YouTube, Universal mull video venture: reports

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - - Google-owned YouTube and the world's largest music recording company Universal Music Group are reportedly discussing collaborating on a premium music video website.
The New York Times on Thursday cited unnamed sources as saying that talks between the companies are "advanced" but still in flux.

Google has been striving for ways to make money on hugely-popular YouTube while avoiding alienating notoriously transient Internet users and assuring film and music studios that video copyrights are being respected.

Neither YouTube nor UMG, owned by France-based Vivendi, would officially comment on reports of talks that have appeared this week in the Times, Wall Street Journal and several other US news publications.

Music videos are extremely popular at YouTube and major labels have reportedly been seeking to renegotiate licensing deals inked in 2006 and 2007 in bids for better terms.

Agreements in place assure recording labels small fees when videos are watched and cuts of advertising revenue generated on the Web pages.

Sony Music Entertainment reached a new agreement with YouTube this year but other labels continue to negotiate with the video-sharing site.

The sides are divided regarding "how to compensate the music industry for the use of their music in things which are promotional," Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said at an investor conference this week.

A licensing arrangement UMG has with YouTube is reportedly set to expire at the end of March. Music videos on the UMG channel at YouTube have received billions of views.

How Robin became Totoy Bato

Perhaps no other actor takes his craft as seriously as Robin Padilla, almost to a fault.
“Before he started shooting Blackout in which he plays an edgy role,” recalled his manager Betchay Vidanes, “Binoy insisted on staying on the location...and abandoned house in Cubao, Quezon City... to get the feel of the milieu.”

For (Carlo J. Caparas’) Joaquin Bordado, his last GMA action-series in which he plays the title role (a man whose tattoos would come to life to help him fight goons, played by former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr. in the movie version), Robin did Pilates to look lean and practised yoga to de-stress himself.

“One morning,” continued Betchay, “I visited him at home and I was surprised to find him standing on his head. It turned out that he was copying yoga poses from a book.”

He went even farther for Totoy Bato (also by Carlo J. Caparas), his new GMA starrer (with Regine Velasquez and Manny Pacquiao among his co-stars) which started airing last Monday. Robin is cast as a prize fighter, the same role played by FPJ in the movie version.

As early as middle of last year while finishing his scenes in the horror movie Sundo (unreleased), Robin asked his staff to look for a copy of the FPJ movie not to duplicate FPJ’s portrayal but to study how he could give the role a new twist. Also, he watched movies about street-fighting and mixed martial arts.

“I have to look like a fighter,” said Robin. “For Joaquin Bordado, talagang nag-diet ako.”

For Totoy Bato, he did the opposite.

“Kain naman ako nang kain,” laughed Robin, “but I chose what to put in my mouth. I ate mostly boiled camote, banana and corn.

The result: From his 140-lb. Joaquin Bordado look, Robin expanded to his current 184-lb. Totoy Bato build.

For the rigorous training, Robin enlisted the help of Edcel Ngina, member of the Wushu and Muay Thai national teams, 2005 Wushu gold medalist in the Pre-Asian Indoor Games and coach of the Muay Thai Philippine Team.

His workout buddies included Jerome Lumagas, SEA Games gold medalist in Wushu and Sanshu; Jerome Calica, SEA Games gold medalist in Wushu; George Ludasan, World Wushu Championship gold medalist; Jason Balabal, member of the Philippine Wrestling Team; Perlito Siador, member of the Wrestling and Muay Thai Philippine Team; and Muay Thai fughters Jessie Matias, Edgar Paasa, Daniel Boyucan and Jason Siador.

Robin and his buddies even went to Baguio to continue the training.

“Their daily schedule was back-breaking,” said Betchay. “Binoy would wake up at 4 a.m., and pray before preparing for a hard day. By 4:30, he was in his tracksuit ready for the jog around the village where the Padillas have a house. The jog lasted until 6:30 a.m.”

Sometimes, he jogged around the Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay, and climbed up and down the hundred steps. From 7:30 to 10 a.m., he lifted weights, and took snacks after that. After a break from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., he was at the gym from 3 to 7 p.m. to lift heavy weights and do Muay Thai, Arnis de Mano, wrestling and mixed martial arts. After dinner, by 8:30, Robin was asleep. The same routine followed the next day.

“I got bruises in my legs,” said Robin. “Nagkapaltos-paltos ang mga paa ko dahil naging mas mabigat ang timbang ko. Up to now, the bruises are not healed.”

Through it all, Robin insisted that he did his own laundry.

“Ayokong magpalaba. That’s part of my training.”

The training was capped by a trek to Mt. Pulag in the Cordilleras (from Jan. 18 to 21), 2,992 feet above sea level, for a pictorial with Jun de Leon.

“I started the climb on the night of Jan. 18 and I reached the peak at 6:30 a.m. the next day.”

And that’s how Robin Padilla became Totoy Bato, which was well worth it because the TV action-drama got a high rating on its premiere last Monday and continues to do so.

(Note: A Robin Padilla photo exhibit is being held at the Mall of Asia. Go catch it before it goes on a nationwide tour.)

Early reviews mixed for "Watchmen"

LONDON - The $120 million comic book adaptation "Watchmen," one of 2009's most eagerly awaited films, has had its world premiere in London, and reviews on Tuesday generally cast the movie as classy but no classic.

The red carpet launch late on Monday of the special effects-laden action thriller is the culmination of years of to-ing and fro-ing over scripts, budgets and, finally, a legal dispute between rival Hollywood studios.

Directed by Zack Snyder, whose "300" was a box office winner in 2007, Watchmen is based on a 1986 comic book series of the same name written by Briton Alan Moore and illustrated by compatriot Dave Gibbons.

Critics gave it mixed reviews, with several predicting approval from the hardcore comic book fan fraternity.

How it plays to a wider audience, however, will be more important to its commercial prospects.

"For those just watching Watchmen for the Watchmen, without any expectations or knowledge of the comic's storyline or historical importance, this really will be a blast," wrote Mike Ragogna in the internet newspaper The Huffington Post.

But Robbie Collin, of Britain's top-selling tabloid weekly News of the World, disagreed:

"This two-and-a-half-hour wannabe pop culture epic isn't the worst superhero movie ever made ... But it is one of the most spirit-crushingly disappointing," he said.

MOORE-LESS

As with other movies based on his stories, Moore has distanced himself from the film, which hits cinemas in Britain and the United States on March 6.

Asked if Moore was likely to watch the movie, deemed "unfilmable" by some in the business, Snyder told Reuters: "Look, you know Alan has famously said 'I don't want anything to do with it' and I just try and respect that as much as I can."

Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 United States, where the "Doomsday Clock" charting U.S. tensions with the Soviet Union, is permanently set at five minutes to midnight.

When one of his former colleagues is found murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all superheroes, both past and present.

The film contains scenes of sex and violence, earning it an R rating in the United States meaning under-17s can only see it with a parent or adult guardian, limiting its commercial potential.

The fate of the film was in doubt until last month, when studios Warner Bros and News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox reached a settlement in a copyright infringement dispute.

Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc, produced the film, but Fox sued Warner last year to stop its release. Fox, which acquired the rights to the "Watchmen" story in 1986, claimed it had a continuing stake in the project.

Warner was also behind The Dark Knight, the Batman sequel which was last year's biggest grossing film globally with ticket sales of $1 billion. "Iron Man" was another superhero hit grossing $582 million worldwide, according to ticket tracking site www.boxofficemojo.com.

Janna vows to fight on after 'Fear Factor' loss

TIP OF THE MONTH

SWAP BEFORE YOU SHOP

This Year, you can clear clutter, save money, and get new stuff without spending a single centavo - by setting up an online swap site.

1. Classify you idle possessions into categories e.g. shoes, bags, accessories, books, gadgets, and furniture.

2. take a photos of each item using a digital camera.

3. Log on to the internet and create an online "swap meet" album using any free photo hosting service, such as Multiply or Flicker. make sure you group the photos you uploaded according to the categories you set in step 1.

4. Write a short description with pertinent info for each photo you upload.

5. Once done, send an email blast to friends announcing that your online swap site up. ask them to make their own online swap sites, so you can easily browse through each others old stuff and start trading. tell your friends to forward your email to their own friends, so your swapping network grows, Then, barter away!

Nice idea right? hehehehe

Benefits We gat from LAKES

Have you seen or experienced the beauty of some Philippine lakes? Do you know how these lakes benefits us? Lakes, like other bodies of water, are very important. they provide resources that we use in our daily activities.

Source of Water and Energy
Lakes serve as reservoir of fresh water. Some of the water we drink comes from them. Lakes also supply water to farms through irrigation. When there is enough water supply, rice, corn, vegetables and other crops are well nourished. This results to an increase in production of the resources necessary for our everyday lives. Lakes also provide power. The water in lakes can be used to generate hydroelectric energy, which is used to produce electricity.

Fishing Grounds
Lakes also serve as important habitats for many aquatic plants and animals which provide us food. With this, lakes had also become fishing grounds. Some fishermen install fishpens and cages to increase production. This process, called aquaculture, is the main source of livelihood for many people, particularly those residing along or near lakeshores.

Transportation and Recreation
Some lakes serve as passageways for passenger boats and vessels that transport oil and other products to supply depots. Lakes can also become tourist attractions. They offer breathtaking views and recreational opportunities for local and foreign tourists. They provide a lot of enjoyable activities such as swimming, picknicking, sailing, boating, fishing, surfing, and camping.

Other Gains
During the rainy season, lakes serve as catch basin, thus helping control flood. Lakes also help lower the temperature and climate of their surroundings. With all the benefits we get from lakes, we should always take care of them. We should not allow our healthy lakes to disappear.

Hope all of us will do our part to save our mother earth.

FILIPINA in an International Hit Series

one of the cast members of the international hit series POWER RANGERS: Operation Overdrive is a FIlipina based in London. RHODA Montemayor, a gifted and excellent performer, played the character of Pink Overdrive Ranger. Using her potentials in acting and skills in martial arts, Montemayor portrayed her role very well. The series is shown on television worldwide.

see? Filipinos are really GREAT! LOL

Lost Parrot Recites Name and Complete Address

a grey parrot named Yosuke Nakamura was rescued by the police in Tokyo after he flew out of his cage and got lost. The parrot stayed overnight at the police station but he kept silent and ignored the policemen when they tried to get some clues from him. When the authorities transferred the parrot to a local veterinarian, he began to sing and talk.
He later provided his complete name and home address to the veterinarian. The parrot was then returned to the Nakamura family who taught the bird all his important information for about two years.

Madam Arroyo Asks Clinton to Visit RP

Plant as Pet

How do you turn your plant into a pet? Using the high-tech Digital Pot, your plant can now express itself if it needs more water or if it is satisfied with your care. it comes with an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen where you can see if your plants says "normal", dissatisfied", "more water", and "danger". The system works by measuring the soil conditions, temperature, humidity, and water in the pot. When the plant is overwatered, the pot automatically drains excess water. The digital pot also comes with a USB cable to be used in charging and connecting to the computer so information about the plant can be seen through the use of software.