"Helps you be up to 100% dandruff free FOREVER"

On the March 5, 2013 episode of Bubble Gang...

- ransom gags

- Mr. Assimo meets the fortune teller

- Of love, lies, and some lice on your hair!

- Tata Lino's here again to solve life's problems...

- Bubble Gang does Head and Shoulders by spoofing this commercial as HEAD AND SHONGGAL! Helps you be up to 100% dandruff free FOREVER!

- To recall a crime scene, first you have to sketch it with your photographic memory...

- It's more fun showing off your fun-filled memories with your friends but sometimes it can be boring...

- Ang Bagong Dating Doon

- No wonder you're name is Joey!

- IyoTube in Gangnam Style!

Let's Do The News! (April 5, 2013)

River's Diary

Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Legendary film critic Rogert Ebert passed away

The legendary film critic, Robert Ebert, I'm afraid that he passed away at the age of 70 after he was succumbed to cancer. In the past years, Sir Robert Ebert spent most of his life waging his life against cancer.

Sir Robert Ebert reviewed several films for the Sun Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years. Not only he's popular but he's well respected by many.

Story: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/04/176261560/roger-ebert-legendary-film-critic-dies

2014 Panamera receives PHV model and others

2014 Porsche Panamera

So, Maserati now has a new Quattroporte, Aston Martin now has a Rapide S, now it's Porsche's turn for the "Four Door Supercars Part Deux" by revealing the facelifted 2014 Porsche Panamera range. For this facelift, the Panamera now gains a long wheelbase model, a V6 turbo variant, and a new PHV model called the e-Hybrid. The biggest change however is that the manual transmission has sadly been removed from the lineup and all models come with PDK dual clutch and 8-speed AT.

It will be revealed at 2013 Auto China in Shanghai this April 2013 and sales start in the Summer.

Story: http://www.carscoops.com/2013/04/porsche-panamera-facelift-gets-new-lwb.html

X4 Concept in Shanghai

BMW X4 Concept

BMW will preview an upcoming sports activity vehicle at this year's 2013 Auto China in Shanghai in a form of a concept model. Dubbed as the X4, it will slot between the X6 and the X3, making it a new addition to BMW's long range or sports activity vehicle.

Story: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/04/bmw-x4-concept-shanghai-photos-reveal/

Fast & Furious Experience in Car Town!

FAST & FURIOUS EXPERIENCE

In honor for May 2013's Fast and Furious 6, Car Town is bringing the slice of Fast and Furious to the wildly popular social game for car enthusiasts. The Fast & Furious Experience needs you and your recruited crew members to build some Fast & Furious cars for your ever-growing car collection in your garage. You can challenge for pink slips and complete new collections to win gold cars. New locations await you as well as new F&F cars including fan favorites such as Neela's RX-8, DK's 350Z, Jesse's Jetta, and others!

Start Your Fast & Furious Experience -> http://bit.ly/playcartown

Special-edition JDM Ferrari California

Ferrari California 30 Giappone

Announced at the Ferrari Racing Days 2013 in Suzukia, Japan, there's a new special edition for the Ferrari California called the "Ferrari California 30 Giappone", which is available exclusively for the Japanese market and it was made in honor of Ferrari's first win at the Japanese GP 25 years ago. Matches to the theme of Japan, the exterior color is white while the interior color is red.

Story: http://www.carview.co.jp/news/1/183143/

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

The Mercedes-Benz range has a lot of saloons to choose from and the S-Class is the pinnacle of the lineup. Let's put it this way, if you can't afford an S-Class, buy a CLS-Class. If you can't afford a CLS, buy an E-Class. And if you can't afford an E-Class, buy a C-Class. Simple as that but there is a problem. What if you want a Mercedes-Benz saloon car but can't afford on a C-Class? Of course, you're not going to prompt for an A-Class because it's a hatchback and it's a different story. That's simply a gap that's never been filled until now...

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Now, here's a rule-breaker in the range. It's called the CLA-Class and it's a brand new model from Mercedes-Benz for those who can't afford a C-Clas and it's very crucial for those kind of people because prices start at, you guessed it, 28,977 Euros, which makes it the most affordable four-door saloon car Mercedes-Benz has ever made. So, well done Mercedes-Benz, but actually...nope.

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class interior

You see, this is a class of its own for this car. This ushered a revolution where luxury car brands decided to make entry-level models that are appropriate to younger buyers. One such irrelevant example was Aston Martin. Sure, they made lots of luxury grand tourers such as the DB9 and the Vanquish but they changed course by developing the Cygnet, which is a compact car based on the Toyota iQ. Audi plans to develop a sedan version of the A3 to counter this kind of bellicose rhetoric done by Mercedes-Benz. However, the CLA-Class maybe a "bellicose rhetoric" for some econmic reasons but this urban egoist sure knows how to grow up just like the C-Class, the E-Class, the CLS, and the S-Class saloons.

First of all, the CLA carved its inspiration from the Concept Style Coupé concept at 2012 Paris Auto Show. As you can see, despite its entry-level capability, it's still very sexy to look at. It's like a 5-year-old girl who has the seduction of a 25-year-old supermodel. Well, that doesn't sound right because it's a bit racy if I'm honest. What I mean is, despite the compact look, it looks rather stylish indeed. Plus, it's aerodynamic as well because the CLA is the most aerodynamic car ever sold with the drag coefficient of 0.23.

As for the choice of engines, let's take a look. It had a 1.6L petrol engines with three configurations, a 2.0L turbo engine, and a 2.1L diesel engine as of now. They can be mated with either a 6-speed manual, which is lovely if you want to make things a bit more interesting, or a 7G-DCT for those whose ideas are about to get rhetorical on your way to the party. As I see it, they're working on an AMG version very very soon and this would be a very interesting choice for those who are on some serious bellicose rhetorics. In the meantime, I would go for the one with the 2.0L turbo engine on it, which produces 211PS of power. Not bad for a car who begs for high performance, though...

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

The CLA-Class may not quite having the talents of other saloons from Mercedes-Benz but in anycase, it's a well-civilized saloon car that is usable on the city streets and on the open roads as well. It feels like you're spending the whole day listening to the house music served from King Street Sounds and when you're on your way to Aruba Bar & Restaurant before you reach the night, it's just as what you can say "absolutely fabulous" indeed. What I love about this car though that driving the CLA is like having the same moment as taking a break at a nightclub somewhere at Ortigas and listen to house music.

As a car made for everyday use, it kinda feels like weekend's over. If you're driving this car to work, most people will notice that you're driving a car suitable for nightclub visits and other stuff. It's not kinda right if you're an ordinary office employee who spends most of his time typing at the computer or making phone calls. Despite that, the CLA is just one way of telling your friends that you had a Mercedes-Benz. It's like showing off a Hermes bag or a Prada bag to anyone just for brags. It maybe an entry-level car but this is a sure fire thing that you owned a luxury car for a reasonable price. Who can't blame them? Now if you don't mind, I'm off for some nightclub chow downs...Ciao!

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

The boys gave TGUSA Season 3 a Viking Burial

Top Gear USA Season 3 finale

Season 3 of Top Gear USA came to an end as the boys drove American offroaders on the Icelandic volcano to prove that Americans have the best offroaders in the world. Tanner Foust drives a 1979 Ford Bronco with a big block and 44-inch wheels while Rutledge Wood opts for a 1973 International Scout with tough axles and 44-inch wheels and Adam Ferrera goes for the 1984 Chevy K30 Diesel with 49-inch tires.

The boys struggled themselves to get through the Nordic roads from the old Viking Parliament to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, the one that was erupted three years ago, disrupting air travel in Europe for almost a week. It is also a volcano where no offroader stood atop the freshly-laid, virgin rock at the summit.

In the end though...looks like they made it. They made it to the summit and prove that even beat-up American offroaders can still have what it takes to conquer the world.

And that concludes the third season of Top Gear USA. Thank you, you idiot trio for wasting my time watching your adventures in motoring...but it was fun having them around.

Forza Horizon: For Driving Gods and Bad Winners

Now I think it's time to meet up with a special someone from Forza Horizon's April Top Gear Pack...

Nemesis

Now, fans of Top Gear might remember this is the Bowler Nemesis but this kind of Nemesis is a bit different than what it used to be. Thing is though that Bowler has a wide reputation of creating off-road ready vehicles based on Land Rover models. They were designed to survive tough, unforgiving, terrains worldwide, whether if its tarmac, gravel, snow, whatever floats their boat. The Defender-based Wildcat is made for those who want to be Driving Gods while the Range Rover Sport-based Nemesis was designed for the Bad Winners in mind, even Hammond when he kicked the butt of his German rival at the off-road segment of Top Gear vs. The Germans episode. You know what a bad loser feels like? For Hammond, there's a Bad Winner. Bowlers are made not just for off-road fun but for bragging rights.

It's a whole new Bowler awaits..

But this Bowler has gone up in the world. This is the EXR S model. Made as a direct response to customer demand for a road going version of the EXR rally raid car, the S model uses the handling, strength and weight distribution characteristics of the rally car but usable on public roads. It even has the same supercharged 5.0L V8 engine from the Jaguar XKR which develops 510hp of power and it weighs 1800kg. Zero to 60mph in 4.2 seconds and has a limited to speed of 155mph.

The Bowler EXR made an appearance on the Top Gear Apocalypse 2010 DVD, where Richard Hammond drives the Bowler to avoid the prying eyes of a photographer taking pictures of him while riding in a Jaguar XKR, a helicopter, a military vehicle, and a hovercraft.

Off-road ready

In the world of Forza Horizon, does this new Bowler stand up when things get rough? Thing is though, even when the EXR is a road-legal Bowler, it still carries the same essence from its Nemesis rally raid car. You can go off-roading and go mad when you're in a badlands rumble.

That's how you eat Eggs Benedict for breakfast

This comes with a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine that I got from the Jaguar XKR-S but because the Bowler has more power than the XKR-S (550HP > 545HP) and lighter, the Bowler's power to weight ratio is better than the JAAAAAG! In a straight line, the Bowler can take down the Jag on a quarter mile but on the corner, there's one bit problem regarding this...me. Thankfully, the Bowler can find racing lines whereas other sportscars don't. Therefore, it can vanquish any opponent on tarmac.

Desperate Chase

On a familiar Bowler territory, this is when it gets interesting because while the Bowler was born to be an offroader, it takes mastery and some skill to conquer this machine in such unforgiving conditions, especially on rally courses and playground games whereas infecting and King is possible. With this though, this meant more musical chairs from your opponents racing offroads.

DRIVING GOD!!!

I've been driven this Bowler on Horizon and I have to say that this is the best offroader in Horizon. You can forget about the Range Rover, the ML63, the Wrangler, the FJ, or the G65, becaue this Bowler will deifnitely eat them all for breakfast. This is truly Horizon's king of 4WD offroader. This is made for those who want to become Driving Gods or Bad Winners.

This is just one of the many cars why Great Britain is so reluctant on making one of those and with all the insanity hidden beneath the Bowler's personality, this makes me so proud to yell that I AM A DRIVING GOD! (Oops!)

Let's Do The News! (April 3, 2013)

(cheers and applause)

JC: That's the most beautiful thing I have ever driven...

RH: You love this thing, don't ya?

JC: Yes! Precisely, that is the best-looking Aston Martin in ages.

RH: Yeah, I see where you're getting somewhere because...

JC: Because it sounds old-school, looks beautiful on the move, and savage if you are in for some fun and games. Brilliant. Anyway, let's do the news!

JM: Anyway, it seems that Wonder Woman travels around the world via an invisible jet but what if she need some wheels to race through the dangers and save the world alongside the Justice League? Guess what? Kia Motors made a ride for Wonder Woman and it's a Sportage R. Here it is...

Kia Sportage R Wonder Woman

JM:...this car is part of Kia Motors collaborating with DC Comics for the We Can Be Heroes campaign, dedicated to fight poverty. Well, I think the Justice League-themed Kia cars are complete right about now...

RH: Really?

JM: Yeah, seems that the Justice League Kias have finally assembled. Batman has a K5, Green Lantern has a Soul, Cyborg has a Forte Hatchback, Aquaman has a Pride, The Flash has a Forte Koup, Superman has a K5 Hybrid, and now Wonder Woman has a Kia Sportage R. It's already full force!

JC: Yeah, tell you what? I think it's rubbish to see the Justice League driving in those stupid Korean cars...

(audience laughing)

JC: Yes. They're superheroes. They don't need those rubbish Korean cars. They can go wherever they want...Well, except Batman because he doesn't have powers, only gadgets.

(audience laughing)

RH: So, you're saying is Batman will drive only the K5?

(audience laughing)

JC: No. He has a Batmobile. He don't need this rubbish Kia K5, you know...

(audience laughing)

JC: Now, anyway, as we told, North Korea continues to make threats everyday, regarding their nukes. Guess what? I made this...it's called the North Korea threat detector-inator...

(audience laughing)

RH: Threat detector-inator? Why would you add the "inator" suffix on it? What is this?

JC: I don't know. But what it will do for me is to detect everyday threats that the North Korea can throw us at it...

(beeping)

JC: Oh! There's an upcoming threat! Oh no!

JM: What is it this time?

JC: It says...oh wait that was yesterday...It's about North Korea trying to restart a nuclear reactor at Nyongbyon that was disabled under a six-party agreement in 2007. This nuclear reactor was once extracting plutonium for nukes.

RH: Okay, Mr. Clarkson. What's today threat now? Yesterday, it said that the restart of the nuclear reactor is another one of NoKor's threats. So, what's today's threat now?

JC: Hang on a minute...it still says UPDATING...

(audience laughing)

JC: It takes time, I tell you. It takes time. When NoKor issues a threat against humanity, this North Korea threat detector-inator will ring me, okay? Arirang, NHK, BBC, CNN, or any other channels, they'll give me a call. They'll check out the latest threats from NoKor, just to be sure...

RH: Anyway, can we move on?

JC: Yes...Well, anyway, it's summer in the Philippines and everyone's going on vacation, even the kids after the end of the school year. People went to go on provinces, some go to other countries, others went shopping, etc...etc...etc...The list goes on and on until school starts this June. So, if you're a car nut, are you interested on this?

2013 Manila International Auto Show

RH: Uh no...

JM: No...

(audience laughing)

JC: Uh...me too. Not interested on this because there are so many carmakers backed out, especially ones who are members of AVID like Hyundai. But what's interesting here is that Russ Swift will be participating on that event showcasing some stunts in the brand new Subaru BRZ.

RH: Does this mean, there's going to be drifting involved in the BRZ?

(audience laughing)

JC: Not sure but Russ Swift can do better than that now that he's making a switch from the WRX STi to the Subaru BRZ for some unknown reasons but I think it's going to be quite exciting. I promise...

(cheers and applause)

JC: Now, interesting news because Hennessey Performance, the tuning company behind the wildly acclaimed Venom GT, made some headlines again because it set the fastest top speed for production vehicles. That's about 265.7MPH or 427.6 km/h.

JM: Wait a minute...wait a minute...Didn't the Veyron SuperSport claim that record because when I was in Germany, the folks at Bugatti maxed out at 267.8 mph. But how?

JC: Well, the Veyron SS did 267.8 mph of top speed but shocking fact is that Bugatti speed-limits its production vehicles to 258 mph. So that now, Hennessey claimed that record for the Venom GT's top speed.

RH: Those utter utter bastards...

(audience laughing)

RH: This is just like Steven Moffat messing up Doctor Who with some shocking plot twists that infuriate Whovians! Get it?

JM: I'll show those Hennessey bastards a lesson...

JC: Whoa! Whoa! Calm down. Calm down. Let's move on because while the Buick Encore (an Americanized version of the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka) is new because it was been on sale last quarter, there's a report that General Motors issued an recall on 144 Buick Encores from the 2013 model year because the steering wheel could come loose or separate from the steering column! In short, the steering wheel may come off!

RH: Whoa! Guess whoever bought a new Encore right about now might end up noticing about this recall, eh? It's like you're buying a car which then later the tires come off of the sunroof shattered or things get disintegrated quickly...

(audience laughing)

JC: I know. It's a weird move to recall such a brand new car like this. Well, anyway, that's the end of the news...

Forza Horizon: VANQUISHing Horizon

You might imagine that driving the Aston Martins offered in Horizon such as the DBS, the Virage, or the V12 Zagato is somewhat an appreciating feat for an Aston Martin enthusiast like you. Sadly though, it's 2013 and the year 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin. Everybody's got their birthday present to the brand and because the Vanquish became the starring role of this birthday party, it even got a chance to be at the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Also, James May drove this one at Top Gear Season 19. This is really the most beautiful car I have ever seen but where's the Vanquish? All I want is to drive this beauty in Horizon just to find out how Centenary Spectacular this is when the Vanquish is on a video game like this...

Now, however, thanks to the April Top Gear Car Pack, the last DLC Car Pack to be covered on Horizon's Season Pass, the new Aston Martin Vanquish has arrived and it's about as interesting as an old-school video game they called R4. Ridge Racer Type 4 to you.

Helter Skelter

That is my idea of a perfect Aston Martin in a video game but it is very difficult to explain why. First of all, the car costs about a mind-blowing £189,995, which sounds a lot of money but in a game of Top Trumps, you can't use it to bash the likes of the Ferrari F12berlinetta, the Lamborghini Aventador, the McLaren MP4-12C, or the Ferrari 458 Italia. Let's just remember, even though it has a new 6.0L 565bhp V12 engine, it does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds (which is quicker than the Jaguar XKR-S) and a top speed of 183mph, that's about less than the outgoing DBS.

Wonder Hill

But don't be fooled by the headlines because this is the most graceful car I have ever driven in ages. Despite the fact that James Bond ditched this new one in favor of the DB5 in last year's Skyfall movie, this should have been the perfect Bond car for that film. Maybe next time, they'll feature it but never mind about that, because there's a sheer sense of beauty hidden in the already-beautiful design of the new Vanquish. That sheer beauty of the new Vanquish can be an equivalent of...three Chihaya Kisaragis...two Amy Ponds...and Ridge Racer Type 4's RTS Assoluto Bisonte.

Edge of the Earth

Out of Blue

Let me put it this way, being attacked by bisons is the sort of feeling when you are in an overpowered Italian exotic rampaging through the roads but here in the Vanquish, the only thing you're bothered is being tapped in the head by Puchimas' Chihya. She'll keep tapping your head as long as she wants but if you're prepared for the worst, you'd better be awake because savage bisons are coming to hurt you more than a bull run in Spain.

What's exactly wrong with this new Vanquish? Well, even though it's not as quicker than the old DBS, it doesn't really matter whether the things that were right were balanced out with the things that were wrong. Besides, this new V12 engine is a masterpiece. A true masterpiece classic when it comes to its exhaust note and its craftsmanship. It's also agile because it's 19mm lower than the DBS, every single panel was made out of carbon fiber so it's very light. 25 per cent stiffer than the DBS thanks to its new chassis. It's so aerodynamic! However, don't be fooled about being a suitable driver's car because when you really let loose, this car's too dynamic and a bit less grippy, meaning you can pull some amazing angles but difficult to exit. Whoa!

Phantom Mile

Brightest Nite

You know what this is like? It's like a Ridge Racer machine. It's like either an Racing Team Solvalou Assoluto Bisonte or a Bisargento with a Chihaya Kisaragi livery on it. You can almost call it crude. There's so many reasons why you don't want a Vanquish but there's one why you would because this is just fantastic. It's as harmonious as Asami Imai's voice but as savage as a wild boar. I love that. I really love that styling which nods to other Aston Martins. I love its V12 engine. I love its interior. I love the man who made it. I love Great Britain. I wanna move there and I wanna be The Doctor's companion or a Top Gear presenter...

Heaven and Hell

I also love the way that it feels like an Aston Martin, apart from that...and that...and that...and apart from the launch control and it's One-77-like interior, it feels normal. It kinda feels like Tekken's Lili because she maybe beautiful but she's definitely a bruiser that you don't want to get your bones crushed by her.

Shooting Hoops

There are so many cars in Horizon for those who want to be sensible but the new Vanquish is made for people who don't...