Aljur, Rochelle join
15th Kabankalan fest

GMA talents Rochelle Pangilinan and Aljur Abrenica will be at the “Sinadya sa Plaza” program in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, 7 p.m. July 31, a press release from the station said.

The plaza revelry with free admission is part of the 15th Udyakan Festival and Charter anniversary of Kabankalan City.

The press release said that a “Kapuso Baranggayan” will also be conducted that day with fun games and prizes, plus performances from local talents and standup comedians in Negros Occidental.

Those interested to see Abrenica and Pangilinan perform can call the station’s Bacolod Events and Promo Department at (034) 434-6254, the press release added.*

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London Olympic opening
a 'spine-tingling' spectacular

The London 2012 opening ceremony will be a spine-tingling extravaganza that exceeds expectations, thrilled audience members said after witnessing the final rehearsal for Friday's showpiece spectacular.

And despite their excitement, those lucky enough to get a sneak peek vowed to keep the surprises secret after the show's Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle pleaded with them not to ruin it by giving the game away.

Games volunteers and troops were given tickets to the final run-through as a thank-you for their efforts, while members of the 15,000-strong cast were able to reserve tickets for friends and family.

The 60,000-odd crowd seemed filled with enthusiasm as they flooded out of the Olympic Stadium late Wednesday.

The theme of the £27 million ($42 million, 34.5 million euro) spectacular is "Isles of Wonder", inspired by a passage from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". The show is set to be watched by a vast global television audience.

Boyle -- who won an Academy Award for directing "Slumdog Millionaire" -- and his team, have explained their guiding ideas for the spectacle.

Fellow film-maker Stephen Daldry, the Games ceremonies' creative director, revealed the show champions "the rich heritage, diversity, energy, inventiveness, wit and creativity that truly defines the British Isles".

It is "a journey which will celebrate who we are, who we were and who we wish to be."

But there are some bits of it that are so secret they did not even appear in the final dress-rehearsal.

A group of Royal Navy personnel from HMS Bulwark, who are guarding the sailing venues on the southern English coast, were released from duty to attend before having to head straight back to their posts.

"We won't see anything else for the next three weeks, so it's really good that we've had this opportunity," said one, known by the nickname "Rio Grande".*AFP

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