GREEK-FILIPINO Wrestling Superstar, Batista returns to Araneta and NINE INCH NAILS invades Manila this August.

Growing up, I remember horse-playing with my brothers and cousins; pile-drivers, figure four leg locks, and DDT’s were our maneuvers of choice! Emulating our favorite wrestling stars that we saw on television, who would believe that decades later our passion for the WWE would not diminish? World Wrestling Entertainment has become a world-wide phenomenon as children of all ages flock to the ring to see their favorite superstars battle it out with brand new moves, high-tech pyrotechnics and good old wrestling panache!

Well, in today’s Mojo:lations we’ve got some great news for pinoy wrestling fanatics who are eager to meet their idols live and in person. The World Wrestling Entertainment WWE Smack Down & ECW Live Tour will be coming to Manila on July 10 at the Araneta Coliseum. For the first time, WWE will be featuring two brands (SmackDown & ECW) in one amazing show!

Wrestling fans are already excited and will have the opportunity to experience WWE live at its action-packed best, with their favorite superstars, including Jeff Hardy, Edge, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, John Morrison, CM Punk, The Great Khali, Michelle McCool, and many more!

Listen to our radio program Good Times with Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee which is broadcast nationwide weekday mornings from 6-9 o’clock via Magic 89.9 and Killerbee provincial affiliates for your chance to win free tickets to this grand slam event!

Interest in NIN’s Manila Concert Reaches Fever Pitch

In other entertainment news, local music fans have been buzzing with anticipation over Nine Inch Nails’ August 5 gig at the Araneta Coliseum. As soon as local promoter Splintr opened tickets sales last May, fans have been lining up to snag the much-coveted front row tickets. A box-office employee was reportedly puzzled over the amount of tickets being bought not weeks, but months in advance. Those in the know predict that interest in the tour, which may be NIN’s last, will only increase as the show looms closer.

Capping-off a wildly successful career, NIN mastermind Trent Reznor is taking a victory lap with the Wave Goodbye tour. “In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases,” Reznor wrote in his blog. “I’ve been thinking for some time now it’s time to make NIN disappear for a while. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year.” The announcement left many Pinoy fans searching for that elusive chance to see NIN. Splintr, the country’s first independent online music channel, took on the daunting task of bringing NIN to our shores, generating some big noise in the process.

And what a fabulous ruckus it will be. Assembling a rotating-cast of touring musicians, Reznor is known to orchestrate some of the most memorable live experiences, from the calculated mayhem of the “Self-Destruct” tour to the sensory overload of the “Lights in the Sky”concerts down to the raw power of “Wave Goodbye.” In the studio, Reznor played most of the instruments himself, and gave the clanging dirge of industrial music a human pulse. NIN classics such as “Sin” and “Purest Feeling” owe as much to the experiments of industrial bands Skinny Puppy and Coil as to the pop songwriting of Prince.

In a musical climate where disposable acts come to our shores, Splintr’s decision to bring one of the most revered artists in rock should make for the musical event of the year. As part of its commitment to promoting local talent, Splintr is presenting another respected band to open the concert.

Our own Pupil was chosen by Reznor himself as opening act, cementing the band’s status as one of Manila’s finest acts. Among the bands presented to the NIN camp by Splintr, it was Pupil that caught the ear of Reznor. Pupil frontman and Eraserheads alumna Ely Buendia was excited to hear the news. “NIN playing in Manila is beyond awesome, we are excited as hell to open for them,” the band posted on their website.

The Philippine leg of Nine Inch Nails “Wave Goodbye” tour will take place on August 5 at the Araneta Coliseum. To purchase tickets log on to www.ticketnet.com.ph. Visit
www.splintr.com for more details.