Chris Daughtry of American Idol fame will be playing live in Manila! Tickets for the July 29 concert are now available at Eastwood Information Center and all Ticketnet outlets. Ticket prices range from P650 to P5775.

The annual Earth Day Jam will start at 7PM tonight at Tomas Morato in Quezon City. The street will be closed to traffic and two stages will be set up - Fire-Air and Earth-Water - so that audience can enjoy music from over 20 bands performing for free. Tents will also be set up around the area to promote environmental awareness and issues. Check out the round up of artists playing at the event from GMA News

Starbucks stores all over the Metro will be taking off P40.00 from the price of your hot or cold drink if you bring along your tumbler today. This is in part of their commitment for World Earth Day because by bringing in your tumbler, Starbucks can reduce the amount of disposable cups that inevitably end up in dump sites every day.

Apple what?

Last Thursday in Prince of Jaipur at The Fort, Dell Philippines launched its award-winning XPS and Inspiron laptop computer systems for the consumer segment.

And what an arrival it was! In a dazzling display of colors and artistry – featuring a stunning glow-in-the-dark pantomime performance and an enthralling capoeira number – Dell offered possible in-store buyers a vibrant peek of the beauty and power of its Consumer Brands. “Experience Inspiration,” went the tagline.

For the first time in the Philippines, Dell will be making available through retail partners the award-winning XPS M1330 and the Inspiron 1420 laptops, as well as the Inspiron 530 and slim-build 530s desktops. These were on display during the launch, and then later raffled off to lucky guests, which of course did not include me.

In a statement, Dell Philippines Country Manager Barry Bunyi said: “This is an important initiative for Dell and a great way for us to connect with the Philippine customers we may not have reached in the past. We have had strong success in the corporate segment and the time is right for us to allow the general populace to experience what Dell has to offer.”

For more information, visit www.dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to www.dell.com/conversations. To get Dell news direct, visit www.dell.com/RSS.

Photos by Nykko Santos.

Anime enthusiasts gathered in SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall for O-zine Fest 2008 last weekend. I only went there on Saturday but there were a lot of people. It was a very colorful event, so to speak. And it was amusing to see twins of cosplays. For example, there were two guys cosplaying as Naruto and they were posing for a photo-op. There were also two Haruhis from the anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I also saw someone cosplay Card Captor Sakura, with a small Kero-chan on her shoulder! See the evidence:

There were other activities for those who were interested in games like fish-scooping, drawing, eating contests (Whoopee!) and there was something similar to sumo wrestling but the participants had to be in poring costumes, which was quite amusing to watch.

It’s really fun watching people who are having lots of fun with friends and fellow fans! I just wish that there’d be a better layout so that the merchandise area wouldn’t be as congested as it was during the day my friends and I went there.

Pissedpoet Henry Bateman is holding his “Through Australian Eyes” exhibit at the One Workshop Gallery. The exhibit opened last March 4, and will be open to the public until April 4th.

From the Press Release:

Living in the Philippines has been an eye opening experience for Australian
artist/photographer Henry Bateman. For the last 3 years he has been a resident
of the Island Nation and its influence has seen his work expand in ways he
never imagined possible.

“There are aspects of Filipino life that stand in stark contrast to an
Australian lifestyle,” Bateman said. “With my work I have tried to capture
not only the physical differences but also the cultural differences that the
Filipino lifestyle imposes on Australian sensibilities,” he added.

A painter who embraced digital photography 8 years ago, Bateman manipulates his
digitally captured photographs on his computer to delve below the composition of
the recorded moment. From each of his photographs he builds a new image that
explores the underlying motivation that caused the shutter to be pressed when
it was. “It is a journey in which the image dictates what directions to
take,” Bateman said. “My major contribution is knowing when a destination
has been reached,” he added.

“Through Australian Eyes” will be Bateman’s 14th exhibition, but his
first in the Philippines. His work has been shown in Australia and the US with
the most recent being a solo exhibition at The Australian National University
in September last year.

One Workshop Gallery
2241 Don Chino Roces Ave, corner Sabio St, Makati City

Are you a fan of jazz? Are you a fan of music?

If you are, then prove it by joining the biggest musical festival in the country this year: The Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival 2008, which started last 29^th of February in Manila and runs until the 15^th of March. Featured international artists include Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Omar Sosa, Sara Gazarek, Chico and the Gypsies, and Incognito. From local shores we have Johnny Alegre, Bob Aves Group, Toti Fuentes, Gerard Salonga, Manuel Baldemor, and the Brass Munkeys, among others.

The event this year is made more special because the organizer, P.I. Jazz Foundation, is now involved with UNICEF. Efforts are being made to bring jazz to the youth through development programs such as school workshops in Far Eastern University and the University of Santo Tomas, summer music training courses, a talent search contest, and mall tours featuring our top local musicians.

The real reason why I am all hyped up about it, however, is the phenomenal Raul Midón. You’ve simply got to see him! The blind New York City-based singer-songwriter and guitarist will be down at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza to give a free workshop on March 12. And on March 13, he’ll be featured in the main concert with Montreal-based jazz pianist Lorraine Demarais.

For more information, visit the official website at http://www.pijazzfest.com.

Well it’s March and there’s too much going in the music scene in the Metro. Hundreds of foreign artists (well just several actually) are dropping in for concerts and most of these concerts are sold out already. Mandy Moore will be in Eastwood, Maroon 5 will be in Araneta, Incubus will be dropping in by March 9… so save up for that band or artist specially since Holy Week (aka the 4-day holiday) is near.

If you’re looking for something different this Valentine’s, you need not look far. Opening tomorrow at the Robinson’s Galleria Mall’s Indiecine is Selda, a Filipino indie film by Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos.

True to form to their themes of love and its different vagaries, filmmakers Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos follow up their highly-acclaimed debut film ILUSYON (Rated A 2005, Cinemanila IFF 2006, Pusan IFF 2006) with the tragic tale of 3 characters in Selda. The film stars Sid Lucero, Emilio Garcia and Ara Mina. Also starring are Michael de Mesa, Allan Paule, Soliman Cruz and Ping Medina.

Set in two contrasting enivronments that undeline the same premise of imprisonment, Selda tells the story of Rommel, a young man who accidentally kills a boy, resulting in his incarceration. Inside the jail, he befriends another inmate, Esteban, who becomes his rock and protector. Seven years later, Rommel is living in the province as a farmer together with Sita his wife. Esteban tracks down Rommel in hopes of renewing a brewing love affair. Rommel and Sita welcome Esteban into their lives, until their intimacy crosses borderlines and results in the undeniable scourge of self-discovery.

Selda is a return to classiscist forms and delivers a stylish, deliberately-paced treatise on love. At moments strange, Selda is a sublime and disquieting portrait of a young man whose search for happiness, innocence and true love is laden with guilt and doubt.

Source: Selda Trailer at Youtube.com

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