‘Fast and Furious’ co-stars express grief over Paul Walker’s death

MANILA, Philippines — Paul Walker’s co-stars in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise have expressed their sympathies for the actor’s untimely death this Saturday afternoon (California time).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who started to be part of the franchise in its fifth installment, has expressed his sadness through his Twitter page regarding Walker as a “brother.”

“All my strength, love and faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength in his light. Love you brother,” Johnson wrote.

Tyrese Gibson, who worked with Walker since the second installment of the franchise, posted on his Instagram account his disbelief on the passing of Walker.

“My heart is hurting so bad, no one can make me believe this is real. Father God I pray that you send clarity over this cause I just don’t understand. My heart hurts, it’s broken, no one can convince me that this is real. Prayer warriors please pray hard for his only child, his daughter and family,” said Gibson, who also posted an on-set photograph of him and Walker.

Ludacris, another co-star of Walker in the franchise, posted on his Instagram account a movie still from “Fast and Furious 6” and said that Walker “always left a mark.”

“Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence, you always left a mark, we were like brothers and our birthdays are only one day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all our hearts, @paulwalker legacy will live on forever R.I.P.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Old Britney vs. New Britney

As I was listening to Britney Spears’ latest single “Work Bitch” the other day–yep, you read the title of the song right–admittedly, I had a somewhat high expectation that this would turn out to be a return to form or at least a new song from her that would match all the hype around it.

The thing is… after I was done listening to it, I muttered to myself: “This is bad !” And I don’t mean it in a satirical kind of way. In pop standards, this song doesn’t seem to be fitting even for the likes of a Britney Spears. Even if this single had come out, let’s say in the early 2000′s, when Britney was still at the top of her game and was second to none, I honestly don’t think it would have been a huge hit either. Why?

Lets get into the specifics as to why I have said this:

First of all, the people behind the boards in the recording studio namely, Will.i.am and DJ Otto, seem to have had all the control in the creative output of this single. Britney’s voice sounds secondary to all the “bleeps”, the fuzzy wall of sounds, and the EDM influences that overloaded this single into sounding like a one club-banger meant only for clubs and dance floors !

Secondly, when you hear and read so much hype that this single would “re-launch” and bring back some of Britney’s old glory… Oh my ! That is a mighty task to live up to and naturally, there will be more than a number of longtime Britney fans that would hope these could all be true and not just for publicity’s sake. Well, sometimes reality can be cruel and even harsh. But at the back of my head, I sort of knew all the hype I have been hearing about this single would be that… just hype.

Thirdly, EDM–and not just the movement itself–is starting to fizzle away and lose steam already. For her to jump in at this late stage of that music craze feels like “Britney is just joining in for the heck of it!”. Now, for the mixed reviews and some of the backlash that “Work B****” has gotten since it was released, those aren’t entirely Britney’s fault.

Music aficionados must remember that she is also just following orders and trusting advice given to her by management and not just from the producers of the said single. Because of course, and obviously, they are all after the best for her single to be a huge success. I mean, we are talking about Britney Spears here.

With my above-mentioned points, I would like to get to the “meat and bone” of the issue as suggested on the title of this piece. If we had the Britney Spears of old–even the post “Toxic” era one–would she have any of these problems right now with her latest single not garnering more interest from both random music aficionados and longtime Britney fans ?

Nope. Let’s face facts here. For nearly a decade from the late 90′s to the mid-2000′s, Britney was ”THE POP STAR” of the entire world and she was “pop royalty”. There was practically nothing that she didn’t embark on music-wise that didn’t sell or make the label a ton of profit !

The music industry that had once embraced and made Britney the “darling of the entire pop world” seems to have now turned its back on her and treats her like a “has-been”. It is all because times have changed and so have the tastes of listeners.

The old saying that “fame is fleeting” is indeed true for most artists that have come out from their own respective decades except for a proven elite group that really are like ageless figures of popular music. To her credit, though, Britney Spears as an artist managed to make her career last longer than most of her harshest critics would have wanted it to.

When I reflect and just think of it… hey, I can say I am lucky to have witnessed the rise to fame of Britney and the prime of her professional career even though I was figuratively on the “other side of the fence” who wasn’t particularly fond of her. But we still knew deep down that her existence was important for a number of reasons and now it couldn’t be more obvious why !

I know that before–well, I speak for some of my generation–it was “cool” to hate artists like her. Hate seems like a strong word but this is being said from the point of reference of being a teenager back then. It just meant pop was like “kryptonite” for us then and all of us who just wanted to rock out and raise our “devil horns!”

But as you get older, you not only get wiser and you begin to recognize also  the kinds of artists that really left a permanent mark and artistic impression on the entire music industry, regardless of genres.

Britney Spears came before the Katy Perry’s and the Lady Gaga’s.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Emma Watson Named Web's Most Dangerous Celebrity in 2012

Emma Watson lands atop McAfee's annual list of Most Dangerous Celebrity in Cyberspace. The "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" actress replaces last year's No. 1 champ Heidi Klum on the yearly list released by the Internet security firm.

According to McAfee, "searching for the latest Emma Watson pictures and downloads yields more than a 12.6% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware."




Sitting behind the "Harry Potter" star on the second place is Jessica Biel. The fiancee of Justin Timberlake occupied the first place in 2009 and sat at the fourth spot last year. Rounding up the top 3 is a new addition to the list, actress Eva Mendes.

Klum is out of the top-10 list, while 2010's most dangerous celebrity Cameron Diaz claims the eighth place, six spots lower than last year's position. Others are Selena Gomez, Halle Berry, Megan Fox, Shakira, Salma Hayek and Sofia Vergara.

1. Emma Watson
2. Jessica Biel
3. Eva Mendes
4. Selena Gomez
5. Halle Berry
6. Megan Fox
7. Shakira
8. Cameron Diaz
9. Salma Hayek
10. Sofia Vergara

source: aceshowbiz.com

Sam Pinto irked by rumors she used money to top FHM sexiest list

A few days before her victory party as the reigning sexiest Pinay of FHM, Sam Pinto finds herself facing an intrigue.

"Bumili ka raw ng boto?"

In an exclusive phone interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) at around 8:30 p.m. today, July 8, the usually placid actress makes no effort to hide her irritation.

"Na-stress ako sa rumor na ito. Where did it come from?" she begins.

The minute she learned about it through Twitter, she felt bad for the fans who tirelessly and wholeheartedly supported her during the voting period, which ran from April 2 until June 15.

She adds, "I know they worked hard for this. They would tell me, 'Naubos ang load ko... Na-cut ang phone ko....' I did not give money!"

But she's vocal about giving gifts— which, she says, is the suggestion of her avid supporters.

The Kapuso leading lady relates, "I agreed to their suggestion. Yung mga gifts na ito, it came from my sponsors. Mga San Miguel shirts and fan signs... If they buy the magazine, they get a shirt. Kasi yung ballots this year, dapat bumili ka talaga ng FHM.

"I campaigned sa Twitter and fan page..."

Then with more emphasis, she repeats, "But I did not give money so I can win!"

How about the liquor brand she's endorsing? According to tittle-tattle, it allotted budget for the FHM survey.

Her reply: "Ang alam ko yung sa Facebook fan page at yung mga gifts... But you know, fans pa rin ang, e, ang magde-decide.

"Kaya whoever started this, it's just so unfair. Nung nalaman ng nanay ko, pati siya na-stress... So, I felt that I should clarify things."

Why is the sexiest Pinay title important to her?

"When I won last year, I saw what happened to me... People know me more, and dumami yung endorsements ko, I had 4 yata... Kaya it really, really helped my career," she replies.

Next year though, while the distinction of being the first Pinay to win the title three years in a row is appealing, Sam said in a previous interview, “Don’t worry, hindi na ako masyadong lalaban next year!”

This time, she declares, "Tapos na ang ang laban..." But her fate in 2013, she says, will still be up to the fans.

"If I'll have my way, why not?" quips the 22-year-old star, who's also not discounting the possibility that competition is bound to become more stiff.

And if she'll also have her way, she wants to shun these "kaka-stress" issues.

She says, "I have no idea ba't laging lumalapit ang mga controversies... but they say, publicity, good or bad, is still publicity.

"If the issue is not true, I'll be fine. Then it's okay. I know the truth naman... Meron lang mga hindi ma-tolerate, like this one. Nakakairita itong isyu na ito!"

MOVING ON... But Sam wants to put this behind her and just focus on her preparations for the victory party on July 12.

What can the people expect?

"Last year, maraming na-disappoint kasi balot na balot daw yung suot," she says, referring to the quite-demure corset she wore in 2011.

But Popo Go is designing a "more revealing" outfit this year.

Sam assures, "It's gonna be way better than last year." - Pep.ph

source: gmanetwork.com

Lindsay Lohan 'Fine' After Paramedic Scare

Just another day in the life of Lindsay Lohan: On Friday afternoon (June 15), California station KABC broke news that the oft-troubled actress was taken to the hospital after being found unconscious in a Marina del Rey, California, hotel room and that her condition "was currently unknown."

According to the report, the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a 911 call at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel after Lohan — in Marina del Rey to film the Lifetime Original movie "Liz & Dick" — was found unconscious in the penthouse. KABC ended the story by promising "we will add more details to this report as they become available."

Of course, those details might be difficult to come by. Because right around the time KABC's report was making the rounds, TMZ jumped into the fray, breaking news that, while paramedics did respond to a 911 call at the hotel, Lohan was never taken to the hospital.

"Paramedics ... determined nothing was wrong with Lindsay [and] left without transporting her to the hospital," the TMZ story said. "Lindsay wasn't feeling well after complaining of exhaustion. She called someone from the 'Liz & Dick' production team early this morning, and the team sent a private doctor to check on her.

"Before arriving, the doctor called the hotel and asked someone to check on Lindsay," the report continued. "Someone from the hotel went to her door, 'checked on her' and determined she was 'unresponsive.' The hotel then called 911."

KABC subsequently updated its story to include a comment from Lohan's attorney, who let it be known that the actress was, in fact, "fine."

"As I understand it, she was exhausted after shooting non-stop for two days," Shawn Holley told the station. "Someone called paramedics, for reasons which are unclear. They determined that she was fine."

"She's OK," Dina Lohan told the Huffington Post. "She was working through the night and wrapped at 6:15 this morning. She's home now sleeping. She's doing a great job."

Lohan's publicist, Steve Honig, echoed those sentiments, telling MTV News in a statement: "Lindsay worked a grueling schedule for the past few days ... [and] took a nap before shooting her final scene. Producers were concerned when she did not come out of her room and called paramedics as a precaution."

Honig added that the actress was suffering from "some exhaustion and dehydration" and said she'd return to the "Liz & Dick" set later Friday

source: mtv.com

Carrie Underwood: My Husband Mike Fisher Is 'Hot!'

Nearly two years into their marriage, the flame is still going strong for Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher.

"I mean, he's hot!" Underwood, 29, gushed to PEOPLE on Thursday. "He's a hot guy."

The Southern songstress, who still refers to herself and Fisher as "newlyweds," says she cherishes the time when she and her hubby get even "three seconds alone" with each other, which is why she's holding off on children.

PHOTOS: Carrie Underwood's Sexy, Sparkly Style


"I honestly think that if we brought a kid into it, it would mess things up right now," she says. "We're good right now."

But the country singer, who hasn't seen the Nashville Predators hockey pro, 31, "in over a week," says she doesn't depend on Fisher to get by on a day-to-day basis.

"We talk on the phone quite a bit, but we are not the kind of people who need to talk to each other every second of the day," she says. "We will text sweet little 'I love yous.' He will send me pictures of [my dogs] on a daily basis and makes sure that I know they are okay."

As for when she made a crack to PEOPLE about Fisher's "playoff beard," she wants to make one thing clear: her comments were heavily exaggerated by other outlets.

"I answered that once, and it got picked up everywhere that Carrie hates her husbands face," she said with a laugh. "He always has stubble, [but] I like that."

source: people.com