TV5 bags awards at Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021
THE ASIAN Academy Creative Awards 2021 — more commonly referred to as the Asian Emmys — recently named TV5 as recipient of five national awards in top categories. TV5 won Best Drama Series (Niña Niño), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Maja Salvador for Niña Niño), Best Non-Scripted Entertainment (Sing Galing), Best Adaptation of an Existing Format (The Wall Philippines), and Best Promo/Trailer (Iba sa 5). TV5 will be a representative of the Philippines at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021’s Grand Awards on Dec. 2, and the Gala Finals on Dec. 3. For more information, visit www.asianacademycreativeawards.com.
GMA Affordabox drops special Christmas promo
GMA NETWORK unveils a special Christmas promo as it offers GMA Affordabox, which has an SRP of P888, at a discounted price of P799 from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The network’s digital TV receiver, GMA Affordabox allows viewers to see shows and movies on GMA’s six digital channels — GMA, GTV, Heart of Asia, Hallypop, I Heart Movies, and DepEd TV — as well as other available free-to-air channels on digital broadcast, depending on their areas. GMA Affordabox also offers other features like the Personal Video Recorder which lets users record GMA programs. With the multimedia player, users can watch videos, listen to music, and view photos. GMA Affordabox also has a functional auto-on alert feature and a nationwide Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS) that receives alerts from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The GMA Affordabox is available in appliance stores and malls, or online via the official GMA Store website as well as on Shopee and Lazada.
GMA Network’s Heartful Café streams on Netflix
GMA NETWORK’S primetime series Heartful Cafe will start streaming on Netflix Philippines beginning Oct. 14. Following its well-received run at GMA since its premiere in April, Heartful Cafe joins the growing list of GMA shows on the video streaming platform. Directed by Mark Sicat Dela Cruz, the original series stars Julie Anne San Jose as an online romance novelist and coffee enthusiast who owns a cafe called the Heartful Café; and David Licauco as a competitive and goal-driven businessman who takes an interest in the café. Joining them in the series are EA Guzman, Ayra Mariano, Victor Anastacio, Angel Guardian, Zonia Mejia, and Jamir Zabarte.
iQiyi releases animé shows in October
ASIAN entertainment streaming platform iQiyi continues to expand its range of content with a fresh slate of anime available on demand. In the first nine months of 2021, iQiyi’s animé content drove strong viewership across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Animé content exceeded 650 million views with almost 95 million cumulative hours watched. For October, iQiyi’s year-end anime slate is led by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc, My Hero Academia films, as well as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Asakusa Arc and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Tsuzumi Mansion Arc movies. The list also features heroic-fantasy series Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Part 2) and How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, paranormal-themed The Vampire Dies in No Time and Mieruko-chan, along with light romance series My Senpai Is Annoying and Taisho Otome Fairy Tale, among 27 titles that are new on iQiyi. Highlights of the anime films on iQiyi are My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, One Piece Film: Z (2012), One Piece Film: Gold (2016), One Piece: Episode of East Blue (2017), One Piece: Episode of Skypiea (2018) and One Piece: Stampede (2019). In addition, Boruto-naruto Next Generations will also launch on the platform.
Viu Ph adds animé titles to online library
VIDEO-ON-DEMAND (VOD) streaming service Viu Philippines recently invested in growing its online library with some of the best mainstream and classic animé programs. Viu also offers its subscribers access to simulcasts of ongoing popular shows, as well as titles from childhood. Among the animé titles that are now available on Viu are: Detective Conan, One Piece, Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball Super, and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal. Other animé shows available on Viu include: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan, Black Clover, Hunter x Hunter, Haikyuu!!, Fairy Tail, Cells at Work!, One Punch Man, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Zombie Land Saga, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Mob Psycho 100, My Hero Academia, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World (Season 2), and Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, among others. Download the Viu app on App Store, Google Play, selected Smart TVs, and on the web at www.viu.com to access animé titles along with more premium Asian content.
One Dream: The BINI x BGYO Concert to be streamed
LESS than a year after their official launches, Filipino pop groups BINI and BGYO have had several milestones: BINI released a music video for its debut single, “Born to Win,” which was featured in MTV Asia last month and has already crossed one million views, while BGYO has landed on the number one spot on Billboard’s global Next Big Sound chart, coinciding with the release of its latest single, “The Baddest,” which just surpassed one million views on YouTube. Now the two groups will have a joint concert, One Dream: The BINI x BGYO Concert, which will be streamed worldwide on Nov. 6 and 7 on KTX.PH, iWantTFC, and TFC IPTV. The Nov. 6 show feature performances by each group, collaborations on fan-favorite songs, and numbers by surprise guest artists. On Nov. 7, BINI and BGYO will present more live collaborations, sub-unit performances, vocal showcases, and a fan meet on KTX.PH. SVIP tickets are priced at P1,950 or $39.99 which gives access to the two shows and the fan meet on KTX.PH. VIP tickets, meanwhile, cost P1,490 or $29.99 on KTX.PH, iWantTFC, and TFC IPTV and will provide access to the two shows. Before the November concert, both groups are coming out with full-length debut albums of all-original songs.
Shanti Dope collaborates with HELLMERRY
SHANTI Dope drops another single in October titled “Loaded” featuring the up-and-coming artist, HELLMERRY. In the song, Shanti gives listeners a glimpse of what it is like to live a successful life. Over the last five years, the rapper teamed up with Disney star Sabrina Carpenter on the song “Almost Love”; and his single “Amatz” was featured in the premiere season of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier earlier this year. “Amatz” also emerged on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales Chart as number 10. “Loaded” is available to stream on music streaming platforms.
Eve Alai releases latest single
SINGAPORE-BASED electronic music producer Eve Alai will light up the virtual dancefloor with his latest single “Touch Me,” to be released on Oct. 8 under Umami Records. It features vocals from Z. It is a “techno-inspired bop that underscores the healing power of being hopeful despite the trying times,” says a company release. “It was written originally as an R&B song,” Mr. Alai said in a statement. “I took that vocal and transformed it into a house track.” Pre-save “Touch Me” via Umami Records on https://www.umamirecords.sg/touch-me/.
Alex Mills releases house cut ‘Worst Enemy’
LONDON-BASED artist Alex Mills returns with brand new single “Worst Enemy,” which came out on Oct. 1 on Ultra. A vibrant house track, Mills combines her vocals with a lively and upbeat production. In the last few years Ms. Mills has featured on records from some of the biggest dance music artists, including Basement Jaxx, Hot Since 82, Camelphat, Sonny Fodera and Lee Foss. She has been called the “producers choice” of vocalist by dance music publication, Mixmag.
4 HBO Asia Originals screen at major int’l film fests
FOUR HBO Asia Original productions are debuting globally at prestigious international film festivals in Venice, Busan, and Tokyo. All four productions — Gensan Punch, On The Job, Folklore Season 2, and Forbidden will stream on HBO GO. Two of these productions — Gensan Punch and On The Job are in competition at some festivals. Gensan Punch is inspired by the true story about a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg who goes to the Philippines to train and pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. The film will have its world premiere in “A Window on Asian Cinema” section (Competition) at the upcoming 26th edition of Busan International Film Festival. It is also one of seven Asian films nominated for the Kim Jiseok Award in Busan. It will also screen in the “Gala Selection” (non-Competition) at this year’s 34th Tokyo International Film Festival. Starring Japanese actor Shogen, Gensan Punch is directed and produced by Brillante Ma. Mendoza. Gensan Punch will premiere on HBO GO and HBO in the next few months. Meanwhile, select episodes of the HBO Asia Original series On The Job were screened as On The Job: The Missing 8 in Competition at this year’s 78th Venice Film Festival in September, making it the only film from Asia out of the 21 international films Venezia 78. Its star, John Arcilla, won Best Actor. On The Job continues to be screened at other international film festivals including: the 26th Busan International Film Festival in Korea (Oct. 6 – 15) ad the 29th edition of Filmfest Hamburg in Germany (Sept. 30 – Oct. 9). Directed by Eric Matti, the six-part crime thriller series is inspired by true events and centers around crime syndicates that temporarily release contracted prison inmates to carry out political assassinations for those in power, except that the crime syndicates are run by politicians. Stream the series exclusively on HBO GO. Two episodes from the second season of the HBO Asia Original horror anthology series Folklore will have its world premiere at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan (Oct. 30 – Nov. 8). The two episode are directed by Seiko Matsuda and Singapore’s 2020 Young Artist Award recipient, Nicole Midori Woodford. The new season of Folklore continues to examine the human condition when exposed to supernatural phenomenon. Folklore Season 2 will premiere on HBO GO and HBO later this year. HBO Asia’s first Thai language original series Forbidden has been selected to make its world premiere at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in Korea. The screening of the series’ first two episodes is part of the first-ever “On Screen” section, which showcases anticipated drama series streamed over online video streaming platforms. Forbidden follows four friends who travel from Bangkok to a remote village in the mountains for the funeral of one members’ estranged father. Forbidden will premiere on HBO GO and HBO this year. HBO GO can be accessed via Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV — and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.
8Ventures CEO joins The Final Pitch
STARTING this month, 8Ventures Chairman and CEO Jay Ricky Villarante will be one of the top investor-judges of CNN Philippines’ The Final Pitch, the country’s first and only business reality TV show which brings together business owners and investors. During the show’s 7th season, aspiring entrepreneurs and startup owners will have the chance to pitch their ideas to the show’s investor-judges about their respective businesses and/or entrepreneurial ideas on-location at The Final Pitch’s studios. 8Ventures includes companies such as Paylance Inc., a bitcoin payments and rewards platform that lets users send money for free and earn bitcoins; Moneybees, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-licensed cryptocurrency exchange that is processing billions of pesos of transactions every year; and Secuna, a cybersecurity testing platform for SMEs, government agencies, banks, and multinational companies. The Final Pitch can be viewed on The Final Pitch YouTube channel with new uploads every Wednesday and Friday, 5 p.m. Joining Villarante as an investor-judge are Dave Almirol, Jr., founder and CEO of Multisys Technologies Corp.; Bernard Dy, Mayor of Cauayan City, Isabela; Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, SEVP-Chief Operating Officer of Wilcon Depot; and Dennis Uy, founder, and CEO of Converge ICT Solutions Inc.
Pokémon releases game updates
THE POKÉMON Company has just released updates for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl in a promotional video. Pokémon fans can find out more on the official introduction of Pokétch and Amity Square at Introducing Pokétch and Amity Square | Pokémon Brilliant DiamondPokémon Shining Pearl. More news is the inclusion of the all-purpose Pokétch, a handy gadget that’s loaded up with various apps, such as the Dowsing Machine to help find hidden items, and the Memo Pad that comes handy when it’s time to take some quick notes. In addition, players can now play with their Pokémon in Amity Square in Hearthome City. Meanwhile, the newest trailer of Nintendo Switch software Pokémon Legends: Arceus has been released. Pokémon fans may check out the trailer at Frenzied Pokémon nobles | Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
