Let's Do The News! (May 18, 2013)

(cheers and applause)

JC: So, you would say that this film would have been quite better if it has some sort of pantomime feeling?

JM: Oh yes. Sometimes, this film needs to have an even more darker feel than than the first one and best of all, it needs some originality because this film feels more of a retold rather than having an original storyline.

JC: Okay, I suppose that it needs some originality but hey, sure is nice to see the Sherlock dude being the bad guy in the film. Anyway, let's do the news!

JM: Yeah and it's great news! Underground Toys are ready reveal brand new Doctor Who figures and most of which are based from Series 7. Here it is...

(awwww)

JM: Yep. They're all in 3.75 inches glory. There's the Dalek, Weeping Angel, The Doctor (in his new outfit), there's Clara Oswald for the very first time, new Ice Warrior, and new Cyberman as seen in last week's Nightmare in Silver episode.

JC: Yeah. When you said 3.75 inches, I think this feels like it's been downsized. I mean come on, in the past, those 5-inch figures based on Doctor Who characters are somewhat enjoyable but for this new lineup, take a look...



(audience laughing)

JC: Yep, some downsizing occurred and feels like there's been some sort of cost-cutting issues, I can tell. However, despite those new Series 7 figures looking shoddy than I was expecting, I'm sure those 3.75-inch figures should be enough. Count on it...

RH: Yeah/ And you what else we're expecting?

JC: What is it?

RH: Seems that we're almost at the Series 7 finale of Doctor Who and oh my gosh I'm so scared! Scared to find out The Doctor's full name and that will make everyone's head explode and their pencils...

(audience laughing)

JC: What do you mean, head-exploding?

RH: As in...the Isabella Garcia-Shapiro kind of head exploding way.

(audience laughing)

JC: Hammond? Have you been watching too much P&F just so you can explain everything using those P&F references?

(audience laughing)

RH: Oh wait. Did I just said that? (laughing) Anyway, if you think you braved enough on the finale, I think we might as well forget about what just happened okay? I mean come on out here...

JC: Yeah! Come on out here! Let's survive watching the finale...if it kills me...

(audience laughing)

JC: Now, as you may now, when cars are fully loaded with some high-tech features, sometimes it's good but sometimes it's bad. What's worse is when cars starting to drive by themselves in the future and now, I just heard that a company called Visteon is working on some sort of AI interface that I find it very confusing. I don't know, it's called HABIT.

RH: HABIT?

JC: Human Bayesian Intelligence Technology. What this works is to learn and predict what in-car setting a driver would like, in advance of him even having to ask for them. Here's a clip that sums everything up...



RH: Awkward that...

JC: Yeah, this concept matches your favorite station, your climate control preferences, and so on, this so-called HABIT Cockpit Concept sure knows what you're doing inside the car. It maybe convenient but it's a bit annoying for me, I'm afraid...

(audience laughing)

JC: Now, we heard that Honda is returning to Formula One...as an engine supplier to the McLaren Formula One Team and you know what this means?

JM: Let me guess...does this going to bring back the Prost-Senna memories when this was in effect?

JC: Well, possibly but actually, this is a cause when McLaren is looking for some new engine supplier because of its lackluster performance in past races. Reason why McLaren chose Honda as their engine supplier because Honda worked on their 1.6L turbo engine for Formula One purposes in the next season and in my opinion, if a Honda engine was used in a McLaren Formula One racer...

RH: Oh wait, lemme guess... VTEC KICKED IN, YO!

(audience laughing)

JC: Huh?

RH: Oh sorry. Never mind about that but anyway, I'm glad that Honda's back to supply engines for McLaren Formula One team in the 2015 season. Let's not hope it would be somewhat putting a Saturn V rocket in a pressure cooker...

(audience laughing)

JC: Now, there's more news for bronies worldwide. This time, and I'm not making this up, there's going to be a crossover comic between Transformers and...wait for it...

RH: Wait, let me guess... MLP?

(audience laughing)

JC: (gasp) You were right! Oh no! It's boys' stuff meets girls' stuff, well forget about the whole "girls' stuff" thingy because grown men got into that. Seems that Transformers team up with My Little Pony for some comic book of some sort and what the folks are saying, the cover will see Pinkie Pie dressed as Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

(audience laughing)

JC: No! Seriously! I'm not making this up! Honest! It's going to be showcased at this year's San Diego Botcon this June 27 to 30 at the Town and Country Resort.

RH: And I think this would be a total embarrassment to the public...

(audience laughing)

JC: Thanks, Hammond. And you know what? That's the end of the news. Guess the doof is due...

(audience laughing)

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness

Ever since J.J. Abrams rebooted the legendary Star Trek franchise in a form of a 2009 movie, trekkies from all over the world were sometimes praised upon the fresh storyline about Captain Kirk (played by Chris Pine), Mr. Spock, and the Enterprise crew in their struggles to survive each other while fulfilling the mission that puts every crew to the test. Now, four years later, Star Trek is back for a sequel that some say, it's darker than the first one. Star Trek Into Darkness maybe disappointing at first but as this film progresses, the plot gets thicker and thicker and thicker until you reach to the end of the film that you will never forget.

What's surprising about this sequel is that the crew is up against a rogue Starfleet operative named John Harrison, played by the Sherlock dude Benedict Cumberbatch, and once again, Captain Kirk and the whole Enterprise crew has been put to the test again because Harrison has the whole crew "locked-on" from his prying eyes and this would be the darkest hour for the Enterprise crew.

We really like Benedict's portrayal of being the bad guy in the movie because his dark aural feel really fits to Benedict's personality. It gives some terror and some spills that the viewers may find it questioning but about this sequel though. It's not bad on the storytelling department but sometimes, some trekkies think that they will prefer the original one better or the classic Star Trek movies, basically The Wrath of Khan because of its dark storyline that excites viewers. This one isn't but the special effects is worth the redeeming for Into Darkness.

The more you enjoy Into Darkness, the more you'll start puzzling what's what for the whole Enterprise crew and their struggling challenges to stop the enemy who was threatening to take them down. It maybe a good film to watch but it doesn't have the pantomime feeling that most trekkies would love to experience. It feels a bit cold, a bit too odd, a bit feels like it lacks originality. Despite all that criticisms I thrown at it, I really want to recommend any trekkie to enjoy this film because it may have a sluggish start but it gets progressive until the pungent aftertaste you'll expect at the end.

Threats from North Korea - A Week in Review (May 18, 2013)

And now, the week in review of what's what at the Korean peninsula...

May 13, 2013

- Washington's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Nimitz is taking part of a two-day joint naval exercises off South Koreas's east coast. This drill will bring climax to the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which recently concluded Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drills earlier this year.

- South Korean president Park Geun-hye apologized her former spokesperson Yoon Chang-jung's alleged sexual abuse of an intern during her trip to the USA.

May 14, 2013

- South Korea proposed talks with North Korean on taking out finished goods and raw and subsidiary materials from the Kaesong Complex.

- Washington's top nuclear envoy Glyn Davies said the purpose on his trup was to seek ways to get North Korea back in diplomacy

- One of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's advisors made a surprise visit to North Korea. The purpose of this visit remains unknown for now...

May 15, 2013

- A spokesperson for the North's office in charge of Kaesong complex labeled Seoul's latest proposal for talks a "crafty trick", stating that Pyongyang is cautiously examining whether to resume talks with Seoul.

May 16, 2013

- South Korea on Thursday expressed regret over North Korea's negative response for the proposal of talks.

- The chief of South Korea's main opposition party expressed hope Thursday of visiting North Korea on a mission to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and revive the Kaesong complex.

May 17, 2013

- President Park Geun-Hye called for national unity, saying the country will be able to overcome any crisis if the people come together as one, Park made the remarks in a message marking Buddha's birthday, which this year fell on Friday under the lunar calendar.

- North Korea appointed a new vice defense minister, in what appeared to be an ongoing reshuffle of the communist country's military personnel. Jon Chang-bok, who was promoted to colonel general in 2010, accompanied NoKor leader Kim Jong-un on a field guidance trip to a food processing plant as the first vice minister of People's Armed Forces.

- North Korea could be packing more military might than many expected. The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses found out that North Korea has up to 200 mobile missile launchers...after analyzing data from the US Congress report on Pyongyang's military status.

"Text AP20 to 4545"

On the May 17, 2013 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Volleyball gags

- Mr. Assimo at the drive-thru...

Mr. Assimo

- This guy is fully prepared for anything while dining with a date...

- Let's talk about "gulay rights" because sometimes all vegetables had rights!

Anacleto Ng

Kiko Manalo

- Bubble Gang does Talk 'N TXT UNLITXTALL +UnliTropaCall! Text AP20 to 4545!

Bubble Gang does Talk 'N TXT UNLITXTALL!

- Boy Pickup vs. Boy Basag in Pickup Lines! The ultimate showdown! BLAGAG!

Boy Basag

- A brighter way to enjoy summer is...meeting up with the girls playing volleyball at the beach?

- Tips to enjoy yourself at the beach...

1) Chase with your own shadow

2) Play volleyball by yourself

3) Find someone who got buried in sand, place his cross near his head and pretend to mourn

4) Try walking at the sand. Because it's so hot, be sure to pour mineral water on your footprints

5) Pretend you're drowning and let a lifeguard save you

- An interview with a vampire in a late night sleepover show...

- Basketball players robbing the bank!

Chokoleit, IHAW NA!

Comedian Chokoleit was the guest of May 16, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment and during the talk, Chokoleit explained why does some of the roles from past fantaseryes are all aquatic related, how chocolate-y is his career, and something else in store for Chokoleit.

Meanwhile, Chazz is challenging everyone to complete Chazz's facial drawing...while being in a blindfold...in another round of CHAZZ DO IT. However, instead of the drawing...you'll end up kissing Chazz!

Lexus New IS (GSE30/GSE35/GSE31/AVE30)

2014 Lexus IS

If you are the sort of petrolhead who accidentally sniffed a bottle of solvent for several hours from now, chances are that the only mistake you could have done is mistaken the IS for Infinite Stratos and if by the word Stratos, you would actually mean "Lancia Stratos" but no. IS and Stratos are from a totally different league and the Lexus IS doesn't behave like the Lancia Stratos do. Sorry for this but there will be several bad puns intended because as a man who got stoked for the upcoming Infinite Stratos 2, let's look at the totally unrelated IS that doesn't have to do with it. The main instruction? Keep it simple. Okay then, one simple story coming up...

The brand new Lexus IS is designed from the ground up to become one of the most potent entry-level Lexus sedan ever made to cater the young buyers but in terms of fashion tastes it is a bit too shoddy. A bit predator-ish and when a baby sees one may end up crying uncontrollably. It's available in either a 2.5L V6 engine with the optional 4WD, a 3.5L V6 engine mated with an 8-speed SPDS transmission which is too much for a V6 car, and for the first time ever, a 2.5L 4-cylinder coupled with a 105kW electric motor and some old-fashioned nickel batteries. Yep, there's now a hybrid model on the Lexus IS and to explain why, I went to London...and sadly though I had to pay the congestion charge even though its a hybrid. Heard the news? Hybrids and so-called eco-cars are going to lose their exemption status for the London congestion charge because they're causing too much pollution. Hmmm... Really? I regret Boris Johnson for doing this...

2014 Lexus IS

Anyway, this new IS 300h uses the same engine that I get in the hybrid model of the uber-ugly latest Toyota Crown model. Running on engine alone, it generates about 177PS of power and when both the engine and the 105kW electric motor kicks in, the power output now runs at about 220PS of power. That's about 20 more than the Toyota 86's. And then there's the transmission. The hybrid model comes with the CVT gearbox which gives this car some strange feeling and the same noise you'll be hearing. No matter if its auto or in manual mode where you'll let the paddles do the talking, it's still the same feeling. It's just 6000 revs over and over. Too awkward.

So, for a car with 23.2km/L of fuel consumption, I wonder what kind of redeeming characteristics does the 300h has? To find out, I went to a certain winding road somewhere in Japan...and it's a bit too serious. It's like there's some very clever Japanese businessman underneath it that doesn't translate the word "fun" into Japanese but never mind that because the Japanese don't know what "fun" is. The only feeling I can expect is...just west of weird. It's a bit too Gravity Falls than Gravity Rush and if I was on the IS 350 model, same thing. What bothers me about the IS 350 model is that I now have an 8-speed SPDS gearbox and that's too much to have a V6 car with so many gears.

2014 Lexus IS

2014 Lexus IS interior

There was this F-Sport model applicable for all IS models which features enhanced handling and performance, Adaptive Variable Suspension and Variable Gear Ratio Steering (only on the IS350). To find out, I went to Germany...and as it turns out, it's not half bad at the bends. I kinda agree to the blokes who said that the F-Sport model's steering feel and precision mullered the Europeans but sometimes I don't believe the praise. It's still just "west of weird". It's more Mabel Pines-ish than Age Abeille. Oops...Sorry about that. Did I said this loud, am I?

Anyway, while driving isn't the least of my problems, how about the design flow? Let's go back to the topic. Well for starters, a normal IS isn't quite the better looking than the previous model and if I were to choose between this and the previous model (2005-2012), I would rather chose the previous one instead because the design is well behaved while the new model is as weird as Mabel's braces. Perhaps they should have brought the author of IS or inspire it from the Akatsubaki for looks. Same case on the F-Sport model. Well, surprisingly, I wanna go to China in search for a metaphor for this car but sadly due to diplomatic reasons, no. I can't go to China in search for a metaphor for this car because...that would be racism.

2014 Lexus IS

What about the interior? If looks can be deceiving, how come the new IS's interior kinda resemble of the Lexus LFA's? That's the idea; while the Lexus LFA is one of the best driver's car, it's sold out, so Lexus decided to stay faithful to the original IS, better known to you and me as the Toyota Altezza from the 1998 to 2004, while paying respect to the LFA. There's a similar case too, with the LFA-esque speedo on the F-Sport model, infotainment, and the identical steering wheel. And compared to the previous model, there's very little to worry about with your limbs.

To sum up then, rivals like the BMW 3-Series and the Cadillac ATS are nothing more than being a proper driver's car because they're both well mannered and well behaved to be fun-to-drive machines. The new Lexus IS though, it's just too well-focused to be a proper entry-level saloon car and it's just too well-focused to be ugly even though the Spindle Grille just makes it worse. And with the pricing of 4,200,000 Yen for the IS250 model up to 5,950,000 for the IS350 F-Sport, it's too expensive. You can't use the IS 300h to get through London for free because the eco-car exemption for the congestion charge is gone, the handling is a so-so, it's made by a company that should have known better, and as told, it's just "west of weird". Question is, am I not gonna like this more than the latest Toyota Crown?! I know that's sounds ridiculous but let's leave this case to the professionals.

Available colors: White Pearl Crystal Shine, White Nova Glass Flake, Platinum Silver Metallic, Sonic Titanium, Mercury Grey Mica, Black, Starlight Black Glass Flake, Red Mica Crystal Shine, Exceed Blue Metallic, and Lapis Lazuli Mica.



Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Jaguar F-Type

Five decades ago, Jaguar launched what everyone think of it as the most beautiful car ever made in ages, called the E-Type, and with such heritage made the E-Type the last of its kind because its inspirational beauty is what made it unique. Now, the spirit of the classic E-Type rises again in a new Jag that really harks back to the past rather than being more of a nimble sports car made to make drivers feel alive wherever they are.

2014 Jaguar F-Type

Welcome everyone to the brand new F-Type, the most awaited true-blooded Jaguar ever made since the E-Type and by the looks of it, that's simply marvelous to look at. First impressions wasn't really the best one because judging by the design process for te F-Type, it wasn't quite easy for the people behind this new car to capture the essence of the classic E-Type while bringing a modern twist to the most beautiful car ever made. Question is, why would you want to have another convertible from Jaguar? The best open-top Jaguar I'd ever looked up was the XKR-S Convertible. It has the same 550PS Supercharged V8 engine as the hardtop equivalent but with the top opened. Despite being heavier than the hardtop equivalent, it still behaves just like the same thing, sounds more like an American muscle car because of the angry noise. I find it very enjoyable to have an open top version of one of the most enjoyable Jags ever made but now let's talk about the F-Type.

This is no different than the XKR-S Convertible I'd salivated for it. Look at this design; it's oh so attractive. So attractive to look at, you might think for a second thought, you're encountering someone who look like a very attractive schoolgirl with the body of a 25-year old supermodel with a ginger hair and a very impressive bust size fit for a member of a swim club. Yes, seriously. You know what else is attractive? Another young woman who was a member of a swim club except this time, she's the leader with a very short hair and with glasses.

That's the thing about the F-Type, it wants to be as attractive as one of the sexier cars on the market today such as the SLK, Boxster, or the Z4. Apart from a very attractive exterior comes with the interior that is quite typical to the other Jags of today.

2014 Jaguar F-Type interior

I know it looks typical but good thing it wasn't quite as regular as a cartoon show starring a jay and a raccoon buddy easing out their boredom for fun or some sort of a nonsense cartoon comedy with a boy and a dog out for an adventure in a magical land. Sounds familiar? Oh well, let's see what happens when you unleash the F-Type in its righteous glory...

2014 Jaguar F-Type

This car is epic. By the moment you drive the F-Type, everything you thought about Jaguar is gone and feels like you've been time travelling 5 decades ago to find out how as good as the classic E-Type and this new F-Type is now pledging to becoming one of the best British sports car ever made. You can have either a supercharged V6 petrol or the top of the line 5.0L V8 supercharged engine but whichever engine you choose, it completes the F-Type's personality. It's very light, too, and that's because the body of the F-Type is made out of aluminum so such lightweight work really pays off to create the best handling Jaguar in ages. Even when you set this car on DYNAMIC MODE, the F-Type is just feels oh so right! Not too dynamic, not too mild, just the right stuff! It's well civilized either on the road or on the track! It doesn't matter which asphalt you're on! Oh! Oh! There goes the E-Type flashbacks coming through!

There is one bit of an issue here; although this car tickled my fancy, I'd never know prices never went that high so please sit down because I'm gonna say it, okay? Ahem... It costs 58,520 Pounds for the V6 model while the flagship model, the F-Type V8 S, costs around 79,985 Pounds. That's a lot for a toy but for a car proudly handcrafter by the Brits, this is a must have for any British car enthusiasts. The F-Type really deserved to be one of Britain's bests since the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Lotus Exige S V6, the new Range Rover, the Ariel Atom V8, the BAC Mono, whatever British you mention in the list.

So, what can I say about the F-Type? I don't like it. I don't really like it... I LOVE IT!

Available colors: Ebony Black, Polaris White, Salsa Red, Rhodium Silver Metallic, Lunar Grey Metallic, Stratus Grey Metallic, Indigo Blue Metallic, Ultimate Black Metallic, Satellite Grey Metallic, British Racing Green Metallic, Italian Racing Red Metallic, Firesand Metallic, and Black Amethyst Metallic.

Photo: Jaguar Land Rover