POP NEWS PHILIPPINES

It's confirmed: Kapamilya star Luis Manzano will not be hosting the reality show "Pilipinas Got Talent" Season 6 on ABS CBN. “Something new for everyone :) i opted out for the betterment of the show,” said Manzano on Twitter. Manzano made the statement in response to a netizen who reacted: "Parang its not PGT kundi kaw yung andun. Im not against Toni. Magaling sya.Nka tatak lang yung PGT na LuisBilly#justanopinion." Gonzaga has taken the hosting chores from Manzano now that the auditions for the upcoming season of the reality show have started in the Cebu recently. There is still no date as to the schedule of airing of "PGT." Vice Ganda, Robin Padilla, Angel Locsin, and former ABS-CBN president Freddie M. Garcia will return as judges to the show. Manzano was in tandem with actor Billy Crawford when he co-hosted "PGT." “Ibang flavor dala ni Toni! :) siyempre, Toni 'yan, e,” the son of Batangas Governor Vilma Santo...

Now it can be told: Days before Amparo Munoz was crowned Miss Universe at the Folk Arts Theater in Pasay City on July 19,1974, the Spanish beauty queen was homesick and was crying almost every night. "She missed her boyfriend so much! I think he was an actor in Spain. She would always wait for his phone call. And if he would not call her, she would cry," said Pilar Aldanese who served as the interpreter for Amparo and Miss Nicaragua Fanny Tapia back then, during an exclusive interview at the Pontefino Estates in Batangas City recently. "She's in love with a famous actor then," added Aldanese. "It's really different when you're in love." The interpreter did not mention the name of the actor. Whenever Amparo gets lonely, she would always remind her about the Miss Universe pageant. "Remember, you are here for your country." Aldanese described Amparo as a beautiful person, contrary to reports that she had a violent temper a...

Celebrity couple Dingdong Avanzado and Jessa Zaragoza have admitted that they almost called it quits as husband and wife in the past because of jealousy. "Parang may period na papunta sa seven-year itch. Kasi nga selosa sya (Jessa). There are times na feeling ko 'yung pag-seselos n'ya parang too much," said Avanzado, when asked if there was a time that they almost separated, during an interview on "Tonight With Boy Abunda," on ABS CBN. Zaragoza defended her being the jealous type of person. "Merong pagseselos na I'm sure maraming makaka-relate na kababaihan. Pag nagseselos ang isang babae, hindi ibig sabihin na-i-insecure sya. Minsan meron lang s'yang hinahanap na assurance na sa taong yun na i-acknowledge mo kung ano na yung position mo." Avanzado said: "She felt na parang hindi ko raw napaparamdam sa kanya so s'yempre inisa-isa namin 'yun. But at that time, hindi kami nagtutugma. Iba yung pag-iisip ko." But...

A feng shui expert has revealed the lucky colors for three front-runners of the Miss Universe 2017 beauty pageant that would enhance their chances of winning the crown in Las Vegas, Nevada on Nov. 26 (Nov. 27 in Manila). The lucky colors for Miss Philippines Rachel Peters are green, gold, silver and while, according to feng shui master Hanz Cua, during an  exclusive interview in Mandaluyong City. "Rachel was born under the Year of the Metal Goat. The month she was born was a Dog month and the day she was born was Snake. "Her lucky color is green. Metal colors, her output colors, are also good for her -- gold, silver and white," Cua said. "Any of these colors will enhance her luck in the Miss Universe pageant." Rachel is now under 10-year luck cycle of the Ox, he said. "She's under the period of Ox and 2017 is a Rooster year. On the day of the pageant, Nov. 26, it will be a Snake day. These three animals signs when combined -- snake, roos...

Actor Rocco Nacino dedicated his school diploma to his parents after he finally earned his master's degree in nursing cum laude last Nov. 24. "Still at a lost for words. They say, 'Graduations are for parents, it’s our best way of showing them our gratitude and love by valuing education.' I'm honored to have graduated alongside my batch mates who also kept education as their priority," said Nacino on Instagram. "I salute all of you, our professors and fellow graduates, who will be our game changers of the future. May this also inspire everyone else to aim high and soar high. This is for you mom & dad. To God be the Glory! - Enrico Raphael Q. Nacino, R.N, M.A.N." Nacino earlier posted on IG that he would be earning his master's degfree after he successfully defended his thesis. "Finally, another one checked off my bucket list! Passed my thesis defense and am set to graduate as a cum laude this Friday!" said Nacino on I...

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who succeeded in their ventures in agriculture take center stage during the 7th OFW and Family Summit held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food and director of the organization behind the annual holding of the summit, Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), said summit attendees were inspired by the experiences shared by agriculture entrepreneurs or agri-preneurs. “Our ultimate dream is to see the day when our kababayans are no longer compelled by lack of local opportunities to work abroad and leave their loved ones behind. With various opportunities sprouting from agriculture, that dream could become a reality sooner than we all think,” Villar said. OFW agri-preneurs featured in the summit were Gigi Morris, president and school director of Moca Family Farm Learning Center in Padre Garcia, Batangas; Joel Frago, owner of For...

Help your favorite Miss Universe 2017 candidate enter the semifinals on Nov. 26 (Nov. 27 in Manila) via online voting. The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) said in a statement that voting can be done in two ways: 1) To vote online, please visit vote.missuniverse.com. You will have 10 votes per day to vote for your favorite contestants. Remember to click "Confirm Votes" for them to count! 2) To vote via Twitter, send in a tweet or submit a retweet with #MISSUNIVERSE and your contestant specific hashtag (#COUNTRY). Make sure to take advantage by retweeting. The MUO said that online voting will end on Saturday, Nov. 25, one day before the finals which will be held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Voting is open to anyone 14 years and over. Votes cast outside of the voting period (1 PM ET Monday November 20, 2017 – 1 PM ET Saturday, November 25, 2017) will not be counted as votes. Only votes that comply with the instructions and these Voting Rul...

Kapuso actor Mark Herras has admitted that he and his girlfriend newly crowned Reina Hispanoamericana winner Teresita "Winwyn" Marquez are already talking marriage. Herras made the revelation in an exclusive interview at the homecoming party for Marquez at Anabel's Restaurant in Quezon City recently. "We have this standing joke nuon na kapag nanalo ako, sabi nya, may one more year or two more years para mag-ipon," the actor-model said. (We have this standing joke that we still have one or two more years to save). "Siguro sulitin muna n'ya ang pagkapanalo nya at mga projects na mapupunta sa kanya," he said. "Pag medyo ramdam na nila na pwede na kami mag settle down, siguro pwede na. Wala namang masama," (I think Winwyn still needs to focus on her responsibilities as beauty queen and attend to the projects. If we feel that it is the right time, then we will settle down). Herras, 30, has been in a relationship with Marquez f...

Actor Derek Ramsay is a Kapamilya again! “ABS-CBN welcomes back Derek Ramsay who will soon work with Bea Alonzo in the film 'Kasal' under Star Cinema. ABS-CBN’s top management and Derek have met recently and resolved the issues arising from his transfer to another network five years ago,” according to a statement issued by Kane Errol Choa, Head, Integrated Corporate Communications. The Filipino-British actor has been a Kapamilya for five years before he transferred network in 2012. When he joined TV 5, Ramsay starred in "Kidlat" and several drama series. Then he also became the host of "The Amazing Race Philippines" Seasons 1 and 2. Ramsay also covered the 2012 Olympics in London for TV 5. His last television appearance for the Kapatid network was for "Extreme Series: Kaya Mo Ba 'To?" Ramsay, 40, said that he is grateful that the executives of ABS CBN accepted him again. “I'm very, very happy that I was able to sit dow...

Actress Sylvia Sanchez has revealed that the on-screen kiss with actor Enchong Dee is one of the highlights of the movie "Nay," an entry to the Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2017. "I don't think magpa-practice ako. Lima na anak ko. Hindi ko na kailangan ng practice," laughed Sanchez when asked if they rehearsed the on-screen kiss, during an interview on "Tonight With Boy Abunda" on ABS-CBN. "Pri-nactice kung papaano kasi kasama yun sa ritual. Hindi kasi yung kissing scene na kissing scene talaga na kailangang gawin ko yun sa pagmamahal ko kay Enchong. Isa yun sa highlight ng scene. "Hindi maiwasan magkatagpo yung lips namin before mag-take. Kailangan meron akong lulunukin. So meron akong lulunukin so definitely papasok yun kay Enchong. "Sabi ko 'Chong OK lang?' Sabi n'ya 'Yes Tita!' Tapos si Enchong walang ginawa alam mo sabi nya, nasa kama s'ya nakahiga, sabi n'ya 'let's go Tita....

A new Miss Universe will be crowned on November 26, as the annual international beauty pageant comes to The Axis theater at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. And since Sin City is playing host, it’s only natural to break down the betting odds on who will be crowned Miss Universe 2017. At the top of the board is “Miss South Africa” Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters at +250, followed closely by “Miss Thailand” Maria Poonlertlarp at +300, according to Covers.com, a sports betting website based in Ireland. Miss South Africa won her title under controversy, after fellow contestants stated that she had a “special relationship” with two judges and received preferential treatment during the national competition. While she is the betting favorite, it’s always nice to have a bad guy to root against. Behind those front-runners are Miss Philippines at +600, Miss Colombia at +800, and Miss Venezuela and Miss USA, both at +1,100 odds. Could the home-field advantage give current “Miss USA” Kára McCu...

For the first time in the history of Grammy Awards, all voting members will cast their votes online rather than by paper ballot. This was announced by the Recording Academy as it prepares to announce the nominees for Grammy Awards 2018 on November 28 (Nov 29 Manila time). "For the first time, all voting members will cast their GRAMMY Awards votes online rather than by paper ballot. "This transition will provide the Recording Academy's more than 13,000 voting members greater access and flexibility than ever before, eliminate the possibility of invalid ballots and protect further against fraudulent voting," the Recording Academy said in a statement. Now on its 60th year, the Grammy Award is believed to be the most prestigious music award in the world. The Recording Academy also announced new amendments to the Grammy Awards process. "These amendments, effective immediately, include implementing online voting for the GRAMMY Awards, recognizing songwr...

Filipino-German beauty queen Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach will return to the 66th Miss Universe pageant which will be held at The Axis of Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada on Nov. 26 (Nov. 27 Manila time). But this time, Wurtzbach will serve as one of the telecast judges who will select the new Miss Universe. Along with Wurtzbach, other telecast judges are American television personality Ross Mathews, Venezuelan-American Internet personality Lele Pons, TV host and make-up artist Jay Manuel, Fox Sports host Megan Olivi, and Miss Universe 1998 now lawyer Wendy Fitzwilliam. American television personality and author Steve Harvey, who mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner of the 2015 Miss Universe contest instead of Miss Philippines, will host the show for the third time. Wurtzbach joins the roster of distinguished Filipinos who served as judges in the Miss Universe pageant. The first Filipino invited to judge the contest was the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Ca...