Entertainment NEWS

A full week after the crowning of the country’s longest running beauty competition’s new queens, pageant fans are still abuzz with questions left unanswered by the contest outcome.  While most people are in agreement that this year’s roster is a strong collection of potential winners in the international stage, many are still trying to hatch some theories that point to a hocus pocus on the eventual results (which is not surprising at all given that this year is an unusually competitive year based on the quality of delegates who joined the race). In an effort to shed light on the most pressing questions lingering on the minds of pageant fans, Thrillmaker decided to do its own research and talked to some highly-respectable, credible and unbiased insiders of this year’s pageant. Based on what had been gathered so far, most of the stories are turning out to be consistent and are devoid of any hints of cheating.

Fifty-two weeks translate to a full year.  That’s about the length of time necessary to make the earth complete one revolution around the sun; a person to celebrate one birthday to the next; a beauty queen to complete her reign from coronation to her farewell walk.  A lot of transformative developments can truly happen in such a span of time, usually lasting about 365 days.

Exactly two weeks before its much-anticipated conclusion, this year’s Binibining Pilipinas pageant has many fans glued to their computer and cellphone screens following every event and activity it has staged leading to the final competition by month’s end. 

That’s the first comment I heard about her when one of my team members spotted her as among the featured models in the “Denim Daze” fashion show at the Newport Mall Plaza recently.

The much-anticipated inauguration of the republic’s 17th President finally came to pass last Thursday marking another historic moment in the country’s history. During that June 30 morning, all eyes were fixed on the National Museum which was turned not just into the country’s most important stage but also a runway where the Philippines’ who’s whos donned their best “Filipiniana” for the historical event.  As if judging in a pageant and with pen and paper in hand, the Thrillmaker, along with fashion stylist Oli Sara, jotted down the occasion’s best lookers.  Of course, our focus was principally directed at the most notable personalities in attendance.  Among them…

Lucky me.  No, I’m not about to endorse a popular noodle brand with that opening statement. I am just expressing how proud I should be to find the two companies I work for on the list of the country’s most trusted media brands.

Filipino music fans are doing a countdown as they await the much-anticipated onstage collaboration of three of the country’s most iconic pop music divas in one big production number in this weekend’s staging of “Iconic,” a concert topbilled by the Mega-Star, Sharon Cuneta, and Asia’s Songbird, Regine Velasquez, at the Marriott Grand Ballroom (MGB) in Newport City, Pasay. 

The 2022 campaign of Team Philippines in the world of pageantry is off to a great start, with two Filipinas bagging top honors in two prestigious international pageants over the weekend.  Respected pageant coach and mentor Rodgil Flores, who was behind the preparations of both pageant winners, updated The Thrillmaker on how his conversations with both Filipinas went when he got to talk to them shortly after their winning moments.

With just a few days left before the Miss World Philippines pageant culminates in a glittering coronation night, media and pageant favorites are slowly emerging, influenced primarily by how the candidates have been faring in the competition’s fast-track events.  Beginning with the announcement of the Sports Fast-Track finalists a few weeks back and the most recent shortlisting of the girls who carried their National Costumes best, trends are starting to become apparent as to who among the 36 candidates will actually make the first cut of 16.  With a handful of ladies who constantly make the fast-track shortlists raising the eyebrows of many who ask: “a case of consistency or favoritism,” pageant organizers are quick in saying that such events are not “the only way to crack the semi-finals.”   At least seven of the semi-finalists will not be plucked from the fast-track shortlists but based on the ladies’ overall performance in the entire duration of the pageant.

Being a long-time supporter of beauty queens and pageants, I nearly decided not to write about this recent incident I had with an outgoing titleholder, but then again, I thought this could teach other pageant ladies out there a lesson or two about basic courtesy. Or maybe, since those who would like to enter this highly-socially interactive world will inevitably be exposed to a lot of individuals and personalities, this piece should encourage them to improve on their name recall and/or face association skills lest they’d be charged of suffering from a bad case of amnesia.

This year’s political exercise has so far polarized the nation into two major camps each represented by the colors they chose to don over the entire campaign period: the Leni and Kiko tandem’s pink on one hand, and the BBM-Sara duo’s red and green on the other.  Such a color divide has reached and shaded even the already multi-colored world of show business as the country’s most popular celebrities now have to choose which side they’re on.

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu of India and Miss Universe Top 5 placer Beatrice Luigi Gomez of the Philippines were finally reunited after months of separation post the 70th Miss Universe Pageant in Eilat, Israel. The two met each other in an exclusive dinner at the Hilton Manila in Resorts World Manila, Pasay.  The two locked themselves in a tight and teary embrace the moment they saw each other at the hotel’s main dining hall.

He’s been around the Philippine music industry since the 1970s.  A lot of us, now in our 40s and 50s, practically grew up singing his hits which include such great pieces like Nais Ko, Paraisong Paisukat, Kahit Ika’y Panaginip Lang, Salamin ng Buhay, Ngayon, and Lead Me Lord, among others.  Of course, he is most remembered for giving life to the song of unending, everlasting love, “Ngayon at Kailanman,” which, understandably, has become a wedding staple.   

The Miss Universe Philippines Organization has presented a new crown for this year’s MUP pageant. 

A day after the controversial joint press conference called by five national candidates vying for the top two public positions in the land and egging on second-highest survey leader Vice President Leni Robredo to withdraw from the presidential race, two of the country’s biggest singing icons, Megastar, Sharon Cuneta and, Asia’s SongBird, Regine Velasquez, both declared they see nothing wrong with moves to withdraw. Only this time, they did not pertain to doing a “withdrawal” as a political move.

More than a sharp mind and a willing heart to serve, people who are drawn to politics have to have fit bodies as well.  The back-breaking road to a political victory, from knocking on doors and walking long distances to go house to house to shaking hands and hugging total strangers, entails strength and stamina as well as great resistance to all potential health hazards that may come their way.  It is not unusual, therefore, to find candidates whose political preparations include sticking to a fitness routine, which not only strengthens their bodies, but also adds eventually to their attractiveness to target voters.

Living true to its mandate of educating, inspiring and empowering the Filipino public through news and information programs, state-owned People’s Television Network (PTV) launched a battery of shows intended to lead its viewers to well-informed choices on May 9.

The latest announcement has just been made: three past Miss Universe winners will be hosting this year’s Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) Pageant slated on April 30 at the MOA Arena. In a social media post over the weekend, the MUPh Organization said 2015 Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines, 2016 queen Iris Mittenaere of France and 2017 winner Demi Leigh Peters-Tebow of South Africa, will be sharing one stage to declare who the Philippines’ delegate to the 72nd edition of the world’s most prestigious pageant will be.