The (ho-hum) Pacquiao-Mosley fight

To no one's surprise, Manny Pacquiao defeated Shane Mosley in their 12-round encounter last Sunday. What was surprising to me was watching a replay of the fight on TV5 instead of GMA-7. I suppose it was part of the perks that Smart, a sister company of the Kapatid network, wangled from the organizers for sponsoring the fight. The telecom outfit must have paid a premium because the ring announcer mentioned Smart as one of the sponsors and its logo was emblazoned on the floor of the ring.

Underwhelming bout

What was even more surprising was how underwhelming the whole bout turned out. I got more exciting moments from the RH bill debate on ABS-CBN which was aired at the same time. I would switch to this show during commercial breaks. Protagonists like Rissa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Esperanza Cabral, Joey Lina and Roilo Golez exchanged stinging verbal punches that evoked cheers from their supporters. At the MGM Grand Garden Arena, boos greeted the fighters in the middle of the bout because their fans expected more action than they were getting.

Action was what I looked forward to when Mosley was knocked down in the third round but the excitement was short-lived. I thought our hero would finish him off with punishing punches and go for a knock-out. After all, by boxing standards, this was an aging fighter, who was turning 40 in September this year. It was not to be as the two fighters seemed to be coasting along. They even touched gloves after every round, a friendly gesture I didn't notice in previous Pacquiao fights.

Too late

It was only in the 10th round when the referee ruled that Pacquiao was knocked down instead of pushed, did the Pacman react angrily. He started chasing Mosley then tried to finish him off in the 11th and 12th round. It was too late. Mosley was the slippery one avoiding Pacquiao's fists. The challenger managed to retain his record of not being knocked out in a fight.

For his colorless performance, Mosley earned at least $5 million with hardly a scratch on his face. Pacman's previous opponent, Antonio Margarito earned less but ended up with a battered face and a serious eye injury that required surgery. Pacquiao earned at least $20 million but did not work as hard as when he tangled with Margarito.

While many of the fans were disappointed, the sponsors of the TV coverage were quite pleased because the fight lasted the entire 12 rounds. They were able to air their innumerable commercials. In the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, Hatton was knocked out in the second round to the advertisers' dismay. Those who watched the bout on free TV had to make do with a much delayed broadcast. By 12:30 p.m, local time, the fight had already reached the 8th round but GMA-7 was still airing the preliminary fights.

Also very happy was the National Historical Commission which approved of the way Charice (pronounced Sharice by the ring announcer) interpreted the Philippine National Anthem. Perfect was the word the NHC used to describe her singing. Grammy award winner Tyrese Gibson did not have to follow rules on how to sing the Star Spangled Banner especially when he reached the last two lines "o'er the land of the brave and the home of the free." The Americans are more freewheeling when it comes to their national anthem.

Aksyon TV now on Sky Cable

I am finally able to watch the 24-hour news channel of TV 5. After several months, Sky Cable has allocated a channel for ABS-CBN's competitor. Aksyon TV which is on Channel 41 on free TV is now on Channel 61 on Sky.

Dick Gordon's "Duelo," Dong Puno's "Kalibre 41" and "Tayuan Mo at Panindigan" with Joey Reyes, Lourd De Veyra, Aida Sy and Carlos Celdran are some of the talk shows on the channel.

I notice, though, that many of its shows like "Totoo TV," "Public Atorni," and "Dokumentado" also air on or have been moved from TV 5. Several shows like "Cristy Ferminute" and "Todo Bigay" are televised edition of radio shows.

I trust that in due time Aksyon TV will come out with more substantial public affairs programs that can compete with the other news channels, ANC and GMA-News TV.

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Philippines catches ‘Bieber Fever’

International pop star Justin Bieber didn't only make one less lonely girl, but definitely made tens of thousands of fans happy and ecstatic as he performed live in Manila for his "My World Tour" concert at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) grounds on Tuesday, May 10.
With this much anticipated event, hordes of Filipino 'Beliebers' caught the fever as the blockbuster gig stalled traffic around MOA straight to Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City. Fans even camped out at the venue the day before the concert just to see Justin perform. And the teen sensation definitely didn't let his eager fans down as he gave an amazing performance, giving his all in his singing, dancing, and playing some instruments, notably the drums and guitar, despite being sick.

15 songs
Justin performed a total of 15 songs such as "Baby," "Never Let You Go," "Somebody to Love," "U Smile," and "One Less Lonely Girl," from his albums ""My World," My World 2.0" and "Never Say Never: The Remixes."
"America's Best Dance Crew" Season 5 winner Poreotics opened the show with their eye-popping and robotic dance routines to the tunes of Katy Perry's "Firework," Eve's "Let Me Blow Your Mind," and Taylor Swift's "Love Story." Poreotics also appeared in Justin's music video "Somebody to Love." Justin Valles, one of the three Filipinos from the group, also taught members of the audience some of their signature dance routines, "dougie" and "catdaddy."
Justin enters
After the Poreotics number, fans became excited and with screams filling the venue as a 15-minute countdown was shown on screen with Justin's official DJ telling the crowd to jump and dance along to welcome Justin before he gets on stage. Then came Justin, dressed in white jacket, white pants and dark shades, and opened the main show with his song, "Love Me." His fans from the VIP section all the way to the general admission screamed their lungs out the moment Justin went up on stage.
Justin followed it up with his song "Bigger," danced and moved around the stage with his upbeat songs "Somebody to Love," "One Time," "Eenie Meenie," and "Never Say Never." The screams were really deafening and the crowd sang along. Justin connected well with the audience and worked the crowd whether singing a slow or upbeat song. "I have the best fans in the world and I wanna make them smile," Justin said before singing "U Smile."
Justin also had a couple of wardrobe changes, an ensemble of white outfit from top to bottom, jacket and pants; black leather jacket, black shirt and pants; and also his favorite purple shirt. Every time his face is shown upclose on screen, fans would cheer more. Actually, whatever little thing Justin makes on stage, he would earn loud applause and screams, may it be him kneeling down while singing, removing his shades, going around the stage and even when making pauses at the middle of a song. Before each song, Justin would normally talk about the song to introduce it. "Never give up on your dreams," Justin said to his fans before singing "Never Say Never," a song which he collaborated with Jaden Smith.
Acoustic set
While everyone was jumping and dancing along to his songs, Justin later on took things slow as he performed an acoustic set playing his guitar, which showcased his vocal talent and guitar expertise. He impressed the fans with his slow tempo, acoustic versions of "Never Let You Go," "Favorite Girl," and Edwin McCain's "I'll Be," making all the girls swoon with his sweet voice and awesome strums.
One of the most anticipated parts of the concert was Justin's performance of "One Less Lonely Girl (OLLG)" where a girl gets up on stage and be serenaded by Justin. One lucky Filipino girl wearing purple went on stage and received a bouquet of flowers and a cap from Justin himself. "That Should Be Me" was probably ringing on every girl's mind during the performance as Justin sings "OLLG" for her. His "OLLG" performance went abuzz with fans trying to know the identity of the lucky girl. Various girls' names have come up on Facebook and Twitter about the "OLLG." Concert organizers did not divulge the girl's name.
His Filipino back-up singers, the Legaci, who were also a YouTube sensation just like him, also performed a sample of songs during the intermission. "We are proud to say that we are Filipinos," the group said.
'So hot in here'
It has been rainy the past few days in Manila but the weather cooperated with the Beliebers as it did not rain in the actual concert on Tuesday. In fact, it was quite hot and the high energy of people around made it even hotter. "It's so hot in here. It must be the beautiful girls in the audience," Justin said which made every girl scream. There were also celebrities who watched the concert Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, Elmo and Saab Magalona, Isabel Granada, and Tim Yap.
Despite being sick, Justin didn't disappoint as he exuded endless energy all throughout the show. In his performance of "Baby," Justin even outpaced his young audience, urging his fans to step up and dance along and "go crazy" since it's the final song in his set. "It's either you guys go crazy or I'll go," Justin said, to which the fans said no. Justin definitely ended the concert on a high note with his last performance of "Baby," leaving fans screaming for more. "Thank you Manila. God bless you all," Justin said.

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Man jumps to death off world's tallest tower in Dubai

DUBAI (Reuters) - A man threw himself off the world's tallest building in Dubai, its developer said, plummeting to his death in the first suicide from Burj Khalifa tower.

The man, believed to be in his twenties and of South Asian background, jumped from the 147th floor of the 828-metre (2,717 feet) skyscraper and landed on a terrace on the 108th floor, local daily The National reported, but those details were not confirmed by the building's developer. Emaar said it had a recorded an "incident involving a male" at its Burj Khalifa site on Tuesday morning. "The concerned authorities have confirmed that it was a suicide and we are awaiting the final report," the statement said. It gave no further details on the incident. The man may have worked at a company inside the 160-storey building, the paper said, adding that police said statements showed a holiday he had requested was turned down.

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Willie to return on TV with refurbished show

'Willie Revillame will return on television on Saturday, May 14, with a new, refurbished primetime offering.

In a statement sent to Yahoo! OMG! Philippines late Tuesday, May 10, TV5 announced that the show will be titled "Wil Time Bigtime," which will occupy the timeslot of its predecessor, "Willing Willie." The game show will also have Willie and Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad as the main hosts, the statement said. It did not mention, however, the inclusion of the other hosts in "Willing Willie" in the new show.

"I Wil be back! Bigtime sa saya at bigtime sa papremyo ang handog natin sa ating mga Kapatid na hindi bumibitaw at walang patid ang pagsuporta sa ating programa. Ang pagbabalik natin ay para sa bawat Pilipino dahil sila naman talaga ang bigtime dito. Sa Mayo 14, magpapatuloy ang oras ng saya at pag-asa," Willie was quoted as saying in the statement.

The statement added that the show will "showcase new games that will utilize an LED (light-emitting diodes) floor and new software technology for a whole new TV experience.

"This brand new approach in local game show is definitely a visual treat for all Filipinos across. While brainstorming for new segments, we're keeping in mind that these new innovations on TV shall be incorporated in all the mechanics of the games to make sure that we offer something new for everyone," said Jay Montelibano, business unit head of "Wil Time Bigtime."

The show will air at 5pm this Saturday and subsequent weeknights at 6:30pm on TV5.

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