Cheers To The Winners of Cinemalaya X!

Concluding the most anticipated film festival in the country, Cinemalaya Film Festival Independent Film Festival 2014 (Cinemalaya X) is now on its 10th year and recently they announced the winners of awards for various categories. Though I have not seen the movies this year, I would like to congratulate the winners and also the cast and crew who worked hard to make quality films that are recognized abroad.

MUSIC LYF: JM De Guzman back On Track With His Latest Single

After a year-long of absence from the entertainment scene, JM DE GUZMAN is back!

JM de Guzman has gone through some personal matters that drove him away and took a year off from show business. He was last seen on TV in his own teleserye, entitled, “Angelito: Ang Bagong Yugto” almost two years ago.

Now, the once considered “Prince Of Drama” is back on track with his latest single, “Have I Told You Lately” (an original by Rod Stewart). This is the third single from his second album, “Tensionado”.

Released under IVORY Music & Video, “Tensionado” is a collection of JM De Guzman’s renditions of his favorite songs featuring “Akin Ka Na Lang” by Itchyworms, “Lost In Space” by Lighthouse Family , “Don’t Give Up On Us” by David Soul and “Tensionado” by Soapdish. In addition, you surely wouldn’t want to let go of JM’s collaboration with Acoustic Diva, Suy, in their version of special track, “Terrified”.

REEL DEAL: Ella Henderson Debuts With "Ghost"

A British singer-songwriter, Ella Henderson arrived with the release of her debut single, “Ghost” on June 8th through Syco Music.

Ella was a finalist on the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012 and finished in sixth place and subsequently signed to Syco Music. The single went straight to No. 1 in the UK.

Ghost is a song Ella co-wrote with Ryan Tedder, who was recently named Billboard’s songwriter of the year for his work with the likes of Beyoncé and Adele.  The collaboration came about after Ryan heard Ella’s voice on a Drake cover and said “It took listening to her sing half of a cover song to convince me she has an insanely bright future.” The pair started work on Ghost in a writing session in London and finished it when Ella flew to his hometown of Denver in January. “I was in the vocal booth in Ryan’s studio recording the vocals just as I turned 18, it was a surreal moment,” recalls Ella.

HEALTHY LYF: Lice infestation is rampant among Filipino students

Did you know that as many as 9 million Filipino school children were found to have head lice in year 2000? At the time, that represented 84 percent of the population of public school children in Metro Manila and some provinces. This was found by a study conducted by the Department of Education and the University of the Philippines. It’s such a big problem that head lice are considered the second biggest health concern among students, 7 to 12 years of age, after tooth decay.

In year 2014, with a bigger population of school children, the likelihood of spreading lice infestation among students is greater. And since our tropical climate worsens the itch we feel in our scalps, more students find themselves scratching their heads, and possibly transferring lice and nits or lice eggs (kuto and lisa) from their fingernails to their friends’, playmates’ and classmates’ hair and personal belongings including combs and hair accessories, and even school, PE, and sports uniforms, as well as jackets and sweaters. Students who go to sleepovers may catch lice from shared pillows and linen.

MUSIC LYF: An Evening with JOHN LEGEND in Manila

Everyone who comes across the song “All of Me” is inevitably bound to sing the song that peaked #1 on the iTunes and the Billboard Hot 100. With its saccharine lyrics and catchy melody, fastened with John Legend’s magnetic and powerful voice, “All of Me” effectively captivated the hearts of many and rendered itself a timeless love song. This September 26, critically acclaimed and multi-awarded singer-songwriter, John Legend, comes to Manila for his much-awaited “All Of Me World Tour”.

The platinum-selling R&B/soul artist sold seven million albums worldwide, and his magnificent works garnered him an outstanding award repertoire composed of nine Grammy Awards, three Soul Train Awards, the BET Award for Best New Artist, and the special Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. John Legend, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania who studied English and African American literature, showed his versatility by engaging in a wide variety of musical activities while in college. Also during college, singer-songwriter and rapper Lauryn Hill hired John Legend to play piano on her track called “Everything Is Everything”. Soon, he played shows around the Philadelphia area and eventually expanded his audience base to Washington D.C., New York, Boston, and Atlanta. 

MUSIC LYF: Brand New Script Music Video "Superheroes" Out Now

THE SCRIPT has premiered the video for Superheroes, their brand new single, and the first to be released from their highly anticipated fourth album NO SOUND WITHOUT SILENCE. Directed by Vaughan Arnell, the video was shot in Johannesburg, South Africa. The three-piece were ex-tremely thankful to all those they met whilst filming in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and have left with some everlasting memories.

The Script’s fourth album, No Sound Without Silence, is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders and channeling the momentum of their last, rocket-powered campaign. The trio of songwriters had so many ideas while touring last year, they were busting out of the specially built mobile recording studio they’d taken with them on the tour bus. They finished touring #3 at the end of last year, took a scant couple of weeks off, then quickly re-entered their studios in London and Dublin to begin work on the highly anticipated No Sound Without Silence.

WFP And USAID Hold Second National Forum On Disaster Preparedness and Response

Disaster Preparedness and Response (DPR) took centre stage this week as 150 delegates from national government, provincial, city, and municipal local government units (LGUs), academic institutions, and non-government organizations (NGOs) assembled for a national forum organized by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). This year’s national forum – the second of its kind – focused on the achievements and challenges of DPR practitioners and setting directions for the next year.