Pinoy pride in Paris

Piolo Pascual is the first Filipino actor to be invited to the prestigious Sixth Paris Cinema International Film Festival which will be held in July. Piolo’s movie Dekada ‘70 (with Vilma Santos) will be shown during the filmfest.

It was in this movie where Piolo won Best Supporting Actor grand slam collecting trophies from UP Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle, Gawad Urian, FAP, PMPC Star, Pasado, Gawad Tanglaw, Metro Manila Film Festival and FAMAS Awards. After attending the Paris filmfest, Piolo flies to California to visit his son, Iñigo who is said to be very possessive of his dad. He gets jealous with the girls linked to his father.

Piolo was a member of ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 3. Sometime during the early years of his career, Piolo went to America thinking that showbiz was not for him. When he came back in 1998, his star began to shine. Today, Piolo is one of the country’s hottest actors and product endorsers.

Every intrigue in the book has been thrown at him but Piolo has survived them all. I say he is the perfect amalgamation of talent, good looks, timing, kindness, vulnerability and mystery that makes him invincible. Piolo’s biggest crush now is Ruffa Gutierrez.

Diether visits Ifugao schoolchildren

Star Magic’s most controversial hunk, Diether Ocampo said during an interview on The Buzz that life will go on without Kristine (Hermosa), his former girlfriend. Diether is keeping himself busy with showbiz commitments that include Iisa Pa Lamang. He also has his businesses, Uno Magazine, A-List and Baby Couture.

“We are not together anymore. Hindi kami nagkabalikan. At this point, it is very hard, but we are moving on. Magiging mabuting magkaibigan kami,” he said about his break-up with Kristine. Two weeks ago, Diether and his friends visited school children in Banaue, where they distributed school supplies. The actor has stood as a “father” to hundreds of kids under his K.I.D.S. Foundation.

Of late, Diether is being linked to a Cebuana model who has been featured on the cover of Uno on its March issue. The model is reportedly very popular on  the Internet even before she hit the cover of Uno. But Diether clarified that the model is the girlfriend of one of his good friends, which means that Diether is unattached at the moment.

Lacoste: The alligator is everywhere

One of the most copied brands is Lacoste. In tiangges around Greenhills and Divisoria, one would find a real and fake Lacoste.  It takes a trained eye and an expert nose to distinguish the real from the fake. But which ever way, you will not ignore the ever present alligator icon patch in every Lacoste item. Lacoste was made famous by Rene Lacoste, France’s foremost tennis player. Rene Lacoste was nicknamed alligator on the tennis court. He made and wore his own designs. He was one of the first athletes to recognize the importance of celebrity branding. Today, Lacoste is a worldwide brand.

Here are the people behind Lacoste: Philippe Lacoste, external affairs director and director in charge of Lacoste footwear and leather goods, is concurrently the official spokesman of the giant sportswear company. Philippe Lacoste is the grandson of Rene Lacoste, founder of the French sportswear company; Christophe Dugue, footwear manager, Lacoste S.A., is based in Paris. He is responsible for international market development of Lacoste Footwear, with over 18 years professional experience in the footwear industry; Jackie Wu, Asia regional director, Lacoste Footwear, Pentland Asia, is based in Hong Kong. She is responsible for the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore Lacoste operations with extensive experience in retail merchandising; Frido Ong, chairman and president, PentStar Sports, Inc., is the exclusive Philippine distributor of Lacoste Footwear.  He has over 25 years of multi-national experience in consumer goods marketing (including 12 years in retail merchandising and distribution); and Lilian Rico, GM of Lacoste Footwear Philippines.

What’s new at Lacoste footwear ladies section are the nautical-inspired style perfect for the pretty feet, Lizzy Riva, versatile wedges with striped strap and signature embroidered croc and Araxis, a striped canvas shoe in blue and red. Lacoste footwear is available in malls nationwide.