Lunchtime Drama Intensifies With Hiram Na Anak

A new soap will be airing in the brunch time slot for GMA with HIRAM NA ANAK bringing together the lovable team up of Starstruck stars Yasmien Kurdi and Dion Ignacio. It has been a while since they had been paired up for a Kapuso drama. The show also brings together an incredible cast that brings excitement to every episode just in time for lunch

"Aquaman" Hits Major Milestone with $800-M at International Box-Office

James Wan’s DC Super Hero adventure continues to ride a huge wave of success andset records at international cinemas around the world

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Aquaman” has hit new heights at the international box office, with tickets pushing the DC Super Hero past the $800 million mark.  The announcement was made February 19 by the head of Warner Bros. Pictures International Distribution, Tom Molter.

The impressive box office run overseas has propelled the film to become the highest grossing DC title ever both globally and internationally, as well as in 36 territories, including the Philippines (at Php 582-million), China, Spain, Brazil and Taiwan.

Now United Pop Group Coming Back To Manila

NOW UNITED – the world’s first ever global pop group comprised of 14 different singers and dancers from 14 different countries – including our very own Bailey May from the Philippines is coming back to MANILA.

Fans are provided with open access to the group’s music and lives in real time, enabling fans around the world to engage with their every move. It is a new music group driven by the diversity and spirit of social media – one as energetic and ever changing as its fans. One where fans and artists are united as never before. The group is currently working with top choreographers WilldaBeast and Kyle Hanagami and recording their upcoming music with Grammy winning record producer and songwriter Red One.

Meet NOW UNITED and see them perform live this Sunday – February 24th, 6PM at the Eastwood Mall Open Park. Presented by Eastwood City and Wilbros Live.

"POKEMON Detective Pikachu" Spot Reveals New Footage

Warner Bros. Pictures has just revealed a new TV Spot featuring never-before-seen footage from its upcoming live-action adventure “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu.”

Check out the spot below and watch “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu” in Philippine cinemas May 09.

Liven up your days with #WhatGetsYouUp

Every day, we’re flooded with endless tasks, whether at work or at school. While it may be easy to be bogged down by the daunting work ahead, the key is to re-focus on the things that get us up and actually make us happy.

Here are three tips to keep you in good spirits and ready for the everyday grind:

Surround yourself with people that uplift you

Keeping the right people by your side can completely change your life. There’s no better motivation than being surrounded by friends and loved ones who inspire you to be the best that you can be and who cheer you on in the process.

"Game of Thrones" Hero Kit Harington Back as Eret in "How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"

Even though he joined the How to Train Your Dragon series in the second film, Kit Harington has become as much a member of the Dragon family as any other.

Harington’s character, Eret, Son of Eret, one of the bad guys in 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, is proof positive that anyone can change. “Eret has gone from being a nemesis to Hiccup who traps dragons to a man with a good heart trying to protect his men,” says the actor about his character’s evolution. “What we learned with Eret is that, through education, an angry young person’s good essence can be shaped into treating his fellow creatures better. This series has a lot to say about how we treat those creatures in the world around us.”

Women Characters Have Each Others' Backs in "Escape Room"

Teamwork is very important in solving puzzles in escape rooms. In Columbia Pictures’ new suspense thriller Escape Room, the only two women in the group tasked to solve the mysteries defy pop culture stereotypes by working well together instead of competing against each other.

(Watch the trailer at YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZhZFiMFH4Yc.)

“I think so many genre films pit women against each other, they get catty and competitive, especially over the boys,” says Deborah Ann Woll, who plays Amanda, an army infantry woman who was wounded in action during an IED explosion and now lives with ongoing trauma.

The young actress, known for her fan-favorite roles in Marvel’s Daredevil and True Blood, says part of the reason she enjoyed making the film is the relationship between the two women in the group. “I love that this was a story about women who are allies, who find strength in one another and are different, distinct people.”

To play a veteran of war, Woll’s research involved visiting forum boards and talking about dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and survivor guilt. “It was a really helpful resource for me,” she says.

Escape Room director Adam Robitel says that the lingering effects of Amanda’s experience is something that all the characters are going through. “From my research, a lot of times PTSD survivors aren’t able to move on from [their traumatic] incidents,” says the director. “They replay it and it affects their lives. For our characters, putting them through the fire literally, they become stronger on the other side.”

The only other female character in the group, Zoey, is played by Taylor Russell. A science student, Zoey is a timid and introspective loner who survived an airplane crash in which her mother was killed. Russell, best known for her work on Netflix’s Lost in Space and the television series Strange Empire and Falling Skies, was excited by the chance to join the project. “Zoey is extremely smart and has a lot of anxiety; she’s trying to navigate alone through this life,” says Russell. “[Director] Adam is a huge horror buff and this is his genre and he really thrives at it. He brought a lot of passion that obviously comes from that love, and that was great to see.”

“It was important that Zoey have a vulnerable quality, but also could turn and rise,” says Robitel. “Taylor Russell just came in and destroyed it. She had everything I wanted — she could portray feeling powerless, but also showed how this character is incredibly smart.”

In Escape Room, six strangers have chosen to be part of the escape room experience and, they will discover, there’s a mystery that links them all together. “They all chose to be there — they haven’t been kidnapped or forced there,” says producer Ori Marmur. That said, they all get more than they bargained for. “They all go there expecting one thing and then it becomes a very different thing entirely.”

About Escape Room

From the producers of the Fast & Furious series comes Columbia Pictures’ Escape Room, a suspense thriller about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die.

Starring Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Jay Ellis, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, with Yorick van Wageningen.  Directed by Adam Robitel (Insidious: The Last Key).  Produced by Neal H. Moritz (The Fast and the Furious franchise) and Ori Marmur.  Screenplay by Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik.  Story by Bragi Schut.  

In Philippine cinemas February 27, Escape Room is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Use the hashtag #EscapeRoomMovie

Emma Stone In The Midst Of A Royal Love Triangle In Award-Winning “THE FAVOURITE”

Reimagining period films for today’s audience, the multi-awarded “The Favourite” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos breaks the tropes in the genre as it introduces the audience into Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) unusual reign, England’s least known ruler who has suffered from health problems throughout her life. By the time she became Queen in 1702, she was already stricken with gout, leading to a largely sedentary lifestyle and subsequent overall decline in her health.

Siargao surfers win Coca-Cola Barkada Award for instilling value of education, environmental protection

The twenty TAYO Awards finalists witness the fruits
of their labor at the 16th awarding ceremony.

Siargao has witnessed a major spike in tourism in recent years because of avid Filipino and foreign surfers flocking to the surfing capital. Because of this, many local children have also developed a passion for the water sport. Seeing this desire among the local youth, a group of dedicated individuals were inspired to put up the Sun Crew, using surfing as a tool to make a positive change in the lives of the island’s locals.   

At the 16th Ten Accomplished Youth Organization (TAYO) Awards, the Sun Crew was recognized as one of the main winners and was honored with the Coke Barkada Award for its innovative programs that have empowered local children and communities to build a brighter future and play a key role in protecting the environment.

Wemar Bonono, Sun Crew manager and co-founder, shared that his inspiration behind establishing the organization was to help the local children, especially because of his own experiences growing up in the island. At 14, Wemar dropped out of school and decided to work as a surfing instructor to provide for his family. 

The top ten accomplished youth organizations and the
esteemed board of judges share the stage at the 16th TAYO awards. 

“Actually, noong bata pa ‘ko hindi ako nag-e-eskwela kasi sobrang hirap ng buhay noon kasi wala pang tourists. Tapos ‘yung mga bata, ayaw ko rin na matulad sa akin. Marami silang nagtatanong kung pwede ba silang sumali at sabi ko ‘You’re welcome to join!’ Hindi kami namimili, basta nag-e-eskwela lang, ‘wag nila kalimutan yung pag-aaral, ‘yun ang importante,” shared Bonono.

To improve the children’s school attendance and to provide them with skills that will alleviate them from poverty, the Sun Crew started the Smart Sustainable Surfers (SSS) program where children earn Surfer Points for attending school and participating in other programs in exchange for surfboard use and surfing lessons. The SSS program resulted in a 100% increase in school attendance, with students attending 4 to 5 times a week.

Aside from motivating students to attend school; one of the main thrusts of Sun Crew is to make the children and the local community the custodians of the island’s environment. To address the increasing waste that is produced with rising tourist arrivals, Sun Crew conducts weekly beach clean-ups with the help of the Smart Surfers, locals, and volunteers; collects and segregates the waste of the barangay; and holds eco-bricking and up-cycling sessions.

Coca-Cola Foundation president, Cecile Alcantara,
awards the special Coke Barkada Award to Sun Crew
co-founder and manager, Wemar Bonono, for the Sun Crew’s
 initiatives on education and environmental protection. 

With its goal of creating a sustainable and waste-free Siargao and uplifting local communities through education, the Sun Crew best embodies the Coca-Cola company values and is aligned with the company’s vision of a World Without Waste. In January 2018, Coca-Cola announced its commitment to collect and recycle one bottle for each that it sells globally by 2030 and the company continues to work towards this goal.

Coca-Cola has been a proud partner of the TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. and continues to recognize outstanding youth organizations that are building a better Philippines through innovative programs. 

“Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines and TAYO go a long way. Our partnership began in 2005 through the Coke Barkada Award, a special recognition given to the TAYO finalist that shares our passion to improve wellbeing of communities with projects that are aligned with Coca-Cola’s sustainability priorities. We are grateful for this opportunity to stay connected to the youth through the TAYO awards,” shared Coca-Cola Foundation president Cecile Alcantara. 

The other 16th TAYO Awardees were AQILAH (Marawi City), Association of Young Environmental Journalists (Dumaguete City), Center for Sustainability Philippines, Inc. (Puerto Princesa City), Cuartero National High School Taliamba Ensemble, FLMIS YES – O (Iligan City), MIMAROPA Young Leaders (Oriental Mindoro), Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (Lapu-Lapu City), Team BakUNAWA (Iloilo City), and Tuklas Katutubo – Upper Lumabat Chapter.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company’s Coca-Cola brands, our portfolio includes some of the world’s most valuable beverage brands, such as AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Costa coffee, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, innocent smoothies and juices, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater and ZICO coconut water. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We’re also working to reduce our environmental impact by replenishing water and promoting recycling. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 The Hidden World - The Fitting Finale?

After almost a decade, the successful film franchise of How To Train Your Dragon will finally have its conclusion with The Hidden World. Based on the series of book by Cressida Cowell, the franchise has also produced TV and streaming series that complemented the films. Now that everything is coming to place, it is fitting for it close with a epic ending.

Hiccup and Toothless has been the best buds throughout the years and seems inseparable. But they do need to grow up and make a bold move to save the village and the dragons who are still constantly hunted. This time they will face Grimmel who aims to get rid of all dragons.

The movie has progressed from the goal of befriending dragons to save and train them in their town of Berk. Hiccup has also grown drastically with the events of the last film. Though it is still OK if you haven't watched the filler episodes which are mainly for side entertainment and added detail to them.

We also get to see Toothless' love interest the Light Fury. Personally she came in a little late, since it would be a great teaser if she had a spot on the second one. Nevertheless she finally fills the heart of our favorite dragon and made the Night Fury romantically ridiculous.