Author Topic: Taylor Kitsch's ghost visits the Philippines (Read 1951 times)

islander · « **on:** March 06, 2012, 01:32:35 PM »

Taylor Kitschâ€™s Philippines comments land him in hot water

By Soraya Roberts
North Stars â€“ 12 hours ago

Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage

The people of the Philippines are not big fans of Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch.

The "John Carter" star has landed in hot water with the Southeast Asian country after an anecdote about an airport delay, which he shared on "Late Show With David Letterman" last week. According to a Philippines customs employee, Kitsch's story is untrue.

On the "Late Show," the 29-year-old described flying from Japan to the Philippines to start work on Oliver Stone's "Savages." According to Kitsch, he was stopped at customs for not having any pages left to stamp in his passport.

"You know it's gonna be good when that guy's calling you over," Kitsch said.

Kitsch claimed that in customs "everyone was smoking" and, despite having a work visa, he was told he was being sent back to Japan because his passport had no more pages to stamp.

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islander · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:37:25 PM »

"He didn't believe I was an actor," Kitsch said of the customs official. "So, I'm literally pitching myself to this guy."

Though the actor had to work hard to impress the authorities (who seemed to want his iPhone more than anything else), they eventually let him in after watching the "John Carter" trailer on his phone.

"'John Carter' got me through customs," Kitsch concluded.

The problem with Kitsch's tale? The "Friday Night Lights" actor was never actually in the Philippines.

Philippines Customs chief Ruffy Biazon wrote on his blog (everyone has one!) Friday that there are no records showing Kitsch visited the country nor do his officers stamp passports.

It turns out Kitsch was, in fact, flying to Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province. Oops.

Unfortunately, the film is not going to get him out of this mess. Philippine authorities have requested an apology from the actor for wrongly implicating their airport personnel.

"We believe that Taylor Kitsch made an erroneous statement which demeaned our country and an apology would be a proper decent response," a presidential spokesman has said.

Hey, to his credit, Kitsch did admit the 15-hour time difference in the east "messes with you."

http://ca.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/

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islander · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:42:44 PM »

ugh. couldn't the guy just admit that he doesn't know geography? why blame the time zones? if one goes to his country of canada, which is in another time zone, will one ever land and believe he's in iceland? didn't he hear the the announcements on the plane? for that matter, didn't he know where his plane was going from japan? gago, to quote miriam santiago's famous impeachment word.

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islander · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:49:51 PM »

Mr. Taylor Kitsch, 'Hello!' from the Philippines

by Ruffy Biazon, Customs Commissioner
03/02/2012

It is with seriousness that I take into account the story related by Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch in an interview in the Late Show with David Letterman. As soon as it came to my attention, I immediately conducted an inquiry into his allegation.

My concern stems from the fact that such an allegation not only puts the Bureau of Customs (which I head) in a bad light but the country as well. For the past five months, I have been trying to reverse the negative image of the BOC, so incidents like this undermine those efforts.

Of course, the first thing I did was to watch the interview of Mr. Kitsch, since it was his direct narration of what happened. Mr. Kitsch described his experience as he arrived in the Philippines on board a flight from Japan. As he went through the arrival process, he described being called by an officer and told that he would be sent back to Japan, on the basis that his passport did not have enough space for the officerâ€™s stamp.

Mr. Kitsch even described the scenario in detail, saying that â€œeveryone was smoking, the oscillating fan thereâ€ while he was being questioned. He said that he was repeatedly told that he would be sent back to Japan. Later on, he said that he had to prove that he is an actor by showing a video of his movie from his iPhone.

It was at that point, he claimed, that the officer said, â€œcan you get me one of those?â€. Indeed, that is behavior that should not be tolerated. It was that which compelled me to conduct an inquiry, with the objective of disciplining or penalizing the officer.

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islander · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:52:25 PM »

Before I proceed with my findings, I think itâ€™s best for the reader to watch the interview :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cejH61thBFk#ws

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islander · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:55:48 PM »

My findings:

1. Immediately after watching the interview, I noticed that what he was describing was an arrival process that was not within the mandate and function of the Bureau of Customs. It is not within the scope of work of Customs to ask for a travelerâ€™s passport to put a stamp on it; and it is definitely not within the authority of Customs to send a passenger back on a flight outside the country and deny entry into the Philippines.

The Bureau of Customs is mandated to prevent the entry of contraband and the collection of Duties and Taxes for imported articles. A passenger is required to fill up a Customs Declaration Form and if he is carrying taxable items, he is supposed to indicate them in the form and submit it to the Customs officer as he goes out of the airport. If there is a declared taxable item, the Customs officer assesses the item and the passenger pays the Duty and Tax. In that process, the passport is not handled and definitely not stamped by a Customs officer.

Judging by the story of Mr. Kitsch, he most likely had been interacting with an Immigration officer. As with any international travel, a foreigner entering a country is first asked to present his passport for proper identification and verification by the immigration officials, for checking the visa if required and for stamping of the entry date and allowed length of stay in the country.

In some cases, a traveler is denied entry by Immigration for various reasonsâ€”an expired passport or visa, a travel ban, suspicion of criminal or terrorist involvement, human trafficking, and others. If a traveler is banned from entering, he is deported, that is, sent on the next flight out to his origin.

2. Looking further into the story of Mr. Kitsch, I inquired with our NAIA Customs Office for records of Mr. Kitschâ€™s declaration form, just to be sure. If he had submitted a declaration form, then I would have reviewed the CCTV footage of his arrival, to verify his story and determine the personnel involved. But there was no declaration submitted.

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islander · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2012, 01:58:36 PM »

3. Next, our BOC office checked the manifests of flights coming into Manila. Since Mr. Kitsch said he came in from Japan, he could have arrived only via NAIA 1, where most international flights come in, or NAIA 2 where PAL flights arrive. There was no record in the airline manifests of his arrival. My check with other sources revealed that he had a flight from Tokyo to New York last February 12, 2012. So his travel period would have been before that date.

4. I coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration to check their records for the entry of Mr. Kitsch. After a thorough search, Immigration did not find an arrival entry for Mr. Kitsch. Thinking that he might have had a different name in his passport and Taylor Kitsch was a screen name, I checked with US authorities and they confirmed that the name on his passport was Taylor Wade Kitsch, born April 8, 1981. In fact, he is a Canadian citizen. A simple internet search revealed the same information.

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islander · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:02:14 PM »

5. Information from well meaning netizens showed that the Oliver Stone film â€œSavagesâ€, which Mr. Kitsch was said to be shooting, had its location shooting in Indonesia. The website, http://aaronjohnson.org/category/savages/, did not make any mention about the film having location shoots in the Philippines.

And observing the mania brought about by the Bourne Legacy shoot, the arrival of Mr. Kitsch in Manila, much more a shoot directed by Oliver Stone, wouldnâ€™t have escaped the vigilant media and the star-struck Hollywood movie fans. But there was no news whatsoever of Mr. Kitschâ€™s Manila arrival.

6. I have yet to receive another piece of evidence that I asked before, but based on the foregoing, I feel confident that Mr. Kitsch was mistaken in saying that his bad experience during his travel was in the Philippines. While some say that it was Mr. Letterman who mentioned the Philippines, the fact is that Mr. Kitsch did not correct the TV host when he said, â€œâ€¦at the same time, you were making a film in the Philippines..â€ to which Mr. Kitsch immediately said, â€œoh yeah!â€.

With regard to that additional piece of evidence, I am referring to a working visa that the Bureau of Immigration would have issued him if he indeed, was shooting in the Philippines. After all, he did say in his interview that he had a working visa which he alleged that the airport officer did not give notice to. Most likely, I will get feedback from the Bureau of Immigration after the weekend.

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islander · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:05:08 PM »

If Mr. Kitschâ€™s story is correct, it seems that he was mistaken with regard to the agency to which the officer was connected to. In the United States, customs and immigration services have since been combined after Sept 2011, when the Department of Homeland Security was created. Under that department, the US Customs and US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) were combined to form the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which people simply called Customs.

In the Philippines, we have retained the separate and distinct services, the Bureau of Customs under the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice.

But what is becoming more apparent is that Mr. Kitsch was mistaken with regard to the country he was talking about. Not having a record of his visit here and his film having a shoot in another country only means his story lacks the factual basis.

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islander · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:08:10 PM »

Unfortunately, the damage was done. People immediately reacted negatively to the BOC without giving the benefit of an inquiry into the basis of what the foreign actor was saying. Perhaps it is due to the incidents in the past that have plagued the agency. Perhaps people have heard too many horror stories from passengers passing through our airports.

But I guarantee the public that I will not tolerate such behavior. I have constantly conveyed to my fellow workers in the Bureau of Customs our need to rehabilitate our image and the only way to do it is for us to act in a manner worthy of the peopleâ€™s respect. If incidents like that occur, I am sure to immediately look into it and act correspondingly. Discipline those who err and commend those who do good.

In the meantime, Mr. Kitsch, perhaps you can help us redeem our lost pride. Not just my agency, but my country as well.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

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MikeLigalig.com · « **Reply #10 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:08:42 PM »

He was hallucinating, maybe? Basin nag-drugs before coming here? We don't really know. Maybe just drunk.

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islander · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:17:43 PM »

He was hallucinating, maybe? Basin nag-drugs before coming here? We don't really know. Maybe just drunk.

maybe all of the above, hehe. whatever, he still doesn't know geography. well, who says that confusing one's toes for one's nose would keep one from being an actor?

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islander · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:21:26 PM »

Indonesia to investigate Kitsch's claims

ABS-CBNnews.com
03/06/2012

MANILA, Philippines â€“ The Indonesian government will also investigate claims by Hollywood actor Taylor Kitsch that he was harrassed by airport immigration officials, which the actor originally said happened in the Philippines.

In an interview on US talk show "Late Show with David Letterman," Kitsch said Customs officers had stopped him at the airport, saying his passport was incomplete and he had to go back to Japan.

He claimed an unidentified Customs officer also demanded that he be given an iPhone. It was only then that he was given access.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon already said he plans to write a letter to Kitsch or even TV host David Letterman seeking an explanation for the bad press their claims caused the agency.

A clip of the Kitsch interview on CBS.com showed Letterman asking about the supposed Philippine film shoot.

Kitsch, who is best known for his portrayal of American football star Tim Riggins in the television series "Friday Night Lights," did not dispute the name of the country.

The Canadian actor was in Asia for the location shoot of the Oliver Stone-directed "Savages." It was discovered later on that the movie was shot on the island of Moyo in Indonesiaâ€™s West Nusa Tenggara province.

Indonesian immigration office spokesman Maryoto Hadi told The Jakarta Globe on Monday that he had not heard of the incident, but would soon investigate it.

â€œIf an officer of ours abuses his authority and taints the image of the organization especially, we will surely take action against him, in accordance to the existing regulation,â€ Maryoto told the newspaper. â€œWe will surely investigate the truth behind this news.â€

Meanwhille, the Philippine government is asking for an apology from Kitsch, especially after the Bureau of Immigration said it has not found any records on the Canada-born starâ€™s arrival.

â€œWe believe that Taylor Kitsch made an erroneous statement which demeaned our country and an apology would be a proper decent response,â€ Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters on Monday.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

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islander · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2012, 02:32:57 PM »

well, too bad, taylor. you came to asia to film "savages", you behaved like a savage, and you'll probably end up savaged. if not you, then at least your movies will certainly be savaged hereabouts.

lesson 1: the philippines is not indonesia as canada is not the u.s. lesson 2: learn fast on how to be a gracious guest, even if your hosts are cannibals. as long as they brush their teeth, so should you brush yours.

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islander · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2012, 03:45:52 PM »

since i didn't know this guy from adam, i searched the internet and, whoah, mao diay ni siya? no, i will not confuse him with tom cruise, but given the choice between him and keenan cahill, i'll choose cahill hands down.

Kitsch confused the Phillippines with Indonesia.

Kitsch is starring in this month's John Carter.

The Establishing Shot: UK John Carter Premiere Taylor Kitsch - BFI, London
From: Craig Grobler
if those white things behind him are dogs, i hope he doesn't confuse them with his girlfriends.

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islander · « **Reply #15 on:** March 07, 2012, 12:05:48 PM »

Indonesia owns up to Kitsch 'bribe' incident

Agence France-Presse
03/06/2012

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Hollywood actor Taylor Kitsch was allegedly asked for his iPhone as a bribe by airport officials as he entered Indonesia, and not the Philippines as previously suggested, an Indonesian official confirmed Tuesday.

The story of the alleged bribe emerged when "Late Show" host David Letterman asked the "Friday Night Lights" TV star about his recent shoot for the Oliver Stone film "Savages."

Letterman mentioned the Philippines when he talked about the shoot -- but Kitsch failed to correct him and say that the filming took place in Indonesia.

Denny Indrayana, Indonesian deputy minister for justice and human rights, confirmed to Detik.com news portal that "the Indonesian official who allegedly bribed Taylor Kitsch has been identified and we are now in the process of interrogating him."

"He will be sanctioned if he is found guilty of asking for a bribe."

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islander · « **Reply #16 on:** March 07, 2012, 12:07:28 PM »

On the "Late Show," Kitsch described how an airport customs officer threatened to send him back to Japan, his port of origin, because he had run out of pages in his passport.

The 30-year-old Canadian-born actor arrived at Bali island's Ngurah Rai airport on February 1, as scheduled, to shoot a film in the neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province.

Kitsch said he was finally allowed in after proving he was an actor by showing the officer on his iPhone the trailer for his recently completed film "John Carter," in which he plays a Civil War veteran transplanted to Mars.

"I said 'I can show you something to prove (that I'm an actor)' and then I'm looking on my iPhone because their computers weren't working, and he is like 'Hey, can you get me one of those'...," Kitsch told Letterman.

Corruption is rampant in Indonesia, which ranked 100th of 182 countries on Transparency International's annual corruption index.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

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islander · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2012, 11:04:54 PM »

'John Carter' Loss Expected to Be $200M

By Joshua L. Weinstein | The Wrap â€“ 16 hours ago

"John Carter" is now an official flop.

The Walt Disney Co. on Monday acknowledged in a statement that the movie's poor performance at the box office likely will force Disney to take a $200 million writedown. The company expects its studio division will post an operating loss of as much as $120 million in the second fiscal quarter of this year.

"John Carter," based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs character, was made for about a quarter-billion dollars;marketing costs were another $100 million on top of that. But the movie grossed only $30.2 million domestically during its first weekend of release, taking in a measly $13.5 million its second.

more at: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/

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MikeLigalig.com

Author Topic: Taylor Kitsch's ghost visits the Philippines (Read 1951 times)

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