AJ Magazines

Will Efren Peñaflorida be RP’s first CNN Hero of the Year?

Thursday, 19 November 2009 19:50 Rochelle C. Pangilinan | AJPress Manila

Results known on Thanksgiving night.

HEROISM is alive more than ever. Just ask Efren Peñaflorida.

Efren is one of the founders of Dynamic Teen Company (DTC),which has launched several youth awareness projects, talent and self-development activities and community services. DTC is best known for their "pushcart classes," where they conduct classes for kids who do not have the opportunity or means for a proper education.

Every Saturday, DTC replicates a school setting in the most unlikely places like the cemetery and the municipal trash dump to teach kids, with ages ranging form 2 to 14, the basics of counting, reading and writing. Currently, the pushcart classroom has a total of 350 enrollees in four sites in Cavite. The group hopes to bring the "pushcart classroom" into the roads of Manila soon, having already conducted ocular inspections in Leon Guinto in Malate.

DTC, which now has 125 volunteers and still counting, brought a much welcome change to many kids in Cavite, most of whom have resorted to petty crimes and violence prior to DTC’s assistance. For this, Efren and DTC received praises from various media groups and other prominent figures, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who says that the country could use a "transformational leader" like Efren.

Angel's International Feat

Thursday, 19 November 2009 19:43 AJPress

(1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5)

ANGEL Locsin’s abrupt transfer from the GMA Network to ABSCBN early two years was met with much criticism but Angel’s recent nomination at the 37th International Emmy Awards will certainly erase all traces of negative publicity. The young actress is nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lyka, her very first role since the network transfer, in the highly successful ‘fantaserye’ Lobo. For weeks, Pinoy audiences tuned in to the series and was charmed by Lyka, a werewolf in love with a mortal (played by Piolo Pascual).

Angel Locsin will compete with Emma de Caunes for Night Birds from France, Cecilia Suarez for Capadocia from Mexico and Julie Walters for A Short Stay in Switzerland. Julie Walters is already a recognized actress both in the US and in her homeland England having appeared as Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and an award-winning one at that, thus making Angel’s inclusion as nominees all the more prestigious.

Simple ways to decorate your home for Thanksgiving

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 21:49 Jherlyn Meneses | AJPress Los Angeles

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and now is the perfect time to adorn your house with seasonal holiday decorations that can help turn a family feast into a memorable occasion. It’s that time of year when friends and family gather, have dinner together, enjoy each other’s company while pondering life’s bountiful blessings. To leave a lasting impression, one way to express and extend that grateful feeling is by turning your house into something that would welcome and give warmth to your guests as they share that special occasion with you. Careful planning and festive decorations are muchly needed to make it something unforgettable.

There a lot of ways to decorate your home and make it a center for the joyous occasion.

Chef Andre Guerrero, The Gourmet Giver, voted LA’s Top Chef by LA Times Magazine

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 21:35 AJPress Los Angeles

Filipino-American Chef Andre Guerrero is naturally a giver. "I’m always trying to help with meaningful causes," he said. No wonder, he was one of the three generous chefs (along with Chef Cecilia de Castro and Chef Carlito Jocson) who freely prepared a gourmet feast at the Ayala Foundation USA’s benefit dinner last Nov 7, Dining with the Chefs.

Aside from being voted Los Angeles’ Top Chef by the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Chef Andre Guerrero is also a powerful visionary. He possesses an amazing gift of giving a restaurant a unique identity and making it fly. He certainly had vision as proven time and time again with the restaurants he founded which include MAX / Marché LA, The Oinkster, and BoHo, and most recently Butter Tart.

RP audiences get a taste of "Sweeney Todd"

Thursday, 12 November 2009 18:03 Rochelle C. Pangilinan | AJPress Manila

Mayhem, Murder & Music Equal Great Entertainment.

ANY Hollywood aficionado has an idea of the genius which lies in Tim Burton’s mind. Still, for the director’s numerous lauded projects, he is best known for jumpstarting Johnny Depp’s movie career with Edward Scissorhands. The two worked on several other successful projects and most recently joined forces two years ago with the film version of the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd.

No doubt that it helped greatly having Tim and Johnny’s names attached to it. The musical was first staged in Broadway in 1979 based on the 1973 play of the same name. It tells the story of Benjamin Barker, a barber full of hope of a bright future in London as he starts his new life as a husband to a young woman (Lucy) and a father to a lovely daughter (Johanna). Their bliss are interrupted when Judge Turpin, who desired Lucy, has Benjamin arrested on false charges and forced to relocate. Fifteen years later, Benjamin, now calling himself Sweeney Todd, returns to London to find his long lost family and, of course, to exact revenge on Judge Turpin with the help of Mrs. Lovette and her meatpies. The stage musical won a total of eight Tony Awards and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best score and lyrics and is considered by many as one of the greatest musical scores (by Stephen Sondheim) of the 20th century. The leads, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovette, are two of the most unforgettable characters ever to come out of Broadway.

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