ALDEN RICHARDS receives his first Gold record award from Universal Records!

Alden Richards, the hottest leading man on Philippine TV, is now a Gold record-awardee as Universal Records recently announced that his self-titled debut album has officially reached its Gold record status.

On Friday, September 25 in Eat Bulaga, Alden received a Gold record plaque from Universal Records’ General Manager Kathleen Dy-Go where our “Pambansang Bae” went emotional and thanked his album producers and supporters for making this possible.

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Universal Records for trusting me with my first album na kahit hindi po ako singer ay binigyan nila ako ng chance. Sa lahat po ng sumusuporta ng album, salamat po!” said the teary-eyed actor. Alden is currently a host of GMA 7’s Eat Bulaga and popularly paired to Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza in the phenomenal segment “Kalyeserye.”

Two newcomers take centerstage in 39th National MILO Marathon Iloilo race

After a two-week hiatus, the 39th National MILO Marathon made a big return in Iloilo this Sunday, and drew over 17,000 runners who participated in the country’s most prestigious footrace. The local government of Iloilo showed its support for the MILO Marathon with the presence of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa, III. Mayor Mabilog demonstrated the importance of exercise to his constituents by participating as a runner in the 5K race while Vice Mayor Rojas sounded the gun start.

With the advantage of two additional weeks for training, NMM regulars Romulo Balinas and Lorena Blanco shared the spotlight at the 21K centerpiece event. Balinas clocked in at 01:17:13, besting hundreds of runners in the men’s 21K division. Bennis Murillo (01:18:04) and Norlan Warizal (01:19:20) completed the top 3 male 21K finishers.

The male champ was delighted with the outcome of his performance despite a setback during the race. “I am glad I was the first to cross the finish line even though I knew I was losing speed towards the finish,” Balinas said. “The cramps slowed me down in the last 5K of the race but it’s a good thing I was able to cope up with the pain - a skill that I owe to my training,” he said. After placing seventh from last year’s elimination race, the University of St. La Salle Bacolod alumni steeled himself to reach for the top rank. “I literally pushed myself to undergo rigorous training in the last three weeks,” he said. “With this victory, it only shows that hard work does pay off.”

Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall," Theme Song to "Spectre" Out Now‏

Multi-platinum selling British artist Sam Smith has become the latest musician to record a James Bond theme song, for the forthcoming SPECTRE. “Writing’s On The Wall” was released Sept. 25 via Capitol Records and is available to purchase and stream now.

“Writing’s On The Wall” was co-written by Sam Smith and fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes. The track is awash with cascading orchestration and delicate keys, whilst Smith’s impeccable vocals elegantly glide above the instrumentation, strewn throughout with his effortless falsetto. It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965.

On the SPECTRE theme song Smith comments: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honored to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”

"Straight Outta Compton" Now Highest-Grossing Musical Biopic of All-Time

The filmed story of N.W.A. is straight outta record books. Thanks to consecutive weeks atop the US box-office, Universal Pictures' "Straight Outta Compton" has earned its place in history as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, with a smash box-office haul of #157 million (as of September 17, 2015). The previous champ, "Walk The Line," about Johnny and June Carter Cash, had grossed $119 million.

The film stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, and is directed by F. Gary Gray (“The Italian Job,” “The Negotiator”). The drama is produced by original N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, Gray and Scott Bernstein.

Visionary Director Takes You to the Haunted World of "Crimson Peak"‏

From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro comes Universal Pictures' gothic romance “Crimson Peak” starring Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”), two-time Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (“Interstellar”), Tom Hiddleston (“Thor” series) and Charlie Hunnam (“Pacific Rim”).

In the film, when her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind the place called Crimson Peak. Here, they will discover the power that love has to make monsters of us all.

Fil-Am Cinematographer Shoots Acclaimed “STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON”

Don't look now, but a Filipino-American contributed to the enormous critical and commercial success of Universal Pictures' “Straight Outta Compton,” which traces the rise of influential (and notorious) rap group N.W.A. The film's Director of Photography is none other than Oscar-nominated Fil-Am cinematographer Matthew Libatique, himself a life-long fan of hip-hop music.

Libatique describes to ICG (International Cinematographers Guild) Magazine, how he got involved with the film. “I was watching TV in a New York hotel room when I saw Ice Cube on Queen Latifah [the talk show], and she asked what he was doing next. When Cube said a film called `Straight Outta Compton,' I literally jumped up and grabbed the phone. For the first time in my career, I called my agent and said I really want that project.”

Follow The Teen Big 4 Pinoy Big Brother On Mobile

Fans of Pinoy Big Brother and the Teen Big 4 can now follow the group’s journey wherever they are and at any time they want.

Just when we thought that Ylona Garcia, Bailey May, Franco Rodriguez, and Jimboy Martin are out of the house and just waiting for the big night, Big Brother has given them new tasks.

Together they’ll go to their respective provinces and must sum up their experiences by composing a song and turning it into a music video with video clips taken from their trip.

Ice Cube's Son Plays Dad in "Straight Outta Compton"

Casting for the key roles of a complex, emotional, real-life street drama like Universal Pictures' “Straight Outta Compton” was highly personal and took an immense effort by director F. Gary Gray. Of course, their goal when casting the five coveted roles was the full package of triple-threat performers—who could act, look the part and perform with an unfiltered intensity that channeled N.W.A. members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and MC Ren.

The role of Ice Cube were the first to be cast. As the early development stages of the project began to take shape, Ice Cube could easily envision his then-20-year-old son stepping into the on-screen role of Cube’s younger self. One look at O’Shea Jackson, Jr., and there’s no mistaking he is his father’s son. It’s not just the striking physical similarities between the two, but subtle nuances that genetics can’t deny—like a confident swagger that comes from a deep and strong sense of self.

Manny Pacquiao is Asia Society’s 2015 Asia Game Changer

Asia Society today announced the 2015 Asia Game Changers, recognizing those making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world. Manny Pacquiao will be honored as the 2015 Asia Game Changer of the Year, following in the footsteps of Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, who took the honor in 2014.

"The Asia Game Changer Awards address the lack of recognition for Asians who are transforming ideas into action and improving lives," said Asia Society President Josette Sheeran. "This year's honorees could not be more different from one another. They include a group of scientists, a comedian, a dancer, a fighter pilot and a boxer. What they share in common is that they all fight for a better today and inspire the world to do things differently."

Jessica Castain In Command In Ridley Scott's Immersive 3D Spectacle "THE MARTIAN"

Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, who’s also considered as one of the most sought after actresses of her generation who gave memorable portrayals in groundbreaking movies such as “Interstellar,” “Zero Dark 30” and  “Tree of Life” stars in Ridley Scott’s space adventure “The Martian” with Matt Damon, Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Peña, Sebasyian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Kirsten Wiig, Jeff Daniels and Sean Bean.

Based on the highly successful book by Andy Weir, “The Martian” tells of the gripping story of botanist Mark Watney, played by Damon in the film.   Watney is one of the six-man crew of the Ares 3, an exploratory fact finding mission to Mars that goes radically wrong when the astronauts are caught in the middle of a ferociously violent sandstorm. As the crew scramble to get back on board their ship, Watney is speared by an antenna - leaving him injured and destroying his space suit’s bio monitors in the process.