The 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival Official Entries has been announced by the MMFF Selection Committee. This year will be the 34th edition of the annual all Filipino film festival that recently been divided into an aggregate 2 weeks.

The 8 MMFF Official Entries are:

1. Baler - stars Anne Curtis, Jericho Rosales, Mark Bautista
2. Dayo - animated film that follows the adventure of 11-year-old Bubuy as he tries to save his grandparents who have been abducted and brought to Elementalia, a mysterious and magical land that is home to popular creatures of Philippine mythology.
3. Desperadas 2 - stars Marian Rivera, Iza Calzado, Rufa Mae Quinto
4. Escaleras and Ungasis: 20 Years After - stars Tito,Vic and Joey
5. Magkaibigan - stars Jinggoy Estrada
6. One Night Only - stars Katrina Halili
7. Shake, Rattle and Roll X - Trilogy- starring Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, JC De Vera, Iza Calzado
8. Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat - starring Ai Ai Delas Alas

The 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival starts on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008.

Ai Ai Delas Alas superhero character and of course the TV series, Volta, made it in the Regional Semifinals of the 2008 International Emmy Awards, Best Comedy Show category, making it the ONLY TV Show from the Philippines to make it that far this year in the prestigious Television award-giving body. “Kami lang ang pumasok mula sa Pilipinas. Go na go na kapatid. Ang taray talaga! Salamat sa Diyos,” Ai Ai Delas Alas gushed after hearing of the Volta nomination. Last Year, ABS-CBN’s late night news program, Bandila, also made it to the International Emmy’s.

Volta will compete with NEO-Office Chuckles NHK, Telecom Staff of Japan, The I.T. Crowd A Talkback Thames Prod for Channel 4 of Uni­ted Kingdom, The Thick of It - Spinners & Losers, BBC of United Kingdom, Boese Maedchen Biller & Vass TV Produktion of Germany, Geile Zeit Sony Pictures Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH of Germany, and some other shows from Latin America.

In the intriguing side of Philippine Showbiz, it has been reported that Ai Ai Delas Alas reportedly said, “impakta si Kris Aquino” and AiAi is reportedly still very angry at her for having been dragged into the James Yap-Kris Aquino separation controversy.

Special awards as usual, added glitter to the night and served as an incentive to celebrities who showed up for the 24th Star Awards For Movies last night. “Celebrity Fab of the Night” was Piolo Pascual and Maja Salvador; “Celebrity Mom of the Night” was Dawn Zulueta who also served as host of the 24th Star Awards for Movies; Faces of the Night was Piolo Pascual and Pops Fernandez; and Stars of the Night was John Lloyd Cruz and Eula Valdes.

Ai-Ai delas Alas, emotionally accepted her 2nd Best Actress award in Star Awards for Movies (The Star Awards calls it Movie Actress of the Year); this time for the movie Ang Cute Ng Ina Mo. AiAi brought the house down when she quipped that all her co-nominees video clips were shown with all of them crying while her clip was about her falling from the stairs. She then dedicated her Best Actress Award to her co-nominees: Maricel Soriano, Lorna Tolentino, Judy Ann Santos, Bea Alonzo, and Cherry Pie Picache. Ai Ai also acknowledged her part in the James Yap-Kris Aquino brouhaha, albeit indirectly, by thanking God for her Award, she said, “despite all the controversies” she went through recently, there is a reward (her award).

Paolo Contis won Movie Actor of the Year for the film Banal. Movie Supporting Actress of the Year is Eugene Domingo for the digital film, Pisay. Movie Supporting Actor of the Year is Emilio Garcia for Selda.

Nash Aguas won as Movie Child Performer of the Year for the film, Angels.  Lovi Poe won New Movie Actress of the Year for Shake, Rattle & Roll 9, while Matt Evans also won for the same movie, as New Movie Actor of the Year. These two awards btw, are considered “jinx” awards..lol..

Willie Urbino won Movie Production Designer of the Year for Ataul For Rent; Vanessa Valdez, Movie Original Screenplay for A Love Story; Raul Mitra, Movie Musical Scorer of the Year for Paano Kita Iibigin; Ditoy Aguila and Rudy Gonzales, Movie Sound Engineer for Ouija; and Ogie Alcasid, Movie Theme Song of the Year for his hit single, Paano Kita Iibigin. Ogie thanked partner Regine Velasquez in her acceptance speech for the inspiration.

Regine Velasquez bagged the Darling of the Press Award. The late Rudy Fernandez was awarded a pusthumous Ulirang Artista award.

One More Chance earned four awards including the plum, Movie of the Year, usually awarded to the movie’s producers, Star Cinema. Movie Cinematographer of the Year, Manuel Teehankee, Movie Editor of the Year, Marya Ignacio; and Cathy Garcia Molina, Movie Director of the Year. Cathy Garcia Molina recently cause some buzz when she categorically mentioned actor Richard Gomez as the actor she is not looking forward to work with anytime, being a difficult and “nagmamarunong” actor..

Out of the nine categories for digital films, Cinema One Originals winner Confessional garnered 5 awards. Confessional produced by Creative Programs, Inc thru Cinema One Originals and Oddfield Productions won Digital Film of the Year, Digital Movie Director for Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Antipuesto; Digital Movie Editor of the Year, Pats Ranyo; Digital Original Movie Screenplay, Ramon Ukit; and Digital Movie Sound Engineer for Ditoy Aguila and Rudy Gonzales.

Digital Film Original Theme Song is won by “Nandito Ako” from the film, Selda by Paolo Villaluna and Pike Ramirez. Digital Movie Scorer of the Year is Vince de Jesus and Jobin Ballesteros for Pisay; Digital Film Cinematographer is Rodolfo Aves Jr. for Kadin; and Digital Film Production Designer is Danny Red for Selda.

The 24th Star Awards for Movies was held, June 27, in the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University. The 24th Star Awards Night will be telecast on June 29, in ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Gold.

Power couple Kris Aquino and James Yap are at the center of Philippine Showbiz celebrity news frenzy this week with the news of their separation. But the James Yap and Kris Aquino separation went on for only several weeks and they have since reconciled. It was reported that the cause of their temporary split-up is Comedy Queen Ai Ai Delas Alas who ticked off James Yap in the Hope Centeno issue when AiAi tactlessly joked to Kris, “Isoli mo muna si James sa nanay niya.”

Kris Aquino accepted a role in AiAi Delas Alas latest starrerAng Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat. James Yap still hurting from that AiAi comment did not want Kris Aquino to join the cast of AiAi’s movie. A heated argument ensued which opened a floodgate of other things..and a temporary separation happened which lasted several weeks just until last week. The couple are now once again seeking marriage counseling..The couple has a one year old son in Baby James.

As expected and from what was promised, puro kabastusan ang nangyari sa concert ni Ai Ai na Aiai ay…The Greatest Performance of My Life sa Araneta Coliseum last Friday dahil wala itong salita na hindi nagmumura.

Since basically, Ai ai delas Alas is dubbed as the Comedy Concert Queen, she had all the lyrics mixed up when she sings or forgot it altogether. She even got guest Pilita Corrales to join in on the lewdness.

The stage for the concert implies it all, a pair of legs wide open. And true to form, she made hipo! almost all the male dancers/skit artist who performed during the show.

The saving grace of the show was the Concert, Recording and TV Star Princess, Sarah Geronimo, who stole thunder from the main concert performer Aiai delas Alas. Usually it is the other way around, it’s Aiai who steals the show from the main draw, but Sarah Geronimo had a wonderful performance towards the concert’s finale, and garnered the shrieking approval of the concert goers.

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