Latest news with #Vella
Filipino Times
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Taylor Lautner acknowledges viral Filipino 'What hafen, Vella?' meme
Taylor Lautner is now aware of the viral Filipino meme that parodies his 'Twilight' character, Jacob Black. The line 'What hafen, Vella?' became popular through Cristopher Diwata, a Filipino impersonator, and has trended again years after it first aired. On TikTok, Lautner shared a video with his wife, Taylor Dome. In the comments, one user teased that he had noticed everything except the meme, saying, 'Bro noticing everything except 'What hafen Vela' trend.' Lautner replied, 'Yup, but it's not your fault, it's mine,' a nod that showed he's now aware of the trend. His comment has reached over 55,000 likes as of this writing. Although Lautner didn't recreate the meme himself, this is the first time he's publicly acknowledged it online. Cristopher originally performed the meme line in 2013 on ABS-CBN's 'It's Showtime' under the 'Kalokalike' segment. The video resurfaced in recent months, making the impersonator viral once again. Cristopher has since collaborated with Filipino celebrities and brands like SB19, Ben&Ben, Barbie Forteza, and TikTok star Abi Marquez, thanks to the line's renewed popularity.
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Barbie Forteza joins Cristopher Diwata in 'What hafen, Vella?' trend
What hafen, Barbie Forteza? The Kapuso Primetime Princess is the latest celebrity to hop on to Cristopher Diwata's viral "What hafen, Vella?" lines! On TikTok, Cristopher shared a short clip of himself with the Kapuso actress doing his iconic lines. "Iba ka talaga miss [Barbie Forteza]," he wrote. It looks like Barbie isn't the only one who can't get over this trend. In a separate video, Cristopher shared a clip of Barbie's "Beauty Empire" co-star Kyline Alcantara, joining in—adding a special twist by singing a few lines from Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," famously featured on the Twilight soundtrack, which originally inspired the iconic lines. This isn't the first time Cristopher doubled-down on the "Twilight" references. He previously sang the song with Ben&Ben, who is just one of the many celebrities riding on his trend, among them Abi Marquez a.k.a Lumpia Queen, Michael Sager, Anjo Petierra, and SB19. He's landed several endorsements as well, which he said helps him to pay off debts and support his family. "Kahit maliit man 'yan, tatanggapin ko 'yan. Iga-grab ko 'yan kahit maliit. Sana sa mga nag-aalala sa akin, huwag n'yong intindihin 'yun at mas maganda 'yung meron kaysa sa wala," Cristopher told GMA News Online in an interview. Cristopher is also going to appear on "Mga Batang Riles."
GMA Network
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
'What hafen, Vella?': Cristopher Diwata grateful for financial relief his virality brings
"What hafen, Vella?" The internet has been buzzing nonstop over a throwback performance that has netizens in stitches, even over a decade after the fact. In 2013, Cristopher Diwata from Orion, Bataan joined the It's Showtime segment 'Kalokalike' as Taylor Lautner's 'Twilight' character, Jacob Black. Recently, his impersonation performance resurfaced and quickly made a spot in Philippine internet's hall of fame for memes. TikTok users and even celebrities have been dubbing and recreating his iconic lines: 'What hafen, Vella? Why you cryin' again? I know, vampire, right? Vampire will feyt to me.' In an interview with GMA News Online, Cristopher said that he was a third-year college student when he joined the segment, and had just made a quick search on the internet to prepare for his performance. He improvised his now-iconic lines. 'Naghanap ako sa YouTube. 'Yung pag-click ko na naghanap ako, lumabas 'yon. 'Yun na agad yung prinactice ko kasi [kailangan] mabilisan, madalian. Kaya nung prinactice ko 'yun, kung ano lang masabi ko, 'yun na 'yun,' he said. Cristopher's initial fame After his performance in 2013, Cristopher landed some guestings and earned some money. 'Napagpalit ko po 'yung pag-aaral ko dahil sa kumikita na ako. Akala ko pang matagalan. Huminto ako at hindi ko na siya natapos,' he admitted. The gigs did not last, and his initial fame faded. Despite having had some recognition then, the reality behind appearing on TV was different from what many might assume. 'Naranasan ko sa Manila, kasi alam naman natin magastos noon nung sumusubok pa lang ako at pinipilit ko na makapasok sa showbiz, tumira ako dito. Halos naranasan ko dito na mawalan ng pera, maging palaboy, nasa basurahan na, kailangan ko pang kainin,' he said. He had to hide the harsh reality from his family because he saw they were happy knowing that he was pursuing his dreams. 'Kasama ko po 'yung best friend ko noon… wala na kaming pera, siyempre nangungupahan kami, wala na kaming pera, wala na kaming pagkain. Nakakita kami ng sinaing…hinanap namin, hinalukay namin ulit 'yung basurahan at ginawa namin ulit 'yun. Ta's 'yun, naka-survive kami nung araw na 'yon,' he said. Cristopher did not imagine that more than a decade later, his TV performance would become a hit again. 'Parang nakakilabot eh no?' he said. 'Hindi ko siya inisip. Hindi ko akalain na 'yung ginawa ko na 'yun, siyang magbu-boom ngayon kaya malaking pasasalamat at malaking pagkagulat ang nangyari.' Life before going TikTok viral The 35-year-old Cristopher is a fish dealer in Bataan, but it's been a year since he had to stop, because his business has been struggling, leading him into debt. In this challenging period, his wife, Ronalyn Diwata, has become the primary provider for their family. They have two kids together, an eight-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. Cristopher and Ronalyn have been married for nine years. The secret, according to Cristopher, for a long-lasting marriage lies within love, understanding, and care for the children. 'Hangga't nagsasama kayo, ibig sabihin nagmamahalan kayo, nagkakaunawaan kayo. Kahit nagsisigawan kayo araw-araw, part na 'yun ng pagmamahalaan niyo. Kumbaga, nasa inyo na 'yun. Kaya sa mga nagsasama diyan, mga kaunting hirap lang, huwag kayong susuko. Huwag kayong bibitaw. Ang lagi niyong isipin, mga anak ninyo dahil diyan lang kayo kakapit,' he said. It was Ronalyn who informed him that he had gone viral again. But despite the many shoutout requests, Cristopher the extent of his renewed virality hasn't sunk in even now. 'Hanggang ngayon parang hindi ko siya ma-feel. Mas maganda 'yung enjoy lang. Laruin mo lang ang buhay ngayon. Ganun din naman eh. Same lang din dati,' he said. Among those who took on the trend was SB19's Pablo, who stood out to Cristopher because of his delivery. 'Naalala ko talaga na mabangis talaga magsalita, SB19,' he said. 'Maganda. Ang ganda ng pagkaka-deliver tsaka 'yung boses.' Financial relief thanks to partnerships Cristopher's unexpected second wave of fame has provided him substantial financial relief. He has since been tapped by many brands to appear on their social media ads, and the partnership requests continue to arrive, allowing him to pay off debts and support his family. Contrary to many concerns of supporters who worry that he might be underpaid, Cristopher said that the payment he receives from brands is good enough for him. ''Yung sa mga concern, at alam ko sumusuporta kayo sa akin, salamat po. Pero sa bayad, dati nga sanay ako nang wala. Dati nga wala, ta's ngayon, meron. Kaya kahit maliit man 'yan, tatanggapin ko 'yan. Iga-grab ko 'yan kahit maliit. Sana sa mga nag-aalala sa akin, huwag niyong intindihin 'yun at mas maganda 'yung meron kaysa sa wala.' He hopes his experience can be an inspiration to others not to focus solely on high earnings but to appreciate what they receive. 'Goods naman po talaga. Sapat para sa akin. Sa pagkakakilala ko sa sarili ko, sapat siya. Kung anong kakayahan ko, 'yun 'yon,' he said. He also sometimes receives donations from followers who ask for shoutouts. 'Ako, bilang pamilyado, tatanggapin ko po. Aminado po ako at wala po akong itatago at wala po akong kailangan pong itago dahil hindi po nakakahiya ang ginagawa ko. Pinagpapaguran ko po lahat ng nakukuha ko po ngayon sa akin,' Christopher said. Showbiz dreams Cristopher hopes that he may finally continue his dreams of entering showbiz. 'Hangga't kaya, iga-grab ko. Kahit na lagariin ko 'yan nang tatlong beses, tumalon-talon ako, lalagariin ko 'yan,' he said. He dreams of working with his idols, Kapuso Primetime King and Queen Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera. However, Cristopher has no plans of joining 'Kalokalike' again, should there be a new season. 'Pagbibigyan ko naman po 'yung iba. Bibigyan ko ng chance 'yung iba naman na sa kanila naman na magkaroon din ng pangalan,' he said. Above all, Cristopher has nothing but gratitude for the support he is receiving. He assures his followers that he will continue giving out personalized shoutouts through his TikTok. 'Hindi ako magsasawa. Lahat kayo iisa-isahin ko kahit na sa kaliit-liitan. Kaya sana maghintay lang kayo. Magra-random ako lagi. Iisa-isahin ko po 'yun,' he promised. —JCB, GMA Integrated News
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Time of India
Maoist killed in Bijapur carried 3L bounty
Raipur: The Maoist killed in an encounter in Bijapur on Monday evening was identified as the militia platoon commander Vella Wacham who carried Rs 3 lakh cash bounty on his head. The encounter took place on Monday evening around 5:30 pm in forests of Kerpe-Todasampara. The slain Maoist Vella was a Militia Platoon Commander of the Gunderpur RPC (Regional Party Committee) and had been actively involved in several deadly attacks, including the Ambeli blast incident, police said. Following the encounter, the forces recovered one .315 bore rifle, live rounds, pouches, explosives, and other Maoist-related materials from the site.
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Cure: Designer Andy Vella on creating art for the goth rockers
Designer Andy Vella has been creating album covers for more than 40 years, with his work to be found in millions of homes around the world. "The weird thing I get is whenever I design a new album or a new logo for The Cure someone sends me a tattoo that they've just had done of it," he explains."I've seen pictures of Robert Smith's silhouette from Boys Don't Cry on people's backs, on their arses, on their legs, on their arms."I met [comedian] Greg Davies and he said, 'Did you do Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me?' and he got on his knees and bowed to me. I was so embarrassed and he just said: 'Oh my God, I grew up with that on my wall.'"For his latest record sleeve, Vella has used his much-lauded design skills for a project run by the charity War Child, as part of its fundraising efforts to help children caught up in conflict zones. Vella's career in design has seen him work with various musicians and authors over the years, from Jeff Buckley to Margaret Atwood, but it is his work with acclaimed goth rockers The Cure, often in collaboration with lead singer Robert Smith, for which he is best is also where his career began, soon after the band formed in Crawley in the still studying at art school, Vella was approached by on-off Cure guitarist Porl Thompson who wanted him to photograph another group he was playing in."He said, 'You've got a reputation at the college that you're really good at photography'... and by chance he showed Robert my work and then suddenly at the age of 18 I was being asked to design a record sleeve [for The Cure]," he record was the band's doom-laden third album Faith. Vella would later return to create the covers for some of The Cure's most iconic records, including the 1989's Disintegration, The Head on the Door from 1985 and last year's chart-topping Songs of a Lost World. Whenever he's working on a new design, Vella says he looks for "something that just makes you tap into what they're doing and you just riff on that"."With Robert, his lyrics are so inspiring... All you have to do is read one line quite often and suddenly you've got the start of something really great."It was this and the expansive brooding sound of Songs of a Lost World which saw Vella and Smith hit upon the design for the record, which features a stone statue head lying on its side."The Cure sounded just as brilliant and massive as they did back in the 80s... so the album had to have something large, something incredibly poignant and solid to represent that," Vella says. Even so, he admits the final look of a record can come about from something unexpected, as happened with the cover for 1987's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss the band were on tour in Brazil, Vella was asked to fly out to Rio de Janeiro to get his design for the new album approved - despite the fact he was still working on the photo of a pair of heavily painted lips decided upon and the handwritten lettering printed on a separate sheet of clear plastic, he was experimenting with the layout in a taxi on the way to the airport when "we went over this sleeping policeman [speed bump] and the acetate just jumped to the middle of the sleeve"."Now I would always say don't put type in the middle of the sleeve, and especially the top, but it just stuck in place so I stuck it down with Sellotape thinking, 'well it's an option'," he says."I showed it to Robert when I got to Rio and he said: 'I love that, that's brilliant! I love the way you've placed the type.'"You can be really arty-farty about things but I think sometimes it's quite nice to let the universe take over," Vella adds with a laugh. For his latest record sleeve, Vella has created a cover for War Child's Secret 7" sees 700 creatives, such as designer Sir Paul Smith, sculptor Antony Gormley and Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood, all forming one-of-a-kind untitled record sleeves for a song by one of seven different artists - this year including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Cure, Gregory Porter and Scissor 700 records are then put on display at London's NOW Gallery, in Greenwich Peninsula until the start of June when they are auctioned off, with all the proceeds going to is only when the sale is over that buyers discover the song that they've purchased and which designer was behind the cover. It is not the first time Vella has taken part in Secret 7" having previously created record sleeves for the likes of The Rolling Stones, St Vincent and The Chemical it still left him a little stressed."There's just too much pressure! One year I was in there and I was next to [father of British pop art] Peter Blake," he says."It's a really amazing cause and you want to create something brilliant so that you raise a load of money for War Child."The charity started up in response to the Bosnian genocide. The Help Album, which it released in 1995, featured artists including Oasis, Radiohead, Suede and Portishead. War Child now works in more than a dozen countries helping children living in warzones. Describing the process of putting together his creation, Vella says it involved "going through the painstaking thing of creating about 20 iterations, all crap", before "suddenly you have that amazing Eureka moment".That Eureka moment led to a cover he considers to be "quite deep" and "very meaningful" - although of course he won't reveal which song he created it says the project is something he's proud to be part of."It's such an amazing, powerful cause, helping children in war-torn countries. It just shows you as well how music and art can bring people together." Secret 7" is on display at NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula until 1 June with the 700 record sleeves then being sold in a global online auction on the project website in aid of War Child.
