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Hothot: Another film making honors for Pinas. Win si Meryll Soriano sa Brussels Int’l Film Festival as Best Actress in the indie film Donor. At pati daw yong Donor itself won Best Film. Brillante Mendoza was also given a special award (Visionary something).  Laking karangalan para sa atin and we should all be proud of all these. At least pagdating sa pelikula, kahit sabihing naghihingalo na ang movie industry sa atin, we’re still reaping rewards and awards in the international scene. Such wins immediately after the heels of Brillante’s win in Cannes last year only reinforces the fact that we’re doing great in this part of the entertainment industry. Meryll, if I remember it correctly, is only the second Pinay to have won in Brussels – si Nora Aunor yata ang una noon back in the 90’s. Ang nakakatuwa pa, nasa panel of judges si Marvin Agustin this year.  The first ever Pinoy to be given that honor. Galing!  Hmmm… teka lang. Ilang local Best Actor na ba ang pinanalunan ni Marvin para makaupo doon? Ah well, it’s the organizing team’s choice so who am I to question them. At please lang, wag intrigahin na porke member si Marvin ng jury kaya nag-win si Meryll. Jurors in these international film festivals are usually a group of people na hindi nabibili, naiimpluwensyahan or napapakiusapan tulad sa mga ibang award-giving bodies sa tabi-tabi. So let’s give Meryll and the Donor team a huge salute for a job well done! Isama na rin natin si Brillante at Marvin. Kudos to you people.

Hothot: Freeing the freedom icon. I’m one of the thousands (maybe millions) of televiewers who were surely delighted when Aung San Suu Kyi was finally freed from her house arrest the other day. For me, 15 years (of the last 21) on detention is such a waste. Bad thing the Myanmar military regime wasted those 15 years of a lady who could have made a difference in their political landscape. On the hindsight, that is exactly what they were preventing when they jailed her. Because she is one popular lady viewed by many of her people as the one to bring hope, unity and change to the Burmese nation. A surefire threat to the stranglehold of the military junta on the government. Now the challenge is up to her. Because the truth is, being free to this lady doesn’t mean she can go shopping, partying and spa-hopping. She’s got a grander task ahead of her. And that is keeping the Burmese faith afloat, steering them to the right direction and hopefully give them their much-awaited change. Tough duty for a delicate and dainty lady.

Hotnot: Near miss for FB. Muntik nang na-ban ang FB dito sa KSA dahil daw sa isang FB user na gumawa ng kalokohan na kinagalit ng Saudi government. According to a local news report, somebody organized a drawing contest where the subject is the prophet Muhammad. Isa na namang walang magawa sa buhay dahil pati yong mga ganong bagay ay pinagka-abalahan. Sa dami na ng kaso at kwento tungkol sa mga ganitong kawalang-galang sa Islam, hindi pa rin ba sila natuto. As I always say, being responsible with what we do on the internet is the key. Think twice before you do anything, say anything and post anything on your site. We should be checking and censuring ourselves if what we’re putting out there is offensive to somebody else. Respeto lang naman yan eh. Not just for Islam but for other religion as well. We should all remember not to make mockery of faith. We should all respect each other’s beliefs. Otherwise, ganyan nga ang magiging epekto. Ang masama, kung natuloy yong ban, damay ang ibang FB users. Sarap kutusan nong gumawa nong kalokohan.

Hothot: Pacman Rules. Ok, so Pacman had a convincing win against the much taller Margarito. Hindi nga nya ako fan at hindi ako talaga fan ng boxing but I can’t help but be amazed sa kinalabasan ng laban. Si Margarito, unrecognizable after the match. Pero ang Pacman, parang gumuwapo pa ng kaunti! Hahaha! Kaya sige pagbibigyan ko na ang kampo nya for trumpeting him as the greatest boxer ever. Even greater than Muhammad Ali. Ok fine. Afterall, sino pa ba ang makikipag-argue with that kind of achievement. But after all the pomp and pageantry has faded, what happens next? Hindi pa raw sya magku-quit. I guess he’s feeling invincible dahil nga sa mga panalong ito. Tipong “I’m king of the world”! But somebody in his team should remind Pacman that pushing his luck a bit too far might prove fatal. Believing in Carpe Diem is okay. Pwede na ring strike while the iron is hot. But isn’t it that if you strike more than needed, it results to damage and deformation? Hihintayin pa ba nya yon? Afterall, what else is there to prove? His 8 titles cannot be easily broken, at least in his lifetime. Or is it just a case of having it all and wanting more?