Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016
New programs and initiatives on
Star World A
SIA’S most beloved general entertainment channel StarWorld celebrated its newest programs and initiatives with a huge party at the Valkyrie Nightclub in Bonifacio Global City on Oct. 11.
StarWorld has invited the country’s biggest celebrities, members of the press, and esteemed industry partners to attend this glitzy event and be introduced to the channel’s most exciting properties. Leading StarWorld’s excellent programming that includes premium dramas, comedies and reality shows is the channel’s newly launched wedding show She Said Yes!, which reveals the magic behind some of the Philippines’ most beautiful ceremonies. The Voice Season 11 is another new addition to StarWorld that has had huge audiences tuning in due to the powerhouse duo of new judges—Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys—that inject the show with a refreshing feminine energy. The channel has also kept in touch with the digital world by featuring on-air capsules hosted by the country’s top social
Former child star Antoinette Taus
Model and fashion journalist Apples Aberin and SVP GM Jude Turcuato
ARKEO Films’ newest production Apocalypse Child continues to win acclaim as it is the latest Filipino film to receive a grade of A from the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB). The grade entitles the movie, which opens in cinemas on Oct. 26, to get a 100-percent tax rebate. Apocalypse Child tells the story of Baler-based surfing instructor Ford (played by Sid Lucero) who is supposed to be the son of a famous American director. One summer, this often-told tale comes to fore as the instructor’s childhood friend Rich, now Congressman of Baler (played by RK Bagatsing), has pulled strings for the
Celebrity doctor Hayden Kho and pet stylist Tess Villareal
director to acknowledge Ford. Chona (Ana Abad Santos), the mother of Ford, is ecstatic. This development comes at a time when Rich is engaged to be married to Serena (Gwen Zamora), and Sid has a romantic affair with a young Fil-Am tourist Fiona (Annicka Dolonius). The Cinema Evaluation Board’s summation noted the excellence of the ensemble cast. The CEB said, “Aside from Lucero, also a standout was Gwen Zamora, leagues away from her Bubble Gang persona as she evokes a simmering sexiness… The support was also very good, from RK Bagatsing… to Ana Abad
media influencers, such as Ingrid Chua of The Bag Hag Diaries and Erwan Heussaff in The Fat Kid Inside. Another show that StarWorld will be producing soon is called Taste Travels featuring Cher Tiu. Starworld also launched its newest online lifestyle platform called The Girl On TV, which aims to offer the most entertaining and relevant content to its target audience of strong, adventurous and stylish women all in one home. Charo Espedido, director and head of Marketing and Programming at FOX Networks Group Philippines, said, “This event serves as a celebration of the successes of StarWorld. With our strong line-up of new programs and new initiatives to connect with our audiences on a digital platform, we are staying true to the claim that we are trendsetters within and outside pay TV. Our goal is to better reach our viewers with great content, and by so doing maintain our market leader status in the Philippines. We feel wonderful about sharing our successes with our industry partners, talents and the press.”
TV star and Smart LTE endorser Jasmine Curtis-Smith
Jasmine CurtisSmith in #SmarterDavao weekend “THANKS to #SmarterDavao, I was able to upload this video with Smart LTE,” said young actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith in her caption on an Instagram post showing her and the crowd that gathered at SM Lanang over the weekend during the #ConnectedDavao event. As a celebrity and online influencer, Jasmine needs the Internet to upload content for her social media accounts (Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) so fast and consistent Internet is a must. Jasmine also enjoys watching videos on YouTube and playing games on her phone when stuck in traffic or during shooting breaks. She’s subscribed to iFlix where she can watch her favorite movies and TV shows. With added Smart cell sites in Davao and with the city with full LTE signal, Jasmine was able to do just that. At SM Lanang, she updated her social media accounts easily. Jasmine got in touch with her loved ones in Manila and Australia via SMS and other messaging apps. “A seamless LTE connection is always important to me and I am glad that Smart has brought that to Davao City,” said Jasmine. Two lucky fans who won in the online car race had the chance to have selfies with Jasmine. The event also highlighted Smart’s full LTE rollout in Davao City. “Smart LTE will forever change the subscriber’s mobile experience. It enables you to surf the Net in ultrafast speeds of up to 42 mbps! That’s six times as fast as 3G,” said Katrina Luna-Abelarde, FVP and head of Wireless Consumer Operations for Smart. If Smart LTE is six times faster than 3G, imagine what it can do. If you work in Makati and live in Quezon City, that means you’re stuck in traffic four hours a day. Your mobile handset will be your landline to productivity and entertainment. On the way to work, you can check your email and respond to your messages on Viber and WhatsApp. On the way home, you can catch up on your favorite series or even do a bit of online shopping. The #ConnectedDavao event also featured experiential zones where subscribers can get to experience Smart’s products, services and innovations firsthand and a selling area. For more information, go to www.smart. com.ph.
Writer and host Stephanie Zubiri
“A” for ‘Apocalypse Child’
‘Apocalypse Child’ cast members Sid Lucero, RK Bagatsing, Ana Abad Santos, and Annicka Dolonius with the film’s co-writers during a promo tour
Santos as Ford’s mom… to Annicka Dolonius and Archie Alemania in their respective depictions of wasted but still hopeful youth.” The Board hailed the film’s production values. It described the editing as “sufficiently contained,” the cinematography as “imaginative,” and the music by Armi Millare of the band Up Dharma Down as “apt as it captured well the melancholic surf vibe.” The CEB praised the production design by artist Christina Dy for maximizing the scenic locale “to the hilt.” The members of the CEB also gave kudos to directorwriter Mario Cornejo
and co-writer-producer Monster Jimenez. The summation made a reference to the duo’s previous work, the 2005 Cinemalaya film Big Time, when it stated, “It is films like (Apocalypse Child) that remind us that there is always a fresh way of telling a story, and like the director’s maiden project with Monster Jimenez, Big Time, it is a potential sleeper and helps keep the indie spirit alive.” Apocalypse Child is distributed by Solar Entertainment Corporation. The movie is supported by Belo Sun Expert. For updates, like the Apocalypse Child Facebook page and check out its website apocalypsechild.com.