen housemates of PBB Teen Edition Plus entered the house but in a separate location. Big Brother’s first reminder for them: if any one of them quit, go outside the house for medical reasons or any other reason not mentioned in their agreement, their corresponding teen housemate will be evicted automatically.

Carina - Mommy ni Beauty

Rose - Mommy ni Rona

Sandy - Mommy ni Nicole

Ningning - Mommy ni Linda

Gerry - Daddy ni Jieriel

Boy - Daddy ni Robi

Anna - Tita ni Josef

Ike - Tatay ni Jolas

My Love - Mommy ni Nan

Erning - Tatay ni Ejay

Violy - Pangalawang Nanay ni Valerie

Jinky - Mommy ni Priscilla

Minda - Mommy ni Alex

John - Kevin’s Dad

Source: starmometer.com

intimidades de Pitt y Aniston

Aunque su matrimonio duró cinco años, los problemas entre Brad Pitt y Jennifer Aniston comenzaron tan sólo seis semanas después de la boda, según dijo el comediante inglés Omid Djalili.Así, la relación entre Brad y Aniston se habría desgastado mucho tiempo antes de que Angelina Jolie irrumpiera en la vida de Pitt.Brad confesó su situación marital al comediante cuando ambos filmaban la cinta Spy Game, informó la página entertainmentwise.com.

http://www.adnmundo.com/contenidos/actualidad/aniston_pitt_jolie_ac270308.html

Katie Holmes no duerme bien

Desde que Katie Holmes se casó con Tom Cruise parece que su carrera se fue por la borda. Y no es que fuera una gran estrella antes de que Cruise apareciera en su vida pero al menos ya había obtenido algo de fama cuando actuaba en el programa ‘Dawson’s Creek’ y en un par de cintas independientes. Sin embargo, desde que se casó no ha trabajado mucho, excepto por la comedia ‘Mad Money’, que tuvo poco, casi nulo, éxito en taquilla. Al parecer ahora Katie podría obtener otra oportunidad para revivir su carrera aunque esta vez sería haciendo su presentación en Broadway.

http://www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=6cbd4f1831c0bcfb6c3c7688580afb5a

La fotosíntesis artificial un paso más cerca

Científicos alemanes han logrado un paso importante en el largo camino para imitar, de forma artificial, la fotosíntesis de los vegetales. Pudieron sintetizar un óxido de metal estable inorgánico, lo que permite la oxidación rápida y efectiva del agua en oxígeno.

La fotosíntesis artificial puede contribuir de una forma decisiva, a resolver los problemas energéticos y con respecto al cambio climático. En este caso, los científicos alemanes del Research Centre Jülich, están intentando descubrir una forma eficiente de producir hidrógeno con la ayuda de la energía solar.

Muchos creen que el hidrógeno es el combustible del futuro. La industria automotriz, por ejemplo, está trabajando duro en introducir células de combustible eficientes que puedan ser utilizadas en coches, como el caso de los japoneses, u otros.

Pero el tema es que los sistemas con células de combustible pueden ser ecológicos realmente si los investigadores logran producir hidrógeno a partir de fuentes renovables. La fotosíntesis artificial es una forma, ya que esta consiste en dividir el agua en sus componentes, el oxígeno por un lado y el hidrógeno por el otro. Esto con la ayuda de la luz solar. Sin duda sería una forma excelente de resolver el tema del hidrógeno.

Pero no es un logro sencillo. Ya vimos aquí otros casos en que están probando, incluso se han logrado paneles solares que simulan una parte de la fotosíntesis. Pero siguen habiendo muchos obstáculos. Uno de los más importantes es superar la formación agresiva de sustancias en el proceso de oxidación del agua. Las plantas lo resuelven reparando y reemplazando de forma constante su catalizador verde, o sea las hojas.

Una imitación técnica de esto depende de catalizadores más estables. Eso es lo que han logrado científicos del Research Centre Jülich, la Helmholtz Association y la Universidad Emory de Estados Unidos. Se trata de un grupo de óxidos de metal inorgánico con un centro que consiste de cuatro iones de un raro metal de transición el rutenio, que cataliza de forma rápida y efectiva la oxidación del agua en oxígeno mientras permanece estable.

“Nuetro complejo tetrarutenio soluble en agua muestra sus efectos en soluciones acuosas que ya tienen temperatura ambiente”, dijo el profesor Paul Kögerler, del Jülich Institute, quien sintetizó y caracterizó al prometedor sistema con su colega el Dr. Bogdan Botar.

“Al contrario de otros catalizadores moleculares para la oxidación del agua, el nuestro no contiene componentes orgánicos. Esa es la razón de que sea tan estable”, dijeron.

“Ahora el reto es integrar este complejo de rutenio en un sistema fotoactivo, que convierta de forma eficiente la enegía solar en energía química”, concluyó Botar.



Fuente: ScienceDaly

El europeo del millón de años

Es sólo un fragmento de mandíbula, pero ya ha puesto en duda la visión hasta ahora más aceptada sobre la evolución humana del último millón y medio de años. Es un fósil hallado en el yacimiento de la Sima del Elefante, en Atapuerca (Burgos), en junio del año pasado, y su importancia estriba en su edad. Con al menos 1,2 millones de años es el resto humano más antiguo del que se tiene noticia en Europa. De él extraen los investigadores varias conclusiones. La primera, que hay presencia humana en Europa mucho antes de lo que se pensaba hasta ahora; la segunda -unida a la anterior-, que en este continente pudieron originarse no sólo los neandertales, como se creía, sino también especies como el Homo antecessor, posible antepasado común de los neandertales y nosotros, el Homo sapiens.

"Hasta ahora se creía que la única aportación de Europa a la evolución humana era una especie muy inteligente pero fallida, los neandertales. Ahora vemos que pasaron muchas más cosas", explica Juan Luis Arsuaga, del Centro de Investigación de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos y codirector de las excavaciones en Atapuerca junto con Eudald Carbonell (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolucio) y José M. Bermúdez de Castro (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre Evolución Humana).

Estos investigadores, junto a otros 27 firman hoy el artículo en el que presentan su hallazgo en Nature, que le dedica además la portada. El titular es: "¿El primer europeo? La mandíbula que sitúa a los humanos en España hace más de un millón de años".

El nuevo fósil es una "sorpresa", según Arsuaga. "Creíamos que habíamos encontrado ya todos los fósiles humanos de Atapuerca. Y nadie esperaba hallar restos tan antiguos en Europa".

El hueso no es una mandíbula completa sino su región anterior, la parte que incluye lo que en los humanos actuales es el mentón. Conserva algunos dientes, además de un segundo premolar inferior encontrado días antes. Se han hallado además 32 útiles de sílex de la misma época. Son lascas simples, de entre 30 y 75 milímetros. Con ellas se aprovechaba la carne de grandes herbívoros.

Las implicaciones de este hallazgo para la visión general de la evolución humana pueden ser importantes. Tras décadas de debate, la teoría más aceptada hoy es que los humanos aparecieron y evolucionaron en África, continente del que fueron emigrando en diferentes oleadas. Se considera probado que el Homo sapiens (nosotros) salió de África hace menos de 100.000 años y se extendió por el planeta, sustituyendo a otras especies humanas ya asentadas. Los neandertales, en Europa, fueron una de ellas (hoy está claro también que neandertales y sapiens son especies distintas).

Pero este fósil de 1,2 millones de años podría estar indicando que no sólo fue África el lugar donde evolucionaron especies que forman parte del linaje del Homo sapiens. "Quizás hay que pensar que hubo otros centros de producción, que hubo ondas evolutivas en diferentes direcciones", señala Arsuaga, uno de los directores de las excavaciones.

Hasta ahora el título de primeros europeos lo tenían fósiles también de Atapuerca, datados en 800.000 años. Son de la especie Homo antecessor y fueron hallados en 1994 en la Gran Dolina. Esta especie tiene rasgos antiguos pero también muy modernos; los investigadores han descrito la cara del llamado niño de la Gran Dolina como parecida a la nuestra, plana y grácil, pero su frente tenía cejas con un reborde óseo muy robusto y sus dientes también eran muy primitivos. La opinión de Arsuaga es que Homo antecessor es antepasado común nuestro y de los neandertales.

Entonces entra en escena esta mandíbula, catalogada "provisionalmente", como Homo antecessor. Eso implicaría que "el poblamiento de Europa se produjo mucho más rápido y de forma más continuada de lo que se creía hasta ahora", como escriben en Nature. Pero además se refuerza la idea de que Homo antecessor apareció en Europa, y no en África.

Ahora bien, si Homo antecessor es antepasado nuestro y hace al menos 1,2 millones de años estaba en Europa, y si el hombre moderno salió sin duda de África hace menos de 100.000 millones de años... "Entonces obviamente el Homo antecessor tuvo que volver a África" y evolucionar en Europa, indica. De comprobarse, Europa habría aportado al esquema de la evolución humana una especie integrada en nuestro linaje. Es una visión "distinta" de la aceptada hasta ahora, admite Arsuaga, pero "nuestro trabajo consiste en establecer relaciones entre los fósiles atendiendo primero a la morfología, y después a la geografía. Primero tenemos que saber quién es hijo de quién, y después adónde emigraron".

PBA Star ROMMEL ADDUCUL Stricken with Cancer

'BIG C' ON A RAMPAGE.
Days after the Aquino family issued a statement announcing that former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino has colon cancer, comes the news that basketball superstar Rommel Adducul is suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer.

According to reports, the hardworking cager is currently undergoing chemotherapy sessions to prevent the cancer cells from spreading. Nasopharyngeal cancer is said to be rare in Western countries but common among Asians. The cancer cells develop in the nasopharynx which is the air space lying at the back of the nose and above the soft part of the palette.

Rommel, who plays for the Purefoods Giants, started exhibiting signs and symptoms of the disease during the recently concluded PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) finals where they lost to eventual champion the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

"I saw him really grasping for air and I didn't realized that one of his nostrils is already blocked," revealed Purefoods head coach Ryan Gregorio in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

Most of his teammates also noticed a prominent lump on Rommel's neck during the championship series.

Among those who learned first of Rommel's delicate condition is teammate Kirby Raymundo. "Honestly medyo naiyak ako parang pagpunta ko dito sa practice parang ang bigat, mabigat. Talagang malaking tulong siya sa team dahil siya yong center namin," said a distraught Kirby.

CALM BUT UNCERTAIN.

Despite his condition, the Tuguegarao native tried his best to maintain a brave face when sports reporter Bill Velasco cornered him for an interview.

"Hindi ako nagwu-worry," enthused the optimistic center. "Kasi I think ‘pag sinabi kasing cancer life and death na, e. Pero ‘yong sa ‘kin, mababang klase lang siya na 80 percent na hindi na siya magre-recur 'pag naundergo ko ‘yong chemo 'tsaka radiotherapy," he added.

Rommel's therapy would sideline him for the upcoming conference. Purefoods, however, opted to keep him in the roster thus explaining Rommel's presence during team practice and scrimmages.

The former San Sebastian College standout, however, is unsure on when will he be returning to hardcourt duty.

"Siguro next conference," he tentatively replied. "Sigurado na talaga na All-Filipino [Conference] talaga makakabalik na ako, pero itong conference na ‘to hopefully," he groped.

SHOWBIZ ROMANCE.

Even before joining the professional ranks, Rommel was already popular among local basketball aficionados. A three-time recipient of the NCAA Most Valuable Player plum, Rommel powered the San Sebastian Stags to five straight championships before jumping to the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) where he continued his dominance.

He surprised many people when he opted to join the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) instead of entering the more established PBA. Despite earning criticisms, Rommel's stint in the MBA proved to be fruitful as shown by the handful of awards he reaped during his stay. He finally made his long overdue PBA debut in 2003 when he was drafted by the Barangay Ginebra Kings. The 6'6" center was also a consistent fixture in the National Team.

Other than his stellar hardcourt achievements, Rommel was thrown more in the spotlight when he had a romantic relationship with Fil-Italian actress Assunta de Rossi. After their separation, Rommel made tabloid news again when he was rumored to be dating controversial actress and TV host Kris Aquino. Kris ended up marrying Rommel's Purefoods Giants teammate James Yap in 2005.

Rommel is married to Jocelyn Cobankiat.

ALESSANDRA DE ROSSI is FHM's April 2008 Cover Girl

At last, Alessandra De Rossi will grace the cover of FHM Philippines April 2008 issue.

And as part of the deal, you will get Alex' demo album when you buy a copy of FHM April issue. Not only that, in case you wanna take a glimpse of her very first music video, login to http://www.fhm.com.ph. Wow! It seems like Alex is also trying her luck in the music scene. Goodluck!

Alex's pictorial with Jun De Leon was done in Paul Del Rosario's yatch named Advance 92. Her make-up by Barbi Chan. Styling by Ana Kalaw and hair by Felicity.

Concert ni TONI GONZAGA May Repeat

Happy na sa lovelife, happy pa sa career. ‘Yan ang drama ng buhay ni Toni Gonzaga ngayon. Last Hollyweek ay magkasama sila ng boyfriend niyang si Paul Soriano sa kanilang bahay.

Samantalang ang career naman niya, hataw in fairness.

Masasabing successful ang 2008 ni Toni. Simula pa lang ng taon ay napakarami ng magagandang kaganapan sa kanya. Minahal ng bayan ang karakter niya bilang si Onay sa Maging Sino Ka Man, isang blockbuster ang My Big Love nila ni Sam Milby, may platinum album siya, kabi-kabilang product endorse­ments, mga hosting stints, at higit sa lahat sold out ang concert niya sa Aliw Theater noong Feb. 9. Kaya naman magkakaroon ito ng repeat na pro­duced ng Manio Events, MJM Production, and Nitram Entertainment, ang Catch Me Again, Toni Gonzaga sa Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, sa May 2, 8 p.m.

Muli ay patutunayan ni Toni sa concert na ito ang kanyang versatility bilang performer, singer, at dancer. Makakasama niya ang kanyang ka-loveteam na si Sam at mga kaibigang sina Vice Ganda, Gerald Anderson at Allan K. Si GB Sampedro ang magdi-direk ng show at si Marc Lopez naman ang musical director.

Ang mga tickets (P1,500, P1,000, P800, at P400) ay mabibili sa lahat ng SM Ticketnet outlets o tumawag sa 911-5555 at sa Nitram Entertainment sa 719-5726.

Photoshop Express Beta disponible

Ya está disponible la beta de Photoshop Express, el muy esperado servicio de edición de imágenes online de Adobe. A primera vista, en Photoshop Express nos encontramos con un sitio construido enteramente en Flash 9 - otra cosa no era de esperar - gratuito y con dos gigas de almacenamiento para imágenes. integración con Facebook, Picassa y Photobucket (nada de Flickr, aunque está en sus planes) y unas opciones para mostrar galerías bastante potentes visualmente.

Obviamente Photoshop Express es algo muy alejado de las prestaciones que la marca "Photoshop" nos tiene acostumbrados. De hecho juega en la liga de Picnik y otros editores de imágenes online: cortar, rotar, redimensionar, ojos rojos y algunos retoque muy básicos (aunque las opciones de auto corrección son bastante interesantes).

Sin embargo, Photoshop Express no es sólo un editor de imágenes, quiere ser también sitio para almacenar y compartir (los dos gigas, el poder embeber imágenes, envío por correo, mostrar galerías...) ¿Qué cabe esperar en el futuro? Pues probablemente a su crecimiento como software (opciones más potentes de edición), pero también una más que probable integración con las herramientas de escritorio. De momento, la primera versión de Photoshop Express, de notable.

Actualización: como destaca Webware, merece la pena detenerse en las condiciones del sitio antes de utilizarlo:

Adobe does not claim ownership of Your Content. However, with respect to Your Content that you submit or make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the Services, you grant Adobe a worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable license to use, distribute, derive revenue or other remuneration from, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other Materials or works in any format or medium now known or later developed

Sitio oficial, Photoshop Express, más información en Xataka Foto.

http://www.photoshop.com/express

American Idol 7 - Who Got Kicked Off?

Click inside to find out which contestant got stripped off of tonight’s American Idol.

VIDEO LINKS:

Group Song - “Right Back Where We Started From” (Watch here)
Carly Smithson - “I’m Not Pregnant” (Watch here)
Caller wants Ryan Seacrest’s job (Watch here)
Kimberly Locke performs (Watch here)

JON AVILA as 'Kapitan Boom' on ABS-CBN's Komiks

Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 Jon Avila will a superhero on ABS-CBN's weekly show 'Komiks'.

His debut television show is titled Kapitan Boom! created by the father of Pinoy superheroes Mars Ravelo.

IRA EIGENMANN's Nude Pictures, Fake or Not?

Racy pictures allegedly of young actress Ira Eigenmann are spreading on the Internet like wildfire, with various websites and blogs posting the unflattering images while creating links to spread the pictures specifically into adult forums.

There are rumors circulating that Ira's ex-boyfriend, who is said to be an American, took the provocative pictures, then later posted them on the web.

Others, however, contest the authenticity of the images, arguing that the woman shown in the photo is not Ira at all, and that the pictures were either fabricated or the woman involved is just a spitting image of the young actress.

Why dont you see it for yourself and decide...are those pictures really authentic or not?

YES! Magazines 2007 Readers Choice Award Winners

Definitely, no year would be complete without the country's leading and best-selling entertainment magazine's list of the most beautiful, the most popular, and the most favorite celebrities of the year as voted by its readers.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Favorite Actor and Actress of the Year: Piolo Pascual and Maricel Soriano

Favorite Real-Life Sweethearts: Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos

Favorite Movie of the Year: Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo
Favorite TV Show (Drama) : ABS-CBN's Maging Sino Ka Man

Favorite TV Show (Fantasy-Adventure): GMA-7's Super Twins

Favorite Youth Oriented Show: GMA-7's Boys Nxt Door

Favorite Reality/Game Show: GMA-7's StarStruck: The Next Level for the Reality/Games category.
Most Handsome Celebrity: Richard Gutierrez

Most Beautiful Celebrity: KC Concepcion

Most Fashionable Young Male Celebrity: Richard Gutierrez

Most Fashionable Young Female Celebrity: Anne Curtis

Young Female Superstar: Jennylyn Mercado
Young Male Superstar: John Lloyd Cruz

Most Popular Loveteam: John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo

Celebrity Home of the Year: Jennylyn Mercado

Celebrity Condo of the Year: Dennis Trillo's Condo
Scene Stealers of the Year: Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez's admission of their relationship

Next Big Male Star and Next Big Female Star: Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu

Band of the Year: Bamboo (We Stand Alone Album)
Band Song of the Year: Akin Ka Na Lang by the Itchyworms (Noontime Show Album)

2008 MYX Music Award Winners

Filipino artists clad in their best chic rock attire graced the 2008 MYX Music Awards that aims to celebrate the most popular singers and bands in the Philippine music industry. The third edition of this annual music event took place last night, March 26, at the Meralco Theater, Ortigas Center.

Some of the highlights of the evening include the performance of international hip hop artist Apl.D.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas and the tribute to Magna Awardee Gary Valenciano, who is celebrating his 25th anniversary in showbiz.

Apl.D.Ap (whose real name is Allan Pineda) also received a Special Citation for his outstanding contribution to the music industry and to his homeland, the Philippines. His compositions "The Apl Song" from the album Elephunk and "Bebot" from the album Monkey Business are hailed as songs that exemplify his pride in his Filipino heritage. He was also cited "for his efforts to pave the way for Filipino artists and Filipino-American artists through his label, Jeepney Records."

In his acceptance speech, Apl addressed his kababayans and said, "First of all, I want to thank God. Maraming salamat sa MYX Awards. I want to thank all the fans for supporting me. I want to thank my group, the Black Eyed Peas, for believing in me, for letting me make a Filipino song in Tagalog to represent my culture. [applause] I will continue to represent Filipinos all over the world, y'all! They ask me, ‘What makes you Filipino?' I say, I will be Filipino today, I will be Filipino tomorrow, and I will be Filipino in the future. Maraming salamat!"

Aside from participating in the MYX Music Awards, Apl hopes to make a guest appearance on ABS-CBN's noontime show Wowowee and perform in local clubs. This native of Angeles, Pampanga will be here in the country until April 5. Apl also revealed that he is doing a solo album that is scheduled to be released this year.

"One of my songs is called ‘Island'... I wrote it when I was here during Christmas. It's about the beauty of the country and the hardship of the country. I'd like to represent that all over the world," says Apl with a smile. During the awards night, Apl performed "Island, " prompting some members of the audience to stand up and groove to his upbeat music.

MYX Magna Awardee Gary Valenciano was overwhelmed by the production number that paid tribute to him and his unforgettable songs such as "Hataw Na" and "Sana Maulit Muli." The medley of songs was performed by some of the best names in the music industry including Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Vina Morales, Ebe Dancel, Jett Pangan, and Janno Gibbs. Mr. Pure Energy himself was very surprised to see his own sons, Paolo and Gabriel, take part in the production number since they managed to keep it a secret from him.

The big winner during the awards night was Sarah Geronimo, who was named as Favorite Artist, Favorite Female Artist, Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ. Her song "Ikaw" was also chosen as Song of the Year. The pop singer is currently in the United States for her concert series, which is why she sent a taped message that was aired during the program.

Among the presenters that night were Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 housemates Riza Santos, Will Devaughn, Jon Avila, Gaby dela Merced, and Ruben Gonzaga. Other artists tapped to be presenters include Nancy Castiglione and her fiancée Doug Kramer, Valerie Concepcion, Katya Santos, Yeng Constantino, Marc Abaya of Kjwan, and Dingdong Dantes. Aside from presenting an award, the sexy group Kitty Girls performed a lively dance number that excited all the hot-blooded males in the audience that night.

Directed by Rowell Santiago, the third edition of this annual music awards was hosted by MYX VJs Luis Manzano, Iya Villania, Nikki Gil, Drei, Mica, and Igi. To determine the winners of the different categories, sixty percent of the scores came from the viewers of MYX while the remaining forty percent came from the votes of the artists themselves.

Here is the complete list of winners in the 2008 MYX Music Awards:

Favorite Music Video: Tuliro by Spongecola
Favorite Song: Sarah Geronimo ("Ikaw")
Favorite Artist: Sarah Geronimo
Favorite Male Artist: Erik Santos
Favorite Female Artist: Sarah Geronimo
Favorite Group: Spongecola
Favorite Rock Video: "Vampire Social Club" by Chicosci
Favorite Mellow Video: "Alam ng Ating Mga Puso" by Rachelle Ann Go
Favorite Urban Video: "Like That" by Billy Crawford
Favorite Collaboration: Rachelle Ann Go and Christian Bautista in "Pag-ibig Na Kaya"
Favorite Remake: Kyla
Favorite New Artist: Sam Concepcion
Favorite Indie Artist: Updharmadown
Favorite International Music Video: "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance
Favorite Guest Appearance in a Music Video: Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson (Love Team by Itchyworms)
Favorite Media Soundtrack: Spongecola ("Tuloy Pa Rin" in Pedro Penduko at ang Mga Engkantao)
Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ: Sarah Geronimo
Favorite MYX Live Performance: Pupil
Favorite MYX Bandarito Performance: Zelle

The MYX Music Awards 2008 TV Special will air on Sunday, March 30, (8 pm) on Sky Cable Channel 23.

Lindsay Lohan no gana para disgustos

Lindsay Lohan está que no la calienta ni el sol porque su ex novio, Calum Best ha difundido un video íntimo que ambos protagonizan.
El año pasado fue cuando se grabó este video casero, mientras Calum y Lindsay salían.
Se cree que el video fue grabado con el teléfono celular de Calum, y este lo reenvió a un amigo, hasta que se formó una cadena interminable y finalmente terminó en la web, informó entertainmentwise.com.
“No puedo creer que me hayas hecho esto. Debí haber escuchado a los demás. Nunca debí haber creído en ti. Ahora está en todas partes, por toda la red, todos lo están viendo. ¿Cómo pudiste hacerlo?”, le gritó Lohan a su ex novio.

Fuente: Esmas.com

Richard Widmark ha fallecido, adios "hombre duro"

A los 93 años, era un actor completo. Tenía todos los registros, podía ser un asesino, un policia, un vaquero, un traidor, un patriota, un payasete. Su trabajo era tan creible, que no distinguias a la persona del personaje. Se transformaba según el papel lo requeria. Entre sus películas : " El Alamo", " Dos cabalgan juntos", "Mi marido se divierte", " Pánico en las calles" , y un largo etcetera. Quizá hay que recordar, que este " duro de leyenda" empezó en Broadway en 1943, debutó en el cine en 1947 , y triunfó en la televisión de los 70.

El láser multiplicará por mil la velocidad de su ordenador

Fabricar ordenadores más veloces es el objetivo. El grupo tecnológico Sun Microsystems experimenta una tecnología que pretende sustituir las conexiones entre chips por haces de luz láser, lo que permitiría fabricar ordenadores miles de veces más rápidos. La compañía estadounidense también ha anunciado que ha recibido un contrato del Pentágono por valor de 28 millones de euros para desarrollar esta tecnología.


En concreto, Sun intenta sustituir los diminutos cables que conectan los chips en las computadoras por conexiones láser que podrían transportar decenas de miles de bits por segundo. De tener éxito, el resultado serán ordenadores miles de veces más rápidos de lo que conocemos hoy y que, además, serán más eficientes porque generarán menos corriente eléctrica y calor.

Sun compara los procesos de los actuales microprocesadores con una autopista en la que los vehículos se mueven con más lentitud cuando toman una salida. Igualmente, las señales eléctricas se mueven más despacio cuando viajan entre los chips. Su sustitución por haces de luz láser solucionaría el problema.

Greg Papadopoulos, responsable de tecnología e investigación y desarrollo de Sun, dijo en un comunicado que las comunicaciones ópticas "podrían modificar las reglas del juego en tecnología". Según algunos expertos, este programa podría acabar con la ley Moore formulada por el fundador de Intel Gordon Moore, que afirma que el número de transistores de los chips informáticos se dobla cada dos años y que se ha cumplido en las últimas tres décadas.

Tenga en su casa a la Bruni desnuda.

La casa de subastas Christie"s lo hará posible, el 10 de Abril, en Nueva York. La foto es de hace quince años, y el autor Michel Conte. Que curiosidad!!! . ¿ La comprará Sarko ?.

REGINE VELASQUEZ is the Voice Behind PRINCESS URDUJA

In the 13th century, Princess Urduja of Central Luzon falls in love with a Chinese pirate named Limhang. Their inter-racial love story is filled with challenges since Urduja's father, Lakanpati, wants her to marry a brave warrior named Simakwel.

For the first time ever, a local production company will produce a full-length animation film that capitalizes on the talents of Filipino animators. APT Entertainment Inc., the producer of this epic film, hired 10 to 12 animators to conceptualize and bring the various characters to life on paper and finally on the big screen.

Voiced over by some of the biggest stars in showbiz, Urduja is a visual feast that celebrates the talents of Filipino animators. The feisty princess of the Tawilisi tribe is voiced over by Regine Velasquez while her loved one, Limhang, is dubbed in by Cesar Montano. The patriarch Lakanpati is given voice by Eddie Garcia while his favored warrior, Simakwel, is voiced by Jay Manalo.

Other interesting characters in Urduja include Wang (Johnny Delgado), Mayumi (Ruby Rodriguez), Daisuke (Epy Quizon), and the talking animals named Kukut (Michael V.) and Tarsir (Allan K.).

In the press conference of Urduja held earlier today, March 26, at Florabel restaurant at The Podium, Mr. Antonio "Tony" Tuviera of APT Entertainment Inc. narrated that he had been planning to do this project for the past 10 years.

"It took us almost ten years to make this. Actually, we're on the eleventh year now. It started in 1997 and it was actually a dream of mine. My original dream was to make a series of animated features on television. But along the way, I found out that it was quite impossible to do on television because of the cost," he says. "Then I started to do a full-length film. In the span of eleven years, I gave up six or seven times and convinced myself that it was really impossible."

Yet somehow, Mr. T (as Mr. Tuviera is fondly called) found the resources and the drive to push through with the project in an effort to give Filipino animators a chance to shine in their homeland.

"I wanted to give our animators a chance to be recognized," he declares. "They are actually doing a lot of animation abroad—some of them are in Pixar, Disney...ang dami. They are doing animation but never silang nakakuha ng credit. Yung mga Biker Mice...so sabi ko, bakit hindi sila bigyan ng recognition dito?"

As a result, Urduja is a product of traditional and digital animation that is hailed as the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Regine was handpicked by Mr. T to play the royal princess of the Tawilisi tribe in this film. Why did he choose Asia's Songbird to portray this pivotal role?

Mr. T points out: "Noong unang-una pa lang, nakita ko na tama na totoong kumakanta [ang i-cast]. Kasi, usually, sa America ang ginagamit nila yung hindi totoong kumakanta. 'Tapos, ang pakakantahin sa CD, ibang tao."

He reveals that he talked with Regine regarding this animation film as early as three years ago. The singer-actress readily agreed to do the project without even asking about her talent fee or other pertinent details.

When asked about the production cost of doing this epic film, Mr. T says, "It will be a tough task to get back the investment, but I cannot really quote an amount. It will be tough even if it's a hit, I don't think we can get it back. Trial and error ang process."

Why didn't he release this film during the Metro Manila Film Fest to cash in on the holiday spending spree of families?

"Number one, never kong naisip na gawin ‘yon kasi kay Vic Sotto ang Metro Manila Film Festival. Never kong lalabanan si Vic dahil magkakasama kami, e. Number two, ‘pag festival, ang daming kalaban, ang daming magagandang pelikula na kalaban, so ang hirap." Despite all the challenges, Mr. Tuviera is optimistic about the future of animation in the Philippines. In fact, after finishing Urduja, which is now in the post-production phase, he is hoping to pursue his original dream of creating an animated television series, and hopefully in 2010, release another full-length animated film.

See movie trailer below:

George Clooney imita a Brad Pitt

Junto a su buena amiga y antiguo amor Renée Zellwegger, realizó un tour de promoción por cuatro ciudades estadounidenses, Duluth, Salisbury, Greenville y Maysville, localidad donde nació su padre, Nick Clooney, su tía Rosemary Clooney y fue alcalde su abuelo. De hecho, en la ciudad natal de los Clooney fue donde su tía estrenó The Stars Are Singing en 1953.

http://www.periodicodigital.com.mx/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53030&Itemid=67

American Idol 7: Top 10 Performance Night

Theme of the Week: Songs From Their Birth Year

Ramiele Malubay - “Alone” ( Watch here)

Jason Castro - “Fragile” (Watch here)

Syesha Mercado - “If I Were Your Woman” (Watch here)
Chikezie - “If Only For One Night” (Watch here)
Brooke White - “Every Breath You Take” (Watch here)
Michael Johns - “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions” (Watch here)
Carly Smithson - “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Watch here)
David Archuleta - “You’re the Voice” (Watch here)
Kristy Lee Cook - “God Bless the U.S.A.” (Watch here)
David Cook - “Billie Jean (Chris Cornell arrangement)” (Watch here)