Panagbenga Festival Great Float Parade 2012

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Panagbenga Festival Grand Float parade in Baguio was really fun and enjoyable event ! Last Sunday’s floral floats parade, the highlight of the Panagbenga, drew thousands of local and foreign visitors who gathered along the parade route on Session and Harrison Roads as early as 6 a.m. Thousands have enjoyed seeing the beautiful floats  artistically-crafted variously-themed flower floats carrying blooms from La Trinidad, Benguet, or Davao, while some had been flown in from other places exclusively for the festival.

Excitingly and happy people, dressed in colorful costumes,  bands, like the Saint Louis University band, Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) band,  and the band of the University of the Cordilleras have  interspersed among the 15 competing floats.

This year’s theme is “Community Convergence for a Sustainable Tourism Growth.” Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term to mean blossoming of flowers.

Panagbenga Flower Festival is really more fun in the Philippines! I really enjoyed the experience being there in the colorful, amazing and grand event. I really feel happy to capture the event in pictures to enjoy forever. 

David Archuleta's OPM English album titled “Forevermore”

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The David Archuleta's OPM English album will be released this March.  “DAVID ARCHULETA… FOREVERMORE” is a collection of all original Filipino classic love songs written and composed by some of the Philippine’s renowned songwriters like Ogie Alcasid, Louie Ocampo, Jay Durias, Jimmy Antiporda, Cecil Azarcon, among others. The album isn’t just a special treat for his fans, but it is international idol David Archuleta’s way of paying homage to Filipino artists.

“I wouldn’t say that I sound better than the original singers because the singers here are so amazing. But I would hope that I could pay tribute to them with this album,“ said he at the press conference for the album.

“You just try to do your best so that people won’t bother comparing you to the original singer, so that people just connect to your performance and the song and what it’s about. As a singer your job is never to be compared to someone else. You just hope that you can give justice to the song and allow people to connect to.“

“We recorded three songs in a day, not to mention Jimmy will also arrange the songs and right there and then we move on to the next song. It was really fast so I give big props to Jimmy and Jay for what they’re able to accomplish in such a short time,“ David said.

The album will be released by IVORY Music & Video this March 2012.

Album track list:

• “Forevermore”       (Side A)
• “Hold On”              (Side A)
• “You Are My Song” (Martin Nievera),
• “I’ll Never Go”       (Nexxus),
•  ”Tell Me”              (Joey Albert),
• “Reaching Out”      (Gary Valenciano)
• “Rainbow”              (South Border)

“These songs have universal appeal, as they “tend to be really heartfelt, emotional, and you can really sing them. I think my other fans would really enjoy listening to them as well.” - - - David Archuleta

Meryl Streep wins best actress Oscar for The Iron Lady

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Meryl Streep gets her third Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards. The actress was presented the gong for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Thirty three years after she grasped her first gold statuette, Meryl is the record-holder with 17 acting nominations.

The Golden Lady of Hollywood earned her third honour for her performance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She won a supporting actress gong in 1979 and the top award in 1982 for Kramer Vs Kramer and Sophie's Choice respectively. She had lost 12 times in a row since then.

Looking more golden lady than iron in a draped metallic gown, Meryl thanked her husband after opening with the self-deprecating statement statement. 

'When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America go, "Oh, no, why her again?" But whatever,' Streep said, laughing. 


'I really understand I'll never be up here again. I really want to think all my colleagues, my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends, my new friends." 

'Really, this is such a great honor but the think that counts the most with me is the friendship and the love and the sheer job we've shared making moves together,' said Streep.
"The Artist" was named Best Picture, Jean Dujardin Best Actor and the Best Directing gong went to Michel Hazanavicius. With awards for best score and best costume design, it was  the Franco-American film's night. The veteran actor Christopher Plummer became the Academy's oldest winner taking the Best Supporting Actor laurels for, ironically enough, film Beginners.


List of Oscars 2012 Winners: 

  Best Picture: "The Artist"

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"

Cinematography: Hugo

Art Direction: Hugo

Costume Design: "The Artist"

Makeup: The Iron Lady

Foreign Language Film: A Separation, Iran.

Film Editing: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Sound Editing: Hugo

Sound Mixing: Hugo

Documentary Feature: Undefeated

Animated Feature Film: Rango

Visual Effects: Hugo

Original Score: "The Artist"

Original Song: Man or Muppet from The Muppets

Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"

Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Live Action Short Film: The Shore

Documentary (short subject): Saving Face

Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

Adele, the first artist to go Double Platinum on iTunes!

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Adele, after winning six Grammys and two Brits, has broken another record with her Grammy-winning album by snagging the title of the first artist to go double platinum on iTunes! Most of the top-selling bands in the world sell their music through iTunes, but it was Adele that became the first to break the double platinum sales plateau.

Adele, passed up the 2 million download mark on the US iTunes store of songs including her hit record ’21′. The album simultaneously becomes the longest running #1 by any woman in Billboard history with 21 weeks at the top spot.

The successful album has hit number one on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart 21 times and has sold 7 million copies in the United States and 18 million copies globally.

The album has been certified 7x Platinum in the U.S. and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide. The album has over 16 million singles sold in the US alone, including 7x Platinum certified “Rolling in the Deep,” 4x Platinum certified    "Someone Like You"” 2x Platinum certified “Set Fire to the Rain” and Gold certified “Rumour Has It.”

The singer underwent vocal surgery several months ago and thanked her doctors from the Grammy stage after tying Beyoncé for the most awards by a female artist in a year. She also tied Eric Clapton’s record for awards to a British artist.

Jennifer Aniston got her star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame!

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Jennifer Aniston is the first of the “Friends” actors to receive a star and described it as “surreal.” Aniston was joined by her Father John Aniston and boyfriend Justine Theroux who is also his co-star in the up-coming movie “Wanderlust” where their relationship started and bloomed.

“I was born in  Sherman Oaks, California. I am a California girl through and through, and I’m sure this is always just sort of been in the back of my mind. It probably wasn’t even a dream, it was one of my wildest dreams. I don’t think that I ever even thought that this would be here, this day. So I am utterly humbled and grateful.”

But she quashed any hopes of the idea and said: "I can't imagine how you would do it, unless you did it years from now."

She added "I can't imagine what that would be. It's not normal. "Friends is in your living room; Friends is not in a movie theatre. It doesn't make sense to me. I think it would be going against its authentic self."

Jen also took time to thank her waiting fans, signing autographs for them by the pavement star.