Anne Curtis

Anne Curtis (born Anne Ojales Curtis Smith on February 17, 1985 in Australia) is a Filipino-Australian commercial model and actress currently active in the Philippines. She is best known for her roles as Celine Magsaysay in Maging Sino Ka Man and as Imang/Fatima, the title role in Kampanerang Kuba. Both of these shows aired on the ABS-CBN network in the Philippines. Anne became the very first winner on MYX Awards 2005 for "Favorite Guest Appearance in a Music Video" for I Need You by Mark Bautista. In 2007, Anne became an MTV VJ for the new MTV Philippines which relaunched March 1, 2007. She is currently working on a new movie under Star Cinema with Aga Muhlach and a new teleserye with Zanjoe Marudo as her leading men.

Biography:

Curtis was born and raised in Australia by a Filipina mother and an Australian father.

She lived in Australia until her lawyer father, James Curtis, moved to the Philippines when she was 12 years old. It is a move that Curtis is thankful for. "I am so happy that I’m here. If I were in Australia I’d have been in a boarding school! My dad was strict when it came to education. He kept on discouraging me when I tried doing commercials, saying that they are just tricking me to get out of school. We lived in the country, so we’d be asleep around 8 or 9 p.m. It was really boring. But here there are so many gimmicks. As of now, being young, I prefer living here (in the Philippines) but maybe when I settle down, I’ll move back to Australia."

Early Career:

Curtis appeared in supporting roles or in ensemble casts during the early part of her career, with most of her early TV shows airing on the GMA-7 Network in the Philippines.

She achieved a fan following in her roles in Love to Love, where she was partnered with Richard Gutierrez.

Notable Roles:

In 2004, when she moved to ABS-CBN, Curtis received her first big break in Philippine primetime TV when she was cast in the role of Stephanie Borromeo in the TV series Hiram as the best friend and romantic rival of Margaret Benipayo, portrayed by Heart Evangelista. The role was a departure from her earlier, typical, teeny-bopper roles, and positioned Curtis for primetime.

In 2005, her successful portrayal in Hiram led to her first title role as Imang/Fatima in the fantasy TV series Kampanerang Kuba.

In 2006, Curtis returned to primetime TV as Celine Magsaysay in Maging Sino Ka Man, this time with new loveteam partner Sam Milby of Pinoy Big Brother fame.

Controversy:

Cellphone video with ex-boyfriend Richard Gutierrez

Curtis and her relationship with now ex-boyfriend and actor Richard Gutierrez became the subject of gossip particularly after a short video from her cellphone (showing the two making out [naghahalikan lang po]) began to circulate through emails and MMS messages. Her cellular phone had allegedly been lost and the video clip subsequently became public.

Curtis readily admits to the cellphone video: "I don’t see the point of not admitting it," she explained. "I’ve never been the kind of person to deny anything. I would just look like a liar."

Commercial endorsement of an alcoholic beverage

In an interview in April 2005, Curtis explained her controversial decision to become a commercial endorser of GSM Blue, an alcoholic beverage: "I've said many times before, the reason I did that commercial was that when I go out myself I don't deny the fact that I drink, but it's social drinking and not getting drunk. Besides, I need the money to fund my daily needs, papano ako mabubuhay? I don't care if it makes a bad example on the young aged group. For other people, though, they can't see that I'm already 20,"

Relationships:

With Oyo Boy Sotto

After a six-month courtship, Curtis entered into a two-year relationship with now ex-boyfriend Oyo Boy Sotto, son of well-known showbiz personalities Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie. Oyo 'Boy' Sotto himself is an actor. Curtis describes her relationship with Sotto as her first brush with genuine love, saying of him: "He was the one who I really loved." By June 2003, the relationship was officially over. In a later interview, Sotto blamed "immaturity and possessiveness" as the reasons their relationship did not work out.

With Richard Gutierrez

Curtis also had a well-publicized relationship with fellow actor Richard Gutierrez in 2004. The two had worked together on the TV shows Nuts Entertainment and Love to Love.

With Paolo Araneta

Curtis later became involved with Paolo Araneta, a relationship that lasted for two years. By January 2006, however, the local entertainment press confirmed that Curtis and Araneta had parted ways. No official reason was given.

And some links were connected with Sam Milby. The loveteam partner of Anne Curtis in the teleserye Maging Sino Ka Man. Which has ended this year. But there will be a book 2.

Interests:

In 2005, Curtis participated in a hands-on outreach program to visit children in Pampanga who underwent cleft-palate operations. The experience moved her and Curtis is later quoted as saying "now I just want to help more."

Commercials and Print Advertisements:

* Smart Telecommunications
* GSM Blue - 2005[10]
* Rexona Sensive
* Watch Republic
* Colgate
* Head & Shoulders
* Petit Monde
* Freego
* Belo Medical Group
* Freeway

Itchyworms

The Itchyworms is a Filipino rock band whose music is primarily guitar-driven rock with pronounced 1960s and 1980s pop sensibilities and embellished with two- or three-part vocal harmonies. The group made their name in the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) scene in 2006 with their sophomore effort Noontime Show with songs such as "Akin Ka Na Lang" and "Beer".

History:

Early years:

Formed in 1996, the band had been comprised of Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu (on lead guitar) and Hadrian "Haji" Cruz (on bass). The quartet performed at various school-based events and competitions with a handful of original songs and Beatles covers. Unfortunately, communication and scheduling issues forced Cruz to leave the group. This predicament forced Yu to take up the bass guitar vacancy, effectively making the band a trio.

The group continued as a trio until the middle of 1997, when a common friend in the Ateneo Musicians' Pool recruited Chino Singson to play guitar with the group at a school event. Singson eventually went on to become a permanent member, which solidified the group's current lineup.

In 1998 the band put together Revenge of the Unsigned, their first official CD. They did this with the help of their manager Earnest Mangulabnan-Zabala, Eraserheads, Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala and Romel "Sancho" Sanchez (Loquy, Cynthia Alexander). The band intended for Revenge to be their independently-released debut album in the event that no major record label would sign them.

As luck would have it, then-A&R manager at Viva/Neo Records Mike Dizon (Teeth, Sandwich (band)) got hold of Revenge. He helped push for Viva executives to sign the band and eventually release Little Monsters Under Your Bed.

Little Monsters, the band's first major-label album, was released in 2001 and contained songs from Revenge plus new compositions by Nicolas and Jugueta. The song "Antipara" was probably the most well-known song on the album. The release of the album was somewhat ill-timed as its glossy pop-rock sound was an aberration in the Korn-influenced OPM Rock landscape of the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Breakthrough Success:

In 2005, the itchyworms released Noontime Show, which gave them modest national success and industry recognition. Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan, by this time both former Eraserheads, co-produced the album with the group.

Most notably, the album went on to become Album of the Year at the 2006 NU Rock Awards, with Nicolas winning Drummer of the Year and the group winning Producer of the Year jointly with Marasigan and Zabala.

"Commercial" Endeavors:

The popularity and radio-friendliness of the band's songs have gained the attention of several well-known commercial brands in the Philippines. The song "Akin Ka Na Lang" has been used by both KFC and Close-Up in separate television advertisements. In 2008, Pringles used "Salapi" for a nationwide campaign/songwriting contest. In addition Enervon, Close-Up and San Miguel Beer have also commissioned the band to write original songs for their advertising campaigns.

The band also wrote and performed "Kabataang Pinoy", the theme song for the first season of ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition. This is arguably the band's most widely-publicized song because of the series' popularity and media exposure. They also made a song for Motorola Philippines' Hello Moto campaign.

Influences:

Although the individual members of the band draw on distinct influences, their common affection for The Beatles and The Eraserheads heavily defines the quartet's musical ethos.

The Band:

• Jazz Nicolas - drums, lead vocals
• Jugs Jugueta - guitars, lead vocals
• Chino Singson - guitars, backing vocals
• Kelvin Yu - bass, backing vocals

Itchyworms' Funny Music Videos:

• Antipara
• Beer
• Penge Naman Ako Nyan

Full-length Albums:

• Little Monsters Under Your Bed (Viva/Neo Records, 2001)
• And The Worm Jumped Over The Moon (Independently released, 2003)
• Noontime Show (Universal Records, 2005)
• Repackaged Noontime Show (with Commercial Break bonus AVCD, Universal
• ecords, 2006)
• Self-Titled (Sony BMG Philippines, 2008)

Compilations:

• Songs from NU107 In The Raw (Sony Music, 1998)
• Pulp Freakshow (Viva/Neo Records, 2001)
• Gimik Nation (Viva/Neo Records, 2002)
• Kami nAPO Muna (Universal Records, 2006)
• Close-Up Season of Smiles Christmas CD (Universal Records, 2006)
• Astig...The Biggest Band Hits (Universal Records, 2006)
• AYUZ! Pinoy Alternative's Power Cuts (Viva/Neo Records, 2006)
• SUPER - The Biggest Opm Hits Of The Year (Universal Records, 2007)
• Kami nAPO Muna Ulit (Universal Records, 2007)
• Musika Sa Bahay Ni Kuya: The Best Of Pinoy Big Brother Hits (Star Records, 2008)

Dr. Hayden Kho

Hayden Kho was born in Manila on May 20, 1980

His father is a pure-Chinese doctor and a Spanish-Filipina businesswoman mother named Irene dela Santa, Doc Hayden is one of the five siblings. He Speaks fluent Chinese, Spent his 14 years of schooling in Grace Christian School in Binondo Manila and graduated from UST in 2005 with a degree in medicine. He was crowned Mr. UST in 2000, the same year he was a finalist in the Bodyshots search.

As Dra. Vicky Belo’s boyfriend and a contestant in GMA 7’s Celebrity Duets, Dr Hayden Kho has exposed to celebrity scene. What makes this lad more famous is he stands 6’3” packed with well-trimmed 189 lbs body. Hayden has the looks not so much of a doctor but, of a matinee idol.

TV Series

1. Luna Mystika (2008) ... Jonas
2. Ako Si Kim Samsoon (2008) ... Dr. Henry Kim
3. MariMar (2007) ... Doc Hayden
4. Celebrity Duets (2007) ... 2nd Runner-Up

TV Guesting

1. ASAP '08: ASAP: January 13 ... Performer


More information about this celebrated homemade movie lad can be found here

Katrina Halili

Maria Katrina Irene Halili
Born - January 4, 1986

Maria Katrina Irene Halili is an actress, model, and StarStruck alumna. She was also voted several times as FHM’s Sexiest Woman in the Philippines. Oftentimes, she plays an antagonist in the television shows she appears in.

Katrina was born on January 4, 1986 in Quezon City and grew up at El Nido, Palawan. During her childhood, Kat was fond of joining beauty pageants. During her interviews, she often claimed to have Chinese blood.

Her career took its turn from modeling to acting when she was spotted at Eastwood by a talent scout for StarStruck, a reality contest of GMA Network. Although Katrina didn't win and was considered as just one of the "avengers", Katrina became a star in her own right. Aside from appearing on the covers of sexy magazines like FHM and being hailed as the Sexiest Woman in the Philippines by the said magazine, she also proved her acting prowess in different television series and easily put herself on the list of effective kontrabidas (antagonists) of Philippine television.

Aside from the long list of shows and modeling stints Katrina has done, she also released a collection of music videos entitled “Fantasies.” In the videos, Katrina shows off her voluptuous body by donning sexy and daring outfits, mostly bikinis.

TV Appearances
1. Angela Markado (2009) ... Angela Delmar
2. Gagambino (2008) ... Lucy
3. Obra (2008) ... Various
4. Magdusa Ka (2008) ... Christine Doliente
5. MariMar (2007) ... Angelika de Santibañez
6. Lupin (2007) ... Veronica Arkanghel / Ashley Calibre
7. Atlantika (2006) ... Helena
8. Majika (2006) ... Juno
9. Darna (2005) ... Carol / Black Darna
10. Forever In My Heart (2004)
11. Joyride (2004) ... Vicki
12. Starstruck (2003) ... Starstruck Avenger

Katrina is now facing a major scandal that could ruin her career. It is about the alleged “sex video” with the medical doctor turned actor Dr. Hayden Kho boyfriend of the famous celebrity aesthetic doctor Dr. Vicky Belo.

Pilita Corrales

Pilita Corrales (born 22 August 1939 in Cebu City, Philippines) is a famous Filipino folk musical recording artist, who is widely referred to as Asia's Queen of Songs, having produced over 135 albums in her music career spanning over four decades.

Biography:

Pilita Corrales was born in Cebu City, Cebu in 1939, she is a mestiza, (of Spanish and Austronesian) ancestry. After finishing her studies at Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion in her native land of Cebu, she went to Spain to enroll in a finishing school in music. In 1958, Pilita began her recording career after arriving with a shipwrecked troupe of performers in Melbourne. She left her mark by becoming the first woman to make the Australian pop charts with a local recording called 'Come Closer to Me'. She became a star of the Melbourne TV circuit and her first hit, Come Closer to Me, became part of a collection on which she’s billed as one of the Grand Dames of Melbourne Radio and Television.

Pilita holds the distinction of being the first female artist to top the Australian pop music charts long before Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue. Pilita also recorded at least 3 LPs in the late 1950s-early 1960s: Pilita with Arthur Young :Pilita tells The Story of Love, I'll Take Romance and This is Pilita under Astor Records. Being one of the pioneers of Australia's early television years, a street was named after her outside Melbourne. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently featured Pilita and several pioneering female artists in Australia in the 2nd episode of the highly acclaimed TV special, Love is in the Air. Pilita returned to Manila during the mid 1960s to pursue a career in the Philippine music industry. Her Philippine career began when she hosted a radio program La Taverna over DZPI where she sang Spanish songs and played the guitar. She performed regularly in stage shows at the Manila Grand Opera House. Subsequently, her reputation grew and during her international stints, she has performed with internationally acclaimed artists like Sammy Davis Jr. the Beatles, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews. She also appeared in movies, most of them musicals. Her film debut was a lead role in the 1968 film Miss Wawaw, and was followed by 11 more movies for the next two years. Pilita later recorded numerous albums in Spanish in the early 60s as well as numerous long playing albums in English, Tagalog and Cebuano during the 1970s under Vicor Music Corporation. Her multiawarded TV program at ABS-CBN, An Evening with Pilita (1965-1972), is widely considered as one of the benchmarks in Philippine broadcasting history.

Pilita frequently performed for Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino in IBC-Channel 13 after the martial law years where she demonstrated her range as a gifted performer of Spanish, English, Cebuano and Tagalog music. Aquarius Record Philippines produced a compilation of Pilita's Spanish songs in CDs like Noche de Ronda, Vaya Con Dios. Her signature song A Million Thanks to You was translated in seven languages. She eventually recorded songs composed by Filipino composers like Danny Holmsen, George Canseco, Willy Cruz, Ryan Cayabyab and several others. Under Vicor Records, Pilita interpreted numerous Filipino classics and introduced them to younger audiences.

Pilita first met Canseco in Your Evening with Pilita (aired on pre-Martial Law ABS-CBN) as a guest in the composers' portion of the show". For the show Canseco brought with him You're All I Love. Canseco later wrote Filipino lyrics for the song, which became Kapantay ay Langit, the first song Canseco sold to a record label in 1966. The song was first recorded by Amapola for the movie theme of Kapantay Ay Langit starring Marlene Dauden and Eddie Rodríguez. The song won for George Canseco and Amapola the Manila Film Festival award for best song of the year. The song did not fare well commercially, because Amapola had left (for her U.S. concert tours) and the song was not promoted properly, according to Canseco during an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. But when Pilita revived the song, it turned into a classic and defied trends and time. "The song," Pilita said, "was included in my album Philippine Love Songs Vol. 1, which was released in the early 1970s."

Through the personal invitation of Sammy Davis Jr., Pilita became the first Filipino to sing in Caesars Palace. In her concert in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas during the late 70s, Pilita sang Spanish, English, Cebuano and Tagalog songs, all conducted and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab.

After receiving a 1965 Philippine Citizen's Award for TV as Best TV Female Performer, Pilita went on to receive Cecil, Aliw, Tinig and Awit and several other awards for her performances and lifetime achievement. In 1990, she received a Merit Award from the FAMAS Awards. In 1991, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) for bringing Filipino musical artistry to international audience. She also holds the distinction of being the first Filipino to win in an international music festival by bagging the Best Performer Award during the 1st Tokyo Music Festival (1972) where she bested numerous international artists including the highly-regarded Olivia Newton-John.

These days she operates Pilita, a restaurant-bar in Greenhills, one of Manila's prime commercial districts. She is also a highly-acclaimed host and comedy actress on Philippine television. With over 135 albums to her credit and an international profile with many appearances in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and North America, she still enjoys a reputation as “singing icon and living legend.”

In 2006, Pilita Corrales was handpicked by Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC Channel 5) and FremantleMedia to be one of the celebrity-judges for the first-ever nationwide search for the Philippine Idol together with composer Ryan Cayabyab and rapper Francis Magalona.

Personal Life:

Corrales has two children, Lourdes Jacqueline Blanco (commonly known as "Jackielou" Blanco) and Ramón Christopher Gutíerrez. Both her two children are also well known celebrity figures in the Philippine Film Industry. Corrales was married in 1963, to the late executive businessman Gonzalo Blanco and separated soon after, while her daughter "Jackielou" was still a child. Gonzalo later died in 1981.

Corrales had a brief short love affair with actor Eddie Gutíerrez, and later gave birth to her second child, Ramón Christopher, in 1971.

Pupil

Pupil is a Filipino rock band composed of Ely Buendia on frontman duties and guitars, Yan Yuzon on lead guitar, Dok Sergio on bass and Wendell Garcia on drums.

Although the band itself is relatively new, all of its members have lots of experience in the Philippine music scene. Pupil is managed by Day Cabuhat (who also used to handle the Eraserheads) and Ely Buendia's wife, Diane Ventura, who was also manager for The Mongols.

History:

Dok Sergio from the bands The Teeth and Daydream Cycle joined The Mongols' line-up during the fourth quarter of 2004, making it a five-man band. The Mongols' bassist Yan Yuzon moved to third guitar duties while Dok Sergio handled bass. The transitional five-man line-up was witnessed in The Mongols’ last single and music video entitled “Heroine”. In May 2005, guitarist, Jerome Velasco, a.k.a J. Astro, left to pursue a career in producing and recording studio engineering. The group's last gig under the name "The Mongols" was July 7, 2005.

Velasco’s departure shook things up for the group as they were trapped into the decision of whether to stay as a band or not. As they decided to continue and as they progressed, the band noticed that they were producing a different sound without Velasco on the lead guitar and decided to form a "new" band. “We got a better bass player and dumber guitarist,” jokes guitarist Yan Yuzon, who left bass playing duties to Dok Sergio to take Velasco’s place. Upon the determination of forming a “new” band, the group’s first move was to change their name.

Frontman Ely Buendia from the phenomenal band Eraserheads, chanced upon the name "Pupil" while browsing a medical book. The band wanted a classic name for a rock band. Before using Pupil, they tried several other names, such as Villain, Lords of Nasdaq, The Gets, Trochlean, Traitors, and Tyrel Corp. They chose the name Pupil because Buendia liked the fact that it was the part of the eye where light enters. Guitarist Yan Yuzon likes its double meaning, as well as the “eternal learning” connotations of the name. Pupil's launch gig was on July 13, 2005 at the UP Bahay Ng Alumni.

Pupil had a hard time searching for a record label. They submitted their demo to several labels, but no one was more enthusiastic about the new material than the newly-merged Sony BMG. Incidentally, Ely left BMG Pilipinas in 2002 in the wake of his falling out with the Eraserheads. However, BMG accepted Buendia again like a "prodigal son," as he himself describes it in their debut album's insert.

The band admits that there is a distinct challenge for them, coming out of their past bands (Eraserheads and The Teeth). The challenge is particularly pronounced on frontman, Ely Buendia, since older fans tend to compare him and his new band with the huge popularity of The Eraserheads before. In an interview by Y. Losorata he says, "I just want my fans and hopefully, my fans to be, to appreciate my music. I’m lucky to still have my career in music as a job and as part of Pupil wala akong (I don't have) delusions to become as big as my previous band was." In fact, the band itself describes their music as actually "one foot in the past, one foot in the present and both eyes dead set at the future." According to Buendia, it's not being there but getting there that's exciting for him, no matter how many times he tries to get there.

Local radio stations' reception of Pupil's music, though, is relatively limited (with the exception of NU 107) due to the band's genre and musical style. While the band's carrier single, "Nasaan Ka?" was played often and achieved quite a popularity among listeners, other singles released from their album encountered more hurdles. The song "Nasaan Ka?" was used as main theme and "story" (based on lyrics) for the first episode of the second season of Your Song. Frontman Ely Buendia says, "Some pop radio stations are still making up their minds on "Dianetic" which I personally don’t understand since it’s really just one of those straightforward love songs medyo on the noisy side nga lang (just a little bit on the noisy side). "Then again, minsan talaga hindi mo maintindihan ang ibang radio stations (sometimes you cannot understand some radio stations). It’s not as if they don’t play songs by foreign artists like Nirvana with music heavier on distorted electric guitar than ours. Pero okay lang (But that's okay), that’s the reality of things." He speculates that colonial mentality has something to do about the double standard these radio stations go by. Consequently, they were forced to release an acoustic version of their second single, "Dianetic". The acoustic version of "Nasaan Ka?" was then used as a Bonus Track for Sony BMG's CD Sampler 2006 Volume 3.

However, the band had relatively early success as evidenced by advertising projects that they were involved with and local awards that they have won. They were featured as the Rising Star for the month of May, 2006 in MTV Philippines. In the 19th Awit Awards held in Casino Filipino, they won the Award for Best Performance By A New Group Recording Artist/s Category. They received another award for their first single, "Nasaan Ka?" at the MTV Pilipinas VMA 2006, bagging the Best Rock Video Award. Then, Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chose them as their promotional models for their product along with Barbie Almalbis, another local artist. They also received endorsement deals from Levi's, Puma and Pony footwear.

In Novermber 26, 2006 Pupil won the SOP Music Awards 2006 Breakthrough Recording Artist of The Year Award. "We don't think Pupil should've qualified as 'breakthrough artist' because this actually is our second album after we changed our name from The Mongols," says Ely.

The band also participated in the 2006 MTV Staying Alive Music Summit For HIV/AIDS. Pupil’s fourth single, "Gamu-Gamo," quickly climbed NU 107’s Stairway to Seven's number one spot within the first week of 2007. The band also performed a special 8-minute medley (which included a cover of the Eraserheads hit, "Pare Ko") at the 2nd MYX Music Awards which was held on March 15, 2007 at the AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo.

On July 25, 2007, Yan Yuzon announced in Pupil's mailing list that Bogs Jugo, the band's drummer, left the band to pursue other things for his career. Wendell Garcia, formerly of Barbie's Cradle, replaced Jugo. Garcia played his first gig as the new drummer on July 26, 2007 at the Hard Rock Cafe, Makati. The gig also featured new songs from Pupil's new album that is soon to be released. The Mongols' Jerome Velasco played synths with the band. He is also the band's producer for their second album.

MEMBERS:

Yan Yuzon - Born in March 7, 1978, Lead guitarist Yan Yrastorza Yuzon is the brother of Sponge Cola guitarist and frontman, Yael Yuzon. He also teaches theater direction at the Ateneo de Manila University. His famous works include a pop-culture adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, Linya, Santuario and a few more. Being a very busy man, Yan is also a writer for ABS-CBN’s TV show "Goin Bulilit". He also played the short role of Liam in ABS-CBN’s "Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay". His acting performances also include the role of Romeo in the Metropolitan Theater Guild's production of Romeo and Juliet (which has been used in Sponge Cola's Gemini music video), alongside Ina Feleo, daughter of Filipino actor, Johnny Delgado, with the role of Juliet. Yan has previously appeared in local renditions of other Shakespearean plays like "Merchant of Venice" and "Macbeth". He also starred in an indie film titled "Three Boys" for Cinemanila. The film is about a band which is composed of Marc Abaya (vocals and guitars) Ping Medina (bass) and Yan Yuzon (drums). It was directed by Ming Kai Leung and produced by Marie Jamora. He also used to front for the indie neo-glam band called Cat Siamese. Yan uses a Carvin classic white guitar, Fender Stratocaster and Epiphone Les Paul. Yan Yuzon also launched his new band called “Arch1pelago.” It’s members are Wendell Garcia on drums, Chad Rialp (of Sound and Liquid Jane) on bass, Pat Tirano (who co-produced Beautiful Machines) on lead guitars and Yan Yuzon himself on frontman duties. He was also featured in an instrumental compilation called "Mga Gitarista" (The Guitarists), wherein it features various instrumental songs from Filipino guitarists from different OPM bands such as Barbie Almalbis, Francis Reyes, Mong Alcaraz and Mike Elgar. His song "Mount Ordeals" was said to be inspired by Final Fantasy Series.

Dok Sergio - Born in February 27, 1976, Bassist Andrew Ryan Steve Ricafranca Sergio is the brother of Rivermaya's bassist Japs Sergio. Dok and Japs are also members of Daydream Cycle, doing bass and rhythm respectively. Dok Sergio wrote the lyrics of "Dulo ng Dila" on the spot during recording. It is also the band's first song to hit no.1 in NU 107's Stairway to Seven chart. In addition, Dok wrote the lyrics of "Shooting Star" by The Teeth which won the "Song of the Year" award at the NU 107 Rock Awards 2000. He also runs a silkscreen printing business whose clients include some of the bands in the local Filipino rock scene today. Aside from The Teeth, one of Dok Sergio's former bands was Warehouse Club where his bandmates were from the members of the band The Youth (Robert Javier and Joseph Carrasgo) and Jun Dela Rosa. He did guitars and vocals. Dok once played bass for the band, Imago and now for indie-band Prank Sinatra. He uses a Fender Precision Bass Guitar, and recently, a 6-string Fender Bass VI. Today, aside from having reunited with The Teeth, he also sometimes plays bass for Imago, where he also used to play bass with before.

Ely Buendia - Born in November 2, 1970, Eleandre Basiño Buendía is the band's frontman and guitarist.

Wendell Garcia - Born in May 27, 1976, Wendell Ray C. Garcia, formerly of Barbie's Cradle, is Pupil's new drummer who replaced Bogs Jugo in 2007. He is also the drummer for Pupil's second album. Garcia also played drums for Sponge Cola as sessionist and as drummer for 6cyclemind's Panorama album, he also co-produced the album with Buddy Zabala, Ebe Dancel, and Francis Magalona. Garcia also composed the song "012" with Barbie Almalbis and Kakoi Legaspi for "Parade" album. He also plays drums for the Jazz group named "Balooze." When Francis M and Ely Buendia recorded the song "Superproxy 2k6" for Ultraelectromagneticjam Eraserheads tribute, Wendell was responsible for the drum parts and played drums during the recording phase for Francis M's band, Hardware Syndrome. Wendell also sings while playing drums, his recent performance was "Fallen" from Pretty Woman OST. He also shared his drumming skills for Rico Blanco's Your Universe album.

Former Members:

Bogs Jugo - Born in February 17, 1979, Drummer Ricardo Nicholas Bañaga Jugo is also the synth and beat programmer for the dream pop/electronica group Daydream Cycle. Bogs is into video games. He once worked as an online customer assistance representative for an international videogame console company. Playing “Hypersober” live is a different set-up for the band. Yan plays the drums. Dok gets to play the guitars. Ely does the bass, and of course, Bogs on vocals. Bogs also used "d lite" and "bogaman" as a nick name during the early days of The Mongols.

On July 25, 2007, Yan Yuzon announced in Pupil's mailing list that Bogs Jugo left the band to pursue other things for his career. However, Yuzon said that Jugo had already expressed his desire to quit his duties for both of his bands, Pupil and Daydream Cycle, as early as the summer of 2007. Bogs, a pioneer member the group since The Mongols, ensured smooth transition for Pupil into its current new lineup. He was replaced by Wendell Garcia, formerly of Barbie's Cradle.

Contrary to speculations, he did not leave the music industry at all. Jugo is still a musician, but more within the indie and underground scene; perhaps to give way to his other activities. After he left Pupil and DDC, he also sessions with Nina’s live band as drummer and also for Tawo band. Currently he is the drummer for Us-2 Evil-0, and he also plays guitars for She Hates Ballet.

Up Dharma Down

Up Dharma Down is a Filipino band that won the In The Raw Award at the 2005 NU 107 Rock Awards, and as Best New Artist and Best Female Award for vocalist and keyboardist, Armi Millare, at the 2006 NU 107 Rock Awards. Their first album, Fragmented, under independent record label Terno Recordings, has been one of 2006's critically acclaimed albums in the local music scene.

Apart from that, Mark Cole's BBC show tagged them as the Asian band to most likely crossover to North American shores, and has been featured in numerous regional shows together with bands such as Arcade Fire (Canada) and Bloc Party (UK). Their eclectic music gave them the leverage to stand above most local bands in the Philippines, enough to be featured in the July 2007 issue of Time Magazine. The band has also done a number of endorsement deals and projects with Adidas, Coke, and Lipton Tea.

They performed as front act for Incubus' Light Grenades Pacific Rim Tour Manila stop at Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 9, 2008.

They are currently recording for their second album which should be out within 2008.

They recently won the 2008 Myx Music Awards for Favorite Indie Artist competing against top performing indie bands in the country. The Award proved that the band is currently risng its fame to the OPM Music. The band now tries to spread their music in other provinces in Luzon, Visayas , and Mindanao.

Members:

• Armi Millare - keyboards, vocals
• Carlos Tañada - lead guitars
• Ean Mayor - drums and loops
• Paul Yap - bass

Recognitions:

• First Filipino Band to be featured in MTV's “Advanced Warning”, showcasing up-and-coming artists in the Asian region

• Made it to the QTV Channel 11 Show “Ang Pinaka”'s list of top 15 Philippine bands today

• Featured in Mark Coles' BBC Radio Show

• Featured in July issue of Time Magazine

Sponge Cola

Sponge Cola is a Filipino rock band formed in 2002.

History:

Formation (1998-2002)

Sponge Cola is a Filipino rock band formed in 2002. Between 1998 to 2002, Ysmael "Yael" Yuzon and Reynaldo "Gosh" Dilay, both from Ateneo High School, met through the school's theater guild, Teatro Baguntao. Yael was then the frontman of a rock band called White Castle. Nevertheless, he decided to form a band with Gosh and two other members of the theater guild. They named the group Sponge after R.S. Surtee's Mr. Sponge Sporting Tour. The band won in several high school competitions boosting their popularity not just in their school but in other campuses, as well.

Some members of the old lineup left and were replaced by Christopher "Chris" Cantada and Erwin "Armo" Armovit. The latter is the guitarist of another band Rampqueen, which was managed also by Sponge's manager Raymond Fabul. Later however, they learned about a Detroit grunge band already using the name Sponge. "But we wanted to keep the word Sponge in our band name because people have already associated us with that name," according to Yael. "So we decided to add 'Cola', since it's an easy enough word to remember." Sponge Cola was officially formed in summer of 2002.

Early Career (2002-2004)

They came up with a self-titled EP in the last quarter of 2003 containing five original songs: Lunes, A Tear, Saturn, Cigarette and Jeepney. The first and the last song penned in the vernacular caught the public's attention. Lunes, written by Gosh, begins with a bossa nova-esque beat that suddenly shifts to a heavy rock riff. Second single Jeepney was written by a classmate for a school project back in 2001 and is a reminiscent piece on young love during simpler, happier times. Yael's vocal range is evident in the song showcasing his ability to shift from mellow to screamo.

Through this EP, Sponge Cola got extensive airplay from several local pop and rock radio stations. A bootlegged copy of their version of Madonna's "Crazy for You" ended up on the Internet and became an underground hit, with some listeners believing it was a Sponge Cola original. Though this misconception helped increase their popularity, the band aimed to remove the stigma of being a cover band, pushing their original songs to the forefront.

Palabas (2004-2006)

In 2004, the band signed for record distribution and released Sponge Cola's first full-length debut album, entitled Palabas, under Sony BMG Philippines, an allusion to the boys' theater backgrounds. The album features a definitive voice in unadulterated rock, reminiscent of 90s alternative but mixed with enough sing-along pop sensibility-as based on the band members' individual influences. Gosh was weaned on classic OPM from the likes of Basil Valdes and Martin Nievera; Armo lends to heavy metal and rock edge, citing bands like Deftones, Tool and A Perfect Circle as influences; Chris likes pop-rock bands like the Beatles and Athenaeum; and Yael trips on everything from novelty songs to bubblegum-pop, from 80s power ballads, to The Smashing Pumpkins. They admitted to have been also influenced by Pinoy iconic Rock Band "The Eraserheads."

They are also one of the few local rock bands that boast of using three part harmonies in a lot of their songs, supplied by Yael, Chris and Gosh and as seen in tracks such as "KLSP" and "Una". Sponge Cola also experiments with unconventional elements that are normally ignored in rock recording, like the samisen ("A Japanese guitar", Gosh boasts), the striking of amplifiers, cellphone ring tones and actual rain. The final track "Closure" faintly features the sound of a door shutting, before transposing to a melancholic acoustic number.

During 2004, their songs Lunes and KLSP gained popularity and ended up in most radio stations' charts during that period. Also, Jeepney became popular in the beginning of 2005 along with their own version of Crazy For You. With the resurgence of Pinoy Rock in the middle of 2005, Sponge Cola gained even more popularity from listeners with their song Gemini and especially the alternative rock song Una.

All their singles were able to reach the #1 spot in both Philippines 100 and MYX Hit Chart.

Transit (2006-Present)

They recorded their next album just after they graduated from college. Sponge Cola released their second album entitled Transit in September with a launch party in Metrowalk, Ortigas, under Universal Records. The album turned gold after less than three months of its release due to the success of the lead single Bitiw which enjoyed massive radio airplay. The song also became the theme song of ABS-CBN's show Pedro Penduko. In MYX's Hit Chart 2006 year ender countdown, Bitiw was the number 2 video.

Sponge Cola have contributed on two tribute albums. They covered the 90's hit song by the Eraserheads, "Pare Ko", on Ultraelectromagneticjam. The group released their cover of APO Hiking Society's classic "Nakapagtataka" on the tribute album, "Kami nAPO muna", as the next single. The song reached number 1 in the MYX Hit Charts and enjoyed massive radio airplay.

The band won 4 awards in the 2007 MYX Music Awards besting other OPM acts in both Favorite Artist and Favorite Group categories. Bitiw was voted as both Favorite Song and Favorite Rock Video.

Tuliro, the second single from Transit, was released in the first quarter of 2007. It peaked at number 1 in the MYX Hit Charts.

The band was again contracted by ABS-CBN to create the theme song of the new season of the show Pedro Penduko, Pedro Penduko at ang mga Engkantao, entitled Tuloy Pa Rin.

The band was recently featured in a MYX show, "Myxellaneous", where it showed the evolution of the band from young upstarts to icons of the Philippine rock industry.

The music video for their song "Movie" premiered on MYX on August 1, 2007 and it hit number one shortly after its release.

Sponge Cola's version of APO classic "Saan Na Nga Ba'ng Barkada" for the Kami nAPO Muna ULIT album is currently enjoying massive radio airplay despite not having a music video for it.

The band released their current single "Pasubali" on January 24, 2008. It held the number 1 spot on the Myx Hit Chart for three weeks and is still on the said chart to this very day. It is also being used as the theme song to ABS-CBN's airing of the Koreanovela Lovers

Transit Deluxe

(2008), Sponge Cola's second album repackaged.

Sponge Cola released their deluxe album "Transit" on January 24.

The album includes a bonus AVCD featuring 5 brand new tracks Tuloy Pa Rin, Nakapagtataka, Tuliro (Acoustic Version), Pasubali (Acoustic Version), Intercept, and Pasubali (Radio Edit).

The album also includes music videos of Bitiw, Nakapagtataka, Tuliro, Tuloy Pa Rin, Movie, and Pasubali. It hit platinum a week after its release.