Nonito Donaire
Filipino boxing champion Nonito Donaire attended the Los Angeles red carpet premiere Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on July 24 (Friday, Philippine time), where fellow “kababayan” Dave Bautista stars as in the role of Drax the Destroyer.
Donaire was seen at the scene posing with Bautista and rapper-actor-director RZA in the premiere’s after-party. According to a report from abscbnnews.com, the Filipino actor and fighter are “widely known to be close friends.”
“Bautista was seen in Donaire’s corner, carrying the country’s flag, when the boxer won against Vic Darchinyan [in 2013].
“Bautista also made the friendship apparent when he went straight for Donaire, who was in attendance for the wrestler’s return to the WWE ring on January, to give the boxer a brief embrace,” continued the website report.
From Marvel, the studio, which churns out the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes this new team, the Guardians of the Galaxy.
An action-packed, epic space adventure, the movie expands the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
Directed by James Gunn, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy opens across the country on July 31.
Iloilo meets the lighter side of Regine
Fans of all ages trooped to the singer’s fans day
Ilonggos went to see Regine Velasquez-Alcasid at a fans’ day mounted by GMA Regional TV at SM City Iloilo. Known to be the most “malambing” among Filipinos, the Visayans trooped to Asia’s Songbird’s mall show eager to hear her soaring love songs, only to discover that the funny side of the A-list celebrity.
With Ate Redge, the Songbird impersonator, in tow, the event took off on an entertaining note as he performed in an opening number together with Regine sing- and look-alikes.
A deafening greeting followed Regine finally took center stage, and song after song, the crowd belted every note with her.
Heart Evangelista and Tom Rodriguez in New York City
What thrilled the audience more was when the Songbird engaged the Ilonggos with her playful spiels. She also gamely joked around with Ate Redge, the contestants of the sing- and look-alike and the audience. Even director Gina Alajar, who was also in town to scout potential child actors for a remake of the ‘80s drama series Yagit, laughed her heart out as part of the crowd.
Turning serious toward the end of the show, Regine shared she really enjoys being a part of her network’s regional activities, which give her the opportunity to see her supporters across the country.
The famous singer went to Iloilo from stints in Davao, Dagupan, Vigan, and Boracay.
“Habang wala akong soap ito ‘yung ginagawa ko. More than 10 na ‘yung naka-line up na Kapuso Fans’ Day. It’s exciting,” enthused Regine.
Follow GMA Regional TV on Twitter and Instgram via GMARegionalTV.
Of freedom and stars
Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose at the
Musika at Tawanan 4 in Kuwait PHOTO COURTESY OF ALL
ABOUT JULIE ANNE SAN JOSE FACEBOOK PAGE
As it took time to gather photos from all around the globe where GMA International held Philippine Independence Day celebrations with the network’s biggest stars, Seen @ the Scene is finally running this spread of Filipinos abroad who were entertained and brought closer to home in a series of shows in June.
“Through GMA’s participation in the annual celebration of Philippine Independence, we strive to keep the Filipino spirit alive all around the globe and instill a sense of nationalism across all generations,” said GMA vice president and head of International Operations Joseph Francia. “The network hopes to create a sense of home wherever there is a Filipino.”
Geoff Eigenmann with Filipino-American fans in Carson City, California
The festivities began in New York City with My Destiny star Tom Rodriguez and the beautiful Heart Evangelista gracing the GMA International booth at the Philippine Independence Day celebration on Madison Avenue. To the delight of fans, Tom and Heart readily posed for photographs at the crowded GMA Network booth.
The city of Carson welcomed leading man Geoff Eigenmann in a Philippine Independence Day parade led by Carson City Mayor Pro Tempore Elito Santarina as grand marshall.
Dingdong thrills the crowds at the Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center
Meanwhile, fans in Kuwait were serenaded by Asia’s Pop Sweetheart and nine-time Platinum Record Award holder Julie Anne San Jose and singer-comedienne Gladys Guevarra at Musika at Tawanan 4. The event gathered more than 3,000 overseas workers in the region for a night of fun, entertainment, and Filipino camaraderie.
GMA International also participated in the Mabuhay Festival in California, an event which drew in over 7,000 attendees. The GMA booth showcased the network’s three international channels, GMA Pinoy TV, its flagship international channel; GMA Life TV, the first international Filipino lifestyle channel; and GMA News TV International, an international news channel powered by the Philippines’ most trusted news and public affairs team.
Completing the series of events were visits from two of GMA primetime’s biggest stars, Dingdong Dantes and Lovi Poe, who are currently seen on the top-rating drama, Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real.
Dingdong joined fellow Filipinos at Bolingbrook in Chicago late in June for the Philippine Fest Piyesta Pinoy 2014. Lovi, on the other hand, livened up the crowd at the Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show sa Toronto. With a repertoire of local and foreign songs, she serenaded over 7,000 Filipino-Canadians who attended the Independence Day celebration.
For more information on GMA International’s events, artists and programs, log on to www.gmanetwork.com/international.
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