Stripping stars and new shows...

Shudder. Now I know what Fleur's talking about.

Vanessa Hudgens takes nude photos of her for her boyfriend. It circulates the web. Everything goes awry.

So much for HSM innocence. The actress whose on-screen partner Zac Efron is also her real life squeeze, has confirmed that supposedly self-taken shots of her undressing bit by bit (until totally nude) was really her. It was supposed to be sent only to Efron but the Internet just gave her her new big break as a breakout porn star. Will this be the end of her HSM movie career? "Not really.", her manager says. It seems that Disney is still intent in keeping their leading lady despite the controversy. Ironically, in an interview with Teen magazine, she says that "I'm a good girl.".

CAPTION: The cat's out of the bag, 'Baby V'! Muhahahahahhahaha!

The blogosphere is definitely crying all-out in outrage with one saying that they'll never watch HSM ever again and another warning her that she must not turn into a Britney. Personally, I think she has to regain lost face as well as her turned-off fans if she wants to survive in the biz... especially since her fans are made up of two-year olds to tweens. Presently though, she shouldn't be a role model for tweens to follow. And now she has descended into the ranks of 'the skanks' like Hilton, Spears and Lohan.

The pictures of her (though watermarked) is here and here.Click if you dare. (P.S. I just copied the link from "The Post Chronicle" and looking at it feels very disgusting. Just awful.)

Radcliffe strips for the horses... again and again and again
Yes, Radcliffe is heading to the international theater scene with his acclaimed performance in Equus. Yes, it's the horsey-hump play if you forgot. He'll start with the cast on Broadway then heads back to Europe, specifically Britain, and finally ends with Australia. His nude scene has generated 4 million dollars in advance ticket sales in London.

CAPTION: Did you know that his Wikipedia article's protected due to vandalism?

"I would be very nervous because I think that (the audiences are) even more discerning than in London," he said. "But I know we have a good show, it was a good show when we did it in London and hopefully if we do it again it will still be that good. It has to be better."

Though he's trying to shed his innocent image conjured by the famed Harry Potter franchise, there's no denying that he'll be shooting Harry Potter 6 (Half-Blood Prince) this month.

Paris vs. Hallmark

On the card, it says: Paris Hilton's First Day As A Waitress then starts with a bit of dialogue accompanied with her headshot and a picture of a cartoon man. The pop culture reference here is her trademark "That's hot.". But the real reason why she is filing charges against the card company is that her face was printed without permission.CAPTION: Click the image to go to TMZ's documents of the case.
Photo Credit: TMZ.com

The Hallmark representative's response: "Some of Hallmark's new humor greeting cards are parodies of today's most popular celebrities and politicians. These cards take a satirical look at news and gossip surrounding these public figures, including Paris Hilton, and we do not believe Hallmark has violated any of Ms. Hilton's rights."

Yahoo! Search unveils prosperous/hyped-about new shows
Variety is the spice of life. TV stations know that. That's why they put out new shows every season. In America, the fall season is the unveiling of new seasons as well as new shows and at Yahoo!, they have found some shows that have been most searched about. If the prosperous saving grace of NBC, Heroes, was searched upon even before its airing, why wouldn't these other shows be any different?

Top 10 New Shows
#1 - Kid Nation (CBS)
The pitch: Kids get to govern their own town.
My opinion: It's gonna be a bad sit through this show. It seems agonizing. Plus, there are hazards of safety for these kids. What were the parents thinking when they consented the station for this?
Why it's #1: People have searched about how CBS will manage to keep these kids from harm. Plus, the challenge of governing a town is a mighty task they were courageous enough to take.

#2 - Bionic Woman (NBC)
The pitch: A remake of a classic series that is about a woman who nearly gets killed in a car accident and gets powers after surgery done by her boyfriend.
My opinion: Looks like a Buffy type of show sans the afterlife. If this concept is executed well, NBC may just have another hit in the tradition of hot girls kicking butt. Oh, and its pilot episode is currently scoundering the Internet right now. Maybe you'll be able to see if it's cool or not (I won't bother).
Why it's #2: Its lead character is hot.

#3 - Gossip Girl (The CW)
The pitch: Based on the best-selling chick-lit series of the same name, this show revolves around the lives of socialites who grow up on New York's Upper East Side and attends a school and deals with different teenage issues (i.e., drugs, sex, etc.). Created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C.).
My opinion: I'm not a fan of chick lit ('di ba halata?!) nor do I watch shows like The O.C. or One Tree Hill. Best give your own opinions about this.
Why it's #3: It has a hot young cast as Yahoo! states it. It would've generated more buzz if Kristen Bell was there (but she's in Heroes! Take that for axing her show, CW!).

#4 - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
The pitch: 2 stereotypical nerds. 1 hot lady.
My opinion: It seems like a Three's Company without the gender-bending aspects and John Ritter. Will this show make nerds hot or will the hype just rot?
Why it's #4: People seem to be fascinated by this... I don't know why.

#5 - Reaper (The CW)
The pitch: Sam has always wondered why Mom and Dad has been so nice to him but not to his brother. Their negligence seems to lead him to live the slacker life- playing video games, eating, watching TV, the works. But when he turns 21, he finds out that his parents sold their soul to the devil. Now, he's Satan's new bounty hunter. He searches and returns (to hell) the souls that have escaped his realm with the help of his friends.
My opinion: It's a comedy. And it sounds kinda good and fresh to me. I think it would've also done good in a serious drama format... though we do need a change from drama.
Why it's #5: The unique, supernatural plot fascinates people.

#6 - Moonlight (CBS)
The pitch: Follows a detective who was converted into a vampire by his wife 60 years ago.
My opinion: By the sound and the looks of it, you'll readily know that it's a vampire drama. If executed well, it'll be a hit.
Why it's #6: There has actually been a shortage of vampire shows lately. Fall season brings it all back.

#7 - Cane (CBS)
The pitch: Chronicles the lives of a rich Cuban-American clan that runs a successful sugar mill in Florida.
My opinion: It's not an Ugly Betty. But it seems unable to catch my interest.
Why it's #7: Americans must know Jimmy Smits 'coz I don't know 'im. Yahoo! states that he's probably the reason.

#8 - Chuck (NBC)
The pitch: A self-proclaimed nerd suddenly implants top-secret information into his subconscious after viewing a friend's e-mail.
My opinion: The plot seems corny at best.
Why it's #8: Zach Levi (whoever he may be)?


#9 - Private Practice (ABC)
The pitch: Addison Montgomery moves back to her hometown of sunny California to work at its hospital probably.
My opinion: Being a Grey's Anatomy spinoff, chances are that it will be a sleeper hit at least because maybe only some Grey's fans will give it a try.
Why it's #9: It's merely a spinoff of the hit Grey's Anatomy and the cast is not that known.

#10 - Cavemen (ABC)
The pitch: Cavemen live in the 21st century.
My opinion: Inspired by insurance commercials, the photo by Yahoo! looks kinda like Jump In from afar or something. But the focus here is that these cavemen live in the modern times and it's probably not gonna be a series that's gonna tease your noggin.
Why it's #10: The well-received commercials built a fanbase of sorts.

The Next-Gen Console Buying Guide: Another Point of View
I've done this many times before and I'm doing it again only with a more pro-consumer-based point of view.

In the Philippines, Sony and the PlayStation brand have gained reputation which makes it a no-brainer that the PS3 will surely prosper. This may not be the case.

Though Nintendo's brand is printed alongside the three lettered Wii system, people may misconceive it as an Apple product in a glance because it's "Apple white" and looks like something Apple would've made. But when they find out that it's a Nintendo creation, they could take it because of its lofty reputation as the father of the modern game industry, or leave it because of its predecessor, the GameCube in which, though with all the great-quality games, looked like a crappy lunch box. Plus, when looking at its games (esp. the pirated ones), you'll see that it actually costs a bit less than that of its handheld brothers. It will have to pit against the X-Box 360 though because these 2 alternatives to the PS3 may seem a bit too weird for people's taste. There'll be no competition if people are looking for another type of gaming experience though... but sadly, this isn't really the case with Filipinos. They typically like it flashy and realistic and this is what X-Box offers.

Sony, as I have said earlier, also has a lofty reputation with its PlayStation brand. This may not be their weapon with their latest console offering, the heavily-priced PS3. Heck, their reputation may even get lower unless they lower the price first! Plus, the application of Sony's next-generation DVD format, Blu-ray, may lose the format wars because there has been no reported pirated Blu-ray discs as of late. (One blu-ray movie costs 1.6K) People who want to buy will just have to dream on... unless they're rich.

Lastly, Microsoft, though famous because of Windows, isn't very popular with its X-Box 360. Not even its original X-Box made waves in the Philippine gaming scene with stocks left to rot in stores most of the time. Microsoft has to make a marketing move (like Vista) if they want someone to notice their gaming line. There is the presence of pirated games for this system though so it may come as no surprise that the 360 may replace the throne Sony once occupied since its Playstation 1... which was more than 10 years ago... that is if people only look at graphical power!