Optimus Prime is Filipino? Spotlight on Filipino Voice Artists

Wazzup PIlipinas!

World-class athletes, world-class performers, world-class beauties – this is what Filipinos have proven so far with the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga, and Pia Wurtzbach, just to name a few. These celebrities have conquered international stages (and boxing rings, for that matter) to show the world how much talent and potential our country possesses.

But not all world-class Filipino talents always get the limelight, especially in front of the camera. Sometimes, these talents come in the form of recorded voices from the recording booth, masked behind characters in commercials, animation, foreign films and soap opera, telephony systems, mobile applications, GPS, and even video games.

And that’s us, voice artists.

We are the anonymous voices behind the famous cartoon characters, Koreanovela stars, anime, and many more. You may have bumped into us at the mall, or stood in line behind us in the cinema, and you didn’t have any idea that we were the voice of the commercial you just heard, or the movie trailer you have just seen, or the video game you have just played.

If you have gone to any arcade and played the famous game “Transformers: Human Alliance,” I’ll let you in on a secret – the voices you hear in that video game are voices of your kababayans.

When I built my voiceover company, Creativoices Productions, I had a vision that the Philippines will become the center of voiceover excellence in Asia. I believe that we have skills and talents that are truly world-class, and Filipino voiceover artists are no exception. That’s why in 2008, I took the opportunity to present my company’s talent pool to SEGA Games, and long story short, I was able to close the deal for my company to do the voices of several of their games – Harley Davidson King of the Road, Golden Gun, Operation Ghost, and Transformers: Human Alliance.

The Stage is Set for BGC Passionfest, Arts Center Festival

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Once again we celebrate Filipino music, art and culture with special homage to the life of the hero Andres Bonifacio from where the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig got its name.

The BGC Passionfest is an annual event happening at BGC where people, especially its residents, are treated with grand, colorful parades, street dances, variety shows, games and workshops, and sumptuous food. It is spearheaded by the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation.

Though it's only my third time to be part of this event, the BGC Passionfest has been ongoing for five years already. Be sure to remember the dates of November 25 to 27, 2016 as this would be another weekend of festivities along Bonifacio High Street and the city center.

BGC has never been so brighter and livelier everytime the BGC Passionfest is held. The experience from one point to the end leaves you reminiscent of the past when we used to be more extrovert by participating in outdoor activities. - Did I hear about a giant Slidefest? Wow! Now, that would be something to look forward to.

Nowadays, due to the advancement in technology, most of the activities could now be simulated by a mobile app, or a virtual walkthrough in 360 degrees presentation. But it is undeniable that the real-life personal hands-on experience will never beat any simulated experience. Technology still has its limitations especially when we need to socialize or witness the most sincerest feelings visually and emotionally. Nothing beats seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of people which becomes magical when in unison with a lot more people. Together we become a memorable showcase of delighted individuals with fascinating experiences.

Celebrating Filipino Christmas at the 18th Global Pinoy Bazaar

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Many people in most parts of the world say that Christmas season in the Philippines is the longest to celebrate. As early as September, most Filipinos plan ahead on various things--- the gifts to purchase for the Christmas parties, the things to buy for their godchildren and their relatives, new clothes to sport at the Misa de Gallo, and even foods to prepare for Noche Buena. Most often than not, we feel that Christmas is almost near when he hear yuletide songs everywhere and we see the holiday rush from different malls and trade centers.

Yabang Pinoy believes that Christmas is the most perfect occasion to splurge on the things that we wanted to share to our friends and loved ones. On December 7-11 (Wednesday to Sunday), Yabang Pinoy will once again step into the spotlight for the 18th Global PInoy Bazaar at Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City with the theme “Celebrating Filipino Chritmas”. It will be a fete of Filipino creativity and ingenuity for the Christmas season as we feature the different iconic brands and upbeat startups.

This event will be the biggest bazaar of Yabang Pinoy this year as we stage almost one hundred and fifty (150) different brands that will perfectly fit your Christmas wishlist. Aside from the regular clothing, footwear and accessories mix, there will be specialized zones in the bazaar that will help the shoppers to decide on their retail options. Such zones are the DISTRICT ZONE that caters to the art and design brands, FOODSOURCE ZONE which is a collection of food and beverage brands, and HOMEBRAND ZONE that houses the brands developed by the volunteers of Yabang Pinoy.

Come and see Filipino Christmas in full color and experience retail adventure with love and pride.

Wazzup Pilipinas is a proud media partner!

Please visit www.yabangpinoy.com or e-mail globalpinoy2016@gmail.com for more information.

Filipina Celebrities in their Halloween Costumes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Halloween is not only for kids since even adults rave about the season when they can show off their creativity in coming up with either a frightful or fancy costume to celebrate the tradition.

We gathered a few photos of the more popular female celebrities in their Halloween costumes so you'll get to somehow see who were creative enough to make an effort to dress up and show the world they practice the Halloween tradition in or out of the Philippines. Yup! Some went out of the Philippines to celebrate Halloween in other countries.

The above photo shows Anne Curtis Smith with her portrayal of Eleven, a young girl with many psychokinetic gifts played by Millie Bobby Brown on the Stranger Things TV Series which will soon be having its 2nd season.

Actress Coleen Garcia and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach both had an Edward Scissorhands outfit. Who do you think wore it best?

While Angel Locsin and Sarah Lahbati had some body painting to show some scary rendition of zombie scratches and skeleton features respectively.

Meanwhile Arci Munoz, Isabelle Daza, Kim Chiu wore costumes representing iconic characters from pop culture anime and cartoons like Sailor Moon, Captain Planet and Chun Li of Street Fighter.

Now there were also some celebrities like Maxene Magalona and Ruffa Guttierez who wore simple outfits that one could buy from specialty shops.

AXN Holds Media Launch for Pinoy Participants of The Amazing Race Asia Season 5

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Pinoy participants that were selected to compete at The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 are husband and wife Eric "Eruption" Tai and Rona Samson Tai, and beauty queens Parul Shah and Maggie Wilson-Consunji.

AXN Philippines recently held a launch featuring the two Pinoy teams plus an advance screening of the very first episode of The Amazing Race Asia season 5. We were fortunate enough to be among the very few who were able to witness the triumph of the two teams to make it pass the first challenge. Kudos to the two Pinoy teams for exerting all effort to complete the challenges presented on the first episode held in Indonesia.

The Amazing Race Asia is a highly anticipated reality show which requires participants to have physical, emotional and intellectual endurance to be able to accomplish most challenges. Luck may have something to do with how a team would successfully pass certain challenges but participants stand to gain an advantage if they know how to make use of all three attributes.

Filipinos are naturally very competitive in their every endeavor. This is why there are a lot of Filipinos that are making a name for themselves worldwide. Competing in reality shows such as The Amazing Race Asia is nothing new since we also had Pinoy representatives back then. However, last season was not a good one for the Philippines since we were already eliminated at the very first episode.

The advance screening of the first episode of Season 5 is a lot better since both teams were able to complete the challenges. On the first episode, the team of Parul and Maggie made it in fourth place while the team of Eric and Rona made it to 7th place.