The event was organised by the National Artists Group of Laos and Cambodia and witnessed by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, Lao and Cambodian officials, media, and the general public.

A welcoming speech was given by the Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Buangeun Xaphouvong and an opening speech was given by the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia who also led the artist’s delegation to Laos, Ouk Socheat.

Nine colour ful programmes including dance, singing, art, and other musical performances were performed by artists of the National Artist Group of Laos and Cambodia, and all echoed and identified the culture, art and friendship of the two nations.

According to the organising committee, it was a special joint cultural performance in conjunction of the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries from June 15, 1965 through June 15, 2016.

Before the performance started, Buangeun went on the stage and warmly welcomed the artist’s delegation from Laos and Cambodia as well as the audience. He also expressed his impressions on the importance and meaning of such an event.

He said that Laos and Cambodia have enjoyed very close mutual traditions and cooperative relations, having a long history fighting against enemies as well as maintaining and protecting peace and independence for their citizens.

“I completely believe that for this important occasion of the Cambodian National Artists Group performing in Vientiane, it will definitely help to promote and enhance closer relations amoungst Lao and Cambodian people and help them to enjoy fruitful and prosperous cooperation and collaboration. The performances will also deepen the cultural understanding between Laos and Cambodia,” he said.

“Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and warm congratulations to both the Lao National Artist Group and Cambodia for their hard work and active participation; I also would like to extend my best wishes to you all for good health, happiness and great achievements. More importantly I do wish a close relationship between Laos and Cambodia and a very long lasting relationship,” he added.

Ouk Socheat also greatly thanked Buangeun for representing the Lao government and people and for warmly and sincerely welcoming his delegation and artists.

Of course, real people appearing in comic books is hardly a new or rare thing. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby famously wrote (and drew) themselves getting turned away from the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm in 1965’s Fantastic Four Annual #3, while Grant Morrison took the word “comic creator” one step further by writing himself into the 1990 finale of his Animal Man run as the almighty “creator” of the character’s comic-book world.

Throughout the years, there have been numerous appearences by real-life celebrities in comics. Here are some of our favourites.

Muhammad Ali

Superman Vs Muhammad Ali, 1978

The inspiration for today’s article actually came from the recent passing of Muhammad Ali. While he is definitely THE greatest boxer in the ring, he was also once the greatest boxer in the galaxy!

As the story goes, Earth was being invaded by an alien species called the Scrubb. With their armada of spaceships already in position to destroy Earth, the aliens kindly (and frankly, stupidly) gave us Earthlings a chance to prevent the total destruction of our planet – by selecting our greatest champion to fight one on one with THEIR greatest champion. If our champion won, they’d let us go.

The problem is, Earth has two people claiming to be The Greatest – Superman, and Muhammad Ali!

With Superman technically and biologically not an Earthling in the first place, Ali steps up his claim as Earth’s greatest fighter, and backs it up by pummelling a powerless Superman in the ring! Now the undisputed greatest fighter of Earth, he then fights the Scrubb champion and saves us all!

President Barack Obama

Amazing Spider-Man #583, 2009

Obama is probably the celebrity and US President with the most comic-book appearances. Since making his “first appearance” in Licensable BearTM #4 (2007) when he was a senator, he has subsequently appeared in a host of comics, including Savage Dragon #137 and #145, Youngblood #8, Archie Comics #616 and #617, as well as unorthodox takes such as Barack The Barbarian and President Evil (!).

In an article titled “Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know” published by Britain’s Daily Telegraph just before he was elected in 2008, it was revealed that Obama is actually a huge Spider-Man and Conan fan!

Hence, it is only fitting that his most famous comic-book appearance would be in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #583, published a week before his inauguration. In it, the Chameleon shows up disguised as Obama, and Spidey has to figure out who the imposter is. After he does so by asking questions only the actual Potus would know, the inauguration goes on without a hitch. The issue went into a fifth printing, making it one of the top-selling comics of the 2000s.

President Bill Clinton

Captain America #450, 1996

If you think that recent expose of Steve Rogers as a Hydra agent was ridiculous, something even more ridiculous (but in a good way) happened 20 years ago during Mark Waid and Ron Garney’s stint on Captain America. In the first part of the Man Without A Country story arc, Cap was accused of committing treason and met then US President Bill Clinton to explain his case. Fearing the media backlash, Clinton took the easiest way out: by stripping Steve of his costume and shield, and exiling him to England!

President Ronald Reagan

The Dark Knight Returns #4, 1986

Last President, we promise! The only reason we HAD to include this was because Reagan was the one who kickstarted THE best Batman vs Superman showdown ever. After the “ruckus” (as Reagan puts it) Batman caused in Gotham, he orders the Government Lackey Of Steel to take down the Dark Knight, leading to that epic showdown in Crime Alley!

Eminem

Eminem/The Punisher #1, 2009

Prior to this one-shot promo comic, I had little knowledge about who Eminem is. After reading it, I found myself wishing even more fervently that the Punisher did exist – so that he can whup Eminem’s butt! Definitely the most “blasphemous” Punisher story ever, it even has Eminem knocking out Frank Castle with a gun-butt to the face! Hmm, I wonder why Jigsaw, Barracuda or the Kingpin never used that approach?

David Letterman

The Avengers #239, 1984

During his prime, legendary talk show host David Letterman interviewed the creme de la creme of celebrities. But the highlight of his career has to be the time he had Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on his show! After saving the world during the day, The Avengers made time for an appearance on the Late Night With David Letterman show. However, wherever our heroes go, trouble tends to follow and this time it came in the form of a B-grade villain named the Mechano-Marauder, who rigged the studio with booby traps! Of course, this is hardly a cataclysmic situation worthy of the Avengers, so in the end, it was left to Letterman himself to deliver the finishing blow to the party pooper!

KISS

Howard The Duck #12, 1977

KISS is a band that is perfect for comics, and they knew it. Throughout the band’s four-decade existence, there have been numerous comic books bearing their name and image, published by Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Platinum Studios, Archie Comics, and IDW Publishing, among others.

However, it was Marvel that gave the band its start in comics, in the pages of, er, Howard The Duck back in 1977, in which they appeared after an exorcism! The small cameo became popular enough that the band was featured in a few more instalments of the Marvel Super Special line.

Stephen Colbert

Amazing Spider-Man #573, 2008

Taking a cue from Letterman’s experience, Stephen Colbert (then host of Comedy Central’s late-night show The Colbert Report) chose to boost his “fantasy” presidential campaign by appearing in a back-up Spidey tale. Having interviewed Joe Quesada (then Marvel’s editor-in-chief) on several occasions, Colbert got his reciprocal wish by tag-teaming with Spidey against the Grizzly. Even though it had little impact on contnuity, I must admit that this offbeat tale was worth the effort.

The cast of Saturday Night Live

Marvel Team-Up #74, 1978

This tale had Spidey and Mary Jane Watson going for a live recording of comedy show Saturday Night Live, featuring comedians John Belushi, Bill Murray, Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman, among others.

If you found the Silver Samurai corny during his appearance in The Wolverine movie, blame it on this unorthodox outing, as the Samurai visits the set of Saturday Night Live in search of a ring that turns out to be in the possession of the late Belushi.

While it may sound lopsided, pitting someone who has tangled with Wolverine against a bunch of comedians, the final outcome actually saw the underdogs running riot all over the Samurai!

Allen Funt

Action Comics #345, 1967

The title of the story – The Day Candid Camera Unmasked Superman’s Identity! – really should tell you what this is all about. In one of the silliest real-world-meets-comics crossovers ever, Allen Funt, host of classic reality prank show Candid Camera, goes to Metropolis and tries to reveal the Man Of Steel’s secret identity on national TV.

“That comes naturally,” he told the Inquirer in an interview at the Makati Shangri-La. “One thing that comes to mind is we’re respectful. The level of respect we have for others is always [something] that I keep in mind.”

The 32-year-old, who moved from Manila to the US when he was 7, added that other things from his Filipino background continue to be a fixture abroad: “Food—being around family, we always congregate around food!”

In 2008, Abadilla joined Pixar Animation Studios as an intern, and eventually worked on projects such as Brave and Monsters University as a sketch artist.

Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo, brings back Ellen DeGeneres as the title character’s voice actor. The film will be shown in cinemas this week.

Excerpts from the interview:

How would you describe your relationship with the other Filipino Pixar artists, or Pixnoys?

It’s just camaraderie [among] us. We have a mutual understanding that this is pretty cool. We gather once a year—it’s pot luck; again, it’s food. We’re really well-represented in the company, in different departments.

What exactly is required of a sketch artist?

My official title is sketch artist, but my job entails environment design. So that’s setting up the stage for our characters to live in.

How well did the shift go for Dory, from supporting character to protagonist?

It was a challenging task to tell a story about a character who has short-term memory loss, because she’s always forgetting her experiences. But I think the way they (the writers) solved that problem, the way they’re able to tell that story uniquely through her experience—it’s really exciting. The story picks up right where the first one left off.

What do you tell aspiring artists who wish to work in the same field?

Practise drawing. Never stop doing that. Keeping a sketchbook is a good way… [to hone] your observational skills, to draw loosely but clearly.

A huge part of my job is being able to give the director, in this case Andrew Stanton, a lot of options. And you want to do that quickly and clearly, so that he can read what it is you’re trying to communicate.

Also, get feedback from your peers and teachers when you finish whatever it is that you are working on. Show it to people. Ask for their opinion on how you can be better at it.

Do you think the 2D style of animated films will make a comeback?

I don’t think it’s impossible that it would come back. It’ll be out there as long as the story calls for it, to be an appropriate medium to tell that story.

Who are your favourite artists or influences?

Right now, there’s an American painter, Richard Schmid. I just love the way he portrays light. His technique is very loose and impressionistic but I’m really drawn to his work.

Professionally, I’m surrounded by a lot of artists at work. I draw inspiration from my coworkers. I feel like I learn so much in the time that I spend there. It’s just this constant learning that happens.

Industry experts noted that the retail sector could benefit from this technology by using it as a value-added service for customers. For example, a scented candles retailer has developed showrooms in which consumers can use a VR headset to gain an immersive experience with floral fragrances. Furniture and interior decoration retailers too can leverage VR technology to provide their potential buyers with accurate manifestations of designs.

“It costs about 80 per cent less to build a VR showroom to present ceramic products to buyers than to create a showroom full of real ceramics. What’s more, in a VR showroom, buyers can view hundreds of patterns of ceramics and they can tell which details they like the best and what alterations they wish to make,” said Zheng Hong, sales representative with Lianbang Ceramics Ltd Group.

“In a traditional showroom, consumers need to move from one area to another and spend half a day seeing only a handful choices.”

Real estate professionals also said that VR and augmented reality (AR) can help their industry. Joey Chio, Senior Associate Director of Savills China Retail Tenant Representation, added that the technology can also be used to deliver a realistic viewing experience to potential home tenants and buyers, as compared to having to imagine how a property would look like based on a sandbox model or blueprint.

“There will be many opportunities to create content for VR and AR when the hardware market for such tech is consolidated following the announcement of the industry standards and regulations. VR and AR will hardly be used solely for entertainment purposes,” said Wang Qing, analyst with Shenzhen-based Buteng VR Ltd.

According to a new research report jointly released by the China Electronics Standardization Institute and Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese VR market was worth 1.54 billion yuan ($236 million) in 2015 and is expected to rise to more than 5 billion yuan in 2016.

Alfred Zhou, general manager of GfK China, a market research and consultancy services provider, estimated that 1.5 million sets of VR hardware will be sold in China in 2016.

Why? Well, because of business, of course. The Japanese internet sensation—who has since retired from the adult video industry—is now one of eight partners who put up the increasingly popular Singles Bar at Remington Hotel located in Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

The Inquirer’s Biz Buzz was lucky enough to interview Ozawa at the swanky nightspot, which she described as a “gentleman’s club” where people (predominantly affluent businessmen and movers and shakers) can hang out and relax during evenings after a hard day’s work.

“Business is doing great and I love working with the Resorts World team,” she says. “When we first met to discuss this project, we clicked instantly.”

Apart from her TV stints on TV5 and her photoshoots for billboards and magazine, Ozawa says this new business venture is what keeps her busy since she visits the club—which she helped conceptualise— several times a week to meet the guests and even share drinks with them. The personal Ozawa touch even extends to her famous (on the internet, at least) red kimono, which, framed in a large glass case, adorns the entrance to the bar. And yes, she is fluent in English, being half Canadian.

This lady has travelled the world and has lived in several countries (apart from Japan, there’s China, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, among others), but she says she loves the Philippines and its people the most.

“I love the humidity here. It’s good for moisturising the skin,” she says, adding that that she has even acquired a local condo unit already. “And the people are so friendly. Everyone’s always smiling.”

Singles Bar is part of a chain of establishments at Remington Hotel that includes the La Maison whisky bar, the Jardin Garden Club for al fresco dining and the new House Manila nightclub.

And here’s how it works in Singles Bar: The guest comes in and pays a fixed hourly rate (“If you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it,” as they say), which entitles you to enjoy the evening’s musical entertainment at the lounger, drinks of your choice, and the company of attractive, articulate and tastefully attired female hosts. And by “tastefully attired,” we mean they’re dressed in … well … maybe you should go see for yourself.

Now before you get any naughty thoughts, remember that these female hosts are rotated regularly during the guest’s stay. The idea is for them to be with you long enough to entertain you, but probably not long enough for a guy to get “too close”.

Biz Buzz learned that the club management has even scientifically determined the ideal time for the female hosts to be rotated before the guests summon up enough courage to make “the moves.” And that duration is … 15 minutes.

But there’s only so much words can do to describe the venue and Ms. Ozawa’s charms. We know you’re curious. Go.