Fine Filipina Femme Fatales

It takes women with rich imaginations to credibly portray fantastic characters, and every single one of the Filipinas featured in this exhibit has imagination in spades.

Having courageously brought cosplay geekery from the fringe to the spotlight over the last seven years, even against the conservative cultural norms of Philippine society, Filipina-Chinese model Alodia Gosiengfiao has risen to become one of the world’s greatest cosplayers. Because of Alodia, Philippine cosplay has been elevated to the point that it’s now featured in this prestigious exhibit. “Of course, working with the one who made a name with cosplay was nothing short of a pleasure,” Tablante tells Spot.ph in an interview. “She cosplayed several characters for the exhibit.” Alodia is joined in this exhibit by her sister and fellow cosplayer Ashley Gosiengfiao.

Filipina actress Rhian Ramos played the female lead in the Philippine version of Zorro. She also played a sorceress in a fantasy TV series. Having portrayed two different characters in two different versions of a classic Philippine superhero tale, Rhian lends herself particularly well to the role of a high-flying superheroine in Tablante’s exhibit. “She has been my ‘muse’ for the past few years,” shares Tablante. “It was with the shoots we do for fun, that built that rapport. Having her cosplay as Rogue was just a natural for her.” Rhian is joined in this exhibit by her sister Nadine Howell.

Filipina-German actress Bianca King is best known for her portrayal of a winged warrior-woman in one of the Philippines’ biggest movie-TV fantasy franchises. In fact, her acting career features a whole slew of fantasy series involving everything from superheroes to mermaids to hawkmen. She’s got a lot of experience with fantastic characters.

Filipina-French actress Solenn Heussaff is a make-up artist and fashion designer who’s one of the leading ladies in a superhero TV series. Alodia once told me that cosplayers have to do everything themselves when they’re starting out. Apparently, Solenn has some of that plucky self-reliance. “She was complete professional, and does her homework,” says Tablante. “The leather pants we got to use were hers, and she did her own prosthetic make-up, which was super cool. We chose X-23 for her because she’s your deadly combination of a sporty bod and killer looks.”

Hailed as one of the Philippines’ best new actresses, Barbie Forteza lends her promising thespic talents to the cosplay scene with her dynamic posing and projection.

Unleash Your Inner Geek

As one of the Philippines’ top photographers, Tablante has worked with some of the country’s most beautiful Filipinas over the last eight years. He’s also a self-confessed comic book geek. “I’m a frustrated illustrator,” says the popular photographer in an interview with Marvel.com. “Ever since I was a kid when I started my little collection, I’ve always wanted to draw like the artists in comic books.”

“I got into cosplay photography as a means to merge photography with my childhood love and geekiness for comics, anime, and video games,” Tablante tells Alexandre.ph. “Also to solve my frustration at drawing – if I can’t draw my favorite game babes, I can still shoot them!”

With this cosplay photo exhibit, Tablante achieves his comic-book dreams by drawing with light instead of ink. With a certified geek behind the lens and imaginative Filipinas in front of the lens, these meticulously composed cosplay images are guaranteed to take viewers on visual flights of pop culture fantasy. Le Femme Fatales opens at The Crucible Gallery at 6:30pm Manila time (UTC+8) on February 22, 2011.

Filipina cosplay goddess Alodia Gosiengfiao endorses Alter Space, a Facebook game designed to promote environmental awareness. Alter Space is published by Aboitiz Power, a Philippine energy company.

Filipina cosplay goddess Alodia Gosiengfiao is a born video gamer. You can take that almost literally: Alodia’s mom was playing the Nintendo Family Computer classic Super Mario Bros. when she went into labor.

Because of her popularity as a gamer babe, Alodia’s been the Philippines’ most in-demand video game endorser since 2004. She’s endorsed all sorts of games: from massively multiplayer online role-playing games like ZXOnline, to casual browser-based games like TinierMe. Alodia’s even in talks to appear in the upcoming movie based on the hit Warcraft game franchise.

Social Gaming, Clean Energy, and Alodia Gosiengfiao

Now Facebook games are on the rise, and Alodia is endorsing one of those, too. Alter Space is a Facebook game designed to promote environmental awareness. The game puts players in charge of ensuring the ecological sustainability of a small virtual planet filled with animated characters.

Alter Space is published by Aboitiz Power, a Philippine energy company that operates several Earth-friendly hydroelectric power plants. Being targeted to a Philippine audience, Alter Space features numerous references to Filipino culture.

Does all this sound like a cute and cheery premise for a game? That’s good, because Alodia is a cute and cheery Filipina gamer. Watch Alodia’s delightfully bubbly video introducing Alter Space.

Filipina model Jahziel Manabat is one of the most popular girls in the Philippine car show circuit. She’s also one of the Premiere Vixens, six of the hottest models in the country. Anyone who knows anything about the fine Filipina scene knows that Jahz has the face, figure, smile, and spunk to spice up any event or photoshoot.

What most people don’t know about Jahziel, however, is that she sings. Check out these two webcam videos of her singing Torn by Natalie Imbruglia and Sway by Bic Runga.

These videos reveal a whole other side of Jahziel. She usually comes across as a voluptuous bombshell in her photos and shows. In these YouTube clips, however, Jahz looks like an adorably goofy webcam cutie.

The Premiere Vixens. From left to right, in the background: Christine Marquez, Abby Poblador, Paulene So, and Jahziel Manabat. From left to right, in the foreground: Sofie Garrucho and Karen Bordador.

Always count on fine Filipinas to push the boundaries of media. The Premiere Vixens are a group of six incredibly beautiful Filipina models: Christine Marquez, Abby Poblador, Paulene So, Jahziel Manabat, Sofie Garrucho, and Karen Bordador. All six of these gorgeous ladies headline something that’s never been done before in the Philippines: a wild party streamed live over the Internet.

If you want to join them at the party, keep reading.

Vixens Gone Wild

The Premiere Vixens really do live up to their name, as each and every one of them is quite a fine Filipina. Christine is a former cheerleader and an amateur DJ. Abby and Jahziel are two of the Philippines’ top car show models. Paulene is one of the Philippines’ hottest Internet models. Sofie is one of the Philippines’ hottest gamer babes. Karen was part of an all-girl group called The Playgirls.

If you want to see all six of these fine Filipinas party like they’ve never partied before, mark your calendar on Saturday, January 29, 2011. That’s when the party will be streamed live on Flippish.com, from 9:00pm to 10:30pm Manila time (UTC+8). Streaming slots are limited, so make sure you log in early.

Fortunately, some of you will get to see more than just the live stream.

Win Tickets to the Party!

If you want to party with these girls in person, then you’re in luck. We’re giving away ten tickets to the party itself. Just log in with your Facebook account and post a comment telling us which one of the Premiere Vixens is your favorite. Ten lucky commenters will enjoy an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experience with all six of these lovely ladies.

Remember: you need to log in with your Facebook account by cliking on the big blue “Connect with Facebook” button above the comment box. That way, your comment will count towards the giveaway. Deadline for entries is Thursday, January 27, 2011, 11:59pm Manila time.

Choose Your Vixen

If you can’t decide on your favorite Vixen, then maybe this will help. Check out this playlist of videos featuring all six of the Vixens.

Show your favorite Vixen some love in the comments, and you might get to show her some love in person.

Geeks love tech. Geeks also love cosplay. That’s why SM Cyberzone, the technology and gadgets section of SM Supermalls in the Philippines, holds an annual nationwide cosplay competition.

Dancer and Judge

The finals for the 2010 Cyberzone cosplay competition featured a special treat: a dance performance from Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao. Cosplaying the futuristic soldier Amanda Werner from the sci-fi anime series Blassreiter, Alodia danced for an enthusiastic crowd filling multiple floors of the SM Megamall event center.

Despite the very real risk of taking a tumble on a slippery floor while wearing spandex-covered heels, Alodia managed to look every bit the anime-costumed superstar while dancing. After her performance, Alodia served as a judge for the cosplay competition.

Culmination of a Chain

Alodia’s performance at the Cyberzone cosplay competition finals culminated a chain of convergent events. Weeks before the finals, Alodia collaborated with Filipina director Kring Elenzano on an ad for Axe deodorant body spray. Kring herself happens to be the star performer for online video production studio Flippish.

When SM Cyberzone tapped Flippish to organize their cosplay competition, Kring became the stage director for the finals. Once again, Kring teamed up with Alodia to put on another great show. Filipina VJ Andi Manzano joined in as host, while Alodia’s sister Ashley joined in to present the prizes.

Nexus of Convergence

Alodia’s performance itself was a nexus of media convergence. Flippish streamed it live over the Internet, while Southeast Asian anime cable channel Animax sent a camera crew. The latter isn’t surprising, since Alodia serves a brand ambassador for Animax.

The competition itself was held across two different SM branches at opposite ends of the Philippines. Thanks to live video streaming by Flippish, the finalists in each branch were able to compete with each other on stage, in real time.

Darling of the Crowd

Alodia’s public appearances have attracted mobs of fans since 2008. We’re not talking about small groups of hardcore cosplay geeks — we’re talking about huge mobs traditionally reserved for mainstream movie stars. The mobs just keep getting bigger and bigger each year, and the Cyberzone cosplay event is no exception. Even before the start of the show, the Megamall event center was already filled to the brim. Long after the show ended, camera-toting crowds still surrounded the cosplay queen.

It was quite a sight to behold. It takes a fine Filipina like Alodia to give a geeky hobby like cosplay such widespread appeal. Congratulations to Alodia, Flippish, SM Cyberzone, and all the cosplayers on successfully evangelizing geek culture to the masses. Cosplay Photographers Guild founder Richie dela Merced captured all the cosplay action.

After briefly losing her crown on a technicality, Miss Philippines-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj is set to represent her country at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Country Girl

The bright lights of Vegas are a certainly a long way from this country girl’s humble origins. Born out of wedlock to a Filipina mother and an Indian father, Venus was raised by her mother in a palm hut surrounded by a rice field in the Philippine countryside. She trained for the catwalk by walking on rice paddy dikes.

Venus is certainly no stranger to the pageant scene, having competed in Philippine beauty pageants since she was seventeen. Before becoming Miss Philippines-Universe 2010, this twenty-two-year-old stunner was already Miss Philippines Earth Eco-Tourism 2008. Like the endearingly earnest farm girl that she is, Venus uses her pageant winnings to buy more farmland for her mother.

True to her countryside roots, Venus now works to protect Mother Earth. This journalism Cum Laude graduate serves as an information assistant for the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Unique Appeal

One thing you will notice in Venus’ interviews is the carefree, animated way she conveys her emotions. That demeanor provides a stark contrast to the dignity with which she carries her statuesque 5′ 9″ 35″-22″-35″ frame on the runway. That combination of rough-riding country girl and elegantly regal beauty queen gives Venus a unique appeal: she’s the glamor girl who knows how to kick it old school.

Venus’ unique appeal is not lost upon the Miss Universe audience. She’s a crowd favorite who consistently garnered some of the loudest cheers during the preliminaries. She’s also leading the Miss Universe online polls. You can cast your vote for Venus on her Miss Universe online profile.

As the first dethroned Miss Philippines-Universe to ever reclaim her crown, Venus exemplifies the sheer willpower and determination of a feisty fine Filipina. That determination could see her through to becoming Miss Universe 2010.

Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao visits Legendary Pictures to discuss the upcoming Warcraft movie.

A fine Filipina is bypassing the grind of Philippine showbiz and paving her own path to Hollywood — and it’s a uniquely geeky path. Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao recently attended the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, one of the biggest pop culture festivals on the planet. She wore various costumes to the convention, one of which won the Hall Costume Award from the prestigious Costume Designers Guild.

Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao wins the Hall Costume Award at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Alodia’s trip was documented by Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock, famous for his groundbreaking documentary Super Size Me. Alodia is one five Comic-Con attendees featured in Spurlock’s upcoming documentary Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope, in theaters 2011.

Apparently, Spurlock was so impressed with Alodia’s cosplay that he recommended her to his colleagues for a much, much larger project — one that also involves fantasy costumes.

Legendary Gamer

Legendary Pictures, the studio behind such box-office blockbusters as 300, The Dark Knight, and Inception, is currently developing a film based on the Warcraft video game franchise. The potential audience for a Warcraft movie is massive: 11.5 million people around the world play the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, the latest game in the franchise.

Alodia herself is an avid gamer, and her passion for video games shows in her cosplay. Her first breakthrough cosplay character came from the hit Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy X-2, way back in 2003. She’s even cosplayed professionally for game publishers. This gamer girl has been immersed in video games since before she was born: Alodia’s mom was playing Super Mario Bros. when she went into labor.

Alodia also used to play World of Warcraft. You can see where this is going.

A Fan’s Hope

Legendary Pictures founder and CEO Thomas Tull is producing Spurlock’s Comic-Con documentary. That’s why Spurlock was able to recommend Alodia for a role in the upcoming Warcraft movie.

“We met with Legendary about that movie,” Alodia told gaming blog Kotaku after her meeting with Tull, “and they’re considering me for one of the characters.” Alodia used to play a blood elf in World of Warcraft, and she hopes to do the same in the Warcraft movie.

The Philippines has a longstanding performance arts culture and a rising geek culture, both of which contribute to a strong cosplay culture. How fitting, then, that a fine Filipina should be the first cosplayer in the world to star in a major motion picture.

Engagement Over Reach

Alodia’s also an anime fan who serves as a VJ for Southeast Asian anime cable network Animax. By casting Alodia in the Warcraft movie, Legendary Pictures would do what Animax did when they recruited Alodia: hire a fan to engage fans. That move worked quite well for Animax, and it should work just as well for Legendary Pictures.

Alodia’s path to Hollywood fame is quite nontraditional: her fanbase is mostly online, and she focuses on fan engagement over reach. Fortunately, the exact same things can be said about World of Warcraft. That’s why this fine Filipina gamer is perfect for the project.

As a writer for Fine Filipinas, I’m constantly reminded that there’s often far more to a fine Filipina than meets the eye. Behind Alodia Gosiengfiao’s giggly cosplay girl persona, for instance, is a strong-willed young woman determined to push the boundaries of an emerging artform. Behind Mia Marquez’s sophisticated prodigy model persona is a fun-loving, lighthearted, and vivacious teenage girl. Behind Giselle Sanchez’s crazy sexy comedienne persona is a fiercely intelligent and deeply spiritual woman of substance.

Most fans of Filipina actress Dianne Sison know her as the perky and sassy gamer girl from More on Gaming TV, a show about video games. She’s the girl who played the classic Legend of Zelda, the girl who reviews all the cool new games. She’s the girl who appeared in a calendar for a major Philippine game publisher. She’s the girl who’s smart enough to appreciate gamer passion. A method actress and a graduate of theater arts, she’s the girl who loves the strong immersive narratives of fantasy role-playing games. Behind Dianne’s gamer babe persona, however, is a complex balance of fiery ambition tempered by precocious wisdom.

Performance Prodigy

The daughter of a self-made man, Dianne grew up knowing the value of hard work, determination, and self-evolution. Those values made Dianne a prodigy. Having already skipped kindergarten as a child, Dianne started writing poetry by age eight, and began theater training at age ten. Having toured Europe by the time she was fourteen, Dianne had already developed an admiration for the European ability to balance human pursuits and passions — arts and sciences, work and play, intensity and relaxation. That admiration extends to European languages, of which she speaks Spanish and French.

Many children who develop their academic and vocational skills at an early age, do so at the cost of their social skills. Dianne is an exception to that rule. This is a girl who understood the key concepts of social dynamics far earlier than her classmates did. “I grasped the concept of dating by the time I was fourteen,” says Dianne of her early social development. Unfortunately, this presented problems for the young Dianne, whose conservative Catholic school classmates just couldn’t grasp her gregarious nature.

Though Dianne’s ultra-conservative high school did not allow students to render public performances, it soon became clear to school administrators that the young girl needed a social outlet. That’s why she was given special permission to work in media — a field in which Dianne flourished.

Soon Dianne was modelling for the famous international agency Cal-Carries. From then on, the breaks started coming one after another. Dianne was hosting TV shows, playing in a girl band, starring in soap operas. The talented young prodigy faced opportunity after opportunity, and she took them on like there was no tomorrow. Her childhood admiration for European balance gave way to the hustle and bustle of a performance artist’s life. Sleep deprivation became Dianne’s constant companion. That’s when disaster struck.

Tragedy and Recovery

While driving home on a long stretch of road from yet another hard day of taping, a sleep-deprived Dianne blacked out at the wheel. The next thing she knew, she was extracting her broken body from a total car wreck.

Dianne Sison, the prodigy, the go-getter, the exception to the rule, had suffered a spinal whiplash injury. She was bedridden for a year, and spent three more years recovering.

Even though she had to go to school on medication for her spinal injury, even though she had to fight through clinical depression, even though she had to “take exams on Valium”, Dianne didn’t give up on her passion for performance. Through running and swimming and healthy eating, Dianne managed to lose the thirty-five pounds she had gained during her four-year convalescence — sculpting herself into a shapely 32B-24-35 figure.

Not content with rebuilding just her body, Dianne rebuilt her mindset as well. Understanding that her self-destructive workaholic attitude almost got her killed, Dianne rediscovered her admiration for the European ethos of balance.

Balance of Forces

That sense of balance now pervades Dianne’s attitudes on life. Her geekier fans know that she prefers Star Wars over Star Trek. That’s because one of the major themes of Star Wars is the mystical balance between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. In fact, all six of the Star Wars movies tell the story of how Anakin Skywalker brought balance to the Force.

While Dianne enjoys electronic music from the nineties, she’s also a huge fan of mellow music from the sixties. She can articulately expound on the beauty of both electronic beats and acoustic lullabies. “There’s just so much good in sixties music,” says Dianne, “and you absorb what you hear.” While she’s an artist through and through, Dianne actually counts math as one of her favorite subjects. She appreciates how the mathematical properties of music form the basis for its beauty.

While Dianne appreciates that Macs give artists direct control over their content with as few technical hassles as possible, she doesn’t carry an iPhone. Instead, she carries a Nokia E71, the full-keyboard phone favored by legendary anti-Apple tech columnist John C. Dvorak.

Dianne took up quite a healthy lifestyle to rebuild her body, and she maintains that lifestyle to this day. As a member of Greenpeace, she helps keep the Earth healthy as well. Dianne’s belief in balance extends from her mind, to her body, to her planet.

Renaissance Woman

Lest anyone think that balance equals ambivalence, make no mistake: Dianne is a driven performer. Just a year out of convalescence, Dianne’s back with a TV show and an upcoming movie. She even plans on moving to Singapore, the central hub of Southeast Asian showbiz. Heck, her next stop could be Hollywood.

Even Dianne’s dream acting role is ambitious: a psychotic yet sympathetic character, with the insanity of Fatal Attraction Glenn Close and the vulnerability of Meryl Streep. If any scriptwriters out there are working on such a complex character, pitch it to Dianne.

Though passionately driven to succeed as an actress, Dianne makes her passion sustainable. Her zest for work is equaled by her zest for life. She drinks her wheatgrass, she counts her carbs, she banks her sleep, she smiles ear-to-ear like Jennifer Love Hewitt, she stops to smell the roses and sip the Italian coffee and taste the tiramisu. There are a few young workaholic Filipinas on this blog who could take a hint from Dianne.

Despite her global ambitions, Dianne is determined to stay down-to-earth and personable. “I don’t want to become too showbiz,” says Dianne earnestly. She answers all her own fanmail, and customizes all her communications with fans as deeply as time allows. Dianne’s remarkable mental balance gives her the ability to evaluate people and situations with astounding clarity. Have her sign an autograph, and she might surprise you with a written insight into your own character.

Dianne is an admirer of Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance man who excelled in both the arts and the sciences. With her keen sense of balance, with her ability to observe and appreciate her environment without the perceptual blinders of mental preoccupation or emotional predisposition or physical exhaustion, this fine Filipina is well on her way to becoming a modern Renaissance woman.

Popular Demand and Extended Editions

Top Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo, who serves as director and presenter of Culture:Japan, saw a surge of Web traffic to his site on the night of the broadcast. Clearly, the show was a hit, and viewers were going online for more.

Based on behind-the-scenes photos taken during her shoot for Culture:Japan, Alodia seems to have worn two outfits for the show: one inspired by anime culture, and one inspired by gamer culture. Based on these screenshots from the show itself, the anime-inspired costume got most of the screen time. The Culture:Japan episode shown by Tokyo MX TV in Japan ran for thirty minutes; an hour-long version will be aired in Southeast Asia via Animax. We should see more of Alodia then.

Alodia also happens to be an anime VJ for Animax. Animax has been expanding its online initiatives recently; if Danny’s Web traffic surge is any indication, Animax’s Web efforts are about to get a pleasant boost.

Filipina Geek Representation

In case you’re wondering about the piano in the first screenshot, Alodia uses it to play music from the Final Fantasy series of Japanese role-playing games. If you look closely at the lower left portion of the third screenshot, you can see a framed photo of her in black tights. That’s Alodia cosplaying the villainous Baroness from the original G.I. Joe animated series. This girl lives and breathes geekiness.

The premiere episode of Culture:Japan marks Alodia’s Japanese television debut. Note the prominence of the Philippine flag in the lower right corner of the first screenshot. The episode’s original Japanese broadcast date, June 12, was Philippine Independence Day. How fitting that a fine Filipina should showcase Filipina creativity internationally on that day.

(Screenshots by Shun Emilio Kuroki.)

UPDATE: Here’s the hour-long version of Culture:Japan’s premiere episode, as aired on Animax. Enjoy Alodia’s adorably bubbly brand of geekiness.

Alodia’s fame as a Japanese pop culture maven stretches all across Southeast Asia, where she’s a VJ for the region’s leading anime cable network, Animax Asia. Now her influence is about to reach the very source of all Japanese pop culture: Japan itself. Alodia is set to appear on Tokyo Metropolitan Television (Tokyo MX TV).

Geeky Passions

Alodia’s room in the Philippines is a showcase of her geeky passions, filled with all sorts of crazy toys and shiny gadgets. That’s why Alodia and her room will be featured on the premiere episode of Culture:Japan, the new TV show directed by top Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo. Danny discovered Alodia through a picture of her at ToyCon 2008 in the Philippines; Alodia has since appeared in two of Danny’s photobooks.

Alodia’s younger sister Ashley, herself a popular cosplayer, took photos behind the scenes of the Culture:Japan shoot. The pictures seem to show Alodia wearing at least two different outfits during the show: an elegant ensemble inspired by anime culture, and a casual look inspired by gamer culture.

Twenty-two-year-old Alodia is, of course, a lifelong fan of Japanese anime and video games. Hardcore gamers might recognize the PlayStation 3 game in one of these photos: Final Fantasy XIII, a new role-playing game from Japan. “I’ve always dreamed of doing a shoot expressing how much I love video games,” says the Filipina gamer babe, who’s actually a sought-after video game endorser in her country. “My love for games started when I was in my mother’s womb. Back then, she was already playing Super Mario Brothers on the Family Computer… and I could already hear it. Just kidding!”

Back to the Source

If you’re in Tokyo this Saturday, June 12, catch Culture:Japan on Tokyo MX TV from 9:00pm to 9:30pm, GMT+9. If you’re anywhere in Southeast Asia, watch out for the show’s subsequent re-airing on Animax Asia.

Filipinas are often quite passionate about their fandoms, but it takes a truly fine Filipina to bring her passion all the way back to the very source of her fandom. That’s exactly what Alodia has accomplished with her first Japanese television appearance.

(Photos by Ashley Gosiengfiao via Danny Choo’s Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.)