Monthly Archives: July 2013

International

ROYAL COUPLE’S CHANGE OF HEART ON BABY’S NAME

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royalLondon, U.K. – Reaction to the chosen name of Prince William and Duchess Kate’s first-born was varied — from elation to disappointment.

The Roman Catholic Church could not be happier with the name George Alexander Louis because it combines the names of three kings. It doesn’t matter that the biblical three kings were actually named Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar. “When people hear ‘three kings,’ the first thing that comes to mind are the wise men who traveled from their far away kingdoms to pay their respects to the newly-born Baby Jesus,” the Vatican said.

Fans of British singer George Michael were disappointed that the royal baby was not named after their gay idol.  After all, like the singer, it took the royal baby a long time to come out, the fans said.

Singer George Michael
Singer George Michael

Across continents, people named  George, Alexander or Louis — and their variations ranging from Jorge to Alejandro to Luis — were celebrating, claiming on their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that the royal baby was named after them.

Amid all the reaction, an official announcement from Buckingham Palace said that the Prince and Duchess have decided to rescind the name they gave the baby boy after it was pointed out by Royal advisers that George Alexander Louis actually spelled the acronym, “GAL.”  The announcement further said that William and Kate would rather have their first-born grow up to be king instead of queen.

And so the world waits one more time.  What new name will be picked?

Sports

2014 WINTER OLYMPICS MOVED TO HAWAII

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imageLausanne, Switzerland – Amid mounting pressure from human rights organizations that have condemned Russia’s escalating crackdown on homosexuality, the International Olympic Committee today decided to move the 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia, to Honolulu, Hawaii. The dates remain unchanged, February 7-23, 2014.

The  IOC reached the decision as more and more sponsors like VISA, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Samsung, started  withdrawing their financial support for the international sports event, in protest of Russia’s homophobic stance.

IOC officials, speaking at a hastily-convened press conference after a whirlwind visit to Honolulu over the weekend, said that only a world-class destination like Hawaii can pull off preparations for the Winter Olympics in such short notice.  Instead of building an Olympic Village, Honolulu will provide tents and outdoor showers for all athletes and delegation members from participating countries. Honolulu will cordon off 5 miles of Waikiki beach for this purpose.

imageThe Blaisdell Arena will serve as the main venue for all the indoor sports events. It can easily accommodate an Olympic-sized ice rink, of course using artificial ice. All outdoor events will be held at the Diamond Head Volcano which will be fully covered with artificial snow.

Blaisdell Arena in downtown Honolulu
Blaisdell Arena in downtown Honolulu

Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell promises the most spectacular opening ceremony in the history of the Winter Olympics, saying that he has enlisted the participation of all the hula halaus and surfing clubs in the entire Rainbow State.  Instead of a closing ceremony, Caldwell said that Honolulu will host the largest luau Hawaii has ever seen. “It will be one for the Guinness Book of World Records,” he added.

Film and TV, International

CHANGE IN OSCAR AWARDS VENUE ANNOUNCED

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oscarniteHollywood, California – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the 2014 Oscar Awards Night has been moved to a new venue.  And it is not in Hollywood, but in the Philippines.  In an email alert to members of the Hollywood Press Association, the Academy said that because of the importance of the red carpet ceremonies which precede the handing out of the Oscar statuettes to the best of the best in the film industry, it needed to find a venue that can host the all-important “who are you wearing?” pre-festivities. And host it well. The Academy also wanted an international group of fashion police since it’s tired of the aging Joan Rivers and the “E!” anchors and reporters.

Members of the Academy board made the decision after viewing the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by Philippine President Noynoy Aquino at the Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly building) last Monday.  The almost two-hour speech (the equivalent of the U.S. State of the Union Address), was preceded by the usual fashion parade of politicians, their spouses and other invited celebrities and guests.  This year’s SONA red carpet was extremely sensational as attendees donned the best creations of the country’s top designers, jewelers and shoemakers.  Designs ranged from flowing ternos (the national dress) and hand-painted barong tagalogs (the national male formal attire) to rainbow-colored, ethnic-inspired gowns and floor-length dangling earrings.fashionista

The morning after front page coverage of all the major dailies highlighted the fashion extravaganza while relegating the text of  Aquino’s speech to their B-2 sections.

“The Philippines sure knows how to stage an elaborate red carpet,” the Academy noted, adding that the change in venue from Hollywood to Quezon City, will ensure a billion or more worldwide viewers of the televised Oscar ceremonies.