Showing posts with label Jennifer Lawrence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Lawrence. Show all posts

Monday, March 3, 2014

Bohol’s first WiFi area: Tubigon offers free wireless internet access to all

Wake-uppers:
Seen: Spotted in Bohol last week was TV host, model and editor Rovilson Fernandez. He was in Bohol to shoot Bohol’s sights and sounds for “Ang Pinaka” on GMA News TV.  Rovilson was with his co-host Mae Bautista for Ang Pinaka "Yummy Series" and Abettinna Carlos for Ang Pinaka "FUN-tastic" in Bohol episodes. “Travel, food and friends make work feel like work,” said Rovilson. The Bohol episode is on Feb. 23 (that is today!), 5:45 p.m. on GMA News TV-11.

Seen: Out of 6,000 entries, journalist Ric Obedencio’s photo of Loon Church before it was razed down by quake on Oct. 15, 2013 was chosen as “Top 50 finalists Wiki Loves Monuments Philippines Photo Competition in 2013.” Ric has received the certificate just recently. “It's a simple certificate but priceless. I Thank God for this,” he posted on Facebook.

Scene: Spotted in Bohol yesterday were PBA legends Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc and Jerry Codinera in Purok Bato, barangay Cabawan in Maribojoc town for the unveiling of the Alaxan Court of Inspiration. The legends conducted basketball clinic and exhibition games with the locals.  The Alaxan Court of Inspiration, a project of Unilab for the community, by the community, stems from Alaxan FR’s advocacy of changing the negative perception of body pain.

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Hooray for free WiFi!!!

Mayor Marlon Amila
Well, the town of Tubigon is making history as Bohol’s first "Wi-Fi Area." Thanks to Mayor Marlon Amila who turned the town into a free Wi-Fi zone.

“No password. Absolutely free. All you have to do is check the available wifi in your gadget then open the webpage of the network provider (dost) and click GO TO INTERNET icon. Enjoy!,” said James Tripoli , Mayor Amila’s consultant on social and political affairs, broke the news last Friday.

We love free WiFi! In fact, many of us are seeking out restaurants and coffee shops with free Internet access. However, some business establishments are tightening rules for the free use of their Wi-Fi to help increase their sales. Since most WiFi have passwords, it is very rare to find a WIFI without a password (remember, “ang mabait na kapitbahay ay walang password ang WiFi!”).

To find it for myself, I went to Tubigon last Saturday to check the free WiFi. At the town plaza, I’d noticed the WiFi sign, so I tried using my tab. There really was WiFi connection and it was faster than I expected!

Isn’t it great?

Tubigon has joined in the race to roll out fast internet to the public which signals a newfound understanding of “digital rights.”

The free WiFi is embracing modern technology as the fastest way to achieve inclusive progress and equitable growth in this age of globalization. Many years ago, access to the internet was far from a luxury for the poor, now it is giving the poor access to advanced information and communications technology infrastructure that can change lives.

“This is an answer to the call of our netizens to provide free internet access in our downtown and it is a new sign of progress after the 7.2 magnitude killer quake,” said Tripoli. “The administration of Mayor Amila wants to come up with a method where we can make WiFi free to all. Soon, we no longer think of it as a luxury but as a commodity like electricity and water.”

Having a free WiFi in Poblacion is the first step in providing free wireless Internet to Tubigon’s 34 barangays as supported by the DOTC.

By the end of 2014, 60% of the town will be that way; the next year, coverage should reach 80%, according to Tripoli.

The response from Tubignons to the free WiFi has been overwhelmingly positive.

Emmanuel Nunez posted on Facebook: “Then information will readily become available to students and common people which is good. Smart people will become smarter. Information technology will boost up the overall economy.”

While there are those who are not yet ready for the free WiFi, Tripoli said, “We cannot please everyone. Expected nga naay dili ganahan sa atong bag-ong proyekto nga naangkon, in short haters or critics people. Like the old visayan saying says, 'Sa usa ka bulig, naay usa nga dunot'. Don't worry people. Our municipal officials headed by our Mayor Marlon R. Amila are doing their best for the reconstruction, repair of our public buildings and rehabilitation of our town. We cannot do these things in a short period of time. We need more time and while doing the rehabilitation effort, more projects are coming and we cannot just say NO to these projects as we want progress. We hope for your understanding, cooperation and continuous support to the present administration.”

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Here’s from Arlene Pisquera who shares her predictions of the Oscars 2014 fashion:

Oscars 2014 dress predictions: Will J Law wear Dior again?

From the Golden Globes last January until the Oscars in March, Hollywood becomes a blur of red carpets, gorgeous gowns, and golden statues.

The American Hustle, Gravity and 12 Years a Slave looking like they’ll fight it out for the big prizes. But, as the film buffs argue over who will take home the spoils, the fashion pack is, as always, far more interested in what might happen outside the ceremony.

Oscars is always exciting because the 2014 Oscar nominees have very impressive fashion resumes.

Remember Amy Adams who wore a jaw-dropping Oscar de la Renta gown last year? She always manages to make our best-dressed list. We are excited to see what she will wear this Oscars!

We have a feeling that the lovely Jennifer Lawrence, who is nominated for best supporting actress in American Hustle, will wear another Dior, which she is doing for the past years.

We’re sure Lupita Nyong’o, nominated in the best-supporting actress category for 12 Years a Slave, will constantly impress us with her fashion statement.

Finally, we're pretty confident that veterans Cate Blanchett, Meryl Street, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts won't let us down.

Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.(From EOnline and Oscars)

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

And the Oscar goes to....

LOS ANGELES, CA- I grew up loving the Oscars.  I like the evening's glamorous fashions, the little snippets of the screenplays, famous kisses to seat-climbing winners and the wildest acceptance speeches.
 
Like you, the Oscars brings out the child in all of us.  We all dream of walking the Red Carpet on the arm of a movie stars we like while hundreds of bulbs flash simultaneously.
 
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences aka Oscar is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema.

Last Wednesday, I arrived in Los Angeles, California to cover the 85th Academy Awards.  
 
US-based Boholano socialite Mikey Gatal, who lives in the downtown Los Angeles County, accompanied me during the Oscars activities. 
 
It was like an epic to watch the red carpet being physically rolled out last Wednesday for the ceremony. The golden statues were being readied. Statuettes of Oscars are ready for visitors and tourists at a local souvenir shop in Hollywood. 
 
Mikey and I gushed when we witnessed how the Oscars organizers and crew were all organized.  
 
"They are very organized and they have a very tight security," observed Mikey.
 
Before starlets hit the Red Carpet, Hollywood Boulevard was being dressed for the occasion. It was closed between Orange Drive and Highland Avenue. There was re-routing bus traffic. However, people could still visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Forecourt of the Stars at Grauman's Chinese Theater and Madame Tussauds Hollywood and Hollywood Museum and the Max Factor Building. (I was thinking to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame after the Oscar activities for the day yet Mikey rushed me to Hollywood's famous spots.)
 
At the Dolby Theater (formerly known as Kodak Theater), the statues were lined the length of the red carpet which is approximately 500 feet. A little bit of Oscar trivia – the size of most common set-dressing Oscar is 34 in. diameter (base), 7½ feet tall and 65 pounds. The statuette was designed by Cedric Gibbons, art director for MGM studios, and was sculpted by George Stanley.
 

Mikey Gatal

In the week leading up to the Oscars, Mikey and I attended the events celebrating this year's nominees. The Oscar Week featured screenings, film clips, and discussions with filmmakers and artists whose work has garnered nominations in the animated feature film, documentary, foreign language film, make-up and hairstyling and short film categories.
 
We’re hearing more and more about what kind of show to expect this Sunday.
 
The films Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo and Les Miserables earned multiple Oscar nominations.
 
Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron told reporters that Academy Award winner Jane Fonda will join Jennifer Garner, Kristen Stewart and Kerry Washington to present on the Oscar telecast. They are working on a tribute to the genre of movie musicals. With Dame Shirley Bassey, Adele and Barbra Streisand performing, as well as the Les Miserables cast members Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, it promises to be an all-singing, all-dancing kind of affair.
 
Fonda earned seven nominations and won Academy Awards for her roles in "Klute" and "Coming Home." Garner was seen in this year's "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" and will be seen next in "Dallas Buyers Club." Stewart is best known for her role as Bella Swan in the "Twilight" saga and also starred in 2012's "On the Road" and "Snow White and the Huntsman." Washington starred in the Best Picture Nominee "Django Unchained" and was seen in "A Thousand Words." Washington is also the star of ABC's hit drama "Scandal."
 
Fonda, Garner, Stewart and Washington join a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters including Jennifer Aniston, Michael Douglas, Jamie Foxx, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek Pinault, Melissa McCarthy, Liam Neeson, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Mark Wahlberg, Ted and "Marvel's The Avengers" cast members Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo; returning 2011 Oscar winners Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer and Meryl Streep; "Chicago" cast members Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones; special guests Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron; and performers including Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit and Helena Bonham,Adele, Dame Shirley Bassey, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.
 
Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Feb. 24, the Oscar Sunday, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
 
Meanwhile, excuse me as I attend the Oscar Party tonight.
 
Here is the complete nominations lists:
 
Best Motion Picture
Argo
Amour

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django UnchainedLes MisérablesLife of PiLincolnSilver Linings PlaybookZero Dark Thirty 
 
Achievement in Directing
Ang Lee, Life of PiBenh ZeitlinBeasts of the Southern Wild
David O. Russell, Silver Linings PlaybookMichael HanekeAmour
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
 
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings PlaybookDaniel Day-Lewis, LincolnDenzel Washington, FlightHugh Jackman, Les MisérablesJoaquin Phoenix, The Master
 
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings PlaybookJessica Chastain, Zero Dark ThirtyNaomi WattsThe ImpossibleQuvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
 
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin, Argo
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
 
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, The Master
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Sally Field, Lincoln
 
Best Animated Feature Film
BraveFrankenweenieParaNormanThe Pirates! Band of MisfitsWreck-It Ralph
 
Original Screenplay
Amour, Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, 
Quentin Tarantino
Flight
, John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
 
Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild
, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi, David Magee
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
 
Best Foreign-Language Film
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
Amour
 (Austria)
No (Chile)
War Witch (Canada)
Kontiki (Norway)
 
Original Score
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman
 
Original Song
"Before My Time," J. Ralph; Chasing Ice"Everybody Needs a Best Friend," Walter Murphy and Seth McFarlane; Ted
"Pi's Lullaby," Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri; Life of Pi
"Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth; Skyfall"Suddenly," Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boulil; Les Misérables 
 
Achievement in Production Direction
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
 
Achievement in Cinematography
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins
 
Achievement in Costume Design
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
 
Best Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for a Sugar Man
 
Best Documentary Short Subject
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
 
Achievement in Film Editing
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
 
Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
 
Best Animated Short Film
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman
 
Best Live-Action Short Film
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry
 
Achievement in Sound Editing
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
 
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
 
Achievement in Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman