Wallows Announce Tell Me That It's Over Tour Asia 2023 Manila

WALLOWS announced today the TELL ME THAT IT’S OVER TOUR Asia 2023 -Manila show will take place on February 15 at the New Frontier Theater. Wallows kicked off the TELL ME THAT IT’S OVER TOUR in April 2022 with a sold out North American leg, followed by sold out shows in Australia & New Zealand this November. Before heading to Asia, the band will stop hit the road in the UK & Europe starting in January 2023. For their first trip to Asia, Wallows’ TELL ME THAT IT’S OVER TOUR will include stops in Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul & Tokyo, with more Asia markets to be announced soon. 

Promoted by AEG Presents Asia and Ovation Productions, tickets to WALLOWS’s TELL ME THAT IT’S OVER TOUR ASIA 2023 MANILA are priced at P3,550 and will go on sale at 10AM  on Friday, November 11 via ovationtickets.com and ticketnet.com.ph. 

Deezer Hosts ‘Football Fever’ Artist Takeover To Celebrate World Cup

Musicians such as Kasabian (England), Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Japan), MXM(BrandNewBoys) (South Korea) and Zara Larsson (Sweden) take over Deezer’s new ‘Football Fever’ Channel with exclusive playlists 

Global music streaming service, Deezer, is celebrating the World Cup with its first ever ‘Football Fever’ local artist takeover. Starting today, Deezer will host exclusive playlists created by musicians from each of the 32 countries partaking in the world’s largest football competition.

Kasabian are one of the bands shouting ‘Come on England!’ in the run up to the World Cup, and their chosen tracks for the new ‘Football Fever’ channel include hits from artists like James Blake and Giggs. Zara Larsson is ‘Go Sweden!’ with her playlist full of local Swedish influences and favourites like Tove Lo, Avicii and Icona Pop, while Colombia is supported by Mike Bahia.

Artists from all over the world have personally selected and curated playlists for 32 World Cup entrants including: Australia, Brazil, Belgium, France, Germany, Uruguay, Japan and South Korea.

The 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees Announced

The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced that this year three individuals and two organizations from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines will receive Asia’s premier prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award.  The Awardees are:

Ernesto Domingo, from the Philippines.  He is being recognized for “his exemplary embrace of the social mission of medical science and his profession, his steadfast leadership in pursuing ‘health for all’ as a shared moral responsibility of all sectors, and his groundbreaking and successful advocacy for neonatal hepatitis vaccination, thereby saving millions of lives in the Philippines.”

Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission), from Indonesia.  The organization is being recognized for “its fiercely independent and successful campaign against corruption in Indonesia, combining the uncompromising prosecution of erring powerful officials with farsighted reforms in governance systems and the educative promotion of vigilance, honesty, and active citizenship among all Indonesians.”

Star World holds auditions for Asia’s Next Top Model Season 2

The time has come once again to choose the Philippines’ best bet for the title of Asia’s Next Top Model, and Star World is holding a grand go-see to find a Filipina who will wow the judges and beat the competition hailing from all over Asia. On August 9, 2013, Top Model hopefuls from every corner of the Philippines will be flocking to HYVE in Bonifacio Global City beginning 10 AM to try out for Asia’s most-watched reality TV modeling competition.

Last season, on Asia’s Next Top Model, host Nadya Hutagalung headed the panel of judges, which was composed of fashion director Daniel Boey, fashion photographer Todd Anthony Tyler, and model Joey Mead-King. Together, the judges saw contestants through a slew of modeling challenges designed to hone the contestants’ talents and allow those who have the knack for modelling shine above the rest.

MUSIC LYF: Sabrina Sells More Than 175000 Albums Across Asia

Another proud moment for us Filipinos!

Our very own Asia’s Acoustic Sweetheart – Sabrina has once again achieved another milestone, bagging a cumulative album sales of more than 175,000 across Asia from her “I Love Acoustic Series 1-4” and her latest album “Acoustic Love Notes.”  A special recognition from MCA Music was presented to her last November 4 at GMA7’s Party Pilipinas.

Since the release of her first album under MCA Music back in 2008, she is only the 2nd Filipino singer to reach this kind of success across Asia acquiring successful album releases here in the Philippines and also in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Korea reaching multiple Gold and Platinum record awards.  Her latest album, a collaboration with the popular radio & TV personality Joe D’ Mango turned Gold in Indonesia after only 2 months.

DIVA Universal Heats Up Screens With Hot Guys Who Cook

The kitchen will not be the only place steaming up when Hot Guys Who Cook premieres on 25th June @ 9pm. Viewers can expect a feast for their eyes and appetite as this DIVA Universal original brings up close and personal 18 of our favourite hottest guys from around Asia, over six episodes. 

Each half-hour episode will sizzle with three Hot Guys each cooking their signature dish under seven minutes. While slaving over a stove, the guys will be sharing endearing stories and anecdotes on cooking and some personal experiences, making Hot Guys Who Cook a delicious series a must-watch.

MUSIC LYF: Blush New Single - Dance On

Since hitting the US music scene in the summer of 2011, international pop sensation BLUSH has been creating billboard history with their monumental rise up the charts.  Just recently BLUSH reached a new milestone as their new high-energy track “Dance On” hit #1 on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play charts. The unique, talented group of Asian girls now sits atop entries from Rihanna, David Guetta, Kelly Clarkson and other well-established pop artists.  

With this exciting news, “Dance On” has surpassed BLUSH’s widely popular debut single “Undivided” (feat. Snoop Dogg) which reached the #3 spot on the same chart. At that time BLUSH--Victoria, Natsuko, Angeli, Ji Hae and Alisha--became the first Asian artist to hit the Top 3 on a major U.S. chart with a debut single. They now stand alone as the only Asian artists ever to have their first two singles hit Top 10, let alone both hitting Top 3. “Dance On” shot up the Dance/Club Play chart from Top 20 all the way to #1 in one month. Both songs will be featured on the group’s upcoming debut EP, due out this spring. 

REEL DEAL: The Voice Season 2

February is going to be epic on AXN. Kick starting the lineup in the beginning of the month is the highly-anticipated return of singing reality competition series The Voice Season 2.

The Fresh, Real Talent Show - The Voice Season 2 

Premiering on February 6, 2012 is Season 2 of The Voice, offering aspiring singers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by celebrity coaches. Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton return with their sizzling chemistry and their trademark red swiveling chairs to judge contestants solely on their vocal talent and not their looks. If more than one coach turns to pick a particular singer, the tide turns and the choice of coach goes to the singer. This season, show producer Mark Burnett has added more rounds of blind auditions and each of the coaches’ teams will be expanded to 12 singers each. 

REEL DEAL Movies and Television: THE KITCHEN MUSICAL

Its indeed a musical world especially in television which is not only exclusive for western series, this time Asia will be invaded with the first Pan-Asian musical series, THE KITCHEN MUSICAL, featuring a pool of Asia's talented casts comprising both veteran and up-and-coming new faces from around the region, The Kitchen Musical is a tantalizing tale stretching 13 episodes of an hour each, centered around good food, great wines. 

Christian Baustista as Chef Daniel

Each episode will be wrapped in specially re-arranged and re-recorded popular hit songs animated with dance sequences. A menu of delicious dishes and dessert will be featured every episode that promises to be as luscious and addictive as the show itself. The Kitchen Musical is set in the musical world of a famous restaurant and anchored around the storyline of a rich young girl’s journey of self-discovery when she starts working in the kitchen of the restaurant, straight out of Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Starring Stephen Rahman Hughes from Malaysia, and proudly Pinoy Diva Karylle Tatlonghari,and  balladeer Christian Baustita. Other Pinoys included in the cast are Joseph "Thou" Reyes (I Love Betty La Fea) and Ikey Canoy (Akafellas). The series is now shooting with the Filipino cast leaving for Singapore on Wednesday. Food + Music + Dance + Drama = a perfect serving of appetizing treat for viewers across Asia. And hopefully it will reach the western television too.

The Pinoy Cast with The Group and Studio 23 executives

A sample recipe that will be featured in THE KITCHEN MUSICAL

The Kitchen Musical will be shown in nTV7 (Malaysia) Studio 23 (Philippines), Metro TV (Indonesia), AXN (19 Asian Countries). Air date will be on October 2011.

2010 Is Where AXN Becomes The No. 1 International Channel in Southeast Asia!

For many years now, AXN has been claiming the top position as Southeast Asia’s leading international channel. Especially in the key markets of Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, viewers have embraced AXN as one of their favourite entertainment destinations. As the year 2010 is coming to an end, AXN once again cements its position as Southeast Asia’s number one international channel, averaging 10.2 million viewers every month to take the top spot in results tabulated from January to October 2010.

Malaysia, in particular, is a star performer. Not only is AXN the top international network, it is also the most-watched channel on Astro, leading in average monthly viewer reach at 5.9million. Amongst English channels, AXN beats the next closest competitor in primetime ratings by 24%, and out of the 14 first-run shows that AXN aired in 2010, 10 premiered at the top of the ratings chart.

Likewise, AXN is ahead of all English pay-TV channels in Singapore in primetime ratings among cable 15+; while in the ultra-competitive market of Philippines where all channels are offered on the basic tier, AXN leads in the English general entertainment category among cable 16+ audience.

Says Mr. Ricky Ow, Senior Vice President and General Manager, SPE Networks – Asia, “Our report card for the first 10 months shows some really great result for the year as a whole. Especially with superb ratings from two key shows in the last quarter – The Amazing Race Asia and Hawaii Five-0 – it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that AXN will finish strongly as Southeast Asia’s top English channel for 2010.”

Indeed, viewers can expect an exhilarating run to the finish-line in the fourth quarter, starting with a chart-topping performance from the highly-anticipated premiere of the re-imagined Hawaii Five-0 that airs Sundays 9PM on AXN. The elite team of crime-fighters led by Alex O’Loughlin as Steve McGarrett in the reboot of the TV classic certainly mesmerized viewers as the original series did 42 years ago, passing the ratings test with flying colours. Asia’s very own reality production, The Amazing Race Asia, is another favourite that never fails to thrill viewers across the region. Here is how each market fared with these two marquee shows so far:

In Singapore, Hawaii Five-0 captured the hearts of both young and old viewers, winning the timeslot during its premiere on 14 November among all English channels on StarHub, and beating the next closest competitor by 20%. Subsequently, episode two on 16 November rated higher and even broke the record to become the top programme of the year… not just on AXN, but amongst all premiering English drama series in 2010 on StarHub!

In Malaysia, the Hawaii Five-0 premiere ratings surpassed all English pay-TV networks during the timeslot, out-performing even the Formula 1 final race which aired at the same time. The Amazing Race Asia also put in some stellar performances since the latest season premiere in September. Its season-to-date ratings is ahead of the next highest-rated English channel by a whopping 175%!

With Team Philippines led by Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera winning this season of The Amazing Race Asia, this AXN Original Production won in its timeslot among all international ad-supported channels, and saw an increase of 71% in average ratings over the previous season.

Ow continues, “I would like to sincerely thank our viewers, as well as our cable partners and sponsors, for all the support we have received in making AXN the number one international channel in Southeast Asia. It is precisely because of their great support, that we have been able to expand our AXN family of channels, which today includes Animax, AXN Beyond, Sony Entertainment Television, as well as ONE. With the expanded suite of channels, we will be able to cater to even more viewers, provide greater variety and deliver a diverse range of programmes to suit the whole family’s viewing preferences. We have enjoyed a good year, and it is my promise to all our viewers that next year will be even more exciting.”

*Source: Kantar Media Singapore / Philippines, AGB NMR Malaysia.

Will Team Pinoy Emerge as the winner of Amazing Race Asia?

It’s the final showdown in the upcoming finale episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) Season 4! Coming head to head will be the youngest team in TARA history versus the first father-and-daughter team versus the super athletic best friends, Richard and Richard! Smelling victory at hand, the teams have upped the game and kept fans teetering on the edge of their seats, as they race neck to neck and check in at stops within minutes of one another!

With the last leg of the race taking place in Singapore, it is the unlikeliest of teams that have made it to the final three that will fight for the first place in TARA 4.

In the only Fast Forward of the race, the Richards sacrificed their lovely locks by shaving their heads, which gave them a significant head start. While their physical fitness placed them at a solid advantage as they led in the top three for seven legs, the Richards hit a spate of bad luck in the last two legs, where they got terribly lost and even broke a race rule that had them backtrack their route and cost them a near-elimination.

As for Michelle and Claire, the girls showed that their youthful age and pint-size builds were anything but a handicap. The best friends beat the other teams with a lot of grit and determination. No one can forget how the feisty duo swallowed 275 chicken balls, out-eating even the men from the other teams! Besides, they managed to trail close behind the Richards with top three rankings in five legs, even after being yielded by the Indian team Dimple and Sunaina!

Despite having a familial bond that is the envy of many, Natasha and Hussein have been cracking under the pressure, which led to constant bickers that saw them end up at the bottom of the pack in several portions of the race. Natasha’s patience was duly tested by her father's antics during the race, especially during his attempt to cheer her on with his whistle blowing during the log sawing session. As the oldest participant this season, Hussein also had some physical limitations in completing some of the tasks, like the high-wire walk in Galle or the trapeze act in Sydney. Not all’s lost though, for in the penultimate leg, the father-daughter team rise to form to take the lead for the first time!

Throughout the race, there have been some pretty extreme challenges presented to the teams, with some that resulted in unexpected outcomes. The underwater dive in Malaysia for example, saw not one or two but five teams failing to complete the task, which resulted in a four-hour penalty for each team. Transportation woes also saw teams arguing, haggling and at times, flirting with pilots to set off early, while others got lost on the roads so much, it almost became a routine. Add in complex dance numbers, eating of exotic food (think crunchy fat grubs with the consistency of jelly!) and death-defying acts and there is no question that this race has become the ride of a lifetime for all teams.

With very little rest and an even tinier time gap among the three teams, will the Richards do Pinoys proud by finally changing TARA history of strong teams not fulfilling their potential (think Marc & Rovilson, Geoff &,Tisha), or can underdogs Natasha and Hussein put aside their generational conflicts to emerge as the winner? Or can Michelle and Claire bank on their home advantage and continue to show that age and size matter not in this race around the world?

All will be revealed in the gripping grand finale of The Amazing Race Asia Season 4 on AXN, 9 December at 8PM (JKT)/ 9PM (SG, MY, PH)/ 10PM (HK)!

Pinoy Leads The Amazing Race Asia Season 4!

Pinoy Power leads the Amazing Race Asia this season 4, aside from featuring Misibis Bay as one of the locations for the race. Tessa Prieto-Valdez was part of the welcoming committee for the contestants. I got A chance to view the next episode of the Amazing Race Asia Season 4 at the National Sports Grill together with bloggers and other friends of the contestants. There are actually two Pinoy Teams, (The Two Richards and the girl tandem of Lani and Jess. 

For this episode, they now travel to New Zealand, and face the challenges of the wide fields of milking cows and of  snow-capped mountains. There there was the race on how to get to the destination with flights limited and has delays up to hours in the airport. The challenges that face them are the great bungee drop or a very, I mean VERY big swing that I have second thoughts of doing. Also they faced the challenge of sawing lumber the old fashion way. This challenge also used a lot of time for the other teams to catch up. The one of the last challenges is the Rugby football which is also a test of skill and agility. At the end of this leg of the race, the Richards were the one who made it first. Yet with their teamwork, I think they have a very good chance of winning!

with Lani, sweet yet very competitive!

PDA stars also joined in for the event

Bugoy Drilon spotted! 

Team Pinoy (and an excess baggage LOL)

I want that laptop case!

another exciting race!

Now, we hope that in this season, Pinoys will be the ones to make it first!