Entertainment News (11/15/22)

Disney+ to stream celebratory showcase

DISNEY+ will present A Night of Wonder with Disney+ to celebrate the streaming service’s arrival in the Philippines. To mark the occasion, a star-studded showcase will be streamed on the service on Nov. 17, 8 p.m., featuring the company’s creative excellence and celebrating Filipinos’ passion for music and song. Hosted by Catriona Gray and Robi Domingo, the special will feature highlights from movies and shows that viewers can watch on Disney+. Local landmarks will be transformed into stages for Filipino singers including Morissette, Christian Bautista, Janella Salvador, Stell of SB19, Zack Tabudlo, and Zephanie. Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star. The service offers a growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. For more information, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on select compatible mobile and connected TV devices.

Lea Salonga joins Pentatonix on Christmas song

AMERICAN pop group Pentatonix has released their 6th album, Holidays Around The World, via RCA Records. The a cappella ensemble collaborates with some of the biggest stars from around the world on the album, including singer and actress Lea Salonga on the Philippine holiday classic “Christmas In Our Hearts,” which was originally written and performed by Jose Mari Chan. “I had the most wonderful time recording this classic Filipino Christmas song with Pentatonix,” Ms. Salonga posted on Instagram. “And, yes, this is the ‘Christmas In Our Hearts’ you think it is.” Pentatonix also collaborated with Chinese pianist  Lang Lang, Congolese gospel singer Grace Lokwa, Lebanese singer  Hiba Tawaji, Latin band La Santa Cecilia, Indian superstar Shreya Ghoshal, Japanese YouTubers HIKAKIN and SEIKIN, British a cappella ensemble The King’s Singers, and American star Meghan Trainor on tracks in the album. Following the album’s release, Pentatonix is set to embark on a multi-city tour in North America and Asia to promote it. Holidays Around The World is now available on all digital music platforms via RCA Records/Sony Music Entertainment.

16th International Silent Film Festival Manila

AFTER TWO years of online film screenings and activities, the annual International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM) is going in-person. Live scored by selected Filipino bands and musicians, silent films will be screened from Nov. 24 to 27 at the Red Carpet, Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City. This year’s festival will be joined by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Goethe-Institut Philippines, Embassy of Italy in Manila with the Philippine Italian Association, The Japan Foundation, Manila, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the British Council in the Philippines. The festival’s invitational opening on Nov. 24 will feature the British film Piccadilly, which will be live scored by Filipino band Anahata in collaboration with Sensoria. The festival’s second day will feature a Zoom webinar (open to the public) spotlighting the representative films, with discussions on restoration, curation, and the continuing impact of the films in their countries’ cinema history. Other films to be shown during the festival are 1922 German film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, scored by The Brockas; Charles Burguet and René Le Somptier’s 1919 French piece La sultane de l’amour (The Sultan of Love – A Thousand and One Nuits), scored by Bras Pas Pas Pas; Spain’s 1926 film Malvaloca, scored by Talahib People’s Music; 1931 Japanese film The Lady and the Beard, with musical score by Bullet Dumas; Italy’s 1921 film I Figli Di Nessuno (Nobody’s children), directed byUbaldo Maria Del Colle. Other festival highlights are a round table discussion led by musicians sharing their expertise, tips and experiences in scoring their assigned films; a roundtable discussion on the challenges in the restoration of Philippine films led by local film archivists; and the official closing ceremonies which will be filled with colors and music, and the screening of three of the best short silent films from the 2021 Mit Out Sound (MOS): International Silent Film Competition organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines: Ing Tianak, Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig, and Dikit, with music played by the BConcept and Vincent Del Rosario.  For more information on the schedule, visit this Facebook page:www.facebook.com/InternationalSilentFilmFestivalManila.

Of Mercury releases debut studio album

FILIPINO alternative soul/rock outfit of Mercuryreleased its debut studio albumCHANGIN’  via Sony Music Entertainment. According to the band, the 12-track release serves as an exploration of the different experiences that “we face as humans.” CHANGIN’ was co-produced by of Mercury with former bandmate knōwmaad. Its focus track, “I KEEP FALLING,” is a love song that doesn’t deny its sense of earnestness. Written during the pandemic, the song articulates the idea of inseparable love that lasts.CHANGIN’ is available on all digital music platforms worldwide.

GOMO opens skate park at Circuit Makati

On Nov. 12, GOMO, the country’s first fully digital telco, launched the GOMO Skate Park at Circuit Makati in partnership with Ayala Land and Make It Makati. The skate park, which is now open for every kind of skater, is part of GOMO’s second anniversary celebrations. “With GOMO Skate Park, we want our subscribers to have a safe space they can call their own, where they can nurture their creativity and love for the sport. Throughout our second year since launch, and in succeeding years to come, we aim to equip the GOMO Fam with the freedom and flexibility that will allow them to experience the world no holds barred – all made possible by ‘Mo Creds,” said GOMO Marketing Director Don Laudencia. Subscribers can experience the latest skating attraction by converting 8GB of their data through ‘Mo Creds to get a One-Day Access pass to the GOMO Skate Park. For more information, visit www.gomo.ph.

1st Dolby Atmos Certified Studio in PHL

WAXIFIED Sound Production was awarded the Home Entertainment Studio Certification, the highest certification sound pioneer Dolby Atmos issues to their partners. The production company also introduced the Dolby Atmos Sound Mastering Service, a solution to quality control and master audio for music, audio visual clips, reels, TV shows, TV series, and movies without having to go abroad. Behind this venture are acoustic and audio mastering engineers, event DJs, and sound consultants. The endeavor is headed by Waxie G. Joaquin, founder of Waxiefied Sound Productions and Executive Mastering Engineer. “With the track record and expertise of our team, we are confident to produce top-notch and immersive quality audio that will give a multidimensional approach to storytelling,” said Mr. Joaquin. The Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite facilities spell the end of multiple back-and-forth accession of local content to mastering studios abroad just to have it certified by Dolby, as well as do quality control and certify high resolution lossless files and Apple Digital Masters sound for Apple Music. Waxiefied Sound Production clients include Massiah, Nadine Lustre, Jay Ortega, J. Mara, and Morobeats.  For more information, visit their website www.waxiefiedsoundproduction.com.

Xdinary Heroes releases new mini album

K-POP boy band Xdinary Heroes has released a mini album, Overload, and has shared a video of the focus track “Hair Cut” via JYP Entertainment/The Orchard – listen/stream + watch/share. The seven-track mini-album’s songs are Hair Cut,” “Zzz…,” “LUNATIC,” “Crack in the mirror,” “Ghost,” “X-MAS,” and the instrumental version of “Hair Cut.”  The band consists of Gun-il (band leader, drummer), Jungsu ( main vocalist, keyboardist), Gaon (electric guitar, lead rapper), O.de (synthesizer, rapper), Jun Han (electric guitar), and Jooyeon (main vocalist, bassist). For more information, follow Xdinary Heroes at www.xdinaryheroes.jype.com.

Viber partners with BINI for fan challenge

P-POP girl group BINI has partnered with Viber, to connect with their fans in chats. The group recently concluded a takeover of the Backstage Pass Channel that allowed BINI members Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena share a slice of their P-pop idol life and interact with fans through photos, videos, and uplifting messages. With over 1 million subscribers, Backstage Pass is a space where artists and their fans come together. It’s meant to give music enthusiasts access to never-before-seen content about their favorite stars. Viber is also launching a first-of-its-kind Viber Lens, making BINI the first Filipino music artist to have their own augmented reality (AR) lenses that Viber users can use to enliven their chats. BINI and Viber are inviting fans to join the #BINIxViberLens Challenge for a chance to win a video shoutout, signed merch, and more surprises from Star Music’s pioneering P-pop girl group.  To join the challenge, fans must record an impression of BINI’s song “I Feel Good” from their sophomore album, Feel Good, while using the Viber Lens, while doing the BINI infinity sign. The video should then be downloaded from Viber and onto TikTok, with “I Feel Good” as the background music. Add in-video text by completing this sentence: “I Feel Good because ________.” The caption must include the hashtags #BINIxViberLens and #BINI_IFeelGood. All posts must be public and shown on one’s feed, and the video should also be downloadable. Deadline for submission of entries is Nov. 17.