First international award for legendary actress

Anita Linda couldn’t make it to the Cinemanila awards rites held Monday in Malacañang because that was her “gardening day.”

“My hair wasn’t fixed and my hands were dirty,” she recalled.

Still, she said she was “overjoyed” to win Best Actress for her work in Adolf Alix Jr.’s “Adela,” which competed with six other films in the festival’s Southeast Asian section.


Alix said Anita cried upon learning the good news.

“It’s my first international recognition,” she later told Inquirer Entertainment in a phone interview. “It’s a pleasant surprise and a great birthday gift.”

Turning 84

The legendary actress, who won a Maria Clara Award in 1951 (precursor of the Famas) for “Sisa,” turns 84 on Nov. 23.

Also in the SEA section, Mario Maurer of Thailand’s “The Love of Siam” won Best Actor; another Philippine entry, Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Dahis Antipuesto’s “Confessional” won Best Film.

In the festival’s main/international section, Israel’s “The Band’s Visit” won Best Film, RP/Iceland’s “The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela” won the Grand Jury Prize. Best Actress went to another Filipina, Angeli Bayani, for Lav Diaz’s “Melancholia.” Kenneth Moraleda won Best Actor for Australia’s “Lucky Miles.”

Pinoy descent

According to festival director Tikoy Aguiluz, Moraleda is of Filipino descent.

In the Digital Lokal section, Sherad Anthony Sanchez’s “Imburnal” won Best Film, Ato Bautista won Best Director for “Carnivore.” Carlo Aquino of “Carnivore” won Best Actor and Jodi Sta. Maria of “Sisa” won Best Actress. Raya Martin’s “Next Attraction” won Jury Prize.

“After doing three films, I no longer expect to win because my team and I make unpopular films,” said Bautista, who also won for the first time.

“Carnivore” tackles corruption, he said.

The trophies were handed out by President Macapagal-Arroyo. “I apologized to her because I was in jeans,” Bautista said.

Young cinema

In the Young Cinema section, Ralston Jover and James Amparo’s “Marlon” won Best Documentary; Antoinette Jadaone’s “Tumbang Preso” won Best Short; and Christopher Gozum’s “Surreal Random MMS Texts for a Mother, a Sister and a Wife who Longs for You: Landscape with Figures” won the Ishmael Bernal Award.

Scriptwriter Jose Lacaba is this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among the jury members are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera (chair of the main section), Netpac critic Wong Tuk Cheong (Southeast Asian chair), Lav Diaz (Digital Lokal chair) and Bangkok film fest programmer Pimpaka Towira (Digital Lokal jury member).

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquire

Final presidential debate

John McCain or Barack Obama, the star of final US presidential debate last Wednesday.

Surprise, it’s Joe the plumber.

The final face-to-face clash between the two fierce White House rivals granted an unexpected 15 minutes of fame to Joe Wurzelbacher.

Until Sunday, when he bumped into Senator Obama while the Democratic presidential candidate was doing a spell of door-to-door canvassing, Wurzelbacher was living a normal life, unknown to most of his fellow Americans.

But his encounter with Obama in Toledo, Ohio, and a spirited debate about the front-running Democrat’s tax policy, turned him into a media star.

Both candidates spoke directly to Wurzelbacher, turning him into a real life version of “Joe Six Pack,” the ordinary guy chasing the American dream, as they faced off in their third and final debate.

“Joe wants to buy the business that he’s been in for all these years,” McCain said, using Obama’s encounter with the plumber to flay his rival over a tax plan he maintains would shackle small businesses.

“Joe wants to buy the business that he’s been in for all these years. Worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business, but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes.”

Obama’s version

Obama hit back, with his version of his chat with Joe.

“What I essentially said to him was, five years ago, when you were in the position to buy your business, you needed a tax cut then,” Obama said.

“And what I want to do is to make sure that the plumber, the nurse, the firefighter, the teacher, the young entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have money, I want to give them a tax break now.”

Community hero

Wurzelbacher has emerged as a hero of the conservative talk radio community for his debate with Obama and his contention that the Obama economic plan would make him pay higher taxes and snuff out his hopes to expand his business.

He was asked about the conversation during an interview on Fox News on Tuesday.

“Robin Hood stole from greedy rich people and redistributed it to the peasants, so to speak, so if he’s calling us peasants, I kind of resent that,” Wurzelbacher said.

He added that the American Dream for him was “you work hard. You’re going to get what you want eventually.”

Agence France-Presse

Pinoy Sole Survivor?

Pinoy Sole Survivor in the reality program Survivor Philippines which started airing on GMA 7 only three weeks ago have already a winner? This was the questions or rumors of the show biz-oriented website. Here is the news from Philippine Daily Inquirer about he Pinoy Sole Survivor.

A show biz-oriented website announced that San Sebastian cager JC Tiuseco, 23, won the reality program “Survivor Philippines,”. Program host Paolo Bediones branded the website as a “spoiler.”

“Spoilers come from people who make it their business to ruin the show for others,” Bediones told Inquirer Entertainment by phone on Monday. “Ninety-five percent of those are untrue. But thanks to them, people are now more curious about the show.”

According to the website Showbiz Juice, two program staff members were overheard talking in a coffee shop about the outcome of the show. “The shocking news was that JC’s name was mentioned as the Pinoy Sole Survivor,” the website reported.

Bediones insisted that only the program manager knows the identity of the winner. The aspirants cast their final votes before they left Ko Tarutao (Devil’s Island), Thailand in September. “Everything will be revealed, live, on the last day of the show,” the host said.

His fearless forecast? “Zita, Niña, Marlon, JC and Vevherly will be the Final Five.”

He noted that Zita Ortiga, 46, a laundrywoman, has “a great story and a fantastic disposition.” Niña Ortiz, 40, mother of three, “is a straight-up player.”

Bediones added that many viewers “dislike” Marlon Carmen, 30, a waiter. “But he won the trust of his whole ‘tribe.’”

He said John Carlo or JC had wanted to quit on his first day on Devil’s Island. “But he’s been doing well.”

As for Vevherly Gador, 20, Bediones said, “She’s gone through a lot. People root for someone like her.”

By Marinel Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CICT to DICT

Senate to pass DICT bill

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the Senate to immediately enact a bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology or DICT.

According to a statement of the Commission on ICT (CICT), President Arroyo, in an official letter to Senate president Manny Villar, has "certified" Senate Bill 2546 as needing "immediate enactment".

The said bill endorses a DICT to replace the current CICT, which was created back in 2004 as a transitory body to a full-pledged department.

The CICT is currently chaired by Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III (officially a member of the President's Cabinet) and under him are commissioners handling human capital development, infrastructure, e-government and cyberservices.

In her letter to Villar, President Arroyo stressed the need to consolidate government efforts toward the development of ICT in the country, as well as strengthen competitiveness in business process outsourcing or industry.

House Bill 4300, a counterpart bill to Senate Bill 2546, was approved by the Lower House last August and has been submitted to the Senate.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Apple keep the doctors away.

Apples: The Live Longer Fruit

The beginning of autumn means that we're entering apple season, which will be a time of cider, desserts, and the crisp, wholesome goodness of the fruit freshly picked from your local orchard. Apples have been a staple of healthy eating for many years, and the often-repeated line of an apple a day keeping the doctor away is far from a myth. Apples really do have a wonderful variety of nutritional benefits, and are a tasty addition to any diet of good health and longevity.

Of all of the fruits we eat, apples are the best source of pectin, a natural fiber that has several health benefits. Apples also contain phytochemicals, quercetin, tannins, and antioxidants, all of which have different healthy properties. Below is a list of the top five benefits of making apples a standard part of your daily diet.

1. Apples improve the bowels. Pectin is a source of dietary fiber and a very handy nutrient to have in one's diet. While it is also found in citrus fruits, plums, and other fruits, apples have the highest concentration of them all. Pectin works to increase the stool's volume and resistance of fluids and is therefore helpful in treating constipation, diarrhea, and generally improving the health of the bowels. Studies have also found that apple pectin reduces the incidence of colon tumors, and that has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

2. Apples lower cholesterol. A study on nutrition and heart disease found that eating three apples a day for three months can help you to drop your cholesterol by at least 20 points. How does this happen? Apple pectin, that miraculous source of dietary fiber, helps to draw bad LDL cholesterol out of the system. Not only that, but the antioxidant quercetin that is found in apples inhibits the LDL cholesterol from even accumulating in the body's bloodstream. When it comes to lowering one's cholesterol, apples provide a cocktail of nutritional benefits that are hard to pass up.

3. Apples reduce the risk of cancer. Apples do not stop at merely preventing colon cancer. The high amounts of quercetin, other flavonoids, and phytochemicals found in this fruit deliver potent antioxidant activity to all who eat an apple, and with that inhibit the actions of free radicals. In addition, the phytochemicals may act against carcinogens, which will likewise help to prevent cancer. This means that apple eating prevents cancer of the prostate and lung, as well as other parts of the body.

4. Apples slow the aging process. There may have been many generations of explorers that sought the fountain of youth, but all they had to do was fight the daily stresses of life with a tasty apple! The phytochemicals that come from the bright colors you find in the skins of your favorite apple variety, along with aiding the apple's ability to lower cholesterol and fight cancer, also inhibits the onset of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other conditions that lead to potentially debilitating situations in old age.

5. Apples help to prevent hair loss. If keeping a full head of hair will help you to age more gracefully, then chow down on some apples. Chinese medicine considers hair loss to be a sign of a depleted kidney essence, and apples are on the list of fruits and vegetables that will help you to restore this essence and nourish the blood that flows to your hair follicles.

By Dr. Maoshing Ni
http://health.yahoo.com