The Witcher: Henry Cavill in Manila 2019

 

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 (12/12 😲) fans are treated to a once in a lifetime chance to meet Hollywood Superstar and lead actor of Netflix's new series "The Witcher", Henry Cavill. 

The Witcher tells the story of Geralt of Rivia, a beast hunter that has a powerful ability to battle and destroy wild beast or monsters. Based on the saga written by Andrzej Sapkowski that was a eventually developed into the very popular video game that it is today. Now fans of both the book and the video games will see their favorite character come to life, thanks to Netflix. 

My sister and I got very lucky that day when we approached the information booth for the wrist bands (I will say no more hence we get into trouble 😉). There was a lot of commotion that happened in our section (Section E), and unfortunately neither my sister or myself (or anybody in that section it seems) was able to get a good picture of Henry.

Mr. Cavill arrived at Activity Center of the Ayala Malls Manila Bay past 5 PM and he immediately approached the fans and started signing autographs. It took him a solid 1.5 hour signing autographs, taking selfies and saying "Hi" to fans. Henry was such a trooper! So gracious and generous with his time. He must have gotten tired at some point, but he never showed it instead gave the fans such warm smiles as he walked along the black carpet and made sure that he's able to accommodate everyone as much as he can. Look, no other celebrity would have done what Henry did. Other celebrity's would have preferred to be whisked away by their handlers rather than spending that much time with the audience. Even celebrity host Metteo Guidicelli sounded amazed and one could feel his sincerity when he thanked Henry for showing such kindness to the Filipino fans. Fans that waited patiently for him for hours. Others even camped out side the night before (now I wish I could've done the same). When Henry finally got on stage, the interview would only last for less than 10 minutes ( I think it's close to 6 minutes by reckoning) but this did not diminish his enthusiasm at all. Matteo even managed to get him say "Mahal ko kayo" with perfect diction and it just melted our hearts even more! 

Below are some videos taken by my sister. Mind you, Henry's barely made it to the black carpet and still farther from where I was standing.

When he finally made it to where I was, chaos ensues (hahaha)! Suddenly I was being pinned against the person in front of me but no matter what I made sure that my left arm was free and had enough room to move around so I can hand him my memorabilia and have it signed, The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson and The Witcher postcard. I'm soft spoken so I tried to call out his name as best as I can, but thank God for having long arms because he saw my book and took it right away (he even dropped my Sharpie pen!). By this time my face was already covered with waving posters and whatnots, and when he's about to hand it back to me he had to look through (the waving items) and find who he's suppose to return it to. Since my face was no longer visible so I kept waving my hand as if to say it's mine and when he saw it, handed me back my book and poster both signed by him. The evening ended with a special screening  of the first episode of the The Witcher to members of the media and some very lucky fans. I read somewhere that screen writer and executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich along with Henry went inside the theater to greet the fans before the screening (I'm so jealous!).

I still find myself staring at the book and The Witcher postcard that he signed and I still can't believe how lucky I was to see him in person. Its like an early Christmas/Birthday present for me (my b-day is on Boxing Day, boring I know)

Going to this event would not have been possible had it not been for a couple of people. I would like to thank my sister @marquezceu who came with me to give her support. She made sure that I was firmly planted on that tiny platform and will not get boxed out by the two people in front to me who kept pushing me back the entire time.  

Also, thanks to Aling Susan for agreeing to look after our mum so we can attend the event that day. It's been hard for us to go out these days as our mum needs constant care due to her illness. It will be a very challenging Christmas for us, however moments like these are the ones that keeps us going. 

My very first fan event ever and what a success that was! Don't forget to watch The Witcher on Netflix on December 20, 2019. Mark your calendars peeps! 

Man of Steel Movie Countdown

         

            On April 16, 2013 Warner Brothers has released the third and would be official trailer for the much anticipated reboot of the iconic DC Comics superhero Superman dubbed as “Man of Steel”. In time for its 75^th Anniversary (yes folks, he’s been around that long).

                                                

            I don’t know how many times I have rambled on talking about my childhood hero. Why Superman you would ask? Because there was a time in my life when he was the only friend I had. ChristopherReeve’s name will always be synonymous to Superman and several attempts have been made to breathe-in new life into the well beloved hero both in television and the big screen. All of them fell short however, well expect for Smallville which has gained loyal followers and had a successful ten year run on TV. Superman Returns on the other hand tried to remain loyal to the 1978 Richard Donner version of the film starring Reeves himself (which director Bryan Singer is a huge fan of) but poor writing and the less than believable performance of its actor namely Kate Bosworth who played Lois Lane became a disappointment to a lot of fans. Call me bias and all but I do not think that Brandon Routh, who played the hero in blue tights and red cape is to blame. They decided to choose an unknown actor to play the role, they even got someone who looks like Reeve. But their decision backfired as Routh was obviously still too young and perhaps lacks the experience to portray Superman with conviction the way Christopher Reeve has done so well many years ago.

            Almost eight years has passed, after so much debates over budget, whether Brandon Routh should come back and reprise his role, and if Superman is still relevant... Man of Steel is born. Thanks to the Nolan brothers. Christopher Nolan was so successful in bringing Batman to life that everyone is reeling with anticipation if he would make the mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent darker or brooding. But director Jack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and lead star British actor Henry Cavill begged to disagree. They’re just making him more realistic after all, Superman is a source of light and hope to many and making him “darker” was never an option. And this is the first time that the All-American hero will be portrayed by a non-American actor. Aside from talent, the British has a different approach in honing an actor’s creative skills. And if I may add, I have never heard of an American Shakespearean actor before. If you're going to say Leonardo DiCaprio’s take on Romeo + Juliet, that definitely does not count. I suggest watching Franco Zeffereli’s version of the popular Shakespeare tragedy starring the oh-so divine Olivia Hussey.

 I suppose it’s a whole different story when you’re wearing an über tight-almost too revealing body suit with a scarlet cape to match. But looking at the photos of Henry in the Superman costume, well all I could say is he is Superman! Ladies, the body is to die for. Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that I’m looking at the same young boy I saw as Albert Mondego in The Count of Monte Cristo. Quite frankly, it makes me feel old. But as a fan of Henry’s, I am so proud of him for he has come a long way and it only means that he really is meant to play this role (for those of you who doesn’t know, he’s suppose to be original choice for Superman Returns, as well as Stephanie Meyers first choice to play Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga but he was already too old to play the role when production started). For me, the countdown to Man of Steel has officially begun and I join the Superman fandom in welcoming back our childhood hero, our friend. He may wear different faces, but to us they’re all one and the same. Superman lives!

Man of Steel worldwide release date is June 14, 2013.