Upcoming RICHARD GUTIERREZ, SARAH LAHBATI WEDDING Has THREE PRESIDENTIAL SPONSORS

While the Filipino showbiz community might still be fawning over while talking about the now-over a week-old “secret” wedding between Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli, they are aware that those two are not the only celebrity couples with plans to tie the knot. Another nuptials coming really soon, and one that does not need to be kept under wraps (completely), is the impending union between ABS-CBN actor Richard Gutierrez and fellow former GMA7 talent Sarah Lahbati next month. The wedding is expected to be epic, as fitting for the son of a veteran legend of Philippine cinema, but the principal sponsors feature some hard-hitting names of an executive nature too.

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SAMSUNG to Address REVIEWS Citing PROBLEMS with GALAXY S20 CAMERA SYSTEM

It is starting to seem like South Korean smartphone maker Samsung is getting into the habit of fixing flaws in their mobile devices before they even hit shelves. Last year, after advance reviewers cited weaknesses in the assembly of the Galaxy Fold phone tablet, Samsung recalled shipped units and spent a few months strengthening the folding-screen mechanism. That might be understandable for an exotic uncommon device, but the trend has repeated itself on their latest next-gen smartphone the Galaxy S20. Reviewers have noticed some buggy features with the phone cam system, something the company has promised to fix before release.

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ABS-CBN’s “A SOLDIER’S HEART” Gets POSITIVE Reacts from REAL ARMY Personnel

ABS-CBN has never been one to shy from portraying controversy, real or fictional, on their programming. For example, many of the characters and plot arcs featured on their primetime tele-serye “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” have elicited reactions ranging from raised eyebrows to threats from the PNP to pull out creative support for unflattering portrayals. But their more recent war drama soap, “A Soldier’s Heart,” looks to top that with its story beats of Islamist militant extremists, bloody battle scenes and the dark secrets of the military. Yet somehow, this tele-serye has gotten the thumbs up from real-life soldiers, despite all that.

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DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL “THE PROUD FAMILY” to be REVIVED on DISNEY+

From 2001 to 2005 “The Proud Family” aired two seasons’ worth of animated family sitcom goodness for Disney Channel. This is notable for two major reasons. First, “Proud Family” is argued to be the first animated cartoon to feature an African-American family as the leads (compared to Filmation’s “Fat Albert” back in the Seventies which had an African-American cast). Second, this was the first animated Disney Channel Original series (though its creator Bruce W. Smith came close to piloting the show on Nickelodeon). It has been a decade and a half since the series ended, but it looks like the Prouds are coming back, this time for streaming on Disney+.

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HONDA PHL Workers Worry for Future After ASSEMBLY PLANT CLOSURE

The city of Santa Rosa in Laguna at first glance seems like a spender’s paradise in the Philippines, having large-scale amenities such as a local theme park in the vein of Disneyland, attracting tourists from out of town. But even the Sta. Rosa residents can afford such thanks to employment provided by major businesses in the community. One of these is Japanese automaker Honda, which has an assembly plant in the city along with several others. The Honda assembly plant has been a generous provider of work for Sta. Rosa, which is why the employees are very upset and concerned about the plant’s announced closure.

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“THE MANDALORIAN” Season 2 Has JAMES MANGOLD, ROBERT RODRIGUEZ Directing Scenes

It has been two months since it finished airing as one of the earliest original series on Disney+ streaming, but viewers and critics are still gushing over “The Mandalorian,” a spinoff show to the “Star Wars” franchise taking place between the Original and Sequel trilogies, the latter of which also concluded in December last year. The concept of the series, as a space-opera take on the Japanese samurai franchise “Lone Wolf and Cub,” was so positively received that a second season was obviously green-lit. Also praised was the ensemble of directors that worked on individual episodes, and it looks like that staple will not just carry over, but grow bigger.

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PREQUEL Announced for the 2013 STAR CINEMA Hit Comedy Drama Film “FOUR SISTERS AND A WEDDING”

Back in 2013, ABS-CBN Films and Star Cinema premiered, as their mid-year cinematic offering for Filipino moviegoers, a quirky comedy-drama about four estranged sisters and their youngest sibling’s impending marriage. But while initially gathered from their current residences around the world to join the celebration, the sisters decide the bride is an ill match for their baby brother and decide to sabotage the nuptials, only to dig up old wounds that initially drove them apart. “Four Sisters and the Wedding” was a solid hit locally and internationally, which might be why the studio is revisiting the characters in a prequel.

ABS-CBN News reports that “Four Sisters and a Wedding” will be getting a follow-up set 10 years earlier, called “Four Sisters Before the Wedding.” This was announced by Star Cinema Thursday, February 27, with both an understandably new main cast and new director. Gisele Andres is taking over from celebrated Kapamilya filmmaker Cathy Garcia-Molina, and will oversee a prequel storyline a full decade before the events of the Wedding, explaining how the titular four sisters, who eventually mended fences after friction between them in the original movie, ended up being so embittered towards one another that they went their separate ways in the first place.

The new cast is comprised of Alexa Ilacad as the younger Bobbie (played by Bea Alonzo), Gillian Vicencio as the young Alex (originally Angel Locsin), Belle Mariano as the young Gabbie (Shaina Magdayao), and finally Charlie Dizon as the young Teddie (Toni Gonzaga). Andres was originally an assistant director to Garcia-Molina in the first film while SCX, a new filmmaking sub-unit under ABS-CBN Films and Star Cinema, will produce the prequel movie. No further information regarding the production timetable of “Four Sisters Before the Wedding” and its eventual cinematic premiere have been shared thus far.

Image courtesy of Inquirer.net

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TENNIS Superstar MARIA SHARAPOVA RETIRES

It is an ironclad fact that not all people could stay in a career forever, be it in business or in the more active world of sports. Particularly for athletes, the advancing of age will eventually wear down on their physical condition until they would have to retire. The question then is when the right time to retire from a sport would be. For some sportsmen, they tend not to wait long, like the late Kobe Bryant who left the NBA in his late 30s. Another great from another sport seems to agree with retiring at that decade: Maria Sharapova.

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Looking In On SARAH GERONIMO and MATTEO GUIDICELLI, After the WEDDING

It is technically close to a week now since a little bit of planning, a little bit of secrecy and plenty of gutsy determination led to singing-acting sensation Sarah Geronimo and her fiancé, actor Matteo Guidicelli, finally tying the know last week Thursday, February 20, after a long-running relationship and announcing their engagement November 2019. While the ceremony itself went off without a hitch, the immediate aftermath saw a little incident that may have justified the now-newlywed couple’s decision for subterfuge. With the excitement having calmed days following the wedding, we can take stock now of the circumstances surrounding the Sarah-Matteo union, before and after.

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Next “SIMPSONS” Episode Pokes FUN at MARVEL Movies Under DISNEY

When it comes to taking shots at notable pop culture developments in the real world, no TV series have been quite as beloved in doing so like long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” This was made evident in the wake of the acquisition by Disney of the media assets of Fox, of which it was one of the media content included. Homer Simpson welcoming the new “Disney overlords” in a short clip was a mere taste of the lampooning potential for “The Simpsons” being under Disney. Now the gloves are off with the reveal of the upcoming episode for their ongoing 31^st season, airing next Sunday.

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GRAB to Improve ONLINE FINANCE SERVICE Features Via $850-M INVESTMENT

When ride-hailing companies first introduced the idea of having customers use a mobile app to call for a ride, it did not take long for that aspect of the business to begin evolving. Such tech companies have hit upon creating a “super app,” one that is able to perform any business transaction for their users online, from arranging transportation to having food and other product orders delivered. Services such as digital payments and financial assistance are also being considered. Singaporean-based ride-hailing company Grab has been building up their app’s multi-functionality to get a leg up on regional rival GoJek, and they have just gotten funding to add financial services features.

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“JURASSIC WORLD 3” Subtitle “DOMINION” Revealed on FILMING Day One

While initially thought to have reached a creative dead end with its third installment, the “Jurassic Park” film franchise that sprung from the imagination of Steven Spielberg for Universal Pictures found a new lease on life with “Jurassic World” in 2015: a distant sequel and soft reboot of the storyline starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. The movie revived interest in the franchise famous for its cloned (in-universe) or CGI (real-life) living dinosaur visuals, leading to the 2018 direct sequel “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” Considering the setting-changing ending to that film, fans are curious as to what the in-production “Jurassic World 3” would hint at with its accompanying subtitle.

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BEERMEN Ponder PBA Philippine Cup Prospects Without FAJARDO After Injury

It is just over a week from now before the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) starts its 2020 season, a bit later than usual due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. The Philippine Cup, the first seasonal conference title to be contested, will have the teams compete for domination without any of the ace imports they would have in roster for the other two conferences. It is supposed to be a time for pure Pinoy power to carry the day, but for the San Miguel Beermen, they are looking at a tough run at the conference without their big man around.

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“THE BACHELOR” Producers on ABC Start CASTING Call for Possible SPINOFF Edition with SENIOR Participants

When one thinks of the reality dating-relationship show “The Bachelor” on ABC, it is plain that the now-multi-program franchise was built on eye-candy and fan-service. Whether it is the classic format of a hot guy surrounded by sexy babes vying to avoid elimination and be the last remaining contender to become his girlfriend, or the reverse of a single lady fawned over by an army of hunks in the distaff “Bachelorette” spinoff, the idea is popular enough to be played out in numerous variations and in different international editions too. But the core concept of hot young adults trying to find “love” is a constant.

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TOKYO OLYMPICS Could Face CANCELLATION if COVID-19 Still Problematic by MAY

There is no delicate way to say much the ongoing outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus has ruined many plans and schedules for events to take place within this year for a start. A major tech and business event such as the Mobile World Congress in Spain was cancelled for fear of spreading the infection (since several Chinese companies were exhibiting). In sports, a number of sporting events both national and regional in Asia have either been postponed or called off. But the big cheese of sports this year, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, seems determined to keep the course of opening in July, or so until a new announcement.

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BOB IGER STEPPING DOWN as DISNEY CEO; Bob Chapek Taking Over

Those who would keep track of recent developments in the mighty entertainment umbrella of The Walt Disney Company would agree that many of its notable power moves in the last two decades were carried out under the oversight of its executive chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who has been at the post since the previous decade. Opening new theme parks around the world and acquiring major media producers Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20^th Century Fox have been the highlights of Iger’s illustrious career as Disney boss. But all good things come to an end, such as Iger beginning is eventual departure.

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GARY V Deliberating on Whether or NOT to Stage 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT Amid COVID-19 Scare

The 2019 novel coronavirus, now officially designated COVID-19, has been steadily wreaking havoc with the daily lives of people all over the world ever since if first flared up in Wuhan, China late last year. The disorder this disease has wrought during its outbreak has affected many things, from major concerns such as national economies of countries with confirmed COVID-19 cases, to the postponement or even outright cancellation of sporting events and special occasions like concerts and the like. This year would mark four decades in Philippine showbiz for “Mister Pure Energy” Gary Valenciano, but now he must decide if an anniversary concert is worth the risk of spreading COVID-19.

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Tears of SORROW and JOY at MONDAY KOBE BRYANT MEMORIAL Service

Owing to the massive celebrity star power he had garnered throughout his life, it was understandable that the surviving family of retired LA Laker and legendary NBA player Kobe Bryant decided to hold a private funeral service and burial for him and his daughter Gianna this early February, short of a full month after their accidental deaths in a helicopter crash in January 26. But it would do a disservice to fans if they never got to pay tribute to his memory. Thus a special memorial service was tendered to Kobe this Monday morning at the Lakers’ home, Staples Center.

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New BTS ALBUM Charts Record-Breaking FIRST-DAY SALES of 2.65M Copies

This past weekend, South Korean boy band sensation BTS asserted their global K-Pop fan domination anew with the release of their seventh studio album. “Map of the Soul: 7” (seventh album overall but only fourth in Korean) has been promoted to absolute levels ever since it was first announced last month, with its first single “Black Swan” debuting on January 17. Said song got plenty exposure for its album and itself thanks to a companion “art film” and a performance of it by the group on James Corden’s “Late Late Show.” There was no doubt then that the BTS Army would come buying in force.

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NETFLIX Introducing TOP10 Media List on Homepage for Subscriber Reference

There is without a doubt that Netflix, likely the first word that comes to mind when talking about digital online media streaming, is one of the biggest such platforms in the world today. Not even the removal of certain content from their library to be transferred to other label-exclusive streaming services has diminished their position, thanks to their massive output of original productions. Yet amazingly, the hype concerning their massive streaming viewership is not always accompanied by hard figures. And when some stats are given, they tend to be inflated such as the viewer count for Netflix’s “The Witcher” series.

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DITO TELECOMMUNITY Says 2020 Launch “TECHNICAL” ONLY; Real Launch MARCH 2021

One generalization of the policies being pushed and supported by President Rodrigo Duterte is that he wants certain status quos to be upended. One such case is the established duopoly in the Philippines in terms of telecommunication services. That means the only companies getting real business are PLDT/Smart and Globe Telecom, with their clients infamously tending to just bounce between them as desired. To break that, a move was made for the government to aid the rise of a third major telecom firm, which was achieved with the formation of DITO Telecommunity, formerly Mislatel. The third telco was supposed to begin offering business this year, but they have surprising news.

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“PARASITE” to Have EXCLUSIVE Streaming Home in HULU this April

The hype may have died down, but the mark on history is now indelible, with Bong Joon-ho and his South Korean movie “Parasite” now the first non-English movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards (in addition to Best Foreign Feature, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Bong). In addition to the accolades, the film has also done well in the Asia-regional box office for a start. It is therefore expected that many other movie hounds would be interested in watching “Parasite” on streaming. While it would be nice if the movie was made widely available, exclusivity is the game these days, with “Parasite” going to one platform.

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HONDA PHILIPPINES Closing LOCAL ASSEMBLY this MARCH After 30 YEARS

One indicator that a country at the barest minimum has made significant inroads towards industrialization is the presence of large-scale assembly infrastructure, be it for locally-originating products or locally-manufactured stuff of foreign branding. On that note, the Philippines had the good fortune in decades past to be home to car assembly plants by major international brands such as Honda. Their assembly facility is located at Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It ought to be a point of pride that the Philippines can make its own Honda vehicles. But owing to current economic circumstances, that Laguna Honda plant will be closing its doors.

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“SUPERGIRL” Ponders WHAT IF Scenarios Concerning LENA in 100th EPISODE

This past Sunday saw a momentous milestone for one of the DC superhero series comprising the “Arrow” verse in The CW: “Supergirl” starring Melissa Benoist. While it is currently in the middle of its fifth season, in terms of the entire series run the episode that aired February 23 is the 100^th total. It is therefore an easy bet that it will feature a special storyline, as evidenced when Mr. Mxyzptlk (Thomas Lennon) appears before Kara (Benoist) at the end of the previous episode. What we get is a Super retooling of “It’s a Wonderful Life” that is dark, gritty, and just what Kara needs to re-evaluate a broken friendship.

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GILAS Beats INDONESIA in First Game for FIBA ASIA CUP Qualifiers

The FIBA yearly calendar is always so busy, with national teams gathering together for some regional tournaments in between the basketball World Cup that happens every four years, as well as the qualifier competitions that play out before each major cup. The next FIBA World Cup is in 2023, while the next Asia Cup is next year, and that is the contest that the national men’s basketball team Gilas is concentrating on, seeing as they are not in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. But first they have to go through the qualifiers, and their recent game against Indonesia has promising potential.

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HBO MAX Confirms “FRIENDS” REUNION SPECIAL in Production for Launch

Being mostly a product of the 1990s, the stories and situations that can be seen in classic NBC sitcom “Friends” might feel a little bit behind the times now. But the central theme of a close-knit group of young adults who know each other well and have one another’s backs is practically a timeless thing. It is for the sake of that timeless appeal during the silver anniversary of “Friends” that the creative team has been trying to assemble the classic cast for a reunion special on HBO Max, the upcoming streaming home of the series when it launches. Despite some hiccups, it seems the production is now officially confirmed.

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PUSSYCAT DOLLS Having First PHILIPPINE CONCERT Since 2009 this MAY

Filipinos are quite familiar with seeing dance troupes being developed further into ensemble talent groups that are able to sing (and thus record songs) or even act in film and television. They have seen this happen to some success with the Universal Motion Dancers of the 1990s and the SexBomb Girls in the 21^st Century. This can be seen overseas as well, with the Pussycat Dolls transitioning from being a burlesque troupe to a sexy pop girl band, or less generously “singer Nicole Scherzinger and backup dancers” by the time the team split up in 2010. But a successful reunion has now led to them taking a surprise concert tour.

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“SONIC THE HEDGEHOG”: “Gotta Go FAST” to WATCH and REWATCH

The history of live-action Hollywood adaptations of videogame franchises has been a bumpy and mostly disappointing one. From the first head-scratching attempt in 1993 with “Super Mario Bros.” by Disney’s Hollywood Pictures label and Buena Vista distribution, major studios have tried again and again to bring videogame magic to the screen with mixed results. Some are critically favored by the gamer fandom, even if they did not make much box office-wise; others simply did not try hard. Not until last year did Warner Bros. score a significant critical and financial success with “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu,” proving that videogame movies, when done right and with love, can be box office juggernauts.

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SARAH GERONIMO and MATTEO GUIDICELLI: YES, They Did Get MARRIED

Secret weddings are one of the more exotic clichés in many a story of love, both fictional and real-life. Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare’s play resorted to one on account of their feuding families, as an example of the first case. In the real world, that tactic was used this week by Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli, roughly three months since they announced their engagement late last year. Subterfuge was deemed necessary due to a cold reception to their relationship from Sarah’s mother. Following a routine workday at ABS-CBN network, Geronimo would meet up with Matteo for a civil ceremony on Thursday night.

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TONY HAWK Mistaken for Celebrity Singer in His Elimination from “THE MASKED SINGER” Season 3

One of the best elements of “The Masked Singer” on Fox is the variable level of challenge in trying to determine the identity of the costume celebrity contestants singing their hearts out on stage. Even with the mandatory talking segments where the competitors drop hints both verbal and material for the panel and audience to pick up on, the possibility of guessing right is never consistent easy nor difficult. On the third week of the show, the deduction turned out to be a bit harder than usual, with none of the regular panelists ever getting right who was under the mask of the eliminated singer.

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MARCELITO POMOY Going on US CONCERT TOUR Starting in JUNE

In the aftermath of season 2 of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” on NBC, the US and possibly much of the world would already know the name of Marcelito Pomoy. While the season 2 champion of “Pilipinas Got Talent” on ABS-CBN in 2011 did not win or place in the Top 3, he has already cemented a solid fan following thanks to his rare falsetto range that has gotten rave reviews for helping him do one-man duets. Pomoy himself is not that broken up about not becoming “world champion” for “Got Talent,” but it is just as well; he is busy enough with touring anyway.

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“STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS” FINAL Season on DISNEY+ Starts FRIDAY

A long time ago (1976 to be exact), in a desert location in Tunisia, not so far away compared to the sci-fi space opera setting of his story, filmmaker George Lucas began filming what would be the first movie in a massive juggernaut franchise spanning nine movies divided into three trilogies, plus various spinoffs like standalone features and animated series. While the nine-film episodic “Skywalker Saga” was completed last year, there is still an unfinished segment in the overall story, that of the 3D-animated “Clone Wars” series that aired on various platforms from 2009 to 2014. Finally however, it all comes to end starting Friday.

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LYCEUM UNIVERSITY Developing 4-YEAR BACHELOR’S COURSE for E-SPORTS this School Year

Have you ever considered playing videogames competitively as an earning profession? Such a thing has already been popular in many areas of the world since the 1970s. But it was the emergence of multiplayer networked and online games as the game platform of choice that led to its current incarnation as E-sports. Now, its footprint has grown so big that at the recent SEA Games E-sports became a medal event, with the International Olympic Committee actually discussing following suit. Whether for national recognition or making a living, E-sports are now a thing. So would you believe it that a Philippine university is working on a possible E-sports college degree course?

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“RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE FINAL” and “THE BEGINNING” Movies Get FIRST TRAILER

Back in the 1990s there was a certain anime series that caught quite a significant portion of the world by storm. “Rurouni Kenshin,” initially marketed in the West as “Samurai X,” this anime based on the original manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki won plenty of fans with its story of the adventures of a retired master swordsman and assassin along with his circle of friends in Meiji-era (late 19^th Century) Japan. A new generation also fell in love with the franchise following the release of a live-action film trilogy from 2012 to 2014. But the story there is far from over.

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“RAP GOD” by EMINEM Has Gotten Over 1B YOUTUBE VIEWS

Marshall “Eminem” Mathers is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in rap not just in the US but around the world. While initially notorious and infamous for his foul-mouthed lyrics he nevertheless cemented himself as a major music artist, evidenced by “Lose Yourself” winning a Best Original Song Academy Award in 2003. Eminem could not perform the song at Oscar Night then, but finally did so in the 90^th Awards earlier this month. His songs are also big hits in YouTube, if the recent 1-billion-view milestone of a music video of his, the third to do so, is any indication.

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JULIA BARRETTO Talks About JOSHUA GARCIA, “I AM U” on iWANT

“Amicable exes” is one of the most positively heartwarming things to see when it comes to the entertainment industry. Seeing a romantic tandem, whether it began onscreen or off, or both, still remaining chummy with one another even after the love has gone and they have moved on, can certain warm one’s heart and leave a promise that perhaps they might work well together again (if only in casting at least). Such could be said for Julia Barretto, who considers herself a shipper on deck for her own ex Joshua Garcia, now that he is successfully paired with Janella Salvador.

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“DEATH OF NINTENDO” from BLACK SHEEP PRODUCTIONS Debuting in BERLIN FILM FEST

Black Sheep Productions, the independent movie production division of Star Cinema, has already given moviegoers some quality films to watch since it started out in 2018. So far they have captivated audiences with some love story fare, for example romantic drama like “Alone/Together” starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. They have also ventured into laugh-out-loud comedy such as “The Panti Sisters” with Christian Bables, Martin del Rosario and Paolo Ballesteros as gay siblings forced to marry women for a chance to inherit big money. They have also exhibited overseas, such as a period film premiering in this year’s Berlin International Film Festival: “Death of Nintendo.”

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“HIGH TENSION”: MUSIC VIDEO of Newest Single from MNL48 Group RELEASED

J-Pop fans would most likely be in the know about AKB48, the massive over-hundred-strong girl idol group from Japan, based in Akihabara that was conceptualized on the idea of “idols you can meet.” Such has been the positive reception of the conceit that a girl group with massive membership can rotate rosters and perform in several venues simultaneously as smaller teams, that several spinoff “sister groups” under license with the original AKB’s management AKS, first in Japan and then in several Asian cities, including Manila with MNL48 under ABS-CBN’s Star Music. Announced in 2016 with auditions the following year, MNL48 debuted in 2018 and released several singles to great success.

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MICROSOFT’s Latest Mobile OFFICE App Suite Released for iOS, ANDROID

While mobile operating systems usually are not the primary platform for dedicated office-work, there have been many office suite applications made available for them over the years. The popularity and longevity of such mobile-use suites depend on how well their interface works with touchscreens (and in the case of tablets, accessory keyboards) when it comes to word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Even Microsoft has its hat in the ring by developing mobile versions of their MS Office suite as unified mobile app. The latest version is now ready for release this week and thus far, opinions have it as the best mobile Office app yet.

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HARRY STYLES of ONE DIRECTION Survives a MUGGING in LONDON

Even though One Direction, the boy band that made him and his mates into household names in the UK and the world, has been on indefinite hold since 2016, Harry Styles has been a very busy entertainer. He has released his own solo music to great success and even broke into an unexpected corner in acting with “Dunkirk” in 2017. His second album released last year is the current biggest sales debut for a UK music artist in the US. Everything has been swimming for Styles, which is why it was great fortune indeed that made it through a recent robbery attempt unscathed.

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TEAM PH Lineup for 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS 3x3 BASKETBALL Revealed

Even in the face of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee and its local Japanese counterpart has not been deterred from keeping to the schedule of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in the middle of this year. It is just as well considering the number of new sporting events that will be introduced for competition there, including half-court 3x3 basketball. The Philippines is assembling its own little roster for 3x3 play, taking talent from both the PBA and the one-year-old 3x3 league. But first these players have to get through the Olympic Qualifiers happening next month.

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JETPACK Designer Takes Creation on Successful TEST FLIGHT OVER DUBAI

Flying vehicles are a mundane sight in our modern world, but even with the advances in aircraft, helicopters, gliders and many more. But there are still the romanticists who dream of practical personal means of flight, with devices either ridden upon or worn on the person. Franky Zapata was a poster boy of the former method, developing his originally water-powered Flyboard sea ride into a hoverboard with which he crossed the English Channel last year. Of the latter, more fantastical mode, there is Vince Reffet, who recently has launched in a prototype winged jetpack from a starting position in the ground, to flying over Dubai.

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BTS Guesting on “CARPOOL KARAOKE” with JAMES CORDEN Next Week

James Corden of “The Late Late Show” on CBS has got some pretty popular segments on his evening talk show. One of them is “Carpool Karaoke,” a skit where Corden picks up a celebrity (or a bunch of them) in his car, then has them singing to several songs while on the road (as it were), with music artist passengers likely to sing their own songs. The guests have ranged from the cast of “Hamilton” to Michelle Obama, with the atmosphere ranging from pure hilarious fun to bittersweet (like the episode of the spinoff Apple TV series that featured Linkin Park before the 2017 suicide of their vocalist Chester Bennington).

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BEN AFFLECK Reflects on WHY HE QUIT Being “BATMAN” in DCEU

Last week, interested fans got to see the angst-ridden “vegetarian” vampire transform into a bat-motif dark knight, as Matt Reeves, director of “The Batman” for Warner Bros. Pictures, shared the first screen test of lead star Robert Pattinson (“Twilight” saga) in a new iteration of the bat-suit. Amid appreciation and commentary on how the British actor looks in costume, there has been speculation on how the pervious Batman actor, Ben Affleck, has been following his departure from starring and directing in the project, with his last appearance being in “Justice League” (2017). Recently the older movie star has made candid revelations regarding his time as Batman, and why he quit.

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“MOTORCYCLE TAXI PUV” BILL 1341 Being PUSHED by SENATORS for RATIFICATION

Years ago it started with Angkas, and nowadays there is a fledgling market and customer base for ride-hailing services that employ motorcycles as taxis. But the small industry has been under constant threat and pressure from public transportation regulators. Reasons given for not allowing the motorcycle taxi infrastructure to grow range from the platform having unfair advantage over four-wheeled vehicle taxis, and the matter of passenger safety beyond just providing them with helmets. A pilot program to test motorcycle taxi viability has been underway in Manila and Cebu, but with no conclusions drawn. In light of this the Senate has decided to force the issue.

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ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Confirms Upcoming ANIMATED Series for “OVERWATCH” and “DIABLO”

American videogame holding company Activision Blizzard has long built decades’ worth of popular game titles from the two entities that comprise it now, Activision and Blizzard. They have also made inroads into adapting some of their intellectual properties into other media, particularly the games from Blizzard. The results have been rather mixed, with the 2017 movie version of the strategy game “Warcraft” failing in reviews and US domestic box office but saved by better earnings overseas. There has been some buzz about more adaptations for Blizzard titles coming soon. This time they are going to take the animated approach, and of two distinct styles too.

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CONTESTANT List for the FIRST MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES Pageant Released

Last year, the long partnership between primary Philippine beauty pageant Binibining Pilipinas and global pageant organization Miss Universe diverged in separate paths. With a former Binibining Pilipinas – Universe, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, at its head, the new Miss Universe Philippines competition will from this year on choose the representative Filipina beauty queen who will vie for the Miss Universe crown. Their very first official pageant would serve to establish the style for Miss Universe Philippines in the same way Miss World Philippines did when it too broke off years earlier. One way to make an impression is with a formidable candidate list.

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MARCELITO POMOY Ends “AGT: THE CHAMPIONS” Campaign in 4th PLACE

From being a technical orphan, on account of an imprisoned father and a mother who abandoned him, Marcelito Pomoy would eventually become a viral singing sensation after joining ABS-CBN’s “Pilipinas Got Talent” season 2, thanks to his falsetto ability enabling him to do solo “duets” with alternating male tenor and female “soprano” voices. He would once again showcase this amazing skill before a global audience when he joined the second season of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” this start of the year. Three times he sang dual-voiced before the “AGT” audience, and in the Finals night he placed just short.

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First TRAILER Revealed for SPIELBERG’S “AMAZING STORIES” REBOOT from APPLE TV+

Casual fans may know Steven Spielberg as a legendary filmmaker with plenty of hits to his name as either director or producer, but he is also a big name in terms of creating memorable television programming via his Amblin Entertainment. They might range from quirky animated series such as “Tiny Toon Adventures,” “Animaniacs” and “Freakazoid!,” to the 1980s anothology “Amazing Stories” which ran for two seasons on NBC and even won several Primetime Emmy Awards during its run. Barring a spinoff series based on one anthology episode that aired in the 1990s, nothing has been heard of “Amazing Stories” since its origin decade, until now.

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FRANCISCO MARTIN: NERVOUS Contestant is My BET to WIN “AMERICAN IDOL” Season 18 on ABC

Sometimes, the “original” thing, or show as it were, feels that it has always been the best, and so it is with “American Idol” which made reality singing competitions the thing. Its 18^th season overall, and third on current home network ABC, premiered this Sunday on February 16. The usual gang of host Ryan Seacrest and judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are back to once again find the best singing talent to flock to the competition for the audience to ultimately vote into the newest Idol on the block. If you ask me, my money is on this adorable but talented kid who gets nervous so easily.

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