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LIKE an episode of Gossip Girl, things happened so fast. Just three weeks ago, Ed Westwick was in Manila shooting...
Bustling Mandarin Oriental was the meeting spot for our business A-listers when First Life Financial held its Leadership Summit 2011....
A girl biking in a gown––that’s something you don’t see here in Manila,” says designer Robin Tomas, juxtaposing the usual sights of Manila and New York.
You’re still probably nursing a hangover from seeing Mario Maurer in the flesh not too long ago. Hey, we can’t blame you. The Thai superstar and Penshoppe’s newest poster boy had caused such a ruckus during his first Manila visit that we’ve prepared a special holiday treat for diehard fans everywhere.
With so many “it” girls and boys coming in and out of the scene, it takes a whole lot of talent, discipline and good people surrounding you to be more than just a flash in the pan. Growing up is difficult enough, so throwing in a few million pairs of eyes watching you do it sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Before the great Ian Somerhalder—or “Smolderhotter” as introduced by brand director Alex Mendoza—appearance at Penshoppe’s press conference last Wednesday, ground rules had to be set first: “No screaming or shouting. Anyone who screams will be escorted out the venue.” That rule had to be set, because our recorders would’ve picked up nothing but shrill female screams, both from members of the press and the lucky customers who had been quick enough to score the limited tickets distributed in stores prior to the conference. Indeed, almost every female in attendance was dressed in Elena Gilbert fashion, in the hopes of catching the piercing blue eyes of bad boy vampire Damon Salvatore.
Leighton Meester breezed into the Peninsula Suite’s dining area, all bright-eyed and fresh-faced and perky. Interestingly enough, it was the same suite where we interviewed fellow TV heartthrob/Penshoppe endorser Ian Somerhalder just three days before.
It’s not everyday one gets to sit two feet away from a major Hollywood celebrity, but that’s exactly where I found myself at the London Hotel in West Hollywood one balmy spring day in LA.
Before news of his endorsement with local retail giant Penshoppe broke out, all we ever knew about Zac Efron’s connection to the Philippines was that his former “High School Musical” sweetheart, Vanessa Hudgens, is of Filipino descent.
“I’m nervous, I’ve got butterflies,” Zac Efron said hours before the Penshoppe Fan Conference 2012. Someone asked if he had seen his Penshoppe billboards all over the city. “Not yet,” he said. “I saw one in a picture. It was huge.”
