Continuation from Here
The acclaimed film director quipped that, more than his film’s story, the actual making of this film was the real war. Art imitating life imitating art. With the looming threat of not being able to finish his problematic new film, the acclaimed film director who had lost 100 pounds during the making of this film, joined his actors and resorted to drugs. At one point, the acclaimed film director reportedly started weeping for no apparent reason and suffered epileptic seizure. He was even making his final request that if he dies, his friend who was the original choice to direct the film be tapped to finish it.
.
To keep his wife busy, the acclaimed film director assigned his wife to film behind-the-scene footages. But the acclaimed film director’s wife was not the only family member who was involved in the film. The acclaimed film director has always been accused of nepotism in his films by casting his daughter, sons, sister, nephews and other relatives. True enough, the acclaimed film director’s two young sons appeared as extras in this film. Even the acclaimed film director’s father provided the music for this film. It seems that only the acclaimed film director’s mother, who was an actress, was missing in this “family film.”
Similarly, even the lead actor’s two sons appeared as extras in the film. Later, these young boys would grow up to become famous actors themselves. One of them would lead a very colorful life and would spend tons of money for prostitutes.
On the other hand, the acclaimed film director’s daughter who was only four years old during the making of this film later became a prestigious film director herself. She holds the distinction being the only woman director ever nominated for the most prestigious film award. The acclaimed film director is also the uncle of an actor who, probably aware of the nepotism charge against the acclaimed film director, changed his surname after doing his first film so that he could claim any future success as his own and not due to the influence of his famous uncle. He eventually became a highly popular actor. And nobody could accuse him now of gaining fame because of his influential uncle.
The acclaimed film director and his family lived in the exclusive Dasmarinas Village in Makati with security men outside their door. The acclaimed film director also had a full-time bodyguard during the making of the film, courtesy of the President. The President was worried that some rebels might kidnap the acclaimed film director in some far-flung province and put the President in bad light. The acclaimed film director even visited the President in Malacanang a few times.
All the difficulties during the making of the film were chronicled in a documentary film which was co-directed by the acclaimed film director’s wife. While the acclaimed film director remained married to his highly supportive wife all his life, the veteran actor who played the villain in the film had lived with a number of women. The veteran actor’s first wife was an actress. Then, he married another actress who was seven years older than him. However, his last wife was was 18 years younger than him and was working as a dishwasher in a resort when she was discovered. She eventually appeared in a movie with the veteran actor. Several years later, their grandson became the signature model of a famous fashion designer who was murdered by a notorious Pinoy male prostitute who later committed suicide.
But family tragedy seemed to follow both the acclaimed film director and the veteran actor. The acclaimed film director’s son who appeared as an extra in this film together with his younger brother was on his way to a promising film career when he died in a boat accident while his girlfriend was three months pregnant with his child. On the other hand, the veteran actor’s daughter committed suicide by hanging herself after her boyfriend was murdered. Soon, her boyfriend’s murderer was convicted and jailed. But instead of feeling triumphant because justice has been served, the murderer’s capture and imprisonment only added to the veteran actor’s pain. Because the murderer of the boyfriend of the veteran actor’s daughter turned out to be the veteran actor’s son. The veteran actor’s son was later released from jail but he eventually died of pneumonia.
However, the director’s experiences in making this film were not all traumatic. The acclaimed film director had also some pleasant surprises during the making of this film. For one, the acclaimed film director had nothing but praises to the ingenious and talented Pinoys who participated in the making of this film, specially the Ifugaos from Mountain Province. The acclaimed film director was also amazed that, contrary to the negative things that he had heard before he started shooting the film in various provinces, nobody asked him for anything in exchange for assistance in making the film. He did not have to bribe anyone. And the government was all-out in helping him finish his film. They gave him everything that he needed.
The government was indeed beyond cooperative. In one scene where the lead actor was supposed to smoke opium with a woman after they had sex, the acclaimed director admitted that he did not know how to execute the scene because he did not know how to smoke opium. So, the government came to his rescue. The government brought an actual prisoner (who was then serving time in jail for a narcotic-related offense) to the film set and he was instructed to show to the acclaimed film director how to smoke opium. The ecstatic prisoner had the time of his life smoking opium leisurely while the acclaimed film director and the cops watch. After the prisoner had finished smoking the opium, he was led back to his prison cell.
As soon as the veteran actor completed all his scenes in the film, the acclaimed film director requested the veteran actor to stay for one more hour so that the acclaimed film director could take a close-up shot of the veteran actor while uttering the last dialogue in the film. The veteran actor relented. But only after the film’s producers agreed to pay him an extra 75,000 bucks. Yes, he was paid that much just to utter two short sentences which consisted of a grand total of four words! But that was relatively a small amount. Because in order to convince the veteran actor to appear as the villain in this film, the producers had to pay the veteran actor one million bucks per week which was much more than the fee for the film’s lead actor.
Yes, the veteran actor who played the villain in this acclaimed film director’s film based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, was paid a million dollars per week.
And yes, veteran actor Marlon Brando, together with the film’s lead actor Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Harvey Keitel, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne and a wide assortment of Hollywood stars, travelled almost 20 hours across the globe to shoot this acclaimed film director’s highly ambitious film.
And yes, this film was directed by the acclaimed film director who also previously directed the film about organized crime which is probably on everybody’s favorite list, The Godfather.
And yes, Apocalypse Now was filmed entirely by acclaimed film director, Francis Ford Coppola, in various parts of the Philippines with the talent and ingenuity of thousands of nameless Pinoys.
Now you know the truly amazing people behind this equally amazing film.
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He was born on a Sunday at St. Luke’s Hospital.
He formed a band named Exodus.
His name means church.
But he is not religious.
.
Nor is he a saint.
Just a hero.
.
Guitar hero.
.
This guitar hero was born at 3 in the morning on November 18.
His mother was a Pinay government employee while his father was a seaman. He has two siblings: Rick and Tracy.
When he was 11 years old, he took piano lessons. But he did not like the teacher. So he quit.
His older brother, Rick, had a vast collection of guitars and records. When he turned 15, he got himself his own guitar. Although it was an inexpensive one, it sparked his passion for playing the guitar.
.
He always played Jimi Hendrix songs in his guitar. He is obsessed with Jimi Hendrix. He wanted to be like Jimi Hendrix. Yes, Jimi Hendrix was his guitar hero.
His dream was finally fulfilled when he got a more expensive guitar. But he did not have a good amplifier. So he took a job as a dishwasher at Burger King in order to buy one.
This was when he formed the band Exodus with his friends.
A year later, while he was taking private guitar lessons, he received an unexpected call from a popular rock band. The band was about to record their first album but they wanted to fire their lead guitarist who was giving them problems. So they wanted him to try out as the band’s new guitarist.
After his audition, the popular rock band offered him the position of lead guitarist. But it was April Fool’s Day. So he thought it was a joke. It was not a joke.
And the rest was history.
He is a vegetarian and he likes to collect horror movies and movie memorabilia. He loves to collect taxidermy and he even owns a stuffed two-headed sheep and a stuffed monkey. He also loves animals and he keeps a motley of pets at home: two dogs named Darla and Hoku, several cats, two horses, a llama and a goat. Recently, he has discovered a new passion: surfing.
He drives a Land Cruiser, a ’55 Dodge Coronet and a mountain bike. He had a Porsche. But he pawned it in a bet. He lost.
In 1995, as a Christmas gift to himself, he got a tattoo wrapped around his belly button which says: “Made in SF 11-18-62” This is in addition to the hot rod flames he already had in his thigh.
.
After his first marriage with Rebecca ended in 1990, he married Lani in 1998. In 2006, they had a son whom he named Angel Ray Keala. Two years later, they had another son: Vincenzo Kainalu.
He confessed that he plays his guitar at least 362 days a year.
He was ranked number 11 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s ultimate list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. His guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix, took the top spot.
The recognition accorded him by the Rolling Stone Magazine was such a huge honor. Because it ranked him way ahead of some of the best guitar players who ever lived. This only mean one thing. He is a better guitarist than all of the following great guitarists from the greatest bands in history:
He took private guitar lessons from master guitarist Joe Satriani. Remember the name? Yes, Joe Satriani was the man who composed If I Could Fly which was allegedly the original song from where popular British alternative rock band Coldplay (lead by vocalist/pianist/guitarist Chris Martin who is the husband of Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow) copied its Grammy award-winning song, Viva La Vida. If you listen to both songs, the similarity was indeed uncanny.
He was the first ever inductee into the prestigious Guitar World Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
His band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide.
His band has won seven (7) Grammy awards, two (2) MTV Video Music awards, two (2) American Music awards and three (3) Billboard Music awards. His band was also inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame.
Early 2009 marked another milestone in his amazing career as a master of the guitar. He became a certified Guitar Hero.
Because his band became the subject of the second in a series of Guitar Hero video games.
He is a real Guitar Hero.
His name is Kirk Lee Hammett.
And he is the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band, Metallica.
Yes, Metallica.
And yes, his mother is a true-blooded Pinay.
And you have probably heard some of his band’s amazing music.
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Venus is the Roman goddess associated with beauty. And Pinoys love beauty. No wonder, watching beautiful women as they parade in swimsuit is one of Pinoys’ national pastimes. No one can beat a Pinoy in easily spotting beauty and getting her to succumb to his irresistible charm.
Beauty #1: A. Helena
A. Helena’s parents met in Canada where they eventually got married. She was born on August 20 and was the third in a brood of four girls and one boy. As a young girl, she developed a passion for gymnastics and swimming. When she turned 17, she was prodded into joining a national beauty contest. Standing 5 feet, 5 inches and weighing 110 pounds, she handily won the national beauty contest. On the same year, she travelled to the United States to compete in an international beauty pageant which was being held for the first time.
On July 28, twelve days after arriving in the United States, the final day of the beauty contest was held. One of the judges was a Mexican Hollywood actor who would later star in a Famas-nominated Pinoy action film directed by a Pinoy director and featuring a supporting cast which included a martial arts-expert-cum-Pinoy action star and a former Binibining Pilipinas runner-up: Elizabeth Oropesa. Since the beauty contest was being held for the first time, there were only 30 contestants from various countries. Only one Asian made it to the top five.
A. Helena won the hearts of the panel of judges with her elegant beauty. She easily won the top prize. Since it was the first year of the beauty contest and there was no previous winner, she was crowned by an actress whose leading man in her first movie was a movie actor who later became president.
Part of A. Helena’s prize as the first ever winner of the beauty pageant was an appearance in a Universal Studio movie to be filmed in the United States where she would be paired with a popular comedy duo. However, there was a problem. She had no permit to work in the United States. In order to secure work permit for her, the pageant organizers tried to convince her to marry a famous Hollywood actor (who later married the star of a very famous Hollywood film with whom he had a daughter who later became an equally famous Hollywood actress). A. Helena refused to marry the famous actor and the movie was never made.
When she crowned the new Miss Philippines that year, she was escorted by a young man who would later become a feisty young senator. When she visited the Senate, a brilliant young senator was smitten by her. (But she was destined for someone else.) The brilliant young senator and the feisty young senator would later become bitter enemies and would make history in completely opposite ways.
On February 22 of the following year, A. Helena had a blind date with a wealthy Pinoy businessman who was also a very good dancer. She was instantly infatuated with this smart yet unassuming guy who graduated from New York’s only ivy league school: Columbia University. She agreed to marry him. To mark their engagement, he gave her a diamond ring. But there was a problem. Her reign as beauty pageant winner was not yet over. Her contract required her to finish her one-year term before she could get married. But she was madly in love with him. So she decided to give up her crown. But before a formal wedding could be held, the couple decided to get married in haste in Japan. His wedding gift to her was a brand-new car. Their love story was made into a movie which was shown that same year.
Beauty #2: S. Marquez
Eight years after A. Helena's triumph, S. Marquez defied her school’s warning for wearing a swimsuit and proceeded to compete in the same beauty contest in the United States which was earlier won by A. Helena. However, S. Marquez landed only as one of the 15 semifinalists. Although two Asians made it to top 15, no Asian made it to top five. Disappointed, she competed again in a different international beauty contest which was being held for the first time that same year. Armed with valuable lessons from her previous international contest, notwithstanding her fascinating figure and flashing smile (as described by the press), she vowed to win this time. However, her confidence melted when she saw that one of her competitors was Miss Austria who was also a contender in her previous international pageant where Miss Austria made it to the top 5 while S. Marquez only made it to top 15.
As a sidelight to the contest, a controversy erupted when people noticed that one of the contestants' photograph which appeared in the pageant’s program had been retouched and an evening gown was painted over her photograph to conceal her body. Rumors spread that she posed nude for the photo session.
During the preliminaries for S. Marquez’s second international beauty contest, fifteen semifinalists were initially chosen among 41 contestants. Four Asians made it to the semifinals: Miss India, Miss Japan, Miss Philippines and Miss Singapore. However, when the five finalists were announced, only one Asian made it to the list. The object of her fear, Miss Austria, didn’t make it.
When it was time to announce the winner, there were some delays as the judges continued to debate over their choice of winner. However, it was widely believed that the delay was deliberately done because the judges waited for one of the top five finalists to commit a mistake. One of them allegedly stopped smiling, so she lost half a point and only ended up as first runner-up. With half a point edge over her first runner-up, the winner was finally announced. S. Marquez became the first ever winner of the international beauty contest.
Soon, S. Marquez met a wealthy Pinoy businessman who instantly swept her off her feet. They eventually got married.
Beauty #3: Angela F.
Four years after S. Marquez won, Angela F. competed in the 13th year of the same international beauty contest which was won for the first time by A. Helena but where S. Marquez made it only to the semifinals. It was an unlucky year for Angela F. because she did not make it even just to the semifinals. Only one Asian made it to top five: Miss Republic of China who was fourth runner-up. But Angela F. did not give up. The following year, she joined another international beauty contest which was being held for the first time. She handily won the crown.
Soon, Angela F. got married to a Pinoy from Cebu.
A. Helena, S. Marquez and Angela F. are three beautiful women who were lucky in the first year of their respective beauty contest. But luckier were the three lovers of beauty, their respective husbands, for winning the elusive hearts of these three international beauty queens.
Angela F., who did not make it to the semifinals of the 1964 Miss Universe beauty pageant and who married a Pinoy from Cebu, Jose Faustino, is Angela Filmer who became the first ever Miss Asia in 1965 (and probably the only one since it is different from the current Miss Asia Pacific International where the Philippines has won four times).
Yes, the first ever Miss Asia is Malaysian but she is married to a Pinoy.
S. Marquez, who became the organizer of Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant and who landed only as a semifinalist in the 1960 Miss Universe beauty pageant and who eventually married wealthy Pinoy businessman, Jorge Araneta, is Stella Marquez who became the first ever Miss International in 1960 (where the only Asian in the top five who lost half a point to become first runner-up was Miss India).
Yes, the first ever Miss International is Colombian but she is married to a Pinoy.
A. Helena, who was smitten by then brilliant young senator Ferdinand E. Marcos when she visited Senate and who was escorted by then soon-to-be feisty senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. when she crowned that year’s Miss Philippines and who was crowned for winning an international beauty pageant by actress Piper Laurie whose leading man in her first movie was former actor, President Ronald Reagan, and who refused to marry famous Holllywood actor Tony Curtis (who later got married to Psycho star, Janet Leigh, who was the mother of Hollywood actress, Jamie Lee Curtis) and instead married wealthy Pinoy businessman, Virgilio Hilario, is Armi Helena Kuusela who became the first ever Miss Universe in 1952 (where the only Asian in the top five was Miss Hongkong).
Yes, the first ever Miss Universe is Finnish but she was married to a Pinoy.
Indeed, Pinoys love beauty. And they married them.
Armi Helena Kuusela of Finland, Stella Marquez of Colombia and Angela Filmer of Malaysia may have won the beauty standards of their respective beauty pageant’s board of judges but the Pinoy triumvirate of Virgilio Hilario, Jorge Araneta and Jose Faustino won the hearts of the first Miss Universe, the first Miss International and the first Miss Asia, respectively.
Yes, the first Miss Universe, the first Miss International and the first Miss Asia were all married to Pinoys.
Pinoys indeed love Venus.
And Venus loves them back.
And most of you have probably heard the rest of these amazing couples' stories.
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The acclaimed film director quipped that, more than his film’s story, the actual making of this film was the real war. Art imitating life imitating art. With the looming threat of not being able to finish his problematic new film, the acclaimed film director who had lost 100 pounds during the making of this film, joined his actors and resorted to drugs. At one point, the acclaimed film director reportedly started weeping for no apparent reason and suffered epileptic seizure. He was even making his final request that if he dies, his friend who was the original choice to direct the film be tapped to finish it.
.
To keep his wife busy, the acclaimed film director assigned his wife to film behind-the-scene footages. But the acclaimed film director’s wife was not the only family member who was involved in the film. The acclaimed film director has always been accused of nepotism in his films by casting his daughter, sons, sister, nephews and other relatives. True enough, the acclaimed film director’s two young sons appeared as extras in this film. Even the acclaimed film director’s father provided the music for this film. It seems that only the acclaimed film director’s mother, who was an actress, was missing in this “family film.”
Similarly, even the lead actor’s two sons appeared as extras in the film. Later, these young boys would grow up to become famous actors themselves. One of them would lead a very colorful life and would spend tons of money for prostitutes.
On the other hand, the acclaimed film director’s daughter who was only four years old during the making of this film later became a prestigious film director herself. She holds the distinction being the only woman director ever nominated for the most prestigious film award. The acclaimed film director is also the uncle of an actor who, probably aware of the nepotism charge against the acclaimed film director, changed his surname after doing his first film so that he could claim any future success as his own and not due to the influence of his famous uncle. He eventually became a highly popular actor. And nobody could accuse him now of gaining fame because of his influential uncle.
The acclaimed film director and his family lived in the exclusive Dasmarinas Village in Makati with security men outside their door. The acclaimed film director also had a full-time bodyguard during the making of the film, courtesy of the President. The President was worried that some rebels might kidnap the acclaimed film director in some far-flung province and put the President in bad light. The acclaimed film director even visited the President in Malacanang a few times.
All the difficulties during the making of the film were chronicled in a documentary film which was co-directed by the acclaimed film director’s wife. While the acclaimed film director remained married to his highly supportive wife all his life, the veteran actor who played the villain in the film had lived with a number of women. The veteran actor’s first wife was an actress. Then, he married another actress who was seven years older than him. However, his last wife was was 18 years younger than him and was working as a dishwasher in a resort when she was discovered. She eventually appeared in a movie with the veteran actor. Several years later, their grandson became the signature model of a famous fashion designer who was murdered by a notorious Pinoy male prostitute who later committed suicide.
But family tragedy seemed to follow both the acclaimed film director and the veteran actor. The acclaimed film director’s son who appeared as an extra in this film together with his younger brother was on his way to a promising film career when he died in a boat accident while his girlfriend was three months pregnant with his child. On the other hand, the veteran actor’s daughter committed suicide by hanging herself after her boyfriend was murdered. Soon, her boyfriend’s murderer was convicted and jailed. But instead of feeling triumphant because justice has been served, the murderer’s capture and imprisonment only added to the veteran actor’s pain. Because the murderer of the boyfriend of the veteran actor’s daughter turned out to be the veteran actor’s son. The veteran actor’s son was later released from jail but he eventually died of pneumonia.
However, the director’s experiences in making this film were not all traumatic. The acclaimed film director had also some pleasant surprises during the making of this film. For one, the acclaimed film director had nothing but praises to the ingenious and talented Pinoys who participated in the making of this film, specially the Ifugaos from Mountain Province. The acclaimed film director was also amazed that, contrary to the negative things that he had heard before he started shooting the film in various provinces, nobody asked him for anything in exchange for assistance in making the film. He did not have to bribe anyone. And the government was all-out in helping him finish his film. They gave him everything that he needed.
The government was indeed beyond cooperative. In one scene where the lead actor was supposed to smoke opium with a woman after they had sex, the acclaimed director admitted that he did not know how to execute the scene because he did not know how to smoke opium. So, the government came to his rescue. The government brought an actual prisoner (who was then serving time in jail for a narcotic-related offense) to the film set and he was instructed to show to the acclaimed film director how to smoke opium. The ecstatic prisoner had the time of his life smoking opium leisurely while the acclaimed film director and the cops watch. After the prisoner had finished smoking the opium, he was led back to his prison cell.
As soon as the veteran actor completed all his scenes in the film, the acclaimed film director requested the veteran actor to stay for one more hour so that the acclaimed film director could take a close-up shot of the veteran actor while uttering the last dialogue in the film. The veteran actor relented. But only after the film’s producers agreed to pay him an extra 75,000 bucks. Yes, he was paid that much just to utter two short sentences which consisted of a grand total of four words! But that was relatively a small amount. Because in order to convince the veteran actor to appear as the villain in this film, the producers had to pay the veteran actor one million bucks per week which was much more than the fee for the film’s lead actor.
Yes, the veteran actor who played the villain in this acclaimed film director’s film based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, was paid a million dollars per week.
And yes, veteran actor Marlon Brando, together with the film’s lead actor Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Harvey Keitel, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne and a wide assortment of Hollywood stars, travelled almost 20 hours across the globe to shoot this acclaimed film director’s highly ambitious film.
And yes, this film was directed by the acclaimed film director who also previously directed the film about organized crime which is probably on everybody’s favorite list, The Godfather.
And yes, Apocalypse Now was filmed entirely by acclaimed film director, Francis Ford Coppola, in various parts of the Philippines with the talent and ingenuity of thousands of nameless Pinoys.
Now you know the truly amazing people behind this equally amazing film.
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Guitar Hero
He was born on a Sunday at St. Luke’s Hospital.
He formed a band named Exodus.
His name means church.
But he is not religious.
.
Nor is he a saint.
Just a hero.
.
Guitar hero.
.
This guitar hero was born at 3 in the morning on November 18.
His mother was a Pinay government employee while his father was a seaman. He has two siblings: Rick and Tracy.
When he was 11 years old, he took piano lessons. But he did not like the teacher. So he quit.
His older brother, Rick, had a vast collection of guitars and records. When he turned 15, he got himself his own guitar. Although it was an inexpensive one, it sparked his passion for playing the guitar.
.
He always played Jimi Hendrix songs in his guitar. He is obsessed with Jimi Hendrix. He wanted to be like Jimi Hendrix. Yes, Jimi Hendrix was his guitar hero.
His dream was finally fulfilled when he got a more expensive guitar. But he did not have a good amplifier. So he took a job as a dishwasher at Burger King in order to buy one.
This was when he formed the band Exodus with his friends.
A year later, while he was taking private guitar lessons, he received an unexpected call from a popular rock band. The band was about to record their first album but they wanted to fire their lead guitarist who was giving them problems. So they wanted him to try out as the band’s new guitarist.
After his audition, the popular rock band offered him the position of lead guitarist. But it was April Fool’s Day. So he thought it was a joke. It was not a joke.
And the rest was history.
He is a vegetarian and he likes to collect horror movies and movie memorabilia. He loves to collect taxidermy and he even owns a stuffed two-headed sheep and a stuffed monkey. He also loves animals and he keeps a motley of pets at home: two dogs named Darla and Hoku, several cats, two horses, a llama and a goat. Recently, he has discovered a new passion: surfing.
He drives a Land Cruiser, a ’55 Dodge Coronet and a mountain bike. He had a Porsche. But he pawned it in a bet. He lost.
In 1995, as a Christmas gift to himself, he got a tattoo wrapped around his belly button which says: “Made in SF 11-18-62” This is in addition to the hot rod flames he already had in his thigh.
.
After his first marriage with Rebecca ended in 1990, he married Lani in 1998. In 2006, they had a son whom he named Angel Ray Keala. Two years later, they had another son: Vincenzo Kainalu.
He confessed that he plays his guitar at least 362 days a year.
He was ranked number 11 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s ultimate list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. His guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix, took the top spot.
The recognition accorded him by the Rolling Stone Magazine was such a huge honor. Because it ranked him way ahead of some of the best guitar players who ever lived. This only mean one thing. He is a better guitarist than all of the following great guitarists from the greatest bands in history:
Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain (ranked #12)
Carlos Santana (ranked #15)
Ramones’ Johnny Ramone (ranked #16)
Hot Chili Pepper’s John Frusciante (ranked #18)
The Beatles’ George Harrison (ranked #21)
U2’s Dave Evans/The Edge (ranked #24)
Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello (ranked #26)
Queen’s Brian May (ranked # 39)
Aerosmith’s Joe Perry (ranked # 48)
Eddie Van Halen (ranked #70)
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (ranked#82)
Neil Young (ranked #83)
Black Sabbath’s Tommy Iommi (ranked #86)
Alice Cooper’s Glen Buxton (ranked #90)
The Doors’ Robby Krieger (ranked #91)
AC/DC’s Angus Young (ranked #96)
Plus many other great guitar icons, past and present.
Carlos Santana (ranked #15)
Ramones’ Johnny Ramone (ranked #16)
Hot Chili Pepper’s John Frusciante (ranked #18)
The Beatles’ George Harrison (ranked #21)
U2’s Dave Evans/The Edge (ranked #24)
Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello (ranked #26)
Queen’s Brian May (ranked # 39)
Aerosmith’s Joe Perry (ranked # 48)
Eddie Van Halen (ranked #70)
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (ranked#82)
Neil Young (ranked #83)
Black Sabbath’s Tommy Iommi (ranked #86)
Alice Cooper’s Glen Buxton (ranked #90)
The Doors’ Robby Krieger (ranked #91)
AC/DC’s Angus Young (ranked #96)
Plus many other great guitar icons, past and present.
He took private guitar lessons from master guitarist Joe Satriani. Remember the name? Yes, Joe Satriani was the man who composed If I Could Fly which was allegedly the original song from where popular British alternative rock band Coldplay (lead by vocalist/pianist/guitarist Chris Martin who is the husband of Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow) copied its Grammy award-winning song, Viva La Vida. If you listen to both songs, the similarity was indeed uncanny.
He was the first ever inductee into the prestigious Guitar World Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
His band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide.
His band has won seven (7) Grammy awards, two (2) MTV Video Music awards, two (2) American Music awards and three (3) Billboard Music awards. His band was also inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame.
Early 2009 marked another milestone in his amazing career as a master of the guitar. He became a certified Guitar Hero.
Because his band became the subject of the second in a series of Guitar Hero video games.
He is a real Guitar Hero.
His name is Kirk Lee Hammett.
And he is the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band, Metallica.
Yes, Metallica.
And yes, his mother is a true-blooded Pinay.
And you have probably heard some of his band’s amazing music.
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Pinoys Love Venus
Venus is the Roman goddess associated with beauty. And Pinoys love beauty. No wonder, watching beautiful women as they parade in swimsuit is one of Pinoys’ national pastimes. No one can beat a Pinoy in easily spotting beauty and getting her to succumb to his irresistible charm.
Beauty #1: A. Helena
A. Helena’s parents met in Canada where they eventually got married. She was born on August 20 and was the third in a brood of four girls and one boy. As a young girl, she developed a passion for gymnastics and swimming. When she turned 17, she was prodded into joining a national beauty contest. Standing 5 feet, 5 inches and weighing 110 pounds, she handily won the national beauty contest. On the same year, she travelled to the United States to compete in an international beauty pageant which was being held for the first time.
On July 28, twelve days after arriving in the United States, the final day of the beauty contest was held. One of the judges was a Mexican Hollywood actor who would later star in a Famas-nominated Pinoy action film directed by a Pinoy director and featuring a supporting cast which included a martial arts-expert-cum-Pinoy action star and a former Binibining Pilipinas runner-up: Elizabeth Oropesa. Since the beauty contest was being held for the first time, there were only 30 contestants from various countries. Only one Asian made it to the top five.
A. Helena won the hearts of the panel of judges with her elegant beauty. She easily won the top prize. Since it was the first year of the beauty contest and there was no previous winner, she was crowned by an actress whose leading man in her first movie was a movie actor who later became president.
Part of A. Helena’s prize as the first ever winner of the beauty pageant was an appearance in a Universal Studio movie to be filmed in the United States where she would be paired with a popular comedy duo. However, there was a problem. She had no permit to work in the United States. In order to secure work permit for her, the pageant organizers tried to convince her to marry a famous Hollywood actor (who later married the star of a very famous Hollywood film with whom he had a daughter who later became an equally famous Hollywood actress). A. Helena refused to marry the famous actor and the movie was never made.
When she crowned the new Miss Philippines that year, she was escorted by a young man who would later become a feisty young senator. When she visited the Senate, a brilliant young senator was smitten by her. (But she was destined for someone else.) The brilliant young senator and the feisty young senator would later become bitter enemies and would make history in completely opposite ways.
On February 22 of the following year, A. Helena had a blind date with a wealthy Pinoy businessman who was also a very good dancer. She was instantly infatuated with this smart yet unassuming guy who graduated from New York’s only ivy league school: Columbia University. She agreed to marry him. To mark their engagement, he gave her a diamond ring. But there was a problem. Her reign as beauty pageant winner was not yet over. Her contract required her to finish her one-year term before she could get married. But she was madly in love with him. So she decided to give up her crown. But before a formal wedding could be held, the couple decided to get married in haste in Japan. His wedding gift to her was a brand-new car. Their love story was made into a movie which was shown that same year.
Beauty #2: S. Marquez
Eight years after A. Helena's triumph, S. Marquez defied her school’s warning for wearing a swimsuit and proceeded to compete in the same beauty contest in the United States which was earlier won by A. Helena. However, S. Marquez landed only as one of the 15 semifinalists. Although two Asians made it to top 15, no Asian made it to top five. Disappointed, she competed again in a different international beauty contest which was being held for the first time that same year. Armed with valuable lessons from her previous international contest, notwithstanding her fascinating figure and flashing smile (as described by the press), she vowed to win this time. However, her confidence melted when she saw that one of her competitors was Miss Austria who was also a contender in her previous international pageant where Miss Austria made it to the top 5 while S. Marquez only made it to top 15.
As a sidelight to the contest, a controversy erupted when people noticed that one of the contestants' photograph which appeared in the pageant’s program had been retouched and an evening gown was painted over her photograph to conceal her body. Rumors spread that she posed nude for the photo session.
During the preliminaries for S. Marquez’s second international beauty contest, fifteen semifinalists were initially chosen among 41 contestants. Four Asians made it to the semifinals: Miss India, Miss Japan, Miss Philippines and Miss Singapore. However, when the five finalists were announced, only one Asian made it to the list. The object of her fear, Miss Austria, didn’t make it.
When it was time to announce the winner, there were some delays as the judges continued to debate over their choice of winner. However, it was widely believed that the delay was deliberately done because the judges waited for one of the top five finalists to commit a mistake. One of them allegedly stopped smiling, so she lost half a point and only ended up as first runner-up. With half a point edge over her first runner-up, the winner was finally announced. S. Marquez became the first ever winner of the international beauty contest.
Soon, S. Marquez met a wealthy Pinoy businessman who instantly swept her off her feet. They eventually got married.
Beauty #3: Angela F.
Four years after S. Marquez won, Angela F. competed in the 13th year of the same international beauty contest which was won for the first time by A. Helena but where S. Marquez made it only to the semifinals. It was an unlucky year for Angela F. because she did not make it even just to the semifinals. Only one Asian made it to top five: Miss Republic of China who was fourth runner-up. But Angela F. did not give up. The following year, she joined another international beauty contest which was being held for the first time. She handily won the crown.
Soon, Angela F. got married to a Pinoy from Cebu.
A. Helena, S. Marquez and Angela F. are three beautiful women who were lucky in the first year of their respective beauty contest. But luckier were the three lovers of beauty, their respective husbands, for winning the elusive hearts of these three international beauty queens.
Angela F., who did not make it to the semifinals of the 1964 Miss Universe beauty pageant and who married a Pinoy from Cebu, Jose Faustino, is Angela Filmer who became the first ever Miss Asia in 1965 (and probably the only one since it is different from the current Miss Asia Pacific International where the Philippines has won four times).
Yes, the first ever Miss Asia is Malaysian but she is married to a Pinoy.
S. Marquez, who became the organizer of Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant and who landed only as a semifinalist in the 1960 Miss Universe beauty pageant and who eventually married wealthy Pinoy businessman, Jorge Araneta, is Stella Marquez who became the first ever Miss International in 1960 (where the only Asian in the top five who lost half a point to become first runner-up was Miss India).
Yes, the first ever Miss International is Colombian but she is married to a Pinoy.
A. Helena, who was smitten by then brilliant young senator Ferdinand E. Marcos when she visited Senate and who was escorted by then soon-to-be feisty senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. when she crowned that year’s Miss Philippines and who was crowned for winning an international beauty pageant by actress Piper Laurie whose leading man in her first movie was former actor, President Ronald Reagan, and who refused to marry famous Holllywood actor Tony Curtis (who later got married to Psycho star, Janet Leigh, who was the mother of Hollywood actress, Jamie Lee Curtis) and instead married wealthy Pinoy businessman, Virgilio Hilario, is Armi Helena Kuusela who became the first ever Miss Universe in 1952 (where the only Asian in the top five was Miss Hongkong).
Yes, the first ever Miss Universe is Finnish but she was married to a Pinoy.
Indeed, Pinoys love beauty. And they married them.
Armi Helena Kuusela of Finland, Stella Marquez of Colombia and Angela Filmer of Malaysia may have won the beauty standards of their respective beauty pageant’s board of judges but the Pinoy triumvirate of Virgilio Hilario, Jorge Araneta and Jose Faustino won the hearts of the first Miss Universe, the first Miss International and the first Miss Asia, respectively.
Yes, the first Miss Universe, the first Miss International and the first Miss Asia were all married to Pinoys.
Pinoys indeed love Venus.
And Venus loves them back.
And most of you have probably heard the rest of these amazing couples' stories.
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SANA NAGUSTUHAN NYO 
, MAHABA HABA ITO PERO SULIT 
, MAHABA HABA ITO PERO SULIT TANDAAN, LIKE LANG SAPAT NA 
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