Ladies and Gentlemen, the official The Avengers Trailer

Finally, The Avengers Official Trailer has arrived.

Review: Ligo na ü, Lapit na me

Diary of a loser.

via noypitayo

Review: Hot Fuzz

Bad Boys in The Village
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I’m sorry to say that this review will take away some mystery, from, uh, well, the mystery.

via Wikipedia

Review: Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Jollibee added a new dish to their pasta offerings but should you go for it?

via Kainan Korner

Travel through time with PC Shopper

In its latest releases, PC Shopper rips the very fabrics of time to deliver you the best of the past and the future.

Miss Universal Language

Working the night shift, I was deprived of the world’s most prominent and biggest babe fest – the Miss Universe pageant.

By the time I faced the boob tube, the news had nothing on but Ms. Angola being hailed most beautiful in the universe, while Ms. Philippines settling for a 3rd runner-up finish.

According to various sources (again, I didn’t get to see the pageant), Ms. Shamcey Supsup was the only one who entered the final phase of the contest without an interpreter. That’s a statement to her intelligence and bravado, walking up to stage with billions of eyes on you and answering questions in your second language. Sound likes partida (giving advantage to the opposition) to me?

Review: The Best of This is a Crazy Planets

If Bob Ong were to write in English, it would look and sound like this.

via Summit Media

Fantasy Match-up: Family Guy versus Pugad Baboy

East meets West. Peter and Brian Griffin (left) stare at their
Asian counterparts of sorts in Dagul Sungcal and Polgas (right).

via mikeinel.deviantart

Whenever I'm not in front of a computer (working, surfing, blogging or playing) or a Pop-a-shot machine, I revert to my couch potato ways.

Review: KFC Tower Burger

Does KFC’s new sandwich tower above the competition?

via KFC Philippines

Is it the chicken lover in me or does KFC have very persuasive ads?

Taguig -- where getting in an accident costs 2.5K

via Wikipedia

Who would've thought that vehicular accidents could be such a pain in the ass?

Politeismo in CCP: Two sides of the coin and the aftermath

via   philstar.com

Politeismo, polytheism in English, is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism)

Politeismo is also the title of Mideo Cruz’s artwork which was featured in ‘Kulo’, an exhibit recently held in the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Though ‘Kulo’ had other artworks in display, it was Cruz’s that stole the show for twisting Catholic icons, most notably, putting a dick on Jesus Christ’s face and giving Virgin Mary a condom. 

While this artwork can be easily passed off as one’s right to exercise creativity and freedom of expression in more liberated countries that have no official state religions, here in the Philippines where most people are Catholics, it’s an entirely different ballgame.

My premature forecast for ‘The Glee Project’

It’s no secret that I’ve been following ‘Glee’, therefore, I’ve obligated myself to finding out its next cast member (at least for seven episodes) by tuning into the ‘The Glee Project.’

The show started with 12 youngsters all vying for a chance to be on Glee. So far, seven down and five remain -- Alex Newell, Damian McGinty, Hannah McIalwain, Lindsay Pearce and Samuel Larsen. The last casualty on the show, the conservative Cameron Mitchell, left voluntarily because of last week’s theme which centers on sexuality. And Cameron's decision somewhat rocked the Glee universe because it led to the  extension of supposed-to-be-ousted Damien’s stay on ‘The Glee Project.’

I’m back!!!

No… you ain’t seeing things. Lone Opinion is still alive and kicking.

Sure, LO has been idle during July, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of it. However, I do owe my handful of followers an explanation as to why they haven’t heard anything from this side of the Internet.

Allow me to shake off the cobwebs of inactivity by revealing the reason why I took a month-long leave from blogging, and getting some thoughts (on the latest issues) out of my system.

Comments of the week: June 20-26, 2011

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

The comments section. Every popular website has one. Most people don't really pay much attention to this space because all eyes are on whatever video, article or picture is featured on the website being visited.

Proud to be Pinoy? Yes! Got a problem with that?

"Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?" - Jose Rizal

After getting my ass kicked in DOTA via Garena client (for the umpteenth time), I decided to do some Facebooking (out of frustration) and stumbled upon a video that's causing a stir online.

PC Shopper goes back to school

The summer of 2011 has passed, at least in the Philippines, and that could only mean one thing -- school is back.

That also means getting up early, fretting about exams, working on projects, then staying up late to hit the books. Suddenly, reuniting with your friends within schools grounds isn't so fun, huh?

Ricardo can beat an NBA All-Star with his eyes closed

Beating three former NBA MVPs, a Sixth Man of the Year and a four-time NBA All-Star in a game of Pop-a-Shot can do wonders for your career.

Just ask Ricardo the busboy.

Entire DC Universe will go back to square one

The rebooted Justice League

Ah, reboot. In the world of comics, that is a word all to familiar.

It's normal for heroes to get reboots ever so often. In a universe where people regularly die only to come back from the grave, fresh starts are in order. But as I've said, it's normal for a handful of characters to get a reboot, but for an entire universe, such move could get mixed reviews, and could leave a lot of heads scratching.

DC just announced its intention of renumbering all of its superhero titles in their blog, The Source. Now considering all the major and minor characters, storylines and continuity at stake, there's gotta be a good reason why DC is throwing everything out of the window to start anew.

Why the Miami Heat could lose in the NBA Finals

While most blogs are highlighting the strengths of the Eastern and Western Conference champs in their Finals preview, Lone Opinion decides to take a step back (pun intended) and focuses on the concerned teams' weaknesses and problems. In this post, the Miami Heat.

After some early season struggles, the Heat's Big Three are finally getting their act together and are living up to expectation. Poised to win it all, here's a rundown of things the Heat have to address, otherwise, they'll never hear the end of Mark Cuban.

Why the Dallas Mavericks could lose in the NBA Finals

While most blogs are highlighting the strengths of the Eastern and Western Conference champs in their Finals preview, Lone Opinion decides to take a step back (pun intended) and focuses on the concerned teams' weaknesses and problems. In this post, the Dallas Mavericks.

Why the Mavs and Heat make for a perfect Finals

Dirk Nowitzki: Ay kalbo! Pendong peace.
                                                                                      Source: link

The Los Angeles Lakers defending their title against the Boston Celtics should sound good around this time of the year, however, this year's NBA playoffs left us with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

I'm not one to complain though.

While seeing the purple and gold slugging it out with the green and white can make any basketball junkie drool in excitement, there's some interesting storylines that make the Heat-Mavs meeting in June just as exciting.

College education: Is the price right?

I just enrolled my brother in a private school two days ago and it resulted into the emptying of my wallet and my mom's. Since it's his fourth and last year in high school, and considering the state of public schools here in the Philippines, I'd say it's all worth it.

Not far from now, my brother will be going to college, just like those kids lining up at the cashier window of (insert name of university/college here). As I type this entry into my blog, I reminisce about my college days as if it weren't that long ago. At the same time, it reminded me of an article, “The Question You're not Asking: Should You Go to College?” by Robert Brockway, which I read a few days ago. And said article will be the inspiration of this piece.

Street Basketball hits SM Novaliches

Allan Tamparong wins Street Basketball Title

Newbie upsets favorites.

First-timer Allan Tamparong was crowned 2011 Street Basketball champion after slipping past defending champ Eliz Lintingco in the semis, and defeating last year's runner-up Dan dela Cruz in the finals.

Power Trip

At around 1:00 a.m. today, I was online and multitasking -- reading some blogs, writing one and social networking -- when all of a sudden, a power failure occurred. There was a typhoon in the horizon and Metro Manila was under Public Storm Warning Signal # 1, so I wasn't surprised that such thing would happen.

Review: Thor

While everyone was busy with the Royal Wedding, in anticipation of the balcony kiss between Kate Middleton and Prince William, I had to settle for Natalie Portman liplocking Chris Hemsworth.

Thor is based on Marvel's comicbook franchise which draws inspiration from Norse mythology. That said, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see loads of explosion, action, CG, a superhero with issues, and as mentioned, the cast includes Portman. And trust me, she is a good reason to see the movie.

RH won't fill up the hungry: My rants on the RH Bill

The RH Bill is looming upon us, and unfortunately, there's no stopping the president.

Yesterday, before heading to work, I left two sentences as my status in Facebook:

"I'm all for educating people about reproductive health, but I don't like to have a bill dedicated to it...for now. Feed the poor, then let's talk."

As expected, this status got mixed reviews. Since my higher ups took away my Internet privileges at work, I wasn't able to immediately respond to those who commented on my status.

Sony reveals PS Tablets

Not long ago, Sony came out with the Xperia Play, in response to the iPhone which showed it can be as great a gaming machine the PSP is, thanks to titles Infinity Blade and Angry Birds. Apple probably got under Sony's skin with the iPad, so the latter decided to get hop onto the tablet trend by unveiling their own version of said gadget -- the PS Tablets.

Can I have some of my salary back?

Last April 15, Filipinos had to fulfill the most important obligation of every citizen to his/her country -- to pay taxes.

And like every good Filipino, yours truly also pays his taxes. Since I'm an employee, the company I'm working for deducts the approrpiate amount which I'm supposed to give to the government from my salary, and they take care of the rest.

A few days ago, my company sent me a piece of paper stating my Income Tax Return. I didn’t pay much attention to said document then because I was too occupied with work and side gigs. It was only now that I decided to take a look at it, only to realize that after a year’s worth of work, I gave up a hefty sum of money to the government. T_T

Street Fighters will get to hit some Tekken characters and vice-versa

Capcom has finally released the a list of some characters that will be making an appearance in the upcoming game Street Fighter X Tekken (pronounced as Street Fighter Cross Tekken).

Last year, Capcom and Namco announced that they will be working on a Street Fighter-Tekken crossover. This news could've gotten a warm welcome, but in an industry where Duke Nukem Forever takes forever to come out, and Starcraft: Ghost failing to take tangible form, the notion of companies promising to produce video games of epic proportions only to fall short in the attempt is probably what held back the fan boys of both franchises from rejoicing.

Lone Opinion's NBA Awardees

The NBA regular season is not yet over, but in a few days, it will be. Just when we thought we've seen it all, from injuries and recoveries, trades and tirades, staying home and going away, struggles and triumphs, and wins and losses, we've yet to see outstanding players get rewarded for their achievements.

Last year, I made a list of NBA awardees at Siopao Heaven. This year, with a blog of my own, I'm awarding the best ballers here in Lone Opinion.

So if ever someone would ask me who deserves some love this season, they would be:

The PBA has a D-League and Gerald Anderson wants in

I was on Facebook a few minutes ago when I saw someone post this:

"Teen hearthrob tries out for spot in Road Warriors' roster"

So, out of curiosity, I checked out the link and learned what it was all about -- local actor Gerald Anderson is trying out for a PBA D-League team, the Road Warriors.

Wow! Okay, two things:

1. THE PBA NOW HAS A D-LEAGUE...

2. AND A CELEBRITY HAS A CHANCE TO MAKE IT ON THE ROSTER!

Graduation rites and the graduate's rights

It's March Madness again.

While they were busy with the NCAA Basketball Tournament in the US, here in the Philippines, a lot of students were spending their time on the march, during March (okay, it's pathetic but that was worth the try).

So to kick things off, I'd like to congratulate my sister who graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Accountancy last Saturday.

Way to go Vic. All your hard work finally paid off, and now you get to reap the fruits of your labor. But be wary that this is only the beginning. You still have a long way to go. This is just your first step towards adulthood and more responsibilities. Continue to strive harder and explore your boundaries until you maximize your full potential. Once again Vic, congratulations.

Before Barbie Forteza, there was Nini Jacinto

Nini Jacinto                                       Barbie Forteza

The first time I saw Barbie Forteza on the Filipino rendition of Stairway to Heaven, I knew there was something hauntingly familiar about her.

DOTA, the new Counterstrike

Two games from different genres with so much in common 

Shoot or be shot.

Reclaiming EDSA...for the right reasons

Thanks to infamous leaders like Ferdinand Marcos, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and now, Muammar Gaddafi, people often associate government leaders with tyrants. Ergo, people who have the balls to stand up against political leaders, especially to the person holding the highest position in the land, are seen as heroes. In other words, opposition usually merits good reputation.

Does Merci deserve mercy?

Impeachment: a good reason to be sad.

For the last three years, impeachment has been the ghost haunting Ombudswoman Merceditas Gutierrez.

Like in horror movies, the protagonist initially brushes off the existence of a paranormal being, either because she has no reason to believe in such, or she is too preoccupied to notice the lurking/emerging evil. And with some help from the Supreme Court, Gutierrez didn't have any trouble ignoring the impeachment complaints filed against her. 

In 2009, it was Jovito Salonga. In 2010, it was Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel et. al. Come 2011, Baraquel is still coming for Gutierrez the same way Jason Voorhees comes after his defenseless victims. And you how it is with Jason -- he always goes for the kill. 

PC Shopper: Summer issue in stores now

Not too long ago, we were exchanging holiday greetings and freezing our bejabbers in the cold weather. Heck, even now I still feel cold. But a few days from now, we'll find ourselves in the company of April and you know what that means?

Perk up or pack up?

When news broke that Danny Ainge traded Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green, a lot of Celtics fan were disappointed. And it's not surprising. After all, why change something that works?

Robinson, albeit prone to poor shot selection, provided a spark off the bench. He and Glen Davis can put the ball in the hoop whenever the Big Four can't. And Perk, well, we all know what he did. He was the man in the middle when the Cs won it all back in 2008. He provided the toughness that the Celtics needed to take a very competent Orlando Magic team to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semis back in 2009, despite the absence of Kevin Garnett. And lastly, he made life miserable for Andrew Bynum, and any of the Lakers' bigs, in last year's Finals. It wasn't until he tore his ACL that Kobe Bryant and co. were able to put the Cs away in game seven.

Giving credit where it's due - to Mckoy

25 years ago, during the People Power Revolution, the key players of said revolution were one in fighting against corruption, abusive military officials and a dictator.

25 years later, dictator aside, were still fighting the same war. Corruption is pretty much around, and by the looks of things it ain't going anywhere. Meanwhile, military officials who are allegedly responsible for anomalies in their respective institutions have either kicked the bucket (committed suicide, killed in action or died of natural death) or fail to recognize their own signature. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, where robbing and Kobe Bryant happens

As All-Star Weekend comes to a close, here's a recap of what transpired during the greatest spectacle in the NBA:

Review: Tangled

WARNING: This review contains spoilers. And I need them spoilers to make a friggin' point. In fact, I think this whole review makes more sense to people who have already seen the movie.

After doing Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid, you'd think that Disney has already made a cartoon out of every popular female figure in fairy tales. That is until Tangled came out and you realize that they haven't done Rapunzel yet.

Team vs. Player - whose side are you on?

No other team sport probably highlights an individual more than basketball, thus separating NBA stars from that of other major sporting events.

Whether it's making those around them better, scoring in bunches, playing solid defense, crashing the boards, hitting game winners or doing a little bit of everything, the star player will always have a hand in his team's wins and losses. Bottom line, he is the face of the franchise.

Because of this notion, most fans see the star player and the team as one entity, and this results into a mixed fan base composed of the team's and the star player's respective group of supporters. It is only when the star player leaves town, via trade or free agency, that you can determine where a fan's loyalty lies.

So long, Sloan

When Karl Malone and John Stockton retired, who would've thought that the Utah Jazz will remain a force in the Western Conference?

In a sea of doubters, I'm pretty sure Jerry Sloan was the only guy who ever believed in the Jazz.

The Philippine Pop-a-shot Queen

Ah, Pop-a-shot. It's a game like basketball, but it's not. Or for a better choice of words, it's the poor man's basketball.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3's a charm

It's been a long time since I owned a gaming console. Last time I had one, it was the PS1.

I remember all those days I spent in front of my boob tube, the PS1 plugged into it, playing NBA Live 2003 with my friends and having Tracy McGrady dump some 20-30 points on them. Those nightmares that Parasite Eve 2 gave me. The memorable stories of Final Fantasies VII, VIII, IX and Tactics. The combos for Breath of Fire IV. The road rage born from playing Crash Team Racing. Daydreaming of strategies and weapons in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. And above all, handing my playmates' asses to them with some fighting games.

Review: Ang mga kaibigan ni Mama Susan

Who needs enemies when you've got friends like the ones Mama Susan has?

In Ang mga kaibigan ni Mama Susan (which roughly translates as Mama Susan's friends), Bob Ong takes us back to the late 90s for an interesting take on horror.

As you flip through the book's pages, you find yourself reading the journal of Gilberto, a.k.a. Galo. The first half of the journal provides the humor in this story: Galo's misadventures in college, late 90s stuff (the Backstreet Boys, Tamagotchis, pagers, MTB, etc.) and his relationship with his Aunt Auring and Uncle Dindo, which is comparable to Harry Potter and the Dursleys.

Infamous Marvel villain is turning over a new leaf

Probably one of the wall crawler's most notable enemies, the Venom was considered as something kids' nightmares are made of.

Just take a look at those teeth, that tongue and the slime. I still remember seeing a poster of him in SM North when I was like five, and he scared the crap out of me that I tried not looking at him again, thinking he was either a teaser for some horror movie or a minion of the devil himself.

A few years later, I find myself fond of this black, sentient alien goo, amazed by his badass-ness, heft, super strength and... well, gooey powers. I'm kinda surprised that Spider Man, who happens to be wimpy Peter Parker, manages to come out on top 90% of the time that they face off. I mean, how could this fighting machine lose to a guy whose powers were given by a radioactive bug? Even a bug repellent can beat that webhead.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Just when I was starting to like Venom, Marvel decides to nerf him.

PSP Update: PSP2 has arrived

And the rumors have been validated.

Human Torch takes one for the team

The psyche of a torpé – Why it’s okay for girls to make the first move

A scene from the manga Love Lucky

The first month of 2011 is almost over, and with February just around the corner, Valentine’s Day should not be far.

For some, Valentine’s is that time of the year when love is extra special – dates are grander, kisses are sweeter, hugs are tighter, and sex is a lot wilder/naughtier – but this applies to those who have partners, spouses or lovers. But what about those who are loveless?

Well, they go out and eat with their families, treat themselves to some movie or meal, or spend their time walking the dog, patting the cat…Ah Phooey!

If you’re going to be alone on Valentine’s, might as well stay at home. Don’t kill yourself in envy as you look at couples giggling and smooching inside malls or at parks. And don’t even bother going out on your own. Some person might mistake you for staring at his/her date.

My Series of Unfortunate Events

Is the Western Conference running out of All-Stars?

Some hours ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the New Jersey Nets will be landing Carmelo Anthony any time soon. The Nets will be engaged in a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and of course, Carmelo's current team, the Denver Nuggets.

Willie Revillame continues to redefine primetime

Love him. Hate him. It doesn't really matter because at the end of the day, Willie Revillame owns primetime.

No need to put a hyperlink on the words Willing Willie. By now, every Filipino knows, or has at least heard of, Revillame's new show on TV 5.