Thursday, November 27, 2008

Jonas Brothers launch their new book "Burning Up: On Tour With The Jonas Brothers."

The day after the American Music Awards, the Jonas Brothers had no time to rest as they did a spot on Jay Leno then had to attend their book launch for their upcoming tour memoir "Burning Up: On Tour with The Jonas Brothers."

In a special private book launch in West Hollywood, CA the Jonas Brothers along with special guests were treated to various life size photographs from the Jonas Brothers' tour.

According to the Disney Book Group, "This is the first and only book written by Kevin, Joe, and Nick. You'll get a first hand view of their life behind-the-scenes and on stage performing for fans around the world. The book includes 200 never-before-seen amazing photos with detailed descriptions by the brothers themselves--making this the ultimate backstage pass to life on the road with the Jonas Brothers."

For us photographers, it was originally a negative start to the book launch event as we were subjected to being told to leave the red carpet area and just take pictures of the guests and the Jonas Brothers coming out of their car. Some of us protested as we said, "We do not take pap style photos. Don't you want us to cover the event with the backdrop of Disney Book step and repeat area?"

Finally, the publicist found us a makeshift spot to take photos of the Jonas Bros and guests in front of a wall that had the front cover of the book displayed.


Jordan Sparks poses next to the cover shot of the JoBros new book.

Thanks to the publicist for finally finding a resolution to us carpet-less photographers. But then we were subjected to security attitude as one security took his post so seriously that he acted like a police officer asking one photographer to stay in one certain area. Unfortunately, for my colleague as he listened to the security guard's assault of words, he just stared at the guard then turned away but this guard just kept staring at my photog colleague. I finally told my colleague to say to the security guard, "I understand." That finally made the security guard leave back to his position. Hmmm sometimes these security guards had such bad attitudes that it makes us legitimate photographers not want to do our jobs.

Oh well, we got over it as the rent-a-cop had went back to his position. Funny thing though, I saw that particular rent-a-cop at another red carpet event and still had that nasty attitude.

We as photogs respect security when they respect us.

Anyways, back to the book launch. It was a bit nice to see that the Jonas Bros seems humble. They actually took time to pose for us photogs. Guests included Maurice Bernard and Nancy Lee Grahn of "General Hospital," Madison Pettis, Jordan Sparks, Meghan Martin and Roshon Fegan.

I was privy to actually attend the book launch and not just cover the red carpet. My good friend Becky had me accompany her into the party. With the Jonas Bros not being of age, the bar had a special drink mix called the Jonas Brothers Drink. From what I could remember the bartender said it was a mix of fruit juices. I ended opting to add some vodka to it.

The food spread was great with finger licking bbq chicken, two types of pasta, pizza, chilli and mashed potatoes. Along with the main entree, we had appetizers of shrimp cocktail and pigs in a blanket.


Joe Jonas spots my camera as the Nick and Kevin look the other way.

To top it off was a dessert bar of ice cream. I think I saw Joe Jonas stick with vanilla bean. The funniest thing was my friend was asking for off the wall things/souvenirs from the Jonas Bros to give to her friend's daughter. The most craziest thing was Becky taking a brownie and asking Joe to put a thumbprint on the brownie. He kind of looked at her like she was a bit crazy.

As she did that Nancy Lee Grahn of "General Hospital" passed by me and I commented on her raspberry colored martini. I was a bit surprised as she smiled and said, "Would you like to taste?" I graciously said, "No. I just had a Jonas Bros drink." Nancy quipped back at me, "Oh then you need this." I said, "Oh no, really I don't. I had the bartender add vodka to the Jonas drink."

Disney publicists were taking polaroid shots of guests and tacking them up to a wall. There was also another wall in which guests could write a note to the JoBros.


Madison Pettis is all excited for the JoBros book.

As the party began to wind down, the JoBros made their way to the string quartet to listen to them play. It was a bit cute as Joe also acted like a conductor to the quartet for one song.

It was finally time to go as we were given a gift bag containing the new book and cd from the Jonas Brothers. Unfortunately, I didn't take a pic with the bros as I didn't want to seem like a crazy middle aged man acting like a fan.


Jonas Brothers with Jordan Sparks.

Until next time, "Over The Shoulder!"

All photos by me, Peter Gonzaga. All rights reserved

Thanks to all that read my post!

Today is Thanksgiving and I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude for all the readers who have supported my blog and all the new visitors who unknowingly end up on my site through their internet searches.

Thanks to all who comment good or bad. The comments help me grow.

Hope you, your family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving as I give thanks to you and give you more "Over The Shoulder" during this holiday season.

Here is a video of my nephew and his pre-school class singing about the world is like a rainbow with different people. It's a new era and a new age with a new president. Hopefully we can be acceptable of others and not just tolerant.

Enjoy your turkey day!!!!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Candice Gingrich tells brother Newt, enough is enough!

Dear Newt,
I recently had the displeasure of watching you bash the protestors of the Prop 8 marriage ban to Bill O'Reilly on FOX News. I must say, after years of watching you build your career by stirring up the fears and prejudices of the far right, I feel compelled to use the words of your idol, Ronald Reagan, "There you go, again."
However, I realize that you may have been a little preoccupied lately with planning your resurrection as the savior of your party, so I thought I would fill you in on a few important developments you might have overlooked.

The truth is that you're living in a world that no longer exists. I, along with millions of Americans, clearly see the world the way it as -- and we embrace what it can be. You, on the other hand, seem incapable of looking for new ideas or moving beyond what worked in the past.

Welcome to the 21st century, big bro. I can understand why you're so afraid of the energy that has been unleashed after gay and lesbian couples had their rights stripped away from them by a hateful campaign. I can see why you're sounding the alarm against the activists who use all the latest tech tools to build these rallies from the ground up in cities across the country.

This unstoppable progress has at its core a group we at HRC call Generation Equality. They are the most supportive of full LGBT equality than any American generation ever -- and when it comes to the politics of division, well, they don't roll that way. 18-24 year olds voted overwhelmingly against Prop 8 and overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. And the numbers of young progressive voters will only continue to grow. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning, about 23 million 18-29 year olds voted on Nov. 4, 2008 -- the most young voters ever to cast a ballot in a presidential election. That's an increase of 3 million more voters compared to 2004.

These are the same people who helped elect Barack Obama and sent a decisive message to your party. These young people are the future and their energy will continue to drive our country forward. Even older Americans are turning their backs on the politics of fear and demagoguery that you and your cronies have perfected over the years.

This is a movement of the people that you most fear. It's a movement of progress -- and your words on FOX News only show how truly desperate you are to maintain control of a world that is changing before your very eyes.

Then again, we've seen these tactics before. We know how much the right likes to play political and cultural hardball, and then turn around and accuse us of lashing out first. You give a pass to a religious group -- one that looks down upon minorities and women -- when they use their money and membership roles to roll back the rights of others, and then you label us "fascists" when we fight back. You belittle the relationships of gay and lesbian couples, and yet somehow neglect to explain who anointed you the protector of "traditional" marriage. And, of course, you've also mastered taking the foolish actions of a few people and then indicting an entire population based on those mistakes. I fail to see how any of these patterns coincide with the values of "historic Christianity" you claim to champion.

Again, nothing new here. This is just more of the blatant hypocrisy we're used to hearing.

What really worries me is that you are always willing to use LGBT Americans as political weapons to further your ambitions. That's really so '90s, Newt. In this day and age, it's embarrassing to watch you talk like that. You should be more afraid of the new political climate in America, because, there is no place for you in it.

In other words, stop being a hater, big bro.


- Candace Gingrich

Far*East Movement makes online history with first live online streaming of a record release party!

Last night in a studio in Burbank, CA, the hip hop/rap group Far*East Movement or also known as FM held their record release party for their upcoming album Animal. The most unique element of their party was the fact that they were able to bring the fans into the studios via a live stream of their party.

Realizing the importance of connecting to their fans, the group decided the bring the party to the people via the live online broadcast of the party which included a live show of Far*East Movement performing cuts from their previous albums and new cuts from the Animal album.

Through the kindness of StickAm, FM was able to interact with their fans through the blog and live chat. FM egged on their online party people to answer questions and win prizes throughout the release party.

According, to the group, an online release party has never been done before. This may be paving the way for new artists to connect with their fans through the net.

For more information on the hottest hip hop/rap group bubbling under the radar visit www.fareastmovement.com

Check out a quick peek as my co-host Elmer joined in on the party


More sample clips of Far East Movement's sound to come!

Monday, November 24, 2008

The Dance Crews show their support for Culture Shock LA at The Expo

This weekend was filled with dancing and music as I attended an event called "The Expo." It was a charitable event to benefit Culture Shock LA. Guests included former dance crews and dancers of "Randy Jackson Present America's Best Dance Crew," "So You Think You Can Dance," "America's Got Talent" and two actresses from the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana."

They were all there to lend their support and awareness for the Los Angeles Chapter of Culture Shock.

Culture Shock® is a non-profit 501(c)(3) hip-hop dance troupe dedicated to cutting-edge entertainment, dance education and outreach to diverse communities. Founded in 1993 by Nike Dance Trainer Angie Bunch, Culture Shock has grown from its home location of San Diego to cities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Take a peek and some of the interviews I had my other correspondent Elmer do with the various celebrity dancers plus performances from Kaba Modern, Culture Shock and Future Shock....

Romi Dames of "Hannah Montana"



Katerina Graham of "Hannah Montana" fame and upcoming film "17 Again"


Yuri and Taeko of the Yuri and Taeko Show


Culture Shock LA's performance


Future Shock's performance


Kaba Modern


Do Knock Cruz of Super Cr3w interview


Super Cr3w at The Expo


Fanny Pak interview


Ryan Conferido of "So You Think You Can Dance" and dance crew Quest

Twilight lights up the box office!

Looks like....no doesn't look like, "Twilight" did blow out the competition at the box office this weekend by raking in $70 million. With that in mind, it has Summit Entertainment talking sequel.



Here's the official word from Summit Entertainment:


SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
TWILIGHT SEQUEL - NEW MOON

Los Angeles, CA November 22, 2008 — Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON, the second installment of its filmed franchise TWILIGHT, the action-packed, modern day vampire love story. The movie will be based on the second novel in author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series titled, New Moon. The first movie in the TWILIGHT franchise, the self-titled TWILIGHT, arrived in theaters this weekend to sold-out showings.

Stephenie Meyer stated, "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment. I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on NEW MOON."

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Aaron Yoo gets his playlist together of why he's proud to be Korean American

Last night in Los Angeles, KoreAM magazine celebrated its Unforgettable event that highlights achievement of Korean Americans in the U.S. Hosted by Margaret Cho, various Korean American came through the red carpet to show their pride in being American and in particular Korean. Up and coming actor Aaron Yoo took to the carpet and talked to this blogger about his experiences in Hollywood.


Aaron Yoo shows his support for Shia LaBeouf during the "Eagle Eye" premiere in Hollywood. ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.

For Aaron Yoo, this young actor started his career as a cinematographer then moved into acting in 2003 with his first role in "Ed" as a student. His major breakthrough in film came in the form of the independent feature "Rocket Science." However, the film that propelled him to mainstream America was "Disturbia" starring Shia LaBouf in which he played Shia's best friend.


Aaron Yoo in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."

From Disturbia, moved onto the sleeper hit "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." Yoo played Thom, the gay leader of Nick's (Michael Cera) punk rock band The Jerk Offs. Interestingly enough, this character didn't perpetuate the flamboyant stereotype that gays are perceived in movies and tv.

As I caught Aaron on the red carpet for the KoreAM event, this rising star had a lot to say about being Korean American in the entertainment industry, his upcoming role in the remake of "Friday The Thirteenth" and turning the tables on my by asking about what kind of video camera to get since he's going on a trip.

Check out the full interview clip of Aaron. He's such a hoot to talk to!

Justin Chon breaks stereotypes with his role in "Twilight"

In a recent interview I did with Justin Chon, he feels that he's helping break stereotypes of Americans of Asian decent in Hollywood. Apparently, his role as Eric Yorkie in "Twilight" supposedly was an Anglo but the casting directors took a gamble and gave him the part.


Justin Chon signing autographs at the Twilight Premiere in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.

I also asked Chon if there's a possibility that there is some type of glass ceiling for Asians. Justin responded that there is some to a degree but change is coming. Hopefully, there comes a point in Hollywood, where a role a person receives is based upon their ability to play that part instead of defaulting to race.

Check out my interview with Justin Chon at the KoreAM Unforgettable event that celebrates Korean Americans in the U.S.



Photo by Pacific Rim Video Press

Fans already want a Twilight sequel.

Fans who've waited so long for the debut of Twilight and made sure to by their tickets online are already hoping for a sequel. According to movietickets.com, respondents overwhelmingly want to see another Twilight in the works.



Movietickets.com asked respondents to vote on the following question:

Would you like to see a "Twilight" sequel?

1. Yes (94%)

2. No (6%)

Total Votes on MovieTickets.com: 6,944


Twilight makes top 5 presellers of All-Time at movietickets.com

TOP-5 PRESELLER OF ALL-TIME



"Twilight" finished at the No. 5 slot on MovieTickets.com's Top-5 Presellers of All-Time, one spot ahead of "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" and one behind "The Dark Knight."



MovieTickets.com Top-5 Pre-Sale List of All-Time

1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

4. The Dark Knight

5. Twilight

Friday, November 21, 2008

Reese Witherspoon brings Christmas to Hollywood!

Last night was a joyous event as Christmas came early in Hollywood with Reese Witherspoon and cast members of Warner Bros'/New Line's "Four Christmases" celebrated its world premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theater.




"Four Christmases" is about an unhappy couple that are stranded in the city by the Christmas morning fog that ruins their exotic vacation plans. Having to deal with the cards they are given, they must now celebrate their Christmas with relatives that they have been avoiding during the past holidays.

With flocked Christmas trees abound on the red carpet, it felt like Christmas was here already. Even the stars looked like they donned their Christmas best to attend a christmas dinner. With three of the young cast members attending, they had smiles for all the photogs to shoot. The tween and pre-teen talent included True Bella, Skyler Gisondo and Zak Boggan.


True Bella plays Kristin Chenoweth's daughter in the film. ©Peter Gonzaga/Nielsen Entertainment News.


Zak Boggan is one of the kids in "Four Christmases." ©Peter Gonzaga/Nielsen Entertainment News.

For the adult set, Kristin Chenoweth looked all lovely with her burgundy dress along with Charlie McDowell on her side.


Kristen Chenoweth with her burgandy dress. ©Peter Gonzaga/Nielsen Entertainment News.

Mary Steenburgen wore a glittery black number while the star of the film, Reese Witherspoon donned a one piece evening dress accented with gold topped off with a muted gold necklace. For co-star Katy Mixon, she opted with a hot pink skin tight dress which caused all the photogs to hoot and holler trying to get her attention to pose for the cameras. She definitely wooed the crowd as a few photogs shouted, "Let me see the back of the dress." Hmm...is that what they only wanted to see. Bad boys on the carpet.


Mary Steenburgen. ©Peter Gonzaga/Nielsen Entertainment News.

Sissy Spacek had her lovely country demeanor while she was accompanied by daughter Shuyler. Veteran actor Robert Duvall looked all stoic as he posed for the cameras. It was a bit funny when one photog kept asking Mr. Duvall to take one step to the side but Duvall just kept looking straight at the photog's camera. Mr. Photog stop complaining, you got a Duvall headshot!


Robert Duvall keeps a straight face. ©Peter Gonzaga/Nielsen Entertainment News.

Unfortunately, lead co-star to Reese, Vince Vaughn was missing in action. Maybe he was looking for that perfect Christmas present.

"Four Christmases" opens November 26, 2008 just in time for Thanksgiving movie going weekend. Take the family!

Check Out The Trailer

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Twilight film about to take a bite out of the box office this weekend.

Twilight movie tickets are selling fast. The phenomenon is ready to take a bite out of the box office this weekend. My good friends at movietickets.com have shared with me some of the interesting ticket fun facts about the ticket sales for the film as of November 20, 2008. Check it out!



SELLOUTS

As of 12 p.m. ET today, MovieTickets.com has sold out 896 performances for "Twilight" in North America, including more than 375 yesterday alone.


TOP-15

"Twilight" moved into the No. 14 slot today for MovieTickets.com's Top-15 Presellers of All-Time, one spot ahead of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and one behind "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."


Robert Pattinson has a slight smile as Twilight is about to hit the big screen.

MovieTickets.com Top-15 Pre-Sale List of All-Time

1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

4. The Dark Knight

5. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

7. Matrix Reloaded

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

9. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

11. Sex and the City: The Movie

12. Spider-Man 3

13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

14. Twilight

15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


Paramore's edgy sound heightens the excitement for "Twilight."

Fun Facts about the film "Twilight"

While passing the time for the LA Premiere of "Twilight" to begin the publicity firm handling the premiere, gave us a fun fact sheet to peruse through. I thought I'd share with with all you:


"Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer. ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.

Book Highlights:
• The series of 4 books has sold 25 million copies worldwide. Translation rights have been sold in 37 countries.
• The series is a New York Times Best Seller and has been on the best seller list for 65 weeks. Selected as the New York Times Editor’s Choice.
• On USA Today’s Best Seller list for 103 weeks (TWILIGHT spent 6 weeks at #1).
• BREAKING DAWN, the fourth book in the series and released on August 2, sold 1.3 million books in the first 24 hours.
• For seven straight weeks after BREAKING DAWN was released, all four books in the series were on USA Today’s Top 5 Best Seller List.
• The week BREAKING DAWN was released, TWILIGHT (released in 2005) had its best week ever and sold an additional 120,000 copies.
• After being on the New York Times Best Seller list for 2 weeks, the TWILIGHT MOVIE COMPANION is #1 on the “How To” paperback list.



Online Highlights:
• Recognition of the book has generated over 350 fan sites all over the world, including TwilightLexicon.com & TwilightMoms.com.
• The official film website has received over 11MM views since October.
• The trailers have garnered over 12MM views on MySpace, which is a record.
• TWILIGHT has the most friends on MySpace of any film, second only to X2 (beating both 300 and TRANSFORMERS).
• The debut of the final trailer in the TWILIGHT widget and on MySpace Trailer Park on Thursday, 10/16, generated over 3.5 million views in the first 48 hours,
• There have been over 110,000 adoptions of the TWILIGHT widget.
• TWILIGHT is the #1 most searched movie on IMDb Pro’s MOVIEMeter. Stars Robert Pattinson is #1 on their STARMeter, ranking higher than Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt and Kristen Stewart is #2, higher than Angelina Jolie.
• There was so much response to the TWILIGHT casting photos when they were initially posted, MTV.com’s server crashed. The response was very similar to in numbers to the likes of Harry Potter and Spider-Man franchises.
• When EntertainmentTonight.com posted the second teaser trailer on their website, they received more views than any of their breaking news stories.
• Both Fandango and MovieTickets.com, the two online movie ticketing providers, have each reported over 200 hundred sold-out shows a week before release.


Robert Pattinson plays Edward. ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.


Kristen Stewart is the lovely Bella. ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.

Publicity Highlights:
• Fan base generated thunderous applause and worldwide publicity at Comic-con International – with thousands of eager fans camping out the night before to see the cast and crew present new footage.
• The 1st Entertainment Weekly TWILIGHT Saga cover was the best-selling cover of the year for them, surpassing their Dark Knight and Harry Potter covers.
• The first EW cover was so successful; they did another triple TWILIGHT cover. It is rare for EW to feature the same film twice on their cover.
• In late August, Extra aired their segment from Ashley Greene and Rachelle Lefevre’s H Magazine photo shoot, and it was the second-highest rated show in primetime, next to Ugly Betty. Additionally, they posted the segment to their website and got three times the traffic they get on the Jonas Brothers.
• Vanity Fair featured an entire cast spread in their December issue – one of over 50 magazine features on the film.
• Ticket sales for the Rome International Film Festival sold out in a few hours, prompting festival organizers to add another screening. In Spain, over 1,000 screaming fans tried to get into a presentation at the Sitges Film Festival, more than 3 times the maximum occupancy.


Justin Chon who plays Bella's best friend is the only major Asian American featured in "Twilight." ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.


Paramore is one of the featured acts on the soundtrack of "Twilight." ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.


Cam Gigandet (l) most recent film release before "Twilight" was "Never Back Down" with Sean Faris (r). ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.


Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob had his major film debut with Robert Rodriguez's "Shark Boy and Lava Girl." ©Pacific Rim Photo Press.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Kate Beckinsale may found her Oscar contending role in "Nothing But The Truth"

***Note Possible Spoilers***


I just recently had the pleasure of screening Rod Lurie's "Nothing But The Truth" starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda and Vera Farmiga. Based on a true story, this film delves into the balance of the press and the government.



I've been an off and on fan of Beckinsale since "Brokedown Palace" and "Van Helsing" and I think this role may be the Oscar Contender for her. Speaking to one of my colleagues, she mentioned that I shouldn't pass off the chance of an 1:1 interview with Kate.

Finally after watching the film this past weekend. I was granted the sometimes elusive 1:1 interview the Yari Film Group had set up for me.

The full interview will be posted on the blog in the coming weeks as I just had an exciting day of having the 1:1 interview today. It felt like talking to a friend.

Kate Beckinsale plays Rachel Armstrong, a strong willed journalist who exposes the identity of a CIA agent and refuses to divulge the name of her source. Threaten with contempt and possible jail time, Armstrong must decide whether to go jail or reveal her source.


Angela Bassett plays Kate's editor.

After viewing this film, Beckinsale shows how much she engulfs herself in the role and owns it. You forget her beauty as her strength of protecting her source reveals the length she will go to keep the source a secret.

Her interactions with Vera Farmiga who plays Erica Von Doren, the outed CIA operative, illustrates her understanding on how to bond and create the realism of her character and the other characters around her.


Vera Farmiga and Kate Beckinsale

Matt Dillon plays special prosecutor Dubois who Beckinsale's character may have to go toe to toe in her battle to keep her source a secret. Beckinsale hold her own as she has to find the wits to keep up with the Dillon's career minded Dubois character.


Matt Dillon (seated) along with Alan Alda.

Taking all of her acting abilities and experience, "Nothing But The Truth" gives Beckinsale the flexibility for her to shine.

The film opens up on December 19 in Los Angeles and New York with subsequent rollouts throughout the U.S.

I'll be posting some interesting tid bits from the interview such as her most enjoyable vacation spot she's been to.

Here's a clip where Rachel Armstrong confronts Erica Von Doren about her possible identity as a CIA operative.

The Hype of Hawaii Bring the Aloha spirit while Street Vibe krumps through the LA Auditions of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3

This week auditions for "Randy Jackson Present's America's Best Dance Crew Season 3" in Los Angeles features The Hype Crew of Hawaii. Will the Aloha spirit help them float to the top of the heap for a spot on the live show or will Long Beach, CA Street Vibe krump its way to one of the coveted 9 spots available on the live show.

Check out the moves from The Hype and their post interview





Street Vibe may just put the Krump style alive on Season 3, but they still have to make it past auditions. Here's what they have to say when I said "Some people say krumping is dead." I thought they were ready to stomp and krump me to death.

For those of you who are not familiar with krumping, rent the movie Rize.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Tween Screams of Girls for the Cast of Twilight at the Movie Premiere in Los Angeles

If you're not used to screaming girls (I mean who is?), then the Twilight Premiere in the Westwood area of Los Angeles would not be your favorite place. With over two thousand movie goer plus the fans lining the street was a crazy scene for a premiere.

This is one of the loudest premiere events I have been to except for any of the "Pirates" premiere. After camping out for two days, many fans were yelling and screaming throughout the day at the Mann's Village and Bruin Theaters in Westwood Village. One fan said she had camped out for two days just to be in the front row of the fan line.

Twilight fever has definitely taken over the U.S. from people wanting to visit the small rural town in Forks, WA to rushing out to the bookstores to purchase the "Twilight" books.

You wonder why is all this craziness is happening. Take a group of Vampires that attend high school with one in particular Edward that sweeps a young beautiful teen Bella off her feet bring romance, passion and the teenage angst with the forbidden love of vampires and mortals in a book that now segues to the big screen. Considered "The Mormon Anne Rice," Stephenie Meyer has brought all that together while keeping a moral ground.

I guess many of these girls want to be Bella. Even a young preteen girl asked Robert Pattinton who plays Edward to bite her on her neck.

Check out the video collage from the red carpet premiere of "Twilight." Plus the trailer of the film.




Twilight Trailer

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Alec Mapa blabs about various things from Owen Wilson to Vanessa Williams

About a month ago, some colleagues of mine caught up with Alec Mapa to talk about his cameo appearances in various movies, "Ugly Betty," and his award from the Filipino American Library.

Check out this hilarious interview that my good friends Ruben and Janet Nepales did.

Hoffman teaches a photog how to kiss a duck's arse

During the screening of "Last Chance Harvey" at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, a photographer asks Dustin to blow him a kiss. Instead, of blowing a kiss he explains to the event photographer how to kiss a duck's arse without getting feather's in one's mouth.

Hoffman explains, "You have to do it real quick. Pucker up your lip and....(makes a motion of puckering and kissing then quickly puffs out some air like he's spitting) and that's how you keep duck feather's from your mouth."

Oh that Hoffman, he sure is a riot. Another funny tidbit was when the red carpet photogs say, "To Your left and to your right." He blurts out, "Now I know what they mean by hanging it to your left and to your right." I guess you have to leave that comment to your imagination.

Tilda Swinton asks, "Is It Really Your Birthday?"

For a red carpet photographer, we try to come up with various things to get the attention of the celebrity to look at our lens out of the sea of other photographers' lens. For one photog, she loves to say, "Blow me a kiss, it's my birthday!" (when it's not). Last Wednesday night at the AFI Festival's Tribute to Tilda Swinton, the un-named photographer had no words for Tilda when she said, "Is it really your birthday, because it's mine too?"

The photog had to come clean and tell her that it wasn't her birthday. To make light of it, I blurted out, hey Tilda it's really my birthday, Happy Birthday fellow Scorpian! Now that gave her a smile.

The next evening at the BAFTA Awards in Century City, CA. Tilda was on the carpet again since she was there to accept an award from the BAFTA. This time I was able to get her attention when I yelled out "Tilda, I love Julia it brilliant." Her mouth dropped open and she was elated.



"Julia" is her upcoming movie to be released in February 2009 about an alcoholic who is propositioned into making a quick buck. However, one thing leads to another and Julia is way in over her head than she expected.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Quest Makes their move to try and secure their spot on the America's Best Dance Crew stage

Quest is a group that has the potential of being a select few that will vie for the title of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." The group from Southern California impressed the talent scout during the LA Auditions of Season 3.

These boys are ready and hoping they make it to the live show of the MTV Reality Show. With three of its performers coming from another reality dance show, they definitely have the chance to bring it on to the MTV viewers and America. However, they caution that it can hurt them also.

Check out their interview clip from the Fore-Sight Studios in the Silverlake Area of Los Angeles .


Here's Quest's post audition interview without background music


Here's Quest's post audition interview version with background music


"Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" will begin airing on MTV sometime in January. Keep checking back for actual premiere air date.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Just my take on California's Prop 8

I know that I usually blog about the red carpet but I thought I would just sound off on California's Prop 8

It will be a sad day for California if Prop 8 passes. As many people believe that marriage is between a man and woman. From India to royalty of the past, marriage was used as a political and monetary form to ensure the livelihood of a family. Strategic marriages between two royal family enhanced their strength in control of a kingdom or a country. For fixed marriages, it was about what one male can give to the family of another, women were treated as chattel and property. So to all who says marriage is a tradition of man and woman on the basis of love in god's eyes, don't be fooled by the religious rhetoric. How do we know that the bible wasn't edited and is from a point of view of a man who believed that God spoke to him? What if that person was mentally ill himself?

Also, California is moving backward by voting yes on Proposition 8. Since the late 1800's to the 1940's, California made it illegal for blacks, asians, malay to marry whites. Who knows, maybe in the future, bigotry and hatred may rear its head and try to bring back discrimination through marriage. Oh wait that's going to happen now if Prop 8 passes.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Perplex Cru of Oxnard auditions for ABDC Season 3 and Michael Conol of The Lost Kids talks about his experience in auditioning

Season Three of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" is still two months away but they have wrapped up auditions for the show.

This week's ABDC Season Three updates consists of the All Latino male dance crew straight out of Oxnard, CA called Perplex Cru. This crew has the elements of possibly being a contender for a spot on the live show. However, they need to work on tightening up their movements and work on their game face so they can connect with the audience. The twin brothers Robert and Gabriel are the acrobatic members of the crew. Omar is the one who helps brings the choreography together especially with his choreography background. Omar also does the breakdancing.

I had the pleasure of interviewing these boys and they definitely can't wait to find out if they have made it or not.

If they do make it, they will set the record of firsts for "America's Best Dance Crew"
The first would be an all male Latino group
The first group with twin brothers as members of the group

Here's the performance of the Perplex



The interview with Perplex



During the audition process in L.A. the various crews had their supporters in tow. Coming all the way down from San Francisco, Michael Conol of the Lost Kids, took his time to support some friends in their quest for a spot on ABDC Season 3. Michael had auditioned with his crew in San Francisco and feels strong that they may make that coveted spot on the live show.

Here's the interview I did with Michael



Next week, we'll have The Hype from Hawaii. Hardly any family members and friends knew that they flew out to Los Angeles to audition for the show.

Fanny Pak shows their support for SoReal at the Kasiyahan Event

This past Sunday, SoReal Cru performed at the Kasiyahan's 10th Anniversary Best In the West Show held at Pacifica High School in Oxnard,CA.

A big surprise for the audience was the introduction of SoReal by Tiffany and Phil of Fanny Pak.

Check out Tiffany and Phil's interview after the show. Fanny Pak talk about their experience on the America's Best Dance Crew tour, why they came out for SoReal and ABDC's Season 3.

SoReal Cru Invades Oxnard, CA to teach the kids some moves

Who says dance crews don't make a difference. For SoReal Cru, "2nd place runner ups of Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew Season Two," showed their philanthropic moves by hosting a dance clinic for kids in Oxnard, Ca this past weekend and also were the headlining showcase for the Kasiyahan's 10th Anniversary Best In The West Show.

For SoReal Cru, their lives have changed for the better and what great way to share their new found fame in sharing their craft with kids. They took some time to teach their moves to various dance studios in the Oxnard, CA which is about an hour's drive north of Los Angeles. Along with their moves, they took to the stage for the 10th Anniversary of an event called Kasiyahan Best In The West.

According to Kasiyahan's Myspace page, "Kasiyahan Entertainment strives to support and educate our youth, we continuously look for ways to assist them with their needs. We are proud to present our newest project, “The Jam Center” Dance Program. In collaboration with the Police Activities League Organization, our program will serve as an outlet for the youth to share their passion and energy in the art of dance. It will encourage good health and fitness, raise cultural knowledge, offer a rehearsal space for organizations and allow high school squads who are not properly funded by their schools, to have an in-door facility to practice and meet for their activities."


Take a look at their performance and interviews:


SoReal's performance


SoReal talks to the crowd after their performance


Ailyn, Mark and Brian Fucanan of SoReal talk about their experience after America's Best Dance Crew and give out advice for future ABDC crews



Brian Puspos talks about his future