THE CALENDAR of events of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is full of dance and music as it gears up for the long-overdue rehabilitation of its Main Building, which includes closing its theaters and other indoor venues starting January 2023.

THE INAUGURAL performance in the CCP Special Concert Series on Sept 7, 7:30 p.m. at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Black Box Theater) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines features soprano Stefanie Quintin.

STORIES about a missing corpse, a sex worker and her cat, and an OFW neanderthal are among the six short films that will be shown at this year’s QCinema International Film Festival (QCinema). This as the festival is set to bring back its full-length film competition after a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

VENICE —  Celebrated US filmmaker Paul Schrader is known for writing strong male leads, but at the age of 76, he has decided to head into uncharted territory and produce a screenplay with a female protagonist.

THE SECOND leg of Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Filipino, a program by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) that aims to bring back the most important restored films of Philippine Cinema to the big screen, will kick off on Sept. 25.

THE PREMIERE episode of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” establishes its central themes of gender and power in a bloody fashion. Its shocking depiction of a fatal cesarean birth is notable for its brutality — but also for how it reflects on histories of pregnant representation and reproductive politics.

A 2022 survey of Gen Z Filipinos on the dating app Tinder found that 73% of respondents prefer knowing how their date feels about them, while 70% said they would like their date to prioritize making time for them. 

ALMOST 10 years in the industry has got to mean something. Last week, Rustan’s Beauty Addict, the loyalty program for Rustan’s The Beauty Source (the source of luxury beauty brands like La Mer, Chanel, and Tom Ford in the country) celebrated almost 10 years of beauty since its founding in 2013 in an event at the Shangri-la Plaza Rustan’s branch with games at beauty counters to win prizes.

SKINCARE has always been a very important part of my daily routine because I believe that feeling beautiful starts with feeling good about yourself. Yes, I’m a believer of the good ‘ol “skincare is self-care” adage.

FRIENDS Burt Chua, Kenneth Toh, and Richmond Chong started an online marketplace for men’s grooming last year. Doppkit (doppkit.co), the online store they founded brings cult skincare lines like Anthony, Reyal, and Groomed Man Co.’s all in one place.

NEW YORK —  From glossy magazine covers to generation-defining on-court styles, Serena Williams took a bow at the US Open on Friday, having rewritten the fashion playbook for female athletes while building an empire of her own.

FAST fashion, or the mass production of cheap clothing, has contributed to textile waste, water and microfiber pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation on a global scale.