Izod Philippines partners with the Philippine Band of Mercy’s mission

Posted by Jayvee at July 31st, 2009

July 13, 2009

Izod Philippines partners with the Philippine Band of Mercy’s mission in bringing smiles to children with cleft lip & cleft palate deformities

The Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM) was founded in 1899 to provide aid, rehabilitation and most importantly, surgeries to children who were physically disfigured at birth, specifically those born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Over 4,000 Filipinos are born with this socially debilitating deformity every year. This means that 11 people each day are abandoned, disposed of, ostracized and neglected because of a birth defect that can be corrected.
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TROPICAL GOTHIC

Posted by Erwin Romulo at July 31st, 2009

Let me get to the point: If there is one film you should see in the theaters this year then let it be none other than Richard Somes’ Yanggaw. Amids all the hoopla of the just concluded Cinemalaya Film Festival and brouhaha that’s now surrounding the local screenings of Brillante Mendoza’s Kinatay, it’s perhaps the theatrical release of this film that is most deserving of attention of a movie-loving local audience. If anything, Yanggaw is the kind of film you wish everyone was making: “indie” and mainstream — yeah, it’s that good.

It boasts an impressive cast of actors including Techie Agabayani, one of UNO V2.0 Magazine’s 52 Women on Top (June ’09)…

…the great Joel Torre…

and Ronnie Lazaro.

“Ronnie Lazaro is so undeniable a presence, his intense eyes and sweaty body heavy with the stench of conflict but burdened with his convictions, that its verisimilitude is absolute…”

Catch Yanggaw at the IndieSine of the Robinson’s Galleria until Aug. 4.

Bigmouth Strikes Again

Posted by Erwin Romulo at July 28th, 2009

…er, actually it’s just UNO contributor Alexis Tioseco.

For Those of You Too Tired to Venture Into Quezon Circle at Night…

Posted by Erwin Romulo at July 25th, 2009

Then tune in to RockEd Radio every Wednesday, 9pm-12mn at JAM 88.3!

The picture was taken last July 15, 2009 right after our ‘Women in Power’ episode. UNO Editor-in-Chief RJ Ledesma was a guest along with Rep. Risa Hontiveros and Carlos Celdran. Probably my favorite episode so far. And…

VOTE FOR THIS WOMAN WHEN SHE RUNS FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR—I CERTAINLY WILL.

RockEd founder Gang Badoy always quips at the start of each episode that  it’s “amateur radio night” but that just makes it all the more fun. Plus what’s a revolution without a few laughs?

Freak Like Me

Posted by Erwin Romulo at July 24th, 2009

Who doesn’t need a roughneck brother to satisfy them?

Top 8 Reasons why I loved Kobe Bryant’s 2009 Manila visit

Posted by Jayvee at July 23rd, 2009

Editor’s Note — So we sent France Pinzon to meet Kobe Bryant and she came back a changed woman. With a torn shirt. Pardons — we’re still trying to sort through the photos she took. Some of them are scandalous. Take it away, France.

8. Knee tremor
I always prided myself for not getting easily star-struck. But to my transitory dismay and eventual admission, Kobe Bryant, NBA’s 2007-2008 Most Valuable Player and last season’s Finals MVP, shook the bejeebers out of my kneecaps while I was about to ask him a question at the press conference.

What’s worse was how I forgot to use my MJ (Michael Jackson) question, which I over-rehearsed just the other night, to have the guy share a little about his predilection for the ‘King’ (not James). Everyone was asking about the Lakers, his tolerance for pain and favorite Filipino food, might as well throw a curve ball out there, I thought—or didn’t.

Bottom line: I waned at “Hi Kobe,”—a very insightful moment for me, indeed.

7. Smoke machine
So usually, I’d see this particular visual effect in 80’s or early 90’s variety shows on the ‘tube, when some TF queen would do a dance number with the Whiplash (complete with lifts and all). Either that or I may have mistaken the character Sheila (from the comedy/horror film Army of Darkness) as Alma Moreno one time.

Excuse my cheese factor, but the fog that built up as Mister-81-points-in-one-game entered onto the Philippine Sports Arena court just added on to my belief that he’s not really of this world. Definitely, not titillating nor scary, but rather ceremonial in the realm of sports.

6. Dogs everywhere
One thing that puts a big smile on my face is a dog sighting. And I saw six huge ones making the rounds in the locations. Securing the place, they were definitely nicer to look at than those sweaty bouncers, slash, UFC rejects, if you’d ask me.

5. Packed venues and screaming straight men
Okay. So I did expect huge crowds in all three venues: The Peninsula Manila, Nike Park The Fort and Philippine Sports Arena. Maaann, that’s Kobe we’re talking about—forget other NBA stars that dropped by our basketball-crazed nation the past year, we (meaning ALL of us lovers of the sport) ain’t missing his return for nothing!

But no cheerleader’s somersault could’ve prepared me for the legions upon legions of Black Mamba diehards—men and women, kids and Barney. (Hey, a lot wore violet!) Many were in Laker #8 and #24 uniforms. Cheering. Howling. Chanting M-V-P. It was absolutely thrilling. Historic, really. For a moment I tried squinting, imagining it was MJ (Michael Jordan) and all the brouhaha still made perfect sense.

4. Flourishing Philippine basketball
Kobe’s return only meant that focus is still on basketball, whether people believe it wrecks the other sports’ future here or not.

Our Nike Elite team is one strong proof that improvement in our basketball program has yet to come to a halt. Mr. Bryant worked them pretty hard yet again during the one-on-one session, to their hearts’ content, I’m sure.

3. Dream Season
The new Nike Dream Season designed specifically for the Asian market byKobe himself (along with the creative team of Nike) is pretty sick. The shoes are set to inspire the dreamers to go back to the streets where, according to NBA greats, all the magic starts.

The lightweight footwear, which has the XDR (Xtra Durable Rubber—ready for the outdoor concrete), were so light, Kobe decided to throw the pair he was wearing out to the outstretched arms of his fans at The Fort. Lucky ducks.

2. Gawad Kalinga’s Sagip program for kids
I had my first GK experience (www.gk1world.com) in 2008 and I must say it’s something that I will always hold near and dear to my heart.

The lucky kids got up close (and I mean 5-inches close) with Kobe, representing Sagip of Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City. Thereafter, Kobe and Nike donated a huge cheque worth P100, 000 to the organization. In return, they gave him a sweet art present.

Each got pats on the head and the sincerest smile from the man himself. And for a moment there we felt embarrassed to admit how green with envy we were of the children.

1. Kobe Bryant
More than the personal glory he’s been receiving for his talent, his skill, his dedication to his craft, more than the 2009 championship, the wicked shoes that cradle his elevation up to the basket, more than the MJ comparison, Kobe is this generation’s sports icon.

Whether or not what he says about the Philippines being his “home away from home” was true, I will choose to believe him because he was able to make a long-term fan out of me in one day.

That, plus he loves Manny Pacquiao.

Hey Blogger Friends, Let’s Gather — 7:00 PM July 29 ’09 at Fully Booked

Posted by Jayvee at July 23rd, 2009

What: UNO Magazine Bloggers and Contributors Night
When: 7:00 PM July 29 2009
Where: 4th Floor, Fully Booked Forum, Bonifacio High Street

Not that we’re joining the blogging event bandwagon, but we’ve been strong on the Internet ever since the new staff took over. Most of the editors and contributors have their own healthy dose of blogs and social networks that it would be a crime to ignore the reach our good ‘ol UNO has made on the Internet.

So here’s the deal. Let’s take a break from the usual clubbing routine for something different. On July 29 at 7:00PM we’re holding an informal meet up with our blogger friends and contributors at the Fully Booked FORUM (4th floor!) at Bonifacio High Street. What’s going to happen? Well we’re going to bare all and answer all the questions you may have and perhaps have you going home with a little bit more knowledge about the publishing industry, marketing print, and how print transitions to the Internet locally. We’ll talk about why we revamped UNO, how exactly we did it, and the new design philosophy behind the new and improved magazine. Let’s talk paper stock. Cover shoots. Refocus on our events. Our blog and the community behind it.

So if you’ve been wanting to meet the people behind UNO in a more casual environment — editors and contributors (that would be RJ, Juan, Erwin, Shawn, Luis, Yvette, Ramon, Mihk, Denise, Jayvee, France — the list goes on!), then this meet up is something you should definitely not miss! And yeah, we all want to meet you because we want to hear what you think

Oh and as an additional treat, Arnold Arre and his lovely wife Cynthia will be doing a special screening of their new short film, Chapter One during the event. How this ties in with UNO … you have to see it!

No big guest list or anything. You’re all free to come. Just leave a comment below this post or fill this out so we more or less know how many can make it.

UNO Does Dos: Relaunch Photos

Posted by Jayvee at July 22nd, 2009

Complete set of photos with beautiful people can be found in our Photo Gallery I, Gallery II, Gallery III, and Gallery IV.

The newly reformatted UNO Men’s Magazine was recently launched in an exclusive black tie affair at the upscale Mercedes-Benz showroom in Bonifacio Global City last June.

The magazine’s new Editor-in-chief RJ Ledesma dubbed UNO Magazine Version 2.0 as “The ultimate in men’s lifestyle magazines.” In front of a capacity crowd at the Mercedes-Benz showroom, RJ shared what prompted his new editorial team to reshape the five-year old publication. “We think that there is an opportunity to provide a magazine that the Filipino male can graduate to from the racier men’s magazines. So think of UNO Magazine as dispatches for the discerning man.”
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UNO Relaunch Photos Part IV

Posted by Jayvee at July 22nd, 2009

Here are links to Part I, Part II and Part III of the photo set.

UNO Relaunch Photos Part III

Posted by Jayvee at July 22nd, 2009

You can also view Part I and Part II of the photo sets which we did not publish in the magazine. Most of the shots are online.