REEL DEAL: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter SPOTLIGHT

HISTORY REIMAGINED IN “ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER”

               

Based on the bestselling vein-thumping mashup novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, Timur Bekmambetov directs while Tim Burton and Jim Lemley produce “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”

Dubbed as a revisionist tale of the 16th US President’s life as a politician by day and a vampire hunter by night, it  stars Benjamin Walker as the iconic commander-in-chief and Dominic Cooper as his mentor. The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln, Jimmi Simpson as Josh Speed and Anthony Mackie as Will. Alan Tudyk takes on the role of Stephen A. Douglas, while Rufus Sewell is the film’s chief antagonist vampire Adam.

 “It was an adventure, like I'm entering a new world I had never been before and I wanted to explore it,” Bekmambetov says of his attraction to the project. “I wanted to meet these unbelievable characters, Abraham Lincoln, his friend, Will, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, his enemies and his friends.  And I wanted to go with him through his journey.” 

Pinoys Increasingly Rely on Social Media For News

The emergence of the Philippines as one of the world's social media capitals —with one out of every three Filipinos on Facebook— has led to the widespread acceptance of social media as a key source of news and current information.

Earlier this year, social media came to the fore as the main channels of information concerning the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that hit Negros Island. And late last year, social media also proved crucial in reporting on, and finding help for, the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Mindanao.

“[Social media] are a direct connection to web users and TV viewers, and are an efficient avenue for gathering and delivering news.  They are also platforms for receiving feedback and ideas about our programming,” says Howie Severino, Vice President for Multimedia Journalism of GMA Network.

The immediacy and impact of social media are such that they have been recognized by the Pulitzer Prize alongside traditional journalism stalwarts.

“I think you’ll continue to see social media in the breaking news category, but it will show up in others as well,” said Pulitzer Prize administrator Sig Gissler of the growing number of prize-winning stories from social media.

REEL DEAL: Big Miracle SPOTLIGHT

Based on the inspiring true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, Big Miracle is the rescue adventure Everybody Loves Whales tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.   

Local newsman Adam Carlson (Krasinski) can’t wait to escape the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market.  But just when the story of his career breaks, the world comes chasing it, too.  With an oil tycoon, heads of state and hungry journalists descending upon the frigid outpost, the one who worries Adam the most is Rachel Kramer (Barrymore).  Not only is she an outspoken environmentalist, she’s also his ex-girlfriend.  

MUSIC LYF: Wilson Phillips Are 'Dedicated' To Making Music

New Album Pays Tribute to Their Parents - The Beach Boys and Mamas & The Papas

In celebration of their 20th year as recording artists, Wilson Phillips releases Dedicated, the album that the groundbreaking female vocal trio was always destined to make. The 12-song set, to be released by Ivory Music & Video, the exclusive licensee of Sony Music in the Philippines, is a long-anticipated tribute to the legendary groups – The Beach Boys and Mamas & The Papas.

The collection is made up entirely of classic songs by Brian Wilson's Beach Boys, father of Wendy and Carnie Wilson; and of John and Michelle Phillips' Mamas & The Papas, parents of Chynna Phillips. As the title indicates, it includes the iconic track Dedicated To The One I Love, the latter group's 1967 hit, along with other Mamas & The Papas landmark singles like California Dreamin’, Monday Monday, Twelve-Thirty and Got A Feeling. From The Beach Boys catalog are equally artful Wilson Phillips interpretations of Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows, Don't Worry Baby, In My Room and Good Vibrations.

 

Canon celebrates 15 years in the Philippines

New products, technologies and milestones mark anniversary

This year, digital imaging leader Canon marks its 15th anniversary in the Philippines.  

From a subsidiary with less than a quarter of a billion year-end revenue in 1996, Canon Marketing (Philippines) is now a multi-billion peso company. This is largely due to Canon Marketing (Philippines)’s steady and consistent double-digit growth since 1997 until 2010.

Since 2004, Canon has been an Environmental Management System (EMS)-certified company which is a resounding testament to the company’s operational excellence. 

With an almost 500-strong employee workforce powering the company’s local operations, Canon Marketing (Philippines) serves a prestigious clientele ranging from tech-savvy customers to multi-million dollar companies and small to medium entrepreneurs. 

Today, Canon Marketing (Philippines) is in six major regions in the country and is continuously expanding its network. More than 300 authorized service centers carry Canon’s wide range of globally recognized cameras, camcorders and printers and its service coverage spans all areas of the country.

Canon Marketing (Philippines)’s growth and expansion is leveraged by the strength and stability of Canon worldwide. On an international scale, Canon is a Financial Times and a Fortune 500 company. As of 2011, it is among the top 25 companies with strongest reputation in the world, according to the Global Corporate Reputation Index and ranks among the top five companies with U.S. Patents. 

Avida’s Red Letter Day for Mother Earth

AVIDA LAND joins the rest of the world in celebrating Earth Day. Earth Day is the largest, most widely observed global annual event in support of environmental protection, preservation and growth. Every year, the Earth Day event educates and encourages people all over the world to make smarter, Earth-friendly choices; to modify their lifestyles into something that is more sustainable for the planet and its inhabitants.

As the world prepares to celebrate and observe Earth Day on April 22nd, Avida Land is also gearing up for activities that support the cause. According to Avida marketing head Tess Tatco, Avida Land aims to create environment-friendly, sustainable communities in all its developments.

“As one of the leading property developers today, Avida Land is focused on creating what we call ‘sustainable communities’. By that we mean communities that, by design, are meant to protect the natural environment and preserve the ecology. Communities with a ‘sustainable’ design and construction cause no harm to the natural environment and, in fact, helps preserve and protect it for future generations.

MUSIC LYF: Glee The Music - The Graduation Album

Join McKinley High’s class of 2012 in their countdown to graduation with the release of Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album, available May 2012, from Ivory Music & Video, the exclusive licensee of Sony Music in the Philippines. The commemorative release captures the bitter sweetness of senior year with the Glee cast’s triumphant versions of Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” and Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up.” Glee fans will get a sneak peek of 8 new songs recorded for the season finale, including Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days,” Beyoncé’s “I Was Here,” Madonna’s “I’ll Remember,” and Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).” The season 3 finale will air at a special time following American Idol on Tuesday, May 22 at 9PM ET/PT on FOX. Also included in this collection is the Glee cast’s version of “We Are Young” by fun., which sold over 137,000 tracks in its first week and debuted at the top of the digital charts. 

GMA News and Public Affairs wins three World Medals in 2012 New York Fest

GMA News and Public Affairs makes the country proud anew after winning three Silver World Medals and six Finalist Certificates at the highly prestigious 2012 New York Festivals Television and Film Awards held on April 17 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

I-Witness’ Lapnos (Burn) episode won the Silver World Medal for the Social Issues and Current Events category, while GMA News TV’s Front Row brought home two Silver World Medals – one for the Social Issues category for its Yaman sa Basura (Child Urban Miners) episode and another one for the Biography/Profiles category for the documentary program’s Bente Dos (Twenty-Two) episode.

I-Witness’ Lapnos gives viewers a glimpse inside the burn unit of the Mindanao Burn Center in Davao City . Here, Peabody Award winner Jay Taruc learns about the victims’ individual – at times, harrowing – stories.

Top corporations Participate in Globe Business’ Golf Tournament

Representatives of the country’s top corporations gathered for a friendly golf competition organized by Globe Business for its clientele. The Globe Connections Cup hailed Fred Castro of Steel Asia Mfg as the 1st runner-up winner, while Nancy Co of Green Cross emerged as the competition’s 2nd runner-up.

The semi-shotgun tournament also declared Bobby Gabriel of AC-1 Transport and Ramon Antonio Veloso of RR Donnelley Inc. as the Low Net Champion and the Low Gross Champion, respectively. 

The event, which was held at the Ayala Greenfield Golf and Leisure Park in Calamba, Laguna, was a way to highlight how making connections is valuable for the success of any enterprise. All winners were given a special glass trophy.

“The word ’connect’ could mean many things, and for innovative businessmen this could be about connecting their businesses with their customers; connecting themselves with information; and connecting with others to create new opportunities,” said Gil Genio, Head of Globe Business.

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP and JICA support Sendong Survivors in Remote Iligan Villages‏

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Takahiro Sasaki (far right) and U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson (second from left) recently visited remote villages of Lanipao, Dulag, Kalilangan and Panoroganan in Iligan City, accessible only by motorcycle, to jointly distribute food, cooking utensils and other items to 750 families who were highly affected by Tropical Storm Sendong (international name “Washi”) in December 2011.  JICA and WFP provided this humanitarian support in partnership with the local government of Iligan City and the Bangsamoro Development Authority, and also with the participation of the International Monitoring Team and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.    

Photo Credit: WFP/Marilou Morales Cezar/Philippines