Bright and Gone: Belinda Bright

banner design by me

There will come a time when an actress would want to prove to everyone in the showbiz industry that she is more than just a pretty face and a sexy body, that she has brains as well. But sometimes it can backfire, and you will just look like someone who tried too hard.

Belinda Bright can be categorized as someone like that. She was a bold star who came late in the game, when piracy was abundant and SM Malls were ditching showing bold films for a family-friendly image. Nonetheless she made an impact in showbiz and in the minds of men.

As usual, I got to researching on her on the ‘net and her numerous pictorials on FHM. One good thing about Belinda Bright is that there is no shortage of racy pictures of her, not like my previous research Lolita De Leon and Ilonah Marquez.  You can find different sets of pictures on the ‘net and she has appeared on FHM a couple of times, including the special releases (Girls of FHM Vol.4). There was even one pictorial from a small-time men's magazine where she only wore a red underwear, a Santa cap and a holiday-themed nipple tape. It was rather very sensual.

Born Marianne Decima, she was part of a varsity swimming team in her High school and studied in College of St. Benilde and reportedly got spotted by a talent scout in her school (as to what particular school, nothing was disclosed) She got kicked in her college when she starred in her debut film “Ang Kapitbahay”(with Albert Martinez, Joel Torre and Michelle Estevez)  in 2003. It was then followed by “Ssshhh…She Walks by Night”( with Jay Manalo, Pink Amador and Ricky Davao) , also made in 2003. It was supposed to be followed by another movie aptly called “Gulaman” but never got materialized.

She lied low for 3 years then came back with no manager in tow. They had an argument and resulted in her supervising herself. She called her management back asking for a spot. They obliged and signed her up for a five-year deal. She had numerous TV guestings and road shows in and out of the country and spots but no TV roles given to her.

She had a lot of fans but she also had some detractors as well. She looks very statuesque and had a very dazzling skin tone (probably why she had a screen name like that, although there is no article to prove it) but many people say in a forum that she looks dumb and it was further proven by her being interviewed on local showbiz talk show The Buzz when she mispronounced noir. She said “film mwah” where it was supposed to be “film nwar”. And there is another statement where she said she had no “quangs” showing her body. It was supposed to be qualms. There was even one comment where she was a trying-hard and pouted her lips too much in her pictorials. I guess she is trying too hard to be a next evolution of a bold star that people see too many imperfections on her. 

After her re-appearance she was always on the “100 Sexiest” list on FHM Philippines from 2003-2006 and 2008 and was gone again. One very interesting news about her whereabouts is that when I read a thread on an FHM Philippines forum and a member said she tried to apply as a flight attendant in Qatar Airways but was fired 2 months after her training when they found out she was a bold star before. There was a picture to prove it taken from a blogspot.com but it was already discontinued. I studied the photo to see if it is real, and it does look authentic. Plus it looks like someone what the real Belinda Bright would do. After that I wasn’t able to find any new news on her.

her last appearance 

It seemed a rather cruel fate when someone wanted a fresh start but one needs to be prepared for the consequences one made in the past. 

banner design by me

Ranting 101

While it can be pretty easy to make fun of anything that you saw or heard, it can be difficult to to do it  responsibly... There are the ire of people who watch your every move or someone who is against it in the first place. Believe me, I've had my share of violent reactions on my posts. While I could brand them as "jerk" or "b*tchin' mother**ckers", I realized that they have their own opinion, and you have to respect that.

Opinion. Responsibility. Those are words that are often tossed around that is taken for granted. But when given a lot of thought they have a lot of weight that they can be very powerful allies on writing. Or anything that you firmly believe in. As a seasoned (?) blogger here are some tips that you can use next time you have something to say: 

- Use the "WHY?"

   

 A normal citizen would just say that "this suckz LOLz" but a responsible or well-versed person would say          "this sucks, here's why... Too often we never give out a reason why we hate this, against it, etc. and just say something immature (*cough* 9gag). Giving out a reason would at least give more weight to your opinion. 

- Two Sides of A Coin

No matter how much you hate a certain subject, always give out good points, no matter obscene it is. Give the reader something that they can (partially) agree on and would make your conviction better.

- Cite Examples

It doesn't really have to be something that needs reference (but must not be entirely fabricated) but it's better if you give out situations and similar statements from fellow bloggers. Just to let lazy people who care less about other blogs know that you are not alone.

Just to give an example of "responsible ranting" (if ever there is one) here are some instances:

I'm sure she will get her just desserts for fooling a nation, but she 

made a very big impression being president for 9 years. Plus, 

she made neck braces fashionable. 

A very well-versed man. He had his shortcomings and can be a jerk, 

but you can't help but listen to him. And you can say that you

more manlier than him...

 I'm sure the Santiagos have every reason to attack Tulfo,

what with their privacy and all, it's just that it is very 

improper to use force in that situation. 

Some say that he just wanted to remove Western influences on a Muslim nation, 

and that is a noble cause. But his methods of sending a message is wrong.

His 12-inch 20,000php ++ action figure is pretty cool, though.

See you next post, b*tches...

-"the king" 

My Spat With Manabat (Or, How NOT to Piss a Celebrity)

It's hard being a fan of a celebrity. Try as they may to reach out to all of their devotees, you'd have to do something drastic to make them remember you and even offer you to be "in their world". And there's also the part where you criticized his/her actions and it was known by the devout fans, well, hell hath no fury. 

As humiliating as this is (heck, as of this writing I don't know why I'm still writing this. Call me a glutton for punishment) and to give you a lesson on holding off your thoughts, I'd like to tell a story of my brief argument with a celebrity named Jahziel Manabat.

For those who don't know who Jahziel Manabat is, she is a professional model and one of the "vixens" on Premiere Condoms search for a model. She also appeared on car shows, print ads and most recently on the famous Pinoy Big Brother Unlimited as a housemate but voluntarily exited after just a few weeks of stay. We could look into her reason as someone who just wanted to get a contract for ABS-CBN to get more exposure, but it's just my opinion and let's not delve deeper into that. 

She is very famous especially to hot-blooded males and on the internet. She has that sexual charm that could turn you to butter and knows how to "tease" especially with these following set of pictures as examples:

Not to mention that she has pretty large breasts and sensual curves.

Definitely fap-worthy...

Her curves are not limited to wearing lingerie or two-piece bikinis. Jahziel can also dress glamorously. Such is her popularity that she has a huge following on her Facebook fan page, with 165,000 hits. I joined the group and got treated to some very revealing pictures. She would post pictures of her activities and there would be a dozen Likes, Shares and comments ranging from "LUV yah jaz!!!" to "isang gabi lang yan ok na q hehe". We really couldn't avoid this obscene remarks, especially with Facebook allowing a certain degree of anonymity where you could "get away with it". 

But the admins on her fanpage (with her approval, I guess) would go over their way with making an album to embarrass the said obscene people, marking their malicious comment and having other fans make fun or bashing the "fan". There is even an album where they showed front pages of tabloid that is not authorized. I immediately thought that this is one feisty girl who doesn't give a B.S. to anyone. She could take care of herself.

But upon seeing an album of her feeding program that she did along with a couple of colleagues, I had to do say something. There is also an issue where I find it unsettling that she'd have to show this to the social network. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is a noble cause but for me, charity doesn't have to be shown, but hey, she got her reasons. I commented on a photo: "not to nitpick, but wouldn't it be better and "nakaka-lugar" if you chose to wear a dress that is less revealing?"

It's just a simple fashion sense, I guess. Would you wear something revealing to a court hearing, a church ceremony or a debate? Her sleeveless top is too...revealing. 

I mean it can get this revealing: 

I waited for a few days for any possible reply from her and sure enough, I did get one.
" hello nakapants po ako... hndi ba mas over ang dress para sa feeding program.. andame 


mo npapansin.. stylist ka ba?"

I tried to reply that her top is too revealing for that scenario but my girlfriend told me not to delve too much anymore. Pretty soon there were comments from fans saying that I'm gay or I'm just too stunned from her looks to make a comment like that, etc. And with that kind of attitude coming from her, I've decided to leave her fanpage and go with my ways. Yeah, she can be mean. But I do check her from time to time when I get 


"lonely". We're wired that way.   

So I've learned that there are some things that you need to just keep to yourself. But sometimes you see a unique kind of honesty when you do say something frank. 

For now these are my "idols": 

Fellow Premiere Vixen contestant and car show babe Christine Marquez.

And tattooed model Vanessa Lake.


And because of the incident I know now how to follow them: as an ordinary fan. If something works out, great. If not, you can just stay "behind the bleachers" and ogle.


- "the king"

What Could Be "Iron Man 3" Plot Details (Extremis Play-By-Play)

I have been a fan of following plot details on up-and-coming movies, whether they are minor or major story points. They never hinder my movie-watching experience and as much as these "spies" dig out any "dirt" on a movie there will be one scene that will take you by surprise. And besides, all movies follow a formula (except maybe indie films) that you'd know what will happen next ( I'm looking at you, Filipino action movies) 

Anyway, the third Iron Man movie is said to be based on the "Extremis", a 6-part storyline wirtten by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov originally featured on Invincible Iron Man  # 1-6 last 2005. It was recently collected in trade and even reprinted along with 2 other stories by local publishers PSICOM Publishing in pocket form. I was able to purchase all the issues until it stopped publication. 

So as a means of dishing out some "dirt" on a possible "Iron Man 3" spoilers and also telling you guys a good story, I've made a detailed blow-by-blow account of the story while also providing some scanned pictures as well. But with some recent news of an American flag-painted Iron Man popping up the 'net, it's everybody's guess if the third movie will follow closely this particular storyline. Of course I don't want to scan the whole comics as that would defeat the purpose of my writing. (and, all images Copyright 2005 Marvel Comics). 

(Click on any image for larger view)

The story opened with 3 men going to an abandoned building and injecting a buddy with an advanced-looking syringe. We learn that the buddy's name is Mallen. (take notes, there will be a quiz after) 

 At first Mallen seemed to have fainted and his buddies thought it was a dud. But then...

Gaaahhh. Looks like a 28 Days Later movie Zombie...

Cut to scene in a dimly-lit garage and we hear a cellphone ringing and Iron Man Tony Stark, reaching from his folding bed, answered it. It was his secretary reminding him of an interview that he set a few months back.  He got up, took a bath and did this bit:

Over the course of the story he would seem to talk to himself over his reflection a couple of times, as if he is assessing his self-worth. Up to now, I really don't quite "get" what the writer is achieving... 

Next we cut to an office where an old man is typing something on his computer and printed it. After that he reached for his drawer and...

Definitely not an all-ages book. 

Then we get to Tony Stark in his office all suited up and set for his scheduled interview with a document filmmaker named John Pillinger. He shook his hand and said that he is an "admirer of his documentaries". One would think that he is just being civil and never really heard about the guy, but Tony is a very smart man...

This story bit is pretty intense. The filmmaker is making Tony question his motives for having a weapons company that seemed to do more bad than good to the world. I read on a comic book magazine that the writer is trying to place Tony Stark on the "real world", where he is notorious enough to be interviewed by someone famous on the field like the controversial Michael Moore.

While this particular scene is wordy, it does not hinder your reading experience. For me, it packed more punches than his fight with Mallen on the following issues. And to think that this just occurred on the first issue... It just showed that the story showed potential early on. 

And he gave out the best "zing" or a big, subtle F-U to the filmmaker in this following panels:

After the interview Tony took a breather not by driving a sportscar, but flying around the skies with his Iron  Man suit. From there he received a call (isn't there anything the Iron Man suit can't do??? It's like an IPhone that you wear...) from a biologist/medical programmer named Maya Hansen that he met a few years back in a convention, asking for someone to talk, regarding her boss killing himself. (as seen previously) 

Tony recommended that they go to Sal, some hippie/proclaimed shaman. We get the same treatment before from the documentary filmmaker where we get a lot of conversations but this one fell short. It's not that much interesting to read and it makes me wonder how Sal knows what Maya and Tony are thinking.

While Sal does give out some thought-provoking pieces, it is overshadowed by a "powered-up" Mallen destroying an FBI building and killing the people inside as well shown in between talks. This is a comic book, after all. I'm guessing the writer did this to remove the monotony of "talking heads", which is a good move.

Naturally Tony suited up and fought Mallen.

Before we get to the incredible fight scene, we finally understand what "Extremis" is. Basically it's like a super-soldier serum on a biological scale. Read more on he image below.

And we also discover Mallen's bit of his past which would explain why he is doing this.

There are a few scenes here that the film "Iron Man", starring Robert Downey Jr., "borrowed" from, like the part where Iron Monger lifted a whole van to squash on Iron Man but Tony used his chest beam to prevent it from happening. The fight scene was pretty straightforward, brutal and wordless, which is a welcome change. I believe that this is also the first time that we see the "status updates" that Tony Stark is seeing on his helmet. 

Tony got beaten up really bad and would almost be killed if not for the police's choppers arrival. A police officer approached Iron Man and asked him what to do next. He asked to be sent to Maya's bio-medical office and:

Of course Maya objects with Tony's request but Tony ain't having that. He's convinced that an Extremis dose will help him beat Mallen and give his armor a much greater upgrade.

The following panels below give a very nice characterization bit for Mallen. While running away from the authority at 300mph he stumbled into an outcast student hanging around. The way he reasons out his motives to "save" his country to her is kinda hilarious and morbid. 

Back to Tony and we see him being lead to the Extremis-testing room and was given the last dose. Just like Mallen he got into an uncontrollable seizure and has gone into a coma. While in coma Tony dreamed about the time where was held captive by terrorists and  how he made his first Iron Man suit with the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen to escape. We were treated to a flashback for people not familiar with Tony's origin.

I really enjoyed this part, besides the filmmaker interview part. It made me love the "First-Appearance" costume. And seeing the suit take down terrorists, jeeps and shelters was very empowering. 

When Tony woke up he told Maya that he made some modifications to the Extremis dose and showed that the under sheath of his armor is stored in his bones and he can command his armor at will. He even boasted  that he knows where Mallen is going and stated "I can see through satellites now."

With Tony getting the proper evacuation from the town where Mallen is wandering, he was able to give him a rematch where he was able to go toe-to-toe. As usual, the fight scene was brutal.

 In the first panel below we can see a Bender toy from the Futurama series. Just something I've noticed. And on the next image I can't believe that he would headbutt with his helmet on. Brutal indeed.

 Mallen was greatly pissed about Tony's remarks about him being an evil version of the Iron Man suit and and tackled him to the ground. He was choking him and Tony did something to save his life: 

Mega Ouch.

After the fight Tony was able to get his thoughts together and went back to Maya's office along with some army guys. This is, as we say, the twist to the story:

 And we get a last shot of Tony being able to be contented with himself. Still do not get it though.

But other than a few nitpicks, Iron Man: Extremis is a very well-written story perfect for readers just getting into Iron Man. A perfect jumping-off point, if you may. The art is also a delight. The artist Adi Granov is so influential he was tapped as lead designer on the suits on the "Iron Man" film. A recommended read for all.

I hope you enjoy this post, and as "First Appearance" Iron Man would say, "So Long, Folks!!!"

 and "Now F*%& Off!!!" ( I was so greatly inspired by the story that I sought and bought a Marvel Legends Iron Man just like the one featured on the storyline. Articulation is good but I glued his face mask shut because Tony's face is not proportional with his body. But still, a solid figure)

- "the king"