FRESHJIVE.COM
STATUS ISSUE 02 ...is not at it’s Desk
STATUSPHERE x CHECKOUT COUNTER................ 6 STUTUSPHERE x REVIEWS.........................10 GO-SEES.......................................14 ABOUT FACE....................................19 WORK PROUD PLAY LOUD......................... 20 SWAG: VESTAL WATCHES ...............................22 MIMOBOTS .....................................23 CHIPS ........................................24 GORILLAZ .....................................25 JEANS ........................................26 TEES .........................................28 SHOES ........................................30 BURTON .......................................32 DJ ...........................................33 HEELS ........................................34 CLUTCHES .....................................36 HITMEN: NEIL ARMSTRONG ...............................39 SPINBAD ..................................... 40 SANDWICH .................................... 42 MASTERMINDS: KEIICHI NITTA ............................... 44 TILT ........................................ 46 DANTE BASCO ................................. 50 RAMON BAUTISTA ......... .................... 54 WORKING GIRL: IZA CALZADO ................................. 58 NIGHT VISION ................................ 64 TRANSACTION ................................. 70 TOP SHELF x 42 BELOW .........................74 RIGHT RIDER x NOELLE HERNANDEZ .............. 76 THE SECRET TO LIFE .......................... 99
This cover was lovingly put together by the following people. Iza Calzado is the girl. Nick St. James pressed the button on the camera. Rosario Herrera picked the clothes. Robbie Pinera did Iza’s make up and Nante fixed her hair. Revo Naval did the layout and the graphics in the back were done by none other than France’s favorite tagger, TILT! Tilt, we love you. And we love you, too, dear reader of small print.
APPL
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BOO R I A LE P P A
SONY
PSP SONY
NIN
PS3
TEN
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APPLE IPHONE
Gamestop - 2nd Level, Trinoma Mall Gamestop Parksquare 1, Ayala Center, Makati. (8943486) Gamestop Vmall, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan. (5841942) Gamestop Theatremall, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan (7222818)
STATUSPHERE
THEY CALL IT “SKIN BLING” There are some people who might liken getting a tattoo to getting that souvenir t-shirt that says you survived the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios. It’s a battle scar that declares you had the balls to sit in that grimy tattoo parlor while getting your skin poked and prodded by the bearded scruff whose only unmarked body parts are the spaces between his toes. Scrapping the old stereotype of the tattoo being a badge of the incarcerated, proverbial tramp stamp of the wannabe, or a gangbanger’s ‘hood stripes, skin imprint enthusiasts Ron Poe and Joel Poniente decided to blaze their tat territory by putting up P & P Tattoo Studio—the Ps standing for their surnames—early this year. This isn’t your archetypical underground haunt on Recto, however. These guys are serious about the quality and artistry they offer at their posh Makati venue. “You’re paying for the artist, they’re not working for you. You pay for them. It’s like asking Amorsolo to paint on your body. Basically, it’s skin bling,” says Poe of P & P’s tat artisans Mike Sambahan and Jake Cuerpo, who are, oh, you know, just a couple of permanent skin art pioneers in the Philippines. And your epidermis be damned if it doesn’t get grade-A adornment, either, considering Joel spared no expense on everything from nipple rings to black gloves to ink (“the same one that Miami Ink uses,” says Poniente) to a “special” anti-bacterial green soap for clean freaks. More than anything, though, P & P’s aim is to trade the pain for pleasure in getting inked. While your skin’s getting etched, the distractions in the shop abound: maybe play a little NBA Live X-Box as you get a few Sprewellian icons carved on your back. Or do a bit of shopping, even—perusing the store’s variable merchandise: sneakers, hoodies, scented candles (Ron’s mom sells ‘em), and hookahs. But what really raises P & P several hundred notches above all those dingy, ol’ tattoo joints is customer relations; all those crises of choice (should I get Jesus on my chest or a topless mermaid on my calf?), the guys will tackle like certified guidance counselors. And that’s certainly customer service you wouldn’t get from the junkie metalhead at Recto. 45 Polaris street, Bel-Air Soho Condominium, Makati -Camie Mirasol
TAKEN FROM THE STREETS Made to stand out, the mobile collage of comic book pop art graphics, graffiti tags, and even religious icons or family members, known as the jeepney has translated itself into bold and edgy clothing to cater to the fashion-hungry inhabitants of the urban jungle. Jeepney, a clothing company born in Seattle in 2003, has put Filipino artistry and culture on the streetwear map and on the backs of hip-hop heavyweights like Kanye West, The Black-Eyed Peas, and the Cool Kids to VJs like Suchin Pak. Rizal native Karlo Reyes, the brand’s Creative Director and Co-Founder, together with his business partner, Fil-Am Rex Korrell, want to get the word out on why they chose that most vibrant of vehicles on the road. “To me, a Jeepney embraces the artistic element of street culture simply because as artists we all want to showcase our talents in a unique way for the world to see,” says Reyes. Reyes also mentions that, “At the end of the day, if all of our customers are able to showcase their style and learn a little about the Filipino culture through the Jeepney brand, then we feel like we accomplished some sort of educational purpose…even if it takes edgy graphics in our designs to get it done.” – Christel Boncan Jeepney’s cut/sew line Jeepney Gold Label drops late ’08. Visit www.jeepneyclothing.com or www.myspace.com/jeepneyclothing for more info and retail distribution.
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Mr. West knows all about the East.
STATUSPHERE
IN DEEP SHIRT
It was 2003 and there was Andrew Chen pondering ‘bout what he could do to his clothes and set them apart from all the street threads out there. With Jeff Hamada, a graphic designer and long-time friend, and Johan Lam, a glorified intern-turnedbusiness partner, they created what you can consider one of the few brands sticking their middle finger out in the realm of NY street wear: 3sixteen. With graphics skirting the dark side and the intricacy of construction, the brand runs deep. Not preaching its overcited namesake, John 3:16, but to work and create what they believe in, whether it’s the fragility of the human being (“The Mortal Tee”), the importance of time (the “11th Hour” collection), its education of consumers (the NHTVSN video project), or the struggle of earning one’s position in life (the New Royalty campaign). And we’ll be damned if the word isn’t worn on flesh. - visit the website, www.3sixteen.com
EVER-KEEN 10 years catering to Hong Kong’s kickflippers and wannabe Tony Hawks allows for a multi-brand skate shop like Evergreen to be tucked in a discrete office building about a five-minute walk from Causeway Bay’s retail hub Times Square. Evergreen’s simple, straight-to-the-shelves store design allows customers to grab a couple of compulsory tees from Etnies or a pair of fresh Nike SB’s (not to mention whatever catches your fancy from a comprehensive brand selection that includes 10 Deep, Diamond Supply, DVS, Emerica, La Coka Nostra, and King Stampede)–especially since its store space is about four times the size of your usual skate & streetwear outlet. ‘Course, providing a fine-tuned product and brand selection for core customers is like pulling off that hotdoggin’ trick, and a skate emporium like Evergreen is serious about stickin’ it. – Rosario Herrera 9/F Capital Commercial Bldg., 26 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay Hong Kong www.evergreenskateboards.com
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STATUSPHERE
SMOOVE OPERATOR Aside from a pierced nipple, nothing says “party” more than a club with a door in the shape of a heavily lipsticked mouth. At The Butter Factory, a newgen hip-hop and R&B club, this graphic assault is but a wee reminder to leave your tighty-whitey uptightness at home. Slam your ass around and dance your legs down to tiny little stumps on the main floor, where you’ll find yourself on a 2D swimming pool complete with a diving board and mosaic tile-resembling water. On weeknights, it’s all about down tempo acid jazz, chart toppers and funk & soul bangers. Fun goes on autopilot on Fridays and Saturdays when soulful funk boogie, sexy R&B grooves, and the heaviest hip-hop hits are chucked in for good measure, taking your sweaty body hostage. It’s fun to play where there are no rules and the kind folks at The Butter Factory have made it real easy to do that. They also highside the best of upstart art this side of Asia (‘07’s K-Spray Tour in Singapore got iconic artists like Flying Fortress, Pez, and The London Police on the premises to stir up some art anarchy), combining inspired doodling with the urban grooves of its multi-content-spanning lineup of guest turntablits and rising MCs from across Asia and beyond. The tuneage in the bar is never the same twice, of course. One night it’s seminal soul or rare disco grooves, the next it’s electro-flash, punk funk, or just about every kind of mash-up you could think of. Getting stupid and letting loose while surrounded by all that graphic, groovy goodness? You can’t get more fucking smoove than that. 48 Robertson Quay #01-03 Riverside 48, Singapore, Singapore Tel: 65 6333 8243 Wed: men $15, includes one drink; women free. Fri & Sat (before 10pm): men $16, women $11, includes one drink. Fri & Sat (after 10pm): men $26, women $21, includes two drinks. - Gino de la Paz
FIVEFORTY IS THE NEW 420
Forget the tiki-torched, “ma’am-sir” mall-stores selling bikinis and cute, hibiscus-decked surfboards. You don’t know what a surf shop is ‘til you’ve dropped by Fiveforty Surf Co. Back in 2000, Fil-Am Lui Tortuya was sitting on the beach in La Union, watching a couple of perfect waves roll in. He scanned the beach looking for a board to borrow. There were none. So from a noble desire to provide services to the adolescent, equipment-starved surf community in the Philippines, Fiveforty was born. From messing around– shaping foam and airbrushing boards – in a friend’s garage to a shop located on a prime spot on Katipunan, Fiveforty is a tsunami crashing through Manila with an eight-month waiting list of people all jonesing for a custom-made board. And it’s not because Lui is a lazy ass – Fiveforty is the only place in the country offering custom boards, each board handmade and completely original. They’re freakin’ works of art, and it’s because each board is just so freakin’ special that nowadays Lui won’t make boards for just anyone. But hey, waves don’t wait for nobody, so if it’s surf’s up at your nearest break, Fiveforty’s got readymade boards from top-tier brands like 7S, Webber, Walden, Lost, Anacapa, and Firewire (not to mention apparel from brands like Billabong, RVCA, Lost, T&C, and Hurley) for you to grab on the go. And when you come back, broken board in tow, they can patch up your stick real good with the store’s board-repair services. ‘Course, if you’re still unsure ‘bout heading out to those waves, Fiveforty offers board rentals, surf lessons and tours. Or you can just swing by, pump palms with Fiveforty’s motley crew of “Shop Kids”, and belt out some Bon Jovi on the free-for-all magic mic while guzzling a few bottles of Red Horse. ‘Is the life brah. Fiveforty Surf Co. can be found at 227 Katipunan Extension. Check out www.fiveforty.multiply.com or call 437-4816 for more info.
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STATUSPHERE
CLOTHES THAT MAKE THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND Make Love Not War (MLNW) opens at 1 pm—around the same time its customers probably get up. You know, clothes that are step one for requisite shots by the papz waiting outside the club, looking white-hot enough for you to shake your ass on the dance floor (and watch yourself), nursing a hangover (just don’t spill booze on ‘em) and, undoubtedly, making love. But that’s just a glorious side effect. The hippie-inspired MLNW has more blatant advocacies: green (yes, what self-respecting boutique doesn’t have reusable tote bags nowadays?), local (lots of young-designer threads), and peace, dudes. Hell, there’s plenty of Love to go around over here: MLNW owner Isa Alvarez’s house brand Maria offers party frocks for with-it chicks dying to raid the on-set wardrobe of Gossip Girl. T-shirts are emblazoned with everything from Princess Leia and Big Bird (str8 edge), to batboys and other Burton-esque characters (Morbie Tees, go figure). There’s also the frugal-fabulous Born Again and handmade quaintness of Womyn in the Kitchen: sundresses in granny florals and prison stripes hanging over espadrilles and flat-cloth Mary Janes. True, some patterns may teeter into frumpy, which is why the store is perfect for stylists, experimental dressers, and Mary Kate Olsen. These are the same folks who would and could wear creatures around their neck (Oddball and Friends), bar pins that say HIGH!, and scarves to offset tropical garb (Maria). ‘Course, our picks at STATUS include barrel-shaped travel bags in aqua croc, doodle-hardy Twinkle Ferraren swimsuits, and street wear from Aussie brand Eillim, which splashes retro-futurist robots and triangles onto shirts, hoodies, and even those lace-up sneakers you used in PE. The numero uno thing to salivate over, however, is MLNW’s prime collection of neon wayfarers, geek-chic plastic frames, winged sunglasses, and supafly Playa shades (literally, sunnies with the word PLAYER over the right lens) that—priced between 600 to 800 bucks—don’t cost much to bag ‘em honeys. So, as playas, Olsens, and Blair and Serena do: burn cash, not bras. Buy bling, not bullets. Invade closets, not countries. And if you still need to go to war, at least dress the part. - Anna Canlas
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GO SEES
-SEES Nino, 23 Style Anywhere
Gabrielle, 19 Student
Mihoko, 27 Student 14
Yurie, 17 Student Athlete
Bryce, 24 Promoter
Anna, 18 Student
Jason, 18 Class Clown
Mihoko’s husband, 27
Regine, 19 Student
GO SEES
So we put a tripod down in the middle of a public place and see who we could coerce to stand in front of it. Hundreds did. These kids struck as the most interesting. So here they are, one step closer to being the coolest kid on their block. If you find yourself on these pages, tell your mama, cause she’d be proud.
Joo Seo, 21 Student
Lawrence, 22 Nurse
Pamela, 18
Luis, 18 Student
Cai, 19 Photographer
Ji Hyun, 19 No Occupation
Rona, 18 Rebel
Anonymous 15
Ron, 18 Student
ABOUT FACE
PARTY LIKE A HEATHERETTE Your life is a like party so dress for it! No one lives this mantra better than Richie Rich and Traver Rains which is famously known as Heatherette. The dynamic duo has created a fashion company that was born from the club life of New York City. Now they have collaborated with the glamourous MAC cosmetics and created a a special line filled with all the glitter and gloss a downtown hipster could ask for.
er wd Po 200 ty P1, au
Heather ett P2,100 e Trio
Be
BLUE WAVE
Make waves with herb-nurtured skin. Kiehl’s is now available at Greenbelt 5.
MORNING DEW
Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Moisturizer Nothing spells a fresh new day more than fresh, hydrated skin. Allow it to heal with this oil-free moisturizer that helps clear acne blemishes, matiifies skin and reduces the appearance of pores. It contains only the most essential of oils like ginger root and cinnamon bark extracts that soothe and protect your skin from bacteria.
SPOT CHECK
Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Spot Treatment Ever looked in the mirror to see the humble beginnings of a blemish? Avoid the cringes with a quick-drying clear gel formula that dries and clears whiteheads and blackheads while preventing new acne blemishes from forming. So you think you need a spot check? Go pick up a mirror.
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NIGHT CAP
Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser Call it a night with skin free of oil, dirt and residue. Kiss your skin goodnight with this oil-free, non-drying gel formulation that penetrates and cleanses pores to eliminate most acne blemishes. You’re sure to wake up to traces of morning dew.
Work
Play
D U O PR
Erik Club Owner, showcasing a laptop messenger bag available at R.O.X Fort Bonifacio High Street [P5,190]
D U LO
Bea +Longsleeves button down shirt by Toughjeansmith available at Shangrila Edsa Mall (P3,690) +Jeans by Toughjeansmith available at Shangrila Edsa Mall [P4,990]
Stylist, enjoying her classic messenger bag available at R.O.X Fort Bonifacio High Street [P3,590]
+White sleeveless top by Salad available at Toughjeansmith Shangrila Edsa mall [P1,490] +Blue Indigo jeans by Toughjeanssmith available at Shangrila Edsa Mall [P4,490] +Bangles by H&M
e oos
ch u yo e f li e th e Liv
m
ro f ags b e hes t h wit
u
b Tim
Make Up by Al De Leon - Hair by Paulo Lopez - Photos by Revolution
Mars
Anielle Model, hanging out with her classic messenger bag available at R.O.X Fort Bonifacio High Street [P3,590]
+Red tank top by H&M +Blue navy jeans by Toughjeansmith available at Shangrila Edsa Mall [P4,490]
DJ, sporting a laptop bag available at R.O.X Fort Bonifacio High Street [P6,290]
v
k2.
+Red tank top by H&M +Blue navy jeans by Toughjeansmith available at Shangrila Edsa Mall [P4,490]
SWAG
TIME
These Vestal watches aren’t just timepieces. More like snazzy musical instruments that happen to tell time.
Metal Monte Carlo [P8,999]
Monte Carlo [P6,999]
Pontius [P5,499]
Duo Phonic [P10,999]
Elite [P7,999]
Destroyer Enamel [P11,499]
photos by revolution
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SWAG
SOLDIERS Form meets function with these USB drives.
Photography by Dan Urbano 1GB [$39.95] 2GB [$49.95] 4GB [$59.95]
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photos by revolution
SWAG
IT’S IN THE BAG.
When it’s snack time, these will give you enough chips to go all in anytime you want.
[Sampung Piso isa depende sa suking tindahan] 22
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photos by revolution
SWAG
photos by revolution
SWAG
DENIM DAZE
keep rockin’ with these faded jeans Lee X-line [P1,499.75]
Marithe Francios Girbaud [P3,200]
levis
[P6.999.50]
Diesel
[P9,450]
Replay [P3,550]
Seven for All Mankind [P10,250]
Tough Jeans [P4,990]
Energie [P17,095]
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On Ry Lim Button-down shirt by Stussy (2,010) Jeans by Marithe Francois Gribaud (8,150) Trinity Sneakers by Supra (8,150) Photography by Doc Marlon
SAME SHIRT, DIFFERENT DAY Look good any day with these essentials.
On Ry Lim T-shirt by Stussy (1,250) Jeans by Marithe Francois Girbaud (3,500) Photography by Doc Marlon
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photos by revolution
SWAG
Adidas [P1,495]
Sector 9 [P1,395]
Diesel [P3,650]
Puma [P1,230]
Marithe Francios Girbaud [P1,100]
Fresh Jive [P1,200]
Stussy [P1,250]
RVCA [P1,700]
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Vol[P1,095]
Dakine [P995]
Billabong [P1,250]
Daily Grind [P400]
Stussy [P1,250]
Lost [P1,095]
10 Deep [P1,550]
SWAG
Nike Air Max 90 [P4,495]
Vans Classic Slip Ons [P2,695]
Globe Magnum [P3,000]
Converse Hiero II Ox [P3,190]
Adio Impact [P2,800]
Adidas ZX 500 [P3,795]
SOLE SEDUCTION Let this shoes sweep you off your feet.
photos by revolution
New Balance [P4,395]
Puma First Round Sketch [P3,350]
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SWAG
Pony Manhattan [P3,395]
Zoo York Tabu P[3,795]
Ecko Unltd Villfier [3,695]
Creative Recreation Torrio [P5,280]
Gola Voyage P[2,625]
Supra Trinity [P8,150]
Supra Muska Skytop [P5,050]
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Adidas Superstar 86 [P4,295]
Reebok CR Runner [P2,595]
Nike Air Max 90 [P4,495]
SWAG
BAGGAGE?
Burton’s got answers.
Day Hiker 20L Daypack (true black) [$59.95]
Day Hiker 20L Daypack (roasted brown) [$59.95]
Treble Yell Daypack (pop plaid infrared) [$39.95]
Metalhead Pack (pop plaid infrared) [$49.95]
Distortion Backpack (pop plaid infrared) [$59.95]
Distortion Backpack (L.A. grey) [$59.95]
Distortion Backpack (true black) [$59.95]
Distortion Backpack (glocko letter rock salt) [$59.95]
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SWAG
CALLING ALL
SPIN DOCTORS Find out how a 120 BPM song gets hearts going into overdrive.
Ion LP Dock [$249]
SK Pro DJ headphones [Php 7,500.00]
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T.I. (all colors) [Php 4,500.00] T.I. (all colors) [Php 4,500.00]
Skullcrusher (all colors) [Php 3,500.00]
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SWAG
FOOT FETISH
Get your satisfaction from these patent leather heels.
On Khai: Sweatshirt by Kr3w [P4,295] Pumps by Aldo [P3,750]
SWAG
Aldo [P4,295]
Tint [P3,998]
BCBG Girls [P4,999]
Charles & Keith [P2,199] Michael by Michael Kors [P6,450]
Aldo [P3,795]
Delicious [P1,950]
Steve Madden [P3,450]
Charles & Keith [P1,199]
Charles & Keith [P2,650]
Nine West [P4,650]
Delicious [P1,750]
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SWAG
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Hold on tight to these clutch bags.
On Khai: Dress by Luca [P2,650] Clutch bag by Aldo [P1,895]
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SWAG
Tint [P3,698]
Aldo [2,195]
Aranaz [900]
Aranaz [P5,500]
Aranaz [P2,500]
Kate Spade [P17,950]
Carbon [P3,698]
Aldo [P2,195]
Marc Jacobs [P38,000]
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WWW.3SIXTEEN.COM
MAESTRO
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MAESTRO
GOT SPUN-K Fusing hype hop with whatever goes,
NYC’s DJ Spinbad
scratches a crowd’s itch for a grand ol’ time. Photos by Nick St. James
Any DJ could play safe with a crowd they’d never spun for; just stick to the TRL-privy hip-hop tracks, get some compulsory bumping and grinding going, and call it a night. But to resurrect an ‘80s cheese ball staple like Simple Minds’s “Don’t you (forget about me)” for a smattering of club kids—most of them probably zygotes when the song was as ubiquitous as Molly Ringwald was—takes a couple of huge turntable testicles. DJ Spinbad makes it work, though, considering he got those kids to tear up the dance floor during a one-night-only club thump at Embassy early this year; the crowd getting even more worked-up when the squat, white dude dominating the decks spliced some old school 2 Live Crew with a little contempo Britney as well. Knocking the genre walls down while sticking to the fresh-cut core of hip-hop—fusing a bit of its scratch n’ swivel DJ-ing dynamics with a totally antithetical musical genome—isn’t new to a guy who’d, way back in ’96, melded the music he was weaned on with a little hip-hop flavor. “It started off as a complete joke,” Spinbad says of the product of such a fusion: Rock the Casbah (the 80s Megamix). “I was with Jazzy Jeff in Philadelphia and at that time in New York, people would take an exclusive song, play the song, yell over it, play the next song. There was no mixing and no scratching. So I thought to myself, what would be the exact opposite of that? Okay, I’ll take the corniest 80s songs that I grew up loving and just scratch and mix ‘em up. After I brought them to Jazzy Jeff, he said, ‘you have to finish this!’ And I said, ‘are you serious? People aren’t gonna like this’. He tells me, ‘No no, people are gonna love this!’” Spinbad’s beacon in beats was right on the music, however, considering that “complete joke” became the “most bootlegged mix CD” ever. His don’t-knock-it-‘til-you’ve-heardit cred has turned him into an aural fixture in New York—two radio shows under his belt where his turntable tactics burn-up the airwaves daily—and an international man of merriment what with the global itinerary of clubs he shakes up. Still, there’s a lot he’d like to take seriously now in terms of sticking his knack for experimentation into an actual studio with any one of the artists he shakes hands with on his radio shows; all potential collaborators for a record—or maybe that spanking hip track that gets played on a sneaker ad. “I wanna concentrate more on making my music rather than selling other people’s music right now. I wanna get artists on my beats and get those placed in commercials, movies, stuff like that,” he says with a sudden snicker. “Hopefully I’ll be able to speak to Nike and get some money out of them. Whatever the case, if I can mix together something new, add something different and bring that to peoples’ attention, I think that’s cool too.”
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MAESTRO
“I wanna concentrate more on
making my music rather than selling other peoples’ music right now.”
MAESTRO
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MAESTRO
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Everything’s A-O-Kei! By Nick St. James
MASTERMIND
H
oly crap. That was probably the first thing that came out of my mouth when Keiichi Nitta agreed to appear in this magazine. The majority of you might be saying, “Who the fuck is Keiichi Nitta?” And to that I say, if you haven’t heard of him yet, good – he’s my secret and I want to keep his work to myself. But whatever, here’s to spreading art: Keiichi’s one of Japan’s hottest fashion and portrait photographers, and when you see his work in a magazine, you’re bound to say, “Who the fuck is Keiichi Nitta and what the fuck is this?” And to photographers, that is a very good thing. Keiichi was born in Japan and went to New York in the year 2000 and worked at a sake bar (Ok, this sounds like a book report). From there he went on to become the assistant to the infamous Terry Richardson and from there became one of Terry’s most frequent models – wearing fishnet stockings, drinking beer, and exposing himself to Jackass Johnny Knoxville. He credits so much of his career to Terry Richardson, that when I asked him who else he looked up to, he simply stated: “Only Terry Richardson”. When you look at his subjects in his photos, you tend to notice that things never looked posed or planned. Everyone seems to be having fun and the world always seems it’s in its right place. Yet, they’re posing in ways that don’t seem natural or even comfortable. How does he get people to do this? H e just simply states, in his broken English, “It’s a Keiichi Magic.”
Keiichi Nitta says “Hello!”
Currently, Kei is working on a limited edition photobook where he plans to include pictures taken in the Philippines. “I’ll take you around,” I said, “What do you want to see?” He replied, “Crazy place….. People, girls, boys, gay, cool place, models, sex, music club, xxx. Whatever and fun, eat… Documentary, man!” And I said, “What the fuck?” But he was probably amused to hear that. 43
MASTERMIND
Boys and girls, meet Tilt. This French phenom of a graf artist, who prefers the designation “graffiti fetishist,” has certainly crashed head-on into the world of wall art.
Article By: Franz Ong 44
SWAG
Eye-popping would be an understatement for his trademark colors and bubble lettering, but tagging naked girls he calls “BubbleGirls� with that sort of gaspworthy adornment takes graffiti to a whole nude level.
MASTERMIND
‘Course, defacing public property is one thing—Tilt spraying his stuff on walls from the U.S. to Hong Kong—but graffiti’s about the ballsy step one’s got to take for art and smearing scandal with style is what it’s always been about, anyway.
Find what you’re looking for.
www.statusmagonline.com Steve Aoki a.k.a. Kid Millionaire photo by Nick St James
HITMAN
Hollywood’s Asian boy wonder drops it like it’s hot over here— rhymes, Rockeoke, and a revved-up new movie on the homebred Love Virus in the works.
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HITMAN
PASS THE ‘BASCO
Photos by Nick St. James Styling by Rosario Herrera
He could have been doing it like they do in Hollywood: maybe roll with an entourage of attention-starved leeches and soak-up whatever VIP entitlement he can. But it’s close to midnight and Dante Basco is waiting alone outside Embassy Cafeteria, where no matter how many glances from junk-flailing hoochies or guys nudging their buddies and proclaiming ‘Holy crap, it’s Rufio!’ the guy keeps it drop-ego chill. Dante just wants to be around his people, anyway, and the toothy smile that greets STATUS (even if we’re the tardy ones) is a damn good indication of how that warm Filipino spirit never left the guy even after living it up in Hollywood with his share of velvet rope-jumping leeches or sharing scenes with some of Tinseltown’s top dogs (try institutions like Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Fishburne). It’s been a while since he’s been back to the homeland, but by strengthening a few ties with everyone from the kids at Mag:Net’s Rockeoke to the decked-out revelers at Embassy, not to mention a movie with Jericho Rosales in the works (I Love You Virus about the infamous Philippinebred mail-strom), he’s making up for all that lost time. So how’d you contract the I Love You Virus? The script came across my people and they wanted me to meet with the director. Initially, I knew he was Filipino and it was a story that takes place in Manila. It’s not everyday in Hollywood you get a Filipino project and it being produced by an American film company fascinated me and I just knew I had to be a part of it. See, I’ve been around Hollywood for over 20 years now and played a Filipino character all but two times, so I’m dedicated to opening the world’s eyes up to the Filipino experience. ‘Course, when we get a chance to put out a Filipino project, I wanna make sure the quality’s as high as it can be. We can’t come out wack, especially when we’re representing our own. I look forward to coming home real soon and shooting more films. I’ve already got some things in the works. But then I have some aspirations outside of the entertainment industry—having a place in Manila and a production company out here. I look forward to a whole life in the Philippines. Any insane moments on or off set, working with a guy like Jericho in your homeland? Coming home and working was an amazing experience. A big part of me fell in love with Manila and I just knew that coming home to work has to be a part of my life from hereon out. Jericho and I played best friends in the film and great friends off set. We got to get away for Good Friday and I got to practice my surfing up in La Union—75-degree water ‘til the sunset was just a little piece of paradise. One of the craziest moments was in Quiapo when we were shooting a scene in the middle of the night and the streets were swarmed with people trying to sneak a peek at what we were doing. The whole experience just had this profound impact on me. The biggest surprise for me is when I get stopped in the street and people don’t just talk to me like fans and take pics with me, but thank me like I was family—and for bringing pride to Filipinos in Hollywood. Outside of work, it seemed like someone gave me the keys to Manila and told me to take it for a spin. I
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some great friends over here that showed me the best of what the Philippines has got to offer, be it a bottle of champagne and a night at Embassy, a great meal, or a perfect getaway in Boracay. The executive producer’s mansion is also something I’ll never forget—Gary V singing to me dancing with every woman in the house, to all of us winding in an indoor pool with all our clothes on. And then there’s that crazy night in Mag:Net when we took over Rockeoke. I think I was onstage for nearly half an hour jamming and remixing old hits with the band. Hope I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself (laughs). When you were onstage that night, people were endlessly chanting ‘Rufio!’ Does the fact that a role that most stands out seems to be Rufio irk you in any way? No, of course not. Rufio’s like this iconic character all over the world and most actors wish to play a character they’ll be remembered for, so it’s an honor in that way. I’m a fan of the character too. The guy is such a cool character—young antihero unlike any other—and he’s my childhood in a lot of ways. He also represents the leader in me—and a very special time in my life.
“There were a lot of things I had to sacrifice.”
Well you did miss a few rites of passage considering you were working—on that Michael Jackson Moonwalker thing— since you were 10. Hollywood’s got its own rites of passage, though, so what did you experience? Yeah, being a kid actor who was successful, there were a lot of things I had to sacrifice. Many times, sports took a back seat to filming. I hated that I didn’t get to do all the things my friends did but looking back, it was all worth it. What a lot of people don’t see is how much work it takes to be successful in this business. See, my brothers and I studied religiously for 20 years straight—sometimes 5 days a week—and we studied acting every Sunday; never watched Super Bowl in those 20 years ‘cause of class. There were also a few girls I left waiting for me at the school dances. As far as those Hollywood rites of passage go, everyone gets their shine at different times and with that shine comes status. Our proms were clubs and private parties that, for me, started shortly after Hook at 15. I was underage but hey, this is Hollywood and as a teenager with a little status, of course I got into some trouble. I’ve never really been into drugs but I did like girls around. But then I spent most of my time dancing at the hotspots in town. Even as an actor now, I can keep up with the best dancers in town, and besides, girls like guys who dance. So does the Hollywood night scene still do it for you? And how close is the LA high to how Entourage portrays it? Some nights, I feel like I’m over it all but other nights I just have to dance. Now that I’m engaged, it’s more likely that I’m chillin’ at home with my girl—but ‘Entourage’ is the closest thing you can get to the LA life on TV. Funny story is one night, I was cooking a chili dinner at home and Adrian Grenier from Entourage shows up at my back door. The whole night was like an episode of Entourage. Well, you grew up around the stars, anyway, so that shouldn’t be anything new. But any “colleagues” who’ve influenced you or who you’ve hung out with all throughout? The Black Eyed Peas—Taboo, especially—are close friends. I actually taught Rosario Dawson how to drive and I’m stopping by Wilmer Valderrama’s birthday this week. Don’t mean to namedrop, but hey, sometimes it’s cool to have famous friends. What meant a lot to me, though, was Dustin Hoffman once telling me that if I stuck around long enough, I’d be one of the best actors of my generation. This director once told me that I may be able to do for the Asian community what Denzel did for the black community.
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it all but like I’m over el fe I , ts gh “Some ni dance.” I just have to other nights
In LA, you’re also known for your music (Fly Brown Dragons, composed of Dante and his brothers) and Da Poetry Lounge. How are these two coming along? Nowadays, we just go by “Basco Bros.” and we’re always around LA playing and we just played at my sister Arianna’s weekly event called “Tard and Leathered”, with bands, poets, and artists. Our sound is somewhere between Black-eyed Peas and Maroon 5—and when we all get onstage together, it’s like being at a party in our living room. As for Da Poetry Lounge, it started as a bunch of friends of mine getting together in my living room to share stories and it grew into the largest weekly poetry venue in the country—and it sparked the birth of Def Poetry Jam on HBO and Broadway. I’m very proud of that and I’m still known as the “founder of Da Poetry Lounge” in those circles. Think you could spit a verse out about STATUS? Talk about STATUS, it’s not who you know…it who knows you/ Fuck what you got, show me what you do/ So you got a mil and a house on the hill/ You cry keepin’ it real, you keep your fakeness concealed/ I been around the world and I’ve seen many places/ My family and friends got familiar faces/ Seen on billboards and those bright Los Angeles lights/ You want to be like Sheila E and live this “glamorous life” Nice. Now let’s get to something more profound. Between the two cartoon characters you voice—Prince Zuko and Jake Long—who’d kick whose ass? It would be a good fight. Although I think Jake is good, I have a feeling Prince Zuko will take him out. He’s like a chip off the ol’ Rufio block.
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k c o M r a t S by Nicola M. Sebastian
Photographs by: Kai Huang
Playing the fortunate fool rock from Music101 learning corrupting necessarily stars, ts, the minds of his film studen ix or making movies about append for thieves, it’s all a joke
Ramon Bautista
T
– one you
he “hello po” and handshake made him seem like an ordinary enough guy—jeans, graphic t-shirt, a somewhat shy smile beneath those deep-set eyes that look out at us from television with a glare so fierce it impinges on the comical. But there it is, the Ramon Bautista look – whether posing with Jollibee or impersonating a kantoboy, it’s that face made famous by, well, the Ramon Bautista Show, where local musicians give a floundering yet eager Ramon—the alter-ego of his professorial filmmaker self—two-minute lessons on all things rakenrol, Dan Michael (a spoof on the street-side capers of David Blaine), and other lovely fillers that MTV provides its ADD viewers with in-between all those vids featuring pop star Barbies, rocker Kens, and enough bling to buy Bangladesh. A quiet Thursday morning sitting on a bench surrounded by all the academic accoutrements of the University of the Philippines is a setting somewhat at odds with the bizarre conversation that is unfolding. “I wanted to become a scientist, o kaya maging astronaut,” Ramon shares of his prepubescent career plans, one of these being the country’s savior. “Iniisip ko, kung maghuhukay tayo ng oil, yayaman tayo. Massolve yung mga problems natin ng bansa. Alam ko kasi [yung] Malaysia may oil eh. Kung mag-hukay tayo sa Mindanao ng parang malalim na malalim tapos gumaganun yung... straw. Sisiphon diba,” says Ramon, making like he’s sucking up
HITMAN our wealthier neighbor’s stash with his ingenious oil-pirating straw invention. “Malalim naman eh, ‘di naman nila malalaman.” Ramon’s science projects will have to wait, however, what with his plate already piled high with projects from every professional food group imaginable – from hosting Studio 23’s travel show Pasyal to being a radio DJ on Campus 99.5 FM. Still, amongst everything he does, film remains his first and only love – only because, Ramon admits, his boob tube fame that started with UNTV’s oddball show Strangebrew hasn’t upped his earthquake intensity with the ladies. “Akala ko marami akong chiks pagsumikat ako [sa TV]… hindi rin,” says Ramon, “mas maraming chiks pagrockstar ka talagang totoo.”
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nce upon a time, Ramon Bautista was an architecture student, until it all went the regular Ramon Bautista route: crazy. “Tingin ko talaga unfair na pinapapili tayo ng course ng destiny natin pag fifteen years-old pa lang tayo… ang alam ko lang gawin, eh, mag-have-fun, mag-video-games, tsaka mag-jakol siguro. So pinili ko na yung mukhang cool na course – architecture,” Ramon explains of his freshman decision. “Pagdating ko diyan, hindi ako nageexcel tsaka marami ako mga kaklase na mas magaling sa ‘kin… Buti na lang na-invite kami ng isang friend naming manood ng isang film festival. The best of the best of the UP Film Institute,” he says, before driving towards why he is who he is now: “Ang panget ng mga sine! So naging reverse inspiration siya na parang, kaming dalawa ni RA Rivera, [Ramon’s partner-incrime – but not in the gay kinda way, Ramon is quick to clarify] ‘Yun na yun? Kaya natin gumawa ng mas maganda diyan ah.’ So nag-shift kami.” The shift to film led to his coming full circle; Ramon leading the next generation of eager young filmmakers into a shining horizon of Philippine cinema by teaching his craft at UP Diliman. And the professor doesn’t balk at speaking of his protégées in affectionate tones. “A lot of them are lazy bastards,” he says. “They’re stupid and they don’t learn anything even though we try really hard to teach them. But if I get in a class of fifteen just one who is really
barilin tayo.” smart and comes up with really good films I’d be really happy. Kahit na yung ibang fourteen mga basura na patapon.” ‘Course, such negativity would normally have me raising an eyebrow, but I start to realize that it’s hard to take Ramon – a guy who claims he’s illiterate yet listens to classical music while commuting – at face value. Like how his now-defunct ABC5 show, Dokyu,was more about showcasing his students’ documentaries rather than a platform for indie superstardom. And as much as I’m enjoying the hilarious twists and turns of this interview, I can’t help but wonder if his unending twominute skit repartee ever hits the snooze button. Then again, the brutal sense of humor and churning out of low-intelligence-quotientbut-high-entertainment-quotient shows makes sense in a way. It’s easy to chuckle to yourself as you witness Ramon learn to surf from Markus Highway’s frontman, interpret the demonic backmasking
with Biboy from Quezo, and help Radioactive Sago Project’s Lourd mix up the perfect pitcher of gin-pom, but if you think about it, all of this craptastic fun is education the way Ramon would do it—challenging the media and its depiction of reality, all so we can learn to laugh at ourselves a little. “What you see in media is not actually true; it’s actually a mockery of reality,” he reveals. “Lahat tayo, nag-i-identify sa mga rock stars pero hindi naman tayo magiging celebrities. Magiging Ramon Bautista tayo na hindi marunong mag-gitara kahit
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amon isn’t new to going against the grain. In college, the guy worshipped Jan Svankmajer, a Czech animator that saw malice in the happy, vacuous smile of Mickey Mouse, who supposedly brainwashes innocent children into becoming conformist minions of capitalism. Bad rodent. This societal questioning concretized in his thesis project and first film, Makina, a prize-winning animated film (the guy drew it himself, for crissakes) about two scientists outbuilding each other. “Masyado tayong obsessed sa pag-develop ng technology, hindi natin dinidevelop yung humansocial relationships natin,” explains Ramon of the film’s idea. “Tungkol sa nuclear weapons, high tech na high tech na sila. Pero, yung point mismo…bakit tayo nagbi-build ng nuclear weapons?”
But Ramon swears he’s mellower now, even offering his movie idea of the moment: “gagawa kami ng Asian horror movie,” says Ramon, “it’ll be a quadrology, not a trilogy. Starring me,” he says, segueing into plot possibilities: “Halimbawa, may swimming trunks na binibili sa ukay-ukay, pag-sinusuot lumalaki yung bird. Isang story din, ninanakaw yung appendix ng mga tao. May isang baranggay na nawawala sila ng appendix, yun pala ine-export sa Japan for appendix transplants. Uso yung mga yun ngayon diba?”
And what’d be its title, I ask. “Artsy-fartsy, like Nahuhulog na Tuyong Dahon sa Dapithapon ng Tatsibol. Basta it sounds really deep, pero hindi pala profound.” As the conversation winds through the nooks and crannies of filmmaking and Philippine cinema, in between the snipes at our local industry and quasi-ridiculous movie ideas, at some point where his dry-asdesert humor collides with a passion for film that keeps Ramon working tirelessly, glimpses of the real Ramon Bautista
peek through. If you learn how to read the language, you’ll find a man that cares so much about something enough to put it down, and values life too much to take it too seriously; the kind of man that’ll explain why a first-world country like Japan would have more sad folks than a dirtpoor one like the Philippines by using the contours of a human face. “Sa tingin ko, kung may pimple kang isa, tapos maganda yung mukha mo, maiirita ka eh diba?” Ramon elucidates, “pero kung madagdag yung pimple diyan… ‘So what!’ Diba? Anong paki ko?” All this wondering whether Ramon’s joking or not, whether what he’s saying is coming from the “real” Ramon or a figment of his insanity, means you’ve totally missed the point of his ongoing lesson. Whether he means what he says or will say the same thing tomorrow, Ramon has discovered the wisdom of the balut vendor. “Konti lang yung kinikita nila, tapos parang niri-risk niya yung buhay niya sa mga tarantadong nakatambay lang diyan,” says Ramon. “Kasi pwede siya saksakin anytime eh. Maawa ba ako sa kanya? Hindi eh, kasi nage-effort siya, tapos masaya siya sa ginagawa siguro niya. Ako, minsan nga iniisip ko – I’m not good enough, o kaya panget ako kaya ang loser ko. Eh siya, hindi naman niya iniisip yun dahil hindi niya ma-afford isipin yan. Kung nag-emo siya diyan, sayang yung oras na dapat nakabenta na siya ng tatlong balut o kahit tatlong pesos na income. So parang, kanyakanya tayong ano na lang.” And that “ano” is the bottom line here: whether you talk with an American twang or fall back on swardspeak; whether you can pull a crazy guitar solo out of your ass or can only manage a high score on Guitar Hero; whether anyone’s going to watch the indie film you’re working on or dismiss it as “panget”—all you’ve gotta do is go with the flow and have fun doing it. Despite the socioeconomic acne erupting on the face of our country and whatever our own frustrated rock star dreams, we can all just make like Ramon, smile and say, “It’s alattafun!”
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The
ABCs
of
Iza Calzado
Photography by Nick St. James Styling by Rosario Herrera Makeup by Robbie Piñera Hair by Nante Alingasa
There’s no big easy in being Iza Calzado. But for a grade-A actress hurled onto the spoils of local—and soon, international—fame while still being all self-aware and self-possessed, she sure makes it look that way.
A
dmirably enough, Iza Calzado’s got her reasons for why she does what she does. As,
“Everything happened so fast.”
Black Vest by Topshop Jeans by Mango Sunglasses by Rayban Red bangles by H&M Earrings by H&M
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Bs, sometimes Cs for taking on things you wouldn’t expect from an actress who would have already been so resigned to the be-who-you-are-except-forwho-you-are mindset of people in the ‘biz. “Is it okay if we walk?” she asks upon stepping out onto Makati’s now-empty Rada Street—candy-swirl lollipop in-hand (a prop from the shoot), oversized shirt on her back, and backpack fastened to her shoulders—as if the scenario wasn’t surreal enough. It’s 10 PM on a Sunday that began at 4 AM—Iza popping in a little face time at a university’s fundraising fun run—and even if there’s a van waiting for her right across the street, she decides to walk the three or so blocks to Greenbelt 3. Why? ‘Cause (a), walking for a sound mind and body is just one of those things that came with her new pesco-vegetarian lifestyle, leading to (b), her need to get to our destination, fast health food joint Chimara, where she’s jonesing for a near-midnight snack of tofu chips and wasabi popcorn. And then there’s (c): she rarely gets to walk these days, what with being shuttled in her huge artistamobile from fashion mag cover shoot to soap taping to whatever public-gratifying commitment she has to fulfill. Thing is, she’s got a lot of those nowadays, considering the loudspeaker broadcast that comes with a homegrown actress bagging a Hollywood role; Iza having to work those pipes of fright once more for the US Tinseltown remake of Yam Laranas’s Sigaw, where she played the ultimate neighbor in distress; one whose husband just couldn’t keep his hands off of her, albeit with a continuous assault of one-two punches. “Everything happened so fast. And what was pressuring about it was that people knew I was going there to shoot. I didn’t want people to find out until I got back and it was done. I was thinking: everyone in Manila knows I’m doing this! I had to deliver,” she says about the publicity missiles bombarding her with even greater pressure during her three-week shoot in Toronto for The Echo, where she had to wave the Philippine acting flag in the face of costars like Jesse Bradford and Carlos Leon, who’s known more than anything for knocking Madonna up with her first child. “Syempre with Jesse Bradford, nahihiya ako. And then there was Carlos Leon, who I’d talk to casually over lunch about Madonna. One time, he asked me when my birthday was—‘cause he’s a Cancer and I’m a Leo and he said he had a lot of girlfriends who were Leo. And in my head, I was like, I know! Madonna was one of them! I was one degree away from Madonna!” Iza shrieks, chuckling the absurdity off of the fact that she’d clocked some screen time in with Maddie’s first baby daddy and a guy who she’s had a huge crush on since she’d seen the growing-pains-in-the-Depression flick King of the Hill (“He still has that cap with the cigar labels!”). Having to reboot the battered Gina and modify her for all the kids who’d have furrowed their brows
WORKING GIRL
at her brittle Pinoy enunciation meant that she was under the glare of a new set of klieg lights. There was a new script to go with the Americanization of her character, of course. And then there was the fact that she was the token stranger on a strange set. “I’m like, ‘I’m working with foreigners. I don’t know how this is going to turn out’. I had to prove to them that Filipinos could act, ‘cause they had no idea.” she says about casting her doubts before triumphantly finding herself sharing laughs on-set with Bradford; or having to snap her husband in the film, Kevin Durond, out of their dark n’ heavy scenes together (“I was the one beaten up and I had to tell him ‘Let’s eat! Get off it, man!’”); or realizing she wasn’t the only one in the cast who didn’t go to acting school like the other Whateverovsky-trained “thespians”. “My and Amelia’s [Warner, playing the lead/Angel Locsin character] principles were the same and I realized that if a girl from London and I led parallel lives in terms of acting, then that’s okay. What I’d do was pick certain things up from directors—learn from them and my mistakes. Apart from that, everything that I do is all feel and instinct.”
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Pop will kill tee white shirt by Freshjive Jeans by Mango Gold necklace by H&M Gold bracelet by H&M Gold ring by H&M
“Apart from that, everything that I do is all feel and instinct.”
= Big girls don’t cry
In the 10 minutes it takes to tromp to Iza’s health grub hub, all the manic I-looovvehers that everyone from makeup artists to sons of directors dropped her name with made damn good sense. Not one bull-coated answer and no force field between celebrity and interviewer. Just a rapport akin to, say, old buddies reliving their way back whens—like when Iza was offered a spot in a metal band in college or when she’d tag along with a bunch of rappers during her senior year in high school; a time when her brother, a rhymes-spewing member of rap heavyweights Legit Misfitz, tried to school her on hip-hop and when one of her prerequisites for potential dates was that they were musicians. “Flip Joint Squad…blowin’ up the spot…” she suddenly trills with surprising soul, catching herself midverse. “I’m shy,” she says, giggling. You can thank your lucky stars that Iza’s rocketing through the celebrity universe with such roar-out-loud realness. And it makes you wonder why a personality as positively charged as hers has been wracking up roles that call for either a propensity for tears or a proclivity to terror—everything from razor-edged fare playing a junkie with an alkie Robin Padilla in Blackout or a Geylang hooker in Mona: Singapore Escort, to scream-by-numbers characters in Shake, Rattle & Roll 8 and con-spiritorial show E.S.P. Sure, there have been larks like desperate-career-girls-and-the-city rom-com Desperadas and a GP-friendly turn as Amihan, “Keeper of the Air Gem” in fantaseries Encantadia, but Iza’s audience is one that’s experienced more gasps than giggles, especially after she blitzed music channels in an Urbandub vid, playing a chick who cheats on frontman Gabby Alipe and then gets sprayed
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Bandana stock black shirt by Stussy Gray vest by H&M Jeans by Mango Gold earrings by H&M Thick plastic bangles by H&M
“I didn’t know how to get thin and it wasn’t my thing.”
with bullets in the end. “’Cause (a), I’ve always wanted to do a rock video and (b), I’ve been a fan of Urbandub for quite some time, so I couldn’t let this one go. It just turned out the outcome was a bit controversial and the feedback I got was ‘What are you trying to teach the kids?’” she says, grappling with the idea that even if kids know a whole lot more nowadays, there are still some whose parents won’t sit ‘em down and explain that revenge via gunshots is a no-no. “’Di ko nga alam kung matagumpay ako sa mga pinaggagawa ko eh. I miss doing things na sobrang subtle lang—where you just move your eye left-right and the action is done.” “I also want to do comedy ‘cause I happen to think I’m funny,” Iza confesses with a hint of ‘yeah, sometimes even I don’t believe a knockout like myself can be hilarious’. But it’s true, though—for the longest time, she had a knack for dishing out fat jokes, having weighed-in at over 200 lbs. as a teen and, even after she’d gone from plump to a svelte bearer of hot humps, keeping that big girl attitude looming over her big-screen persona. “When I was young, I wanted to work in the industry, but then things didn’t turn out the way my parents planned it. I lost heart after that and I got bigger by the day with people telling me, ‘Lose weight so you can join showbiz’. So it got stuck in my mind that the only
way I’d get into showbiz was if I got thin. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know how to get thin and it wasn’t my thing. Eating was my thing. So I never wanted to be in a play, never auditioned for anything in high school...” So there was Iza watching the pep squad cheerleaders from the sidelines, doing handsprings in her head and trying to convince herself that she could damn well outdance all those bimbos if only she was thinner. Fast-forward a couple of years and although she’d pounded out the poundage doing everything from sticking her finger down her throat to going Ethiopian (“I starved myself”) on herself, showbiz was still that netherworld she’d sworn off; Iza getting by on lackluster college grades and partying it up until she’d gotten that fateful “wake-up call”: “When my mom passed away, I felt I needed to do something with my life. I needed to have direction or something—that there needed to be change.”
C
= ch-ch-changes…
Iza recalls the last time she really walked. It was on a recent trip to Macau and after her misadventure of trying to find a decent gym, she had her
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“Lost in Translation moment” trying to find her way back to her hotel. You’d never heard anyone talk about a leisurely night walk through casino-and-watch-shop-filled streets with such fervor, but you realize that these days, it’s hard for Iza to take a stroll without the reactionary nudges and onlookers’ celeb sirens going off. “It makes you paranoid ‘cause sometimes, I hear people whisper ‘uy, si Iza’ and I know they’re staring at me from head to toe. But if you think about what they’re thinking, you’re gonna go crazy, so you have to learn to phase it out,” she explains about the accompanying attention tsunami that begun with that fateful Pantene ad, leading to a villainous role that showed her breadth and got directors to ask ‘who’s that girl?’ to, you know, that new Asian-to-US-horror flick that’ll probably be out by September; Iza grabbing her SAG card when she gets to Hollywood and gives the town a spin. She doesn’t like talking about the future, though. Like most things for Iza, that remains to be seen, especially since the 26 year-old’s still trying to figure things out in the present. “It took me a long time to get to this—where I’m sort of okay with myself. Especially with all the insecurities when I was starting and not knowing if I was going to make it,” she says. “I’m in a better place now, that’s (a). But then (b) what am I doing with what I have? And do I still like the person that I see?” In the six years Iza’s soaked-up the limelight, a few things have been sacrificed—like the public service show she did for two years and the give-no-shit, larger-thanlife Maria Izadora Calzado who wasn’t lost in the seemingly beyond-her-years, glamorously portrayed Iza that people
rarely see rocking an oversized shirt, even just for a mag spread. “When I was wearing these clothes, I thought, Onga ‘noh—I’d forgotten that you can be chill and, well, this is who I am: the girl who used to make tambay in Mayric’s. Or who’d be at some hiphop event b-boying. Where is that girl?” she asks, wondering where, in a schedule packed with gratis skin treatments and endorsement obligations, she can fit the real Iza in. “I think we all go through that ‘life’s an endless search’ thing, right? Artista, ‘di artista, mayaman, ‘di mayaman, we’re all going through the same thing—so I’m still searching…” The search will need to wait, however. It’s 1 AM and even if the good people at Chimara have kept the lights on for a favored patroness, she’s ready to head on home and settle into bed with a bag of tofu chips, maybe finish that paused Wong Kar-Wai film and fall asleep to her cinema god, Tony Leung. After a day that didn’t let up in wanting more of Iza, she trudges to her van—a woman possessing everything she needs, even if worn out and slightly perplexed by her life as she knows it—until she raises her head and continues at a brisk pace. And you just know that no matter where she goes and at what pace Iza walks, the world will definitely need to keep up.
“We’re all going through the same thing.”
Mesmer logo purple shirt by 10 Deep Scarf by H&M Earrings by H&M Sunglasses by H&M
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photo by Revolution
Styles
Philippine Independence Embassy photos by Revolution
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NIGHT-VISION
Tuesday Nights@
Tabu photos by Revolution
DJ Tiesto
World Trade Center , Manila
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Super klasse Embassy photos by Revolution
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NIGHT-VISION
DJ Tittsworth & DJ Kid Killy Happy Mondays Embassy
photos by Revolution
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NIGHT-VISION
Snap Crackle Pop
Embassy Fly
photos by Revolution
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Social Saturdays Temple Bar
photos by Revolution
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TRANS-ACTION
TRANS-ACTION
Bathing Ape Opening, Melrose Los Angeles
photos by The Cobra Snake
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LRG Courvoisier LAX Los Angeles
photos by Andrew Benudiz
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S.K.A.M. Artist WMC Miami
photos by Dave McLellan
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TRANS-ACTION
Coachella Indio
photos by The Cobra Snake
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TOP SHELF
A Russian Translated Kiwi
Summer Breeze
A long, refreshing summer tipple, with the refreshing flavours of apple matched with tart white grapefruit juice, all sweetened with the very essence of summer, elderflower cordial. This old European syrup is now very much back in fashion, and can be found at most specialist foodstores, and is well-worth seeking out, at any time of year.
Drink 1 up with New Zealand’s 42 Below Vodka.
45 mls (1 ½ oz) 1 ½ parts 42 BELOW Pure vodka 60 mls (2 oz) 2 parts apple juice 60 mls (2 oz) 2 parts dalandan juice Grapefruit wedge to garnish Fill a Highball glass with ice, and squeeze in a wedge of grapefruit. Add 42 BELOW Pure vodka,dalandan and apple juice, and top with grapefruit juice. Stir well, and serve.
Caipiroska
The fresh aroma and sharp bite of fresh limes. The sweet lick of juicy cane sugar. The smooth, elegant taste of 42 Below Pure vodka. All served icy cold and incredibly refreshing. It’s easy to see why the delicious Caipiroska is one of our favourite cocktails. Perfect for home entertaining, the Caipiroska will invigorate any party, at any hour and in any season.
Falling Water
This is a wonderful drink for hot days and busy nights, strong yet clean and very refreshing. The visual effect of the cucumber slice is unusual, yet it works so well.
2 parts 42 BELOW Pure vodka 1 lime, cut into wedges 1 part simple syrup, or 1 heaped teaspoon of sugar In a sturdy mixing glass or tumbler, press the limes and sugar together using a muddler or the back of a bar-spoon. Add 42 BELOW vodka, and fill with ice. Stir well and serve, or for a more ‘mixed’ and significantly colder variation, shake hard with ice and then pour into a Rocks and serve.
30 mls (1 oz) 1 part 42 BELOW Pure vodka 150 mls (5 oz) 5 parts Sprite or & Up Cucumber slice
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Where to find the stuff in this magazine. 10 DEEP available at Greyone Social, Power Plant Mall. Makati City (632) 896-5084 ADIDAS available at Adidas ADIO available at J&S Surf 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City(632) 893-5766 ALDO available at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City ARANAZ available at Power Plant Mall Makati City(632) 833-6845 BCBG GIRLS available at CMG at Glorietta BILLABONG available at Stoked Power Plant Mall Makati City BURTON see store.burton.com CARBON available at Greenbelt 3 Makati City(632) 757-4140 CHARLES & KEITH available at Binifacio High Street, Taguig City (632) 856-3431 CONVERSE available at all Converse shop, all SM and Robinson Department Store nationwide CREATIVE RECREATION available at Greyone Social Power Plant Mall Makati City(632) 896-5084 DAILY GRIND available at Team Manila, Power Plant Mall Makati City DAKINE available at J&S Surf, 2285 Solid House Bldg., Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City(632) 893-5766 DELICIOUS available at Anthem Power Plant Mall Makati City DIESEL available at Power Plant Mall Makati City ECKO UNLTD available at Ecko Unlimited Concept Shop 2F Trinoma, Quezon City ENERGIE available at Theodore’s Bonifacio High Street FRESHJIVE available at Greyone Social Power Plant Mall Makati City(632) 896-5084
GLOBE available at J&S Surf 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City(632) 893-5766 GOLA available at Shoe Salon Power plant mall Makati City and Shangrila mall Pasig City GORILLAZ available at Fresh Manila 5 Sgt. Esguerra St. Quezon City(632) 412-8786 H&M see hm.com KATE SPADE available at Power Plant Mall Kiehl’s Greenbelt 5, Makati City KR3W available at Greyone Social Power Plant Mall Makati City(632) 896-5084 LEE X-LINE available at Lee LEVIS available at Levis LOST available at J&S Surf, 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City (632) 893-5766 LUCA available at Power Plant Mall Makati City MAC COSMETICS available at Glorietta, Makati City Mall of Asia, Pasay City Shangrila Tower, Pasig City MANGO available at Mango MARC JACOBS available at Greenbelt 4, Makati City MARITHE FRANCIOS GIRBAUD available at SM Mall of Asia Pasay City (63) 556-0131 Level 2, Robinsons Place Manila (632) 567-8580 MICHAEL BY MICHEL KORS available at Power Plant Mall Makati City MIMOBOT see mimoco.com NEW BALANCE available at Planet Sports The Athletes Foot and R.O.X NIKE available at Shoe Salon NINE WEST available at Bonifacio High Street Taguig City PONY available at SM DEpartment Stores
Robinson’s Department Stores PUMA available at Puma, Bonifacio High Street RAYBAN available at Sarabia Optical Sabater Pascual Optical REEBOK available at Royal Sporting House, Glorietta , Makati City REPLAY available at Shangrila Mall Pasig City RVCA available at J&S Surf 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City (632) 893-5766 SECTOR 9 available at J&S Surf, 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. Pasong Tamo Ext Makati City (632) 893-5766 SEVEN FOR ALL MANKIND available at Shangrila Mall Pasig City SKULL CANDY available at J&S Surf 2285 Solid House Bldg. Don Chino Roces Ave. STEVE MADDEN available at Rustan’s, Makati City STUSSY available at Greyone Social Power Plant Mall Makati City (632) 896-5084 SUPRA available at Greyone Social Power Plant Mall
Makati City (632) 896-5084 TINT available at Power Plant Mall Makati City (632) 896-3507 Timbuk2 available at R.O.X, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City TOPSHOP available at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City Tough Jeansmith TriNoma Mall, Quezon City Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA VANS available at Royal Sporting House Glorietta, Makati City VOLCOM available at J&S Surf, 2285 Solid House Bldg., Don Chino Roces Ave., Pasong Tamo Ext, Makati City (632) 893-5766 ZOO YORK available at SHOE SALON, STOKED and RUSTANS Artist Directory AL DE LEON (Makeup) Cell: 0917-893-0689 DOC MARLON PECJO (Photography) Cell: 0917-855-2162 KAI HUANG (Photography) Cell: 0917-533-9042; kaihuang.multiply.com NANTE (Hair) Cell: 0916-568-4808 REVOLUTION (Photography) Email: rev_naval@hotmail.com www.rvwrx.com NICK ST. JAMES (Photography) – Cell: 0919-250-6714 ROBBIE PINERA (Makeup) Cell: 0919-833-9821 LEONARDO DA VINCI – Contact the L’Ouvre, Paris, France
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L R I G Z E D HERNAN a, sario Herrer yling by Ro . James, St St m ru ck Fo Ni up by Photo of The Make Al de Leon Make-Up by
Yeah,
Noelle Hernandez is “decidedly low-maintenance”, but with the boys/fashion biz/ world at her feet, this pixie-like model-turned-photographer (she doesn’t want to be another model-slash-something) has all the
Bikini by Billabong / Shorts by Billabong / Sweatshirt by Krew
right to make a few demands. Besides, small packages do come with their share of great things.
ESSENTIALS
DEMANDS
5. “Take my cellphone, take my ipod, but just leave me my Macbook! And of course, internet internet internet…”
5. A feast of cheese sticks and Makati Supermarket’s sweet i-spaghetti
4. Her shiny new Nikon D300
4. Madonna performing “4 Minutes” live in her studio (Justin can come too)
3. “I don’t really use makeup but I do love Chanel Precision undereye concealer and Lip Fusion colour shine” 2. A book of photographer Vincent Peter’s works for inspiration 1. A sunny day at the beach
3. A full scholarship for digital imaging and photography at New York’s School of Visual Arts. 2. The Sopranos seasons 1-6 and La Vie En Rose being projected onto a wall of her darkroom 1. Oh yeah, and a darkroom
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