Music Video Shoot: Candy Bling

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On my first full length music video shoot, I intend to lose myself and just be on that video, on every scene.
Finally, the music video shoot for "Candy Bling" was done, shot and sequenced. It's now on the editing machine of LambsGoHard, courtesy of MirageLamb.

Looking back, it was pretty daunting to look for that one talented girl to do the "Mariah" role on the video. I got lucky to finally confirm "Mariah" in Doreen Cardinal to play the role, who just turned 18. Amazingly, she just got new curls and that would be exciting to watch onscreen. Location would also prove to be the next challenge. Initially, I had several places in mind but an old friend, Rob & Ram (collectively known as Mobe's) got all these locations in one place - their suburb. And it would be convenient for Doreen too. Lucky me!

But wait, I would need some help on this shoot. I was able to track Rain to check and confirm this 2-day shoot schedule, and after some long wait for confirmation, I got it. I'd admit that looking for help is rather difficult. Thank goodness, coordination was completed.


So, I packed my bags and paraphernalias and off to Quezon City.

Then next two days would be worth remembering.

"Candy Bling" is a track taken from Mariah's latest CD "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." It was obviously my favorite track from the album given its lush smooth groove and rolling vocals. It was ages ago when I tried gathering resources to shoot a video for Mariah but it was only now that this dream will be realized. Marking her 20th greatest years in music this month, I can simply smile that we shot the video on June 12th Eastern Time (LoL) just the perfect timing in celebrating her 20th year releasing her debut album Mariah Carey.

Day 1: past lunchtime, we started rolling the camera and ended the day at the pool at 10:30PM. Doreen was such a pro she's got no qualms setting foot and submerging her body on the cold water and acting her heart out. It was my first time and was the longest video shoot I would have at 8 hours straight. LoL. It was festive. Fun. The team was just great. I'd love to do this again.


Day 2: after breakfast, we started at the street walking the dog, on the car and back on the street. And back indoor for the chroma shot. We finished 4 hours ahead of schedule.

Nothing can be better than that. It was such a great team. Great work. I had a blast. Now, I miss them all. But I will still have to finish the video.


Photos courtesy of Rob

Lollipop Bling

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Ring Pops and a Marriage Proposal Inspire Mariah Carey Fragrances

When the singer Mariah Carey and her husband, the actor and rapper Nick Cannon, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last September, Mr. Cannon told of how he proposed in 2008: he presented Ms. Carey with a Ring Pop, the gem-shaped lollipop on a ring. Inside the package was a proper engagement ring. Upon hearing the story, executives at Elizabeth Arden, the cosmetics company that since 2007 has sold a Mariah Carey fragrance collection, began to develop a proposal of their own.

Mariah Carey's Lollipop Bling, three fragrances that Elizabeth Arden based on candy flavors and that will appear in stores soon, is the product of a partnership with the Topps Company, which makes Ring Pops. Print advertisements for the perfume in August issues of publications like Cosmopolitan, Elle and People Style Watch will show Ms. Carey wearing three Ring Pops. The fragrances, named after Ms. Carey's songs "Ribbon," "Honey" and "Mine Again," will be introduced by July 1 at department stores including Macy's and Dillard's, where with each purchase consumers will get a free Ring Pop.

Early next year, before Valentine's Day, when romantics flock to both the perfume and candy aisles, the fragrances will be available in mass retailers like Wal-Mart and in drug stores. There, stand-alone display racks will feature both the fragrances and Ring Pops, with the candies in a special "Bling Collection" three-pack that promotes the fragrances. Ms. Carey was not available for comment. A one-ounce bottle of the perfume will retail for $35, the 1.5-ounce candy three-pack will cost about $1.50. "Topps sells tens of millions of units of candy," said E. Scott Beattie, chief executive at Elizabeth Arden, which also has fragrance licensing deals with celebrities including Britney Spears, Danielle Steel and Elizabeth Taylor. "Combining their customer base with Mariah Carey's fan base and our fragrance base is a great way to cross-promote all the brands."

Since its introduction three years ago, the Mariah Carey line, with three fragrances, has grossed more than $150 million, Elizabeth Arden said.In 2009, the company spent $5.2 million advertising the perfume, while Topps spent $750,000 advertising Ring Pops, according to Kantar Media, a unit of WPP. Noreen Dodge, senior vice president of global marketing at the cosmetics company, said that the current fragrances draw the younger end of the singer's fan base of 18- to 45-year-olds, mostly those 18 to 24, and that the new ones will appeal to still younger fans. "We think it will bring an even younger customer into the Mariah Carey franchise," Ms. Dodge said.

The Lollipop Bling line will be advertised in youth-oriented publications where ads for the celebrity's fragrances had not previously appeared, like Seventeen and Teen Vogue. But Ms. Dodge emphasized that these "are not your typical teeny-bopper fragrances." While the scents "take a candy element as a thread to be woven in a fragrance," they do so in a way that "elevates candy into a prestige environment," she said. Laurent Le Guernec, a perfumer at International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. who designed the fragrances, said that while typical candy flavors like grape and banana have "cheap and very common" scents, he was able to build on the Blue Raspberry Ring Pop flavor for one fragrance, Ribbon. Into the "juiciness and sweetness notes" of that flavor Mr. Le Guernec said he layered floral notes.

While the Ribbon fragrance is reminiscent of a particular Ring Pop flavor, the other scents have notes only broadly associated with candy, like chocolate, raspberry, pineapple and honey. The new perfumes are far from juvenile, said Mr. Le Guernec, who before joining International Flavors and Fragrances designed popular scents including Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. Founded in 1938 by brothers Abram, Ira, Philip and Joseph Shorin, Topps Chewing Gum, as it was known then, introduced Bazooka bubble gum in 1947, and in 1953 began including a tiny comic featuring Bazooka Joe, who was modeled after Joseph Shorin.

The company introduced its popular baseball cards in 1951 and the Ring Pop in 1977. Today the Ring Pop (tag line: "The flavor's always on hand") is turning more mouths blue than ever. Ari Weinstock, director of marketing for the confectionery division of Topps, said that the brand was forecasting record annual revenue this year. In the 52 weeks that ended May 16, it posted $14.9 million in revenue, outpacing other novelty candies like Pez and Pop Rocks, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market data company whose totals do not include Wal-Mart.

In 2007, Topps was acquired by an investment firm led by the former Walt Disney chief executive Michael D. Eisner, who is chairman of the company. Ryan O'Hara, the former president of the TV Guide Network, was installed as chief executive in February. Recent advertising campaigns have "played up the emotional connection that people have with Ring Pops," Mr. Weinstock said. "What we hit upon is that the Ring Pop is ultimately the only candy that you can show off, unlike a chocolate bar that you just consume," he said. "It's a candy that you put on your finger and flaunt, and it transforms you from just eating a piece of candy to being in the spotlight." Now the brand itself will be in the spotlight, thanks to its association with Ms. Carey and Elizabeth Arden, and will provide Ring Pop samples to shoppers at retailers like Macy's, where the candy has never been sold. "It's a case," Mr. Weinstock said, "of one plus one plus one equals 10."



Lollipop Bling, a candy-inspired trio of fragrances inspired by Mariah's marriage proposal - an engagement ring hidden inside an iconic Ring Pop package.

Each fragrance in the Lollipop Bling collection is named after one of Mariah's hit songs and is bright, sparkling and multifaceted with its own signature spin.



MINE AGAIN - A combination of Chocolate Raspberry with a touch of Magnolia creates an addictive fragrance.

RIBBON - A mouthwatering fragrance inspired by the flavor of the Blue Raspberry Ring Pop is combined with a beautiful floral bouquet.

HONEY - An irresistible fragrance combined with a touch of Honey and Pineapple, creating a bright and sunny fragrance.The 1.0 fl oz scents, Honey, Mine Again and Ribbon, will retail for $35 each, and will be available at select department stores nationwide July 2010. Candy-inspired promotions, including a gumball machine gift set and a lollipop rollerball fragrance set, will be available beginning in Fall 2010.

Movie Review: Noy, The Movie

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I went in there. Inside the dark cinema. On the balcony. And expected nothing.

Or I would say, I expected it to be more of a documentary film. Trivializing how taxing it can become for production people working on this film trailing Senator NoyNoy on his campaign all over the country.

I went in there too a little bit tired from a day's work. So expect me to be sleepy. Closed my eyes, took a breath. Open my eyes again, of course. Haha. The movie will now start.

Then the first rushes of the film came. I was confused at first. It's like watching Blair Witch Project with camera shots too fast and shaky. And there's a lot of noise. It just doesn't make sense. Or so I thought.

Then cut to NoyNoy's campaign trail. After a few rushes, Coco's character Noy, the presidential frontrunner's namesake, entered the scene. So, it was made clear that Noy, this movie is not about NoyNoy Aquino's story. It would be about him. He told us later, what we will see about NoyNoy is true, but not about him. Ironic. So, his story unfolds.

True enough, he made his way as a journalist after faking his credentials. His first job is to cover NoyNoy.

Covering NoyNoy in real-time must be a very difficult task for the entire team. You can see and feel it here. There must be lots of running here, taking shots, getting the best angles, directing the crew, getting the best lighting, checking the emotions required for each shot - all amid the hottest summer season ever experienced in the Philippines. I never saw anything like this before - a real campaign on the backdrop and a movie's plot is concocted against it.

The movie is not pretentious on its shots. The production took time to make it look good. Editing is tight. The lighting took off with its dramatic shots specially on raft rides on those floody streets. Then there's superb performances from the cast against a very disturbing plot and screenplay. So if you would say your Php 150 movie ticket is worth it, technically it is. Until you actually see the movie in its entirety.

"Noy" does not lie about how some people tried to survive. Amid the chaos and disorder of society, "Noy" plainly captures the painstaking battle of people living on the edge. In most scenes, it was shown (that) a family has to struggle to eat decent meals on a regular basis. And rising from those mediocrities to complete the thought of hope in a dream.

One scene that disturbed me though is the fight against two brothers played by Coco and Joem Bascon. There is an intense physical fight between them and they keep cursing "P*tang Ina Mo" while their mother, played by Cherie Pie Picache, is on the side. I mean, what the fudge would this mean! It's like cursing your mother up out her face real-time! How bad can that become? Okay, let's say that this scene was critical for the plot, can the writers just remove those lines and instead replace it with "G*go Ka" or "T*rantado Ka Ba at dinala mo pa itong droga sa bahay?" or something like that. But those P.I.'s are really prevalent in local movies and they just don't seem to care. Tsk. Anyway, it's just one scene that I seem not to forget!
Anyway, so despite that turbulence on how I see it, the movie was a good watch. It's definitely worth your time. It is so real. A gripping drama. And with comedic slews on the side, thanks for the fierce you-still-have-to-learn-how-to-act-onscreen-though Vice Ganda.

And I was not sleeping all throughout the movie. The adrenaline is just too much to even blink. It's reality at its best.
Leaving the cinema gave me this big hope that something good, something bigger will happen. NoyNoy will make this nation great again. This movie just reminded me, it's gonna be.
4/5 stars.

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Candy Bling Music Video Premiere (Fan Made)

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