Entertainment News (08/02/22)
BuKo channel celebrates first anniversary
THE COUNTRY’S first and only 24-hour comedy channel, BuKo, is now a year old. Launched on Aug. 2, 2021 by Cignal TV and APT Entertainment, Inc., BuKo has brought laughter to multi-platform audiences on Cignal and SatLite Pay TV, and on the video streaming service Cignal Play. BuKo has delivered over 220 episodes of original programming, as well as more than 1,000 episodes of Pinoy comedy classics. With the theme “Tawa’t Tuwa Fiesta: The First BUKO Anibersaya,” BuKo’s anniversary celebration offers new shows and back-to-back episodes of BuKo Originals. To start off the anniversary fiesta, BuKo will hold a daily three-hour long marathon, from 3 to 6 p.m., on Aug. 1 to 5. It will start with the second season of Kusina ni Mamang and #MaineGoals on Aug. 1 and 2. A Kusina Ni Mamang Season 1 marathon and #MaineGoals Season 1 marathon will be held on Aug. 4 and 5. The news parody show Balita One Nan with KaladKaren, Alex Calleja, and Wally Bayola, will air a special marathon and also includes episode replays on Aug. 3. Starting Aug. 6, the first episode of Pinoy Samurai premieres on the channel at 6 p.m., while the new schedule for Bubble Gang and Pepito Manaloto will be on Sundays from 8 to 10 p.m. On Aug. 8, Wow Meganon will air at 6 p.m., followed by Lokomoko U at 7 p.m. every Monday to Friday. Starting Aug. 13, the 1990s Filipino comedy Mongolian Barbecue will air at 7 p.m., and the sitcom Everybody Hapi will air at 9 p.m. every Saturday. BuKo channel is operated by Cignal TV, Inc., in partnership with APT Entertainment Inc., and is available on Cignal TV (Channel 2) and SatLite (Channel 2), and on the Cignal Play app, available via App Store and Google Play.
Beyoncé returns with new album
THE 7th studio album from Beyoncé is now available on all major streaming platforms. From her own label Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, Renaissance arrives six years after the globally lauded album Lemonade was released in 2016 as a complete surprise. Packed with 16 rousing anthems, Renaissance encourages jubilation, agency, and movement with abandon. “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” singer Beyoncé Knowles said in a statement. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.” While the visuals that will accompany the album are scheduled to be released at a later date, the album comes with a menu of formats. The music store on Beyoncé’s website offers album merch and multiple configurations of Renaissance, listing a CD, digital album, a limited-edition vinyl, and four box sets which include a T-shirt and CD in a special box (sold out). The breakout single, “Break My Soul,” comes as a digital single and is also available in acapella and instrumental versions. With the album release also comes a deluxe vinyl. It includes two black vinyl LPs, a 36-page booklet, and a folded collectable (24”x 36”) poster.
Netflix’s Seoul Vibe
THE NEW Korean action film Seoul Vibe is about the baby-drivers of Sanggye-dong who dreamed of the American dream during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Directed by Moon Hyun-sung, it stars Yoo Ah-in, Koh Kyung-Pyo, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Park Ju-hyun, Ong Seong-wu, Oh Jung-se, Jung Woong-in, and Moon So-ri. Seoul Vibe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTMz8eC5Wos) premieres on Aug. 26.
GMA Affordabox announces price drop at P799
GMA Affordabox celebrates its second anniversary by dropping the price of GMA Network’s digital TV receiver from P888 to P799. GMA Affordabox is also introducing its mascot, Affordy. Over 2 million units of the GMA Affordabox have been sold since its launch in 2020. The Affordabox is part of the network’s initiatives in the country’s shift from analog to digital broadcast, enabling Filipino households to watch the GMA and GTV channels at a higher definition along with the GMA digital channels Heart of Asia, Hallypop, and I Heart Movies. Other free-to-air channels on digital broadcast are also available depending on the Affordabox user’s area. The device has unique features such as a video recorder which lets users re-watch highlights of GMA shows with instant or scheduled recording. It can also become a multimedia player through its USB port. It also has a nationwide Emergency Warning Broadcast System that receives alerts about calamity warnings in the user’s area as well as a functional auto-on alert feature. The GMA Affordabox is available at supermarkets, appliance and gadget stores, and online via the official GMA Store on Shopee and Lazada.
