Entertainment News (01/24/23)

Year of the Rabbit exhibit, bazaar run to month’s end

AS PART of its Chinese New Year celebration, Quezon City’s Araneta City has a special Chinese zodiac forecast exhibit to guide visitors through the rest of the year. The exhibit is on view at the activity areas of the Gateway Mall, Ali Mall, and Farmers Plaza until Jan. 31. Meanwhile, shoppers can find interesting luck-attracting items at the Year of Rabbit bazaar which is being held at the Gateway Mall Activity Area from Jan. 23 to 31.

The Final Pitch host John Aguilar launches new book

IN partnership with National Bookstore and Shangri-La Plaza, serial entrepreneur and best-selling author John Aguilar will be launching his internationally published book, The Art and Science of the Pitch: The Ultimate Playbook for Pitching to Partners, Investors, and Reality TV Shows, on Jan. 25, 4 p.m., at the East Wing Atrium, Shangri-La Plaza mall, Mandaluyong. Aspiring entrepreneurs, Philippine startup community members, students, and fans of his TV show The Final Pitch on CNN Philippines are welcome to attend to purchase and get their books signed by Mr. Aguilar. Attendees will have the chance to interact with Mr. Aguilar and other guests, including investors and startups from The Final Pitch, business leaders, media, and startup ecosystem stakeholders. The Art and Science of the Pitch features interviews of world-renowned investors and venture capitalists, successful startup leaders, communications and pitch deck experts, and identifies the components of a pitch that make an impact. It includes insights gleaned by Mr. Aguilar. The book is available globally through Amazon and Kindle, and in the Philippines through National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Shopee, and Lazada.

TBA Studios bring The Whale to Ph cinemas

THE WHALE, starring Brendan Fraser, premieres in Philippine cinemas on Feb. 22. Academy Award-winning director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Mother!) helms what critics have touted as Mr. Fraser’s “triumphant comeback.” Mr. Fraser’s portrayal of a reclusive English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter has earned him a Best Actor win at the Critics Choice Awards, and nominations in the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards to name a few. The film is based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter. It also stars Sadie Sink and Hong Chau, who also received a Best Supporting Actress nod from major award-giving bodies for her role in the film. The film is produced by A24. This marks the second A24 film that TBA Studios is bringing to the Philippines. “We believe that this is an important movie and we couldn’t be happier that the Filipino audience can finally see this gem. More than that, we’re so proud that a fellow Filipino, Matthew Libatique, has worked on this film. That alone brings this movie close to home,” TBA Studios President and COO Daphne Chiu said in a statement.

February concerts at Newport World Resorts

NEWPORT World Resorts will have several concerts next month, starting on Feb. 3 and 4 with Some Kind of Valentine, a show featuring heartthrobs from the 1970s, Christopher De Leon, Tirso Cruz III, and Bobot Mortiz. This will be followed on Feb. 11, with a pre-Valentine concert, The Music of Love, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. It will feature Richard Poon, Kyla, and Sitti performing their greatest love songs. Finally, on Feb. 14 and 15, Gary Valenciano will star in Gary V: Re-energized Manila. For inquiries about the concerts, contact the Newport World Resorts National Sales Team at 0917-658-9378, 0917-872-8309, and 0917-872-8734, or call Ticketworld at 8891-9999, or SM Tickets at 8470-2222.

Arman Ferrer holding Valentine’s Day concert

SINGER and theater actor Arman Ferrer and his special guests will be performing timeless love songs in his concert Another Chance, on Feb. 14 at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center. Tickets are available via TicketWorld online and at the Theater Box Office. The concert is for the benefit of the Angat Buhay Foundation.

FDCP mounts Sine Sinta

THE FILM Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has prepared a lineup of romantic Filipino films for Sine Sinta: Pag-ibig at Pelikula. With free public screenings on Feb. 3 to 5 and Feb. 8 to 10 in the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium in Manila’s Luneta Park, at Trinoma Cinema 3 in Quezon City, and in all its Cinematheque Centres across the country, the FDCP aims to not only celebrate the love month but also to encourage movie goers to return to the cinemas and enjoy the communal experience of watching films on the big screen. The featured films are Hihintayin Kita sa Langit, Got 2 Believe, Rainbow’s Sunset, The Hows of Us, Labs Kita…Okey Ka Lang?, A Very Special Love, and Sana Maulit Muli. The public can register and reserve seats through the following links: https://bit.ly/SineSintaRizalParkTrinoma for screenings at the Rizal Park Auditorium and Trinoma, and at https://bit.ly/SineSintaCinemathequeMNL for the Cinematheque screenings Sine Sinta: Pag-ibig at Pelikula is presented by the FDCP in partnership with the National Parks Development Committee and the Department of Tourism, and supported by ABS-CBN, ABS-CBN Sagip Pelikula, Trinoma, JuanFlix: The FDCP Channel, and Cinematheque Centres.

Julie Anne and Rayver Cruz release a collab track

SINGER and actress Julie Anne San Jose and actor and dancer Rayver Cruz have released the song “Pag-ibig Na Kaya,” their first official collaboration under Universal Records. The song is a remake of the popular mid 2000s love song originally performed by Christian Bautista and Rachelle Ann Go. It also once served as the official song of the Korean drama series Princess Hours when it was aired as a primetime show in the Philippines. A two-part music mini-series will also be unveiled to support the release of the song on Feb. 3 on the Universal Records Philippines’ official YouTube channel. In the video’s cast are Korean stars Kim Won-shik and JAYDEN. The miniseries is written by JP Lopez and directed by Niq Ablao.

Knock at the Cabin premieres on Feb. 1

DIRECTOR M. Night Shyamalan’s latest horror film, Knock at the Cabin, is set to open in local theaters on Feb. 1. The film features Dave Bautista along with Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Rupert Grint, newcomer Kristin Cui, Abby Quinn and Nikki Amuka-Bird. The film centers on a gay couple, Eric (Groff) and Andrew (Aldridge) and their adopted daughter Wen (Cui), who are vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods, when they are taken hostage by four strangers who have all been haunted and tormented by a shared prophecy: that the world will end unless the family in this cabin chooses one member of the family to die.

LiFTED releases 3rd single

PAN-ASIAN Hip Hop platform LiFTEDhasreleased its third single under the LiFTED LOUNGE title — an ongoing series that showcases some of the region’s top artists and emerging talent to the world. On the new single, “6 Speed,” Taiwan’s Rayray teams up with Korean-American rapper Ted Park for a bouncy, hook-laden Trap banger that finds Rayray singing the hooks to counterpart Park’s melodic, rapid-fire rhymes. Her bass-heavy production, combined with tweaked Asian instrumentation is at the forefront of this catchy collaboration. LiFTED Lounge is released by b2 Music in partnership with J?germeister and distributed by The Orchard.

Babylon opening Feb. 1

OPENING in cinemas across the Philippines starting Feb. 1, Babylon is distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. It stars Academy Award-winner Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad, a silver screen icon navigating the tumultuous transformation of cinema from the silent screen to sound. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, the film traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood. The film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, First Man).