Set in 1968, the story of Ed Gatchalian’s Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle The Musical revolves around two families: the Basilio family with La Salle’s star basketball player, Tommy; and the Valencia family with Ateneo’s star basketball player—Social Order Club member and consistent Honor Student and Class President, too—Paco. The two students compete not only for the championship in the NCAA and their professional careers, but also for the girl who is Maryknoller Reena San Jose. “At the end, the rivalry is clear…the Atenean and the La Sallite have a mutual silent respect for his rival, who he considers worthy enough to be a threat…”

I was neither blue nor green. I was never into UAAP. And I never really understood the rivalry between the two schools. So you could imagine how I found the plot pretty cheesy at first. But that doesn’t mean I’m not curious at all, and it’s just supposed to be fun, right? It’s also interesting to see how such rivalry and brotherhood influenced hotshot people like Ed Gatchalian and Jaime del Mundo to create such a huge production.

The show continues on Feb. 5 to 12, and 15 to 19 at 8PM on Wednesdays to Saturdays and 3PM on Saturdays (aside from the 8 p.m. showing) and Sundays. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (call 891-9999) and at the Meralco Theatre before the show.

Closing into one of the schools in Rivalry, Ateneo and its musical theater org blueREP is celebrating its 20th season with Company Call: blueREP at 20. Showcasing various numbers from productions staged by the org since its foundation in 1991 (e.g. songs from Once On This Island, Footloose, All Shook Up, the org’s original Stages of Love) and featuring blueREP alumni Rem Zamora, RR Herrera, Gabe Mercado and more, the celebration is an all-in-1 production that’s sure to dance your way to the weekend and to a happy Valentine’s!

The production is directed by resident STATUS contributing writer Toff De Venecia with musical direction by current blueREP artistic director Ejay Yatco and choreography by Jim Ferrer. It will be held in the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University on February 11, 2012 at 8PM. Tickets are at P500, with student and bulk discounts available. Contact Ant Altomonte at 0926-716-4395 for tickets.

Like their Facebook and follow their Twitter for updates, too. Fin.—HITGIRL

Festival season has arrived and Channel V is kicking it off with Red Revolution this Feb. 9, 2012. Featuring acts like Sandwich, Imago, Callalily, Franco, Hilera, Moonstar 88, Typecast, Chicosci, Brownman Revival, Siakol, Grin Department, General Luna, Ebe Dancel, Pedicab, Markus Highway, Ney, Kiss Jane,Stonefree, Mayonaise, Silent Sanctuary, Peryodiko, Paraluman, Slapshock, Razorback, Hijo, Salamin, Eevee, Kalayo, Gracenote, Ernville, Never the Strangers, Letterday Story, Kaligta, Frio, Duster, Banda ni Kleggy, Ajka, just to name a few, the Revolution is fighting the quiet while raising HIV awareness.

If you wanna know more about this wild night and the cause it supports, visit the Red Revolution’s Facebook page or email them at  vmusicfestival2012@gmail.com

Be a part of the biggest music revolution with a cause this year! Blow harder!—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Who loves Sperry Top-Sider better than we do? Band of Outsiders, that’s who. It’s the love that dare not speak it’s name, but it does perform quite a bit of PDA from what we can see in their frequent appearances together. And as Valentine’s is quickly approaching, you can get in on the great affair by hopping down to the Ronac Art Center on February 4, 2012 as the romance… ahem, we mean collaboration finally declares itself to the world, exclusively at Secret Fresh.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Photos via Sperry.BandofOutsiders

For children, 9 Works Theatrical‘s You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown is a lighthearted feast of adorable capers and whimsical songs. For adults, it’s memories of cracking open the Sunday Funnies to read the adventures of a downtrodden little boy, his dog, and their gang.

Originally brought to life by Broadway greats such as Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen in RENT) and Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda in Wicked), the Philippine cast of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown is similarly filled with the country’s finest veteran stage actors including Robbie Guevara (Charlie Brown), Lorenz Martinez (Snoopy), Carla Guevara-Laforteza (Lucy), Franco Laurel (Linus), Sweet Plantado (Sally Brown), and Tonipet Gaba (Schroeder) with a special performances by STATUS’s own contributor and Photo Issue cover story writer Toff De Venecia in the role of Linus in some shows. With resident director Robbie Guevara on stage, 9Works invited director Michael Williams to take the helm of the production.

Now, I don’t know about you guys but I love me my Peanuts. I’ve been reading it since I was a kid and ever since I found out about the musical, I’ve been streaming the songs online and connecting the dots between the lyrics and the freakishly familiar plot lines. The gang’s adventures range from the Kite-Eating-Tree, to Lucy’s psychiatry stand, to the elusive Red-Headed Girl. Fans of the comic strip will delight in the nostalgia and newer fans will find it equally endearing. Can’t wait to finally see the show!

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown opens this Feb. 11, 2012. For tickets and more information, visit 9 Works‘ website.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

That’s right. I’ll be taking a little flight to catch the Singapore leg of the famed Laneway Festival. If you’ve been reading STATUS’s Maestro section, you’ll see some familiar names: The Drums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Toro y Moi. Who will I get to hang out with? Who will be on the pages of STATUS soon? Tag along with me, and I’ll report live from Fort Canning.

For all updates go to:
www.lanewayfestival.asia
Join them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LanewayFestSG
Follow them on Twitter: @LanewayFestSG
Ticketing: www.sistic.com.sg
Check out the playing times HERE

Both these acts have been featured on our pages, and they have more than their band names’ suffixes in common: sound public advice (see above), raving groupies, and music videos by Bob Lyren. Produced by Joee Meijas, these visualizations of Wilderness‘s “El Toro El Matador” and The Strangeness’s “Cain was furious and he was downcast”, blessings/offenses to mankind (depends how you see it), will be screened first at SaGuijo this Friday. I think MTRCB and CBCP should come. They will be relieved there’s Ang Bandang Shirley, Gaijin, and The Butchercons to check out instead.

Today is your last chance to catch SM Cinema’s 1st Big Shot Film Festival. You’ve heard about Suntok sa Buwan in STATUS first; now is the time to see it. It’s the story of two boxers–an strong up-and coming and an aging veteran–Bianca Catbagan and Jono de Rivera’s cleanly executed jab at relevance as boxing has emerged as our top sport of interest. De Rivera et al’s Balang Araw, meanwhile, wanders around Manila at night Crash-style, just as beautifully rendered on screen as his other collaboration. No convoluted think pieces that fall apart in execution, just simple narratives enhanced by proper technique. See you at the fests! -NANSAN

STATUS is dying to know how you wear your sneakers so we decided to ask you. Send a short write up of your favorite style tips for your number one kicks. Don’t forget to pair it up with a creative visual to help us get a better idea of your fashion vision. The top six entries will score two pairs of Keds sneakers as well as have their style tips interpreted via a photoshoot in our April 2012 issue. Sound good? See the poster below for more details.

Once more, with feeling:

• Like Keds Philippines and STATUS Magazine on Facebook
• Follow @statusmagazine on Twitter
• One styling tip on how to wear Keds Champion sneakers
• One creative visual to support your styling tip (may either be a photo collage, sketch/illustration, or a photo of yourself, all featuring Keds Champion sneakers).
• Don’t forget to include your name, age, and contact information.
• Six (6) lucky winners will each get two (2) pairs of Keds sneakers and will have their styling tips interpreted in our April 2012 fashion editorial

Here are a couple of ideas on what images you can hitch with your style tips.

Email your entries to contest@statusmagonline.com with the subject : STATUS x Keds Contest The contest runs from January 30 to February 12.

So what are you waiting for? Ready, set, go!—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Photos via polyvore and Keds

Talk about having a heart to heart! It was love at first bite when we nabbed Ian Somerhalder for the February cover. The guy needs no introduction. He took the first flight out of the island of Lost and landed right in Mystic Falls where he struts around as rebel without a pulse Damon Salvatore in The CW’s The Vampire Diaries. STATUS hopped in his passenger’s seat and took a ride down Smolder Drive where he gave us a tour of what happens behind the actor’s studio. Catch Ian dish about philanthropic endeavors, artistic frustrations, and musical connections—all while keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

We can’t have an art issue without showing it off on the cover. STATUS got bun queen Sophia Chang and her magic markers to whip us up a snazzy fantasy with colorful doodles and crazy typography. Her greatest hits include illustrating for Nike Mag, the 5th Style and Design Issue of Complex Magazine, the posters for Anthony Bordain’s No Reservations.

Eamo Donnelly brings takes us back to the good ol’ days of Oz through his detailed-oriented, 1960s inspired illustrations. If his Milkbar (eamo.com.au) isn’t enough to bring all ya’ll to the yard, then maybe his Rolling Stone Magazine portraits and nostalgic depictions of the Australian coast will.

The guys are joined by tattoo-like ink illustrator Amy Goh, graffiti artist Meggs, painter Carlo Ongchangco, and commercial art duo Love from Pete and Jo in our Mastermind section, which also features Red Tails star Michael B. Jordan, Facebook Brand Designer Everett Katigbak, music journalists Joseph “JP” Patterson and Laura “Hyperfrank” Brosnan, and Austrian fashion designer Anna-Sophie Berger.

Also in the issue are Maestros like Grammy-nominated songwriter and singer Skylar Gray, British music producer and DJ Eric Lau, electronica trio STRFKR, techno-pop group Man Like Me, Danish pop band The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, multi-instrumental musician Max Tundra, and micro house indietronica performer Gold Panda.

Our Block Party Party Photographers Kiril Was Here, Hospital Photograph and Rony’s Photobooth keep your worst kept secrets in photos of nights that you don’t want to forget and moments you’d rather not revisit.

This month’s fashion pages are the cat’s meow with fresh buys that’ll make your look like a work of art.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

The Fifth Code designer, owner, and founder Lorenz Namalata says that a guy usually wears only four items namely: underwear, shirt, jeans, and a pair of shoes. The fifth item that completes the look would be a blazer. In this day and age where getting blazer doesn’t always mean visiting a trusted tailor, we get down to what truly makes a well-dressed man. Guys out there can learn how to look dapper and girls out there can judge their man by the coat on his back.—LADYZAZA

What makes a well-dressed man?
It is his attention to detail, mastery of mix and matching, and his ability to put together an outfit wherein all elements complement one another and on top of all that still look polished but at the same time not overtly done. And obviously, what he is wearing should always be appropriate for the occasion.

How do you differentiate a cheap suit from a well-made one?
The use of fabrics, such as polyester and silk, have the tendency to give off that tell-tale sign that what one is wearing is of cheap quality. Loose buttons and visible tassels also ensure that the suit was not streamlined properly. Nevertheless, a suit can be very much affordable but still be impeccably done.

What should a guy’s grooming habits be?
The basics: long hair or short hair just as long as it’s neat, clean nails, well-trimmed moustache (including the nose hair).

How does a guy want to see a girl dress?
Guys would want to see a girl dress just enough for her to express her sleek and stylish self but also bounded by her not giving off the wrong impression and courting unwanted attention.

What would you order in a bar and what does it say about you?
San Mig Light. What does it say about me? That I’m helping my mom in her job. Haha but when things get dragging a shot Bacardi 151 will do the trick.

How do you like your steak?
Medium well done. Plus lots of barbecue sauce!

It may not come from the Deep South but L.A based brand Current/Elliot has captured the warm, simple, and easygoing nature of pure Southern comfort. Stylist/designer Emily Current and Meritt Elliott deck their divine sisterhood in bored-out-of-my-mind chic clothes that build the gap between comfort and style. The heat doesn’t swelter as much when you sit back on your front porch with slouchy, bare midriff tops, floral print shorts, dyed skinny jeans, bib-collared blouses, stripped tanks and tees, and more. All you need is a tall glass of Southern iced-tea by your side and you’re on your way to the perfect summer.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

via Refinery29

What Was Up:

Perou of course! We’ve been talking about him for ages and now the moment finally came when we could share the man himself with the rest of you dirty sexy things. People expected a lecture, but they got story time about the rich and famous. Perou shared the best stories about your favorite celebrities (“Do the pout. You look so cute with the pout,” “What’s my motivation?” and “It’s decommissioned real.”) and we ate it all up like a morning breakfast buffet!

More than just simple anecdotes the former host of Make Me A Supermodel UK and Dirty, Sexy Things showed that there was much more to being a photographer than technique. Through his stories, Perou proved that everything and everyone is a photo waiting to happen and photographers out there have no excuse not to keep taking snaps.

What We Heard:

Newsflash! Perou is funny! Seriously. Every story he told, every burst of movement he made (ahem, a fantastic impression of a trippy Courtney Love), and every publicist he ever mocked (“Get down from there! You are not Jesus Christ!”) earned a round of appreciation from the eager crowd. And if you were really attentive, you would have heard majority of the giggles coming from the STATUS team. What can we say? We love this guy!

What We Saw:

Pictures. Pictures. Pictures. More than a hundred of them to be exact. Each with a tale. Each one distinctly Perou. Don’t believe us? See for yourself:












For more pics, just visit the Photo Folder of our Facebook Page.

WTF:

It wasn’t so much of a WTF moment as it was a fangirl/fanboy moment. Every single one of the lucky participants at Perou’s Photography forum got a once in a lifetime chance at being photographed by the man himself. Yup, you heard us. Visitors at the Ayala Museum were treated to the pleasure sampled by the likes of Katy Perry, Jay-Z, and Dita Von Teese. Can you say, “BEST PROFILE PIC EVER!”

Now for the real WTF moment.

How many times can Perou be almost arrested? Quite a lot. From putting decommissioned guns in the same room as rapper Eminem to pointing his lens towards something Queen and country didn’t want him to capture, Perou has (and is still) living dangerously with his camera and is willing to defend his work all the way up to court. Ballsier than a certain nude photo he flashed, we must say.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Photographed by Art Alero