POSTPONED for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Book Awards ceremony returned for its 39th year, holding its awarding ceremony online on July 30. The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) awarded 27 winners in 25 categories.

LONDON — Self-described working class playwright Kieton Saunders-Browne used to think the Edinburgh Fringe wasn’t for people like him —  until a fund set up to draw a more diverse cast of performers to the world’s largest arts festival stepped in to help.

JOSEPH THE DREAMER is Trumpets’ longest running musical. It debuted in 1989 and had many re-runs over the decades. In 1999, Gary Valenciano brought pure energy and star power to the title role.

AFTER its soft opening in December 2021, Ayala Museum is now fully operational with the opening of the 4th floor, which houses the museum’s revamped permanent exhibitions on Philippine pre-colonial gold, indigenous textiles, and Southeast Asian trade ware ceramics from the museum’s collection.

ON an ordinary day, vehicles pass by the Old Presidencia in Makati City and their passengers seldom notice the presence of the historic structure. But if they slow down — or better yet, stop and enter — they will learn about its role in the development of one of the country’s richest cities.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. —  Elvis Presley experts and historians have long known about a collection of jewelry the singer gave to his manager Colonel Tom Parker.

ON July 9, the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary held a classical music concert entitled A Rebirth: A Classical Concert For A Cause to raise funds for the rejuvenation of their Learning Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Sanctuary Garden in Baguio City.

THIS year, six Filipino artists each co-wrote and produced a song with a music fan on the sixth season of Coke Studio Philippines, with the results out in the Fan Collaborated Coke Studio EP.

SET during Martial Law and following the struggles of student activists under the dictatorship, Katips: The Movie premieres in cinemas on Aug. 3.

NICHELLE Nichols, whose portrayal of starship communications officer Lieutenant Uhura in the 1960s sci-fi TV series Star Trek and subsequent movies broke color barriers and helped redefine roles for Black actors, has died at age 89, her family said.

THE SEARCH for representatives to compete for the four beauty pageant crowns of Miss International, Miss Intercontinental, Miss Globe, and Miss Grand International ended last Sunday as Binibining Pilipinas crowned four winners at the Araneta Center.

THE COUNTRY’S first and only 24-hour comedy channel, BuKo, is now a year old. Launched on Aug. 2, 2021 by Cignal TV and APT Entertainment, Inc., BuKo has brought laughter to multi-platform audiences on Cignal and SatLite Pay TV, and on the video streaming service Cignal Play.