8 Metro Manila film fest entries named

MANILA, Philippines – The 8 entries for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) were announced on Friday.

The competing films, in alphabetical order, are:

· "Enteng Ng Ina Mo"
· "Hototay"
· "Mr. Wong"
· "My House Husband"
· "Panday 2"
· "Segunda Mano"
· "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13"
· "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow "

“Enteng Ng Ina Mo”, a joint movie effort of ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc., M-Zet TV Productions, APT Productions and Octo Arts Films, is top-billed by Vic Sotto and 2010 MMFF Best Actress Ai-Ai delas Alas. The film is directed by Tony Y. Reyes.

Regal Entertainment and SMDC’s entry “Hototay”, a comedy film directed by Joel Lamangan, stars John Lapus, Ruffa Gutierrez and Lovi Poe.

“Mr. Wong” is RP Studios’ entry, starring Robin Padilla. The film is directed by Trina Dayrit and Rechie del Carmen.

Octo Arts Films’ “My House Husband” stars real life couple Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos. The romantic-comedy film is directed by Jose Javier Reyes.

Bong Revilla and director Mac Alejandre returns with a second serving of “Panday” with Imus Productions and GMA Network Films’ “Panday 2”. Also starring are Phillip Salvador, Marian Rivera and Iza Calzado.

“Segunda Mano” of MJM Productions features Dingdong Dantes and Kris Aquino in a horror flick.

The 13th installment of Regal Entertainment’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” features 3 directors known for their indie films: Chris Martinez, Richard Somes and Jerrold Tarog.

Studio 5’s entry is the drama film “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” directed by Rodolfo "Jun" Lana Jr. The film stars Dennis Trillo, Heart Evangelista, Carla Abellana and Ritz Azur.

This year’s MMFF is the festival’s 37th edition, set to begin on December 25.

Rachelle Ann mum on break-up with John

MANILA, Philippines – Singer Rachelle Ann Go has decided to keep her mum over her recent break-up with actor John Prats.

In a text message, Go told "Cinema News" on Friday that she would rather not discuss the situation in public. "Di po muna ako magsasalita sa ngayon. Medyo magulo pa lahat eh.. Sana po maintindihan niyo. Pasensya na," she said.

Go also refused to speak up when asked if she is angry with Prats or if there is truth to reports alleging beauty queen Bianca Manalo as the reason behind their decision to separate ways.

Asked if she is still hurting, the singer replied: “Secret... hehe... when I'm ready nalang po ha. Hindi ko naman isasarili lahat.”

Manalo, on the other hand, was surprised about Go's statements.

“Ay may ganoon? Bakit may ganoon? Hindi ko po alam. Silang dalawa na lang ni Pratty ang mag-usap. Sila ang magklaro sa sambayanang tao. Sana ilabas ako kasi wala talaga akong kinalaman,” she said.

Manalo added that she never wanted to become a third party to a relationship.

Prats also chose to remain silent about the matter after he admitted on “Happy Yipee Yehey” that he and Go have broken up.

Ateneo kicks off celebrations to commemorate Rizal's 150th

MANILA, Philippines - In celebration of the 150th birthday of its most famous alumnus, the Ateneo de Manila University on Friday launched its commemoration of the sesquicentennial of Jose Rizal's birth.

The university launched "A Legacy of Service: Rizal for the 21st Century," a series of historical exhibits, academic lectures, and other events commemorating Rizal's 150th birthday, at the Leong Hall of the university's Loyola Heights campus.

In attendance were descendants of Rizal's siblings, in particular descendants of Saturnina, Narcisa, Lucia, Olympia, Maria, and Paciano.

The event served as a kick-off of the celebration of the sesquicentennial of Rizal's birth, with events scheduled until December.

Two Rizal-related exhibits, focusing on his days in the Ateneo and his writings, were also opened during the event.

"Rizal in the Ateneo/The Ateneo in Rizal" is an exhibit of original artifacts associated with Rizal and his days at the Ateneo.

Among the artifacts on display are photographs of 19th century Ateneo, which was then located in Intramuros; a statuette of the Sacred Heart carved by Rizal in 1875 out of batikuling wood; a Card of Excellence awarded to Rizal; the seal of the Ateneo Municipal de Manila; and even a silver quill which he won in a literary contest in 1879.

The exhibit also shows photos and artifacts of Rizal from his days in Europe, as well as during his days in exile in Dapitan.

Also opened on Friday was "Rizal, The Literary Genius," an exhibit of select books by and about the National Hero, from the collection of the Ateneo's Rizal Library.

Among the books and writings on display are Rizal's iconic works, such as 19th century editions of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo; the "Mi Ultimo Adios"; letters and correspondence; and biographies, adaptations, and other works about Rizal.

Also on display are photographs of Rizal and his milieu, and a chronology of the life of the National Hero.

Both exhibits are housed at the Rizal Library of the university, and is open to the public Mondays to Saturdays.

Events

Aside from the exhibits, the Ateneo de Manila's different units also have other exhibits and events scheduled to commemorate Rizal's 150th birthday.

Among the events scheduled are lectures and a conference about Rizal; book launches; lectures and screenings on films about the National Hero; a revue of songs inspired by or composed by Rizal; a play by the Tanghalang Ateneo about Rizal and the youth; and a 2-hour cultural gala.

The university's grand alumni homecoming in December will also take a Rizal-inspired theme.

Puppy on clothesline photo sparks online ire

MANILA, Philippines - What started as a joke has turned into an online firestorm.

Through social networking sites, netizens condemned a young man's act of hanging his puppy on a clothesline and uploading a photo of it on Facebook.

Jerzon Senador, who is likely to face animal cruelty charges from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), made it to Twitter's trending topics on Tuesday.

Senador has already posted a letter of apology on his Facebook page, but is still receiving several hate messages from concerned pet owners.

Several netizens continue to protest in their own virtual spaces.

"Isabit si Jerzon sa clothesline ng upside down (Hang Jerzon upside down on a clothesline)," said Twitter user KenTuriano.

"Well I guess you can't even go outside now because of your abusive act," said Twitter user IamRHEA16.

"Wag ka papakita sakin 'kaw ang isasampay ko sa sampayan ng kapitbahay namin (Don't show yourself or I'll hang you on my neighbor's clothesline)," said user Jon MacAsaet on abs-cbnNEWS.com's Facebook page.

Others said they do not tolerate Senador's behavior, but stressed that the public should not be too hard on the young man.

"Enough na let the PAWS handle this (That's enough. Let PAWS handle this)," said Twitter user thePrinceJayR.

"Sa totoo lang mas marami pang cruel sa animals kumpara kay Jerzon (There are many people who are more cruel to animals than Jerzon)," tweeted SirHodge.

Twitter user Charlesrainer, for his part, said, "Jerzon Senador has apologized and promised not to do what he did again. Forgive the man! Next step, stop other more cruel animal abusers."

Last May, a physics major from the University of the Philippines was fined P2,000 and sentenced to 2 months' volunteer work for killing a cat inside the state university and then bragging about it on his blog.

The case is the first successful conviction of a person accused of animal cruelty in the Philippines.

TV time tied to diabetes, death

NEW YORK - People who spend more hours in front of the television are at greater risk of dying, or developing diabetes and heart disease, with even two hours of television a day having a marked effect, according to a US study.

Every day, US residents spend an average of 5 hours watching television, while Australians and some Europeans log 3.5 to 4 hours a day, said researchers led by Frank Hu, at the Harvard School of Public Health.

"The message is simple. Cutting back on TV watching is an important way to reduce sedentary behaviors and decrease risk of diabetes and heart disease," Hu said.

People who sit in front of the television are not only exercising less, they are likely eating unhealthy foods, he added.

"The combination of a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and obesity creates a 'perfect breeding ground' for type 2 diabetes and heart disease."

This is not the first study to associate TV time with ill effects. Many studies have found a strong link to obesity, and one 2007 report found that more TV time was associated with higher blood pressure in obese children.

Another study that same year found that overweight children who watch food advertisements tend to double their food intake.

For the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hu and his team reviewed 8 studies examining the link between television time and diseases, that in total followed more than 200,000 people, for an average of 7 to 10 years.

Hu and his colleagues found that for every two hours of daily television that people watched, their risk of diabetes increased by 20%, while their risk of heart disease rose by 15%.

Each two hours of television per day increased the risk of dying by 13%.

Based on those results, Hu and his team estimated that, among a group of 100,000 people, reducing daily television time by 2 hours could prevent 176 new cases of diabetes, 38 cases of fatal cardiovascular disease, and 104 premature deaths -- every year.

All of the studies in the analysis made sure that participants didn't have a chronic disease, because people who were generally less well might be more likely both to watch many hours of TV and to experience diabetes, heart disease or premature death.

But Hu and his team cautioned that it's possible some people had undetected forms of disease at the start of the studies, influencing the findings.

The study cannot prove that TV watching alone raises the disease risk, nor can it identify what about TV watching might have an impact.

"It's true that people who watch a lot of TV differ from those who watch less, especially in terms of diet and physical activity levels," Hu said.

He added that people who watch a lot of television are more likely to eat junk food. But unhealthy diet and inactivity are also consequences of prolonged television watching, so they explain some of the adverse effects of the sedentary behavior.