NETFLIX has announced that five Filipino movies will be available on the streaming service in June. The titles come from a “wide variety of genres from horror, comedy, to drama,” according to its regional acquisitions executive.

FILIPINO slang that means “just kidding,” the word “charot” is conveniently used to lighten things up and make them fun with the aim of reducing serious discussions into jokes. But PETA’s new political show Charot will take matters seriously.

GET YOUR #pinoypride engines roaring, people — Tanduay Distillers Inc., overtook Bacardi as the world’s bestselling rum brand. Tanduay sold 19.5 million cases of rum last year said a story on BusinessWorld on June 14. Here’s the catch: apparently, the export segment represented less than 1% of total sales, so it can be inferred that a large chunk of those 19.5 million cases were consumed in the country. Take that, Filipino livers.

WE ALL know where to get a Longchamp Le Pliage: Rustan’s. The question is, when to use them, and we believe the answer is anytime:...

SOCIAL MEDIA has greatly contributed to the burgeoning interest in Korean pop music worldwide.

KOREAN STAR Lee Seung Gi is one of the few celebrities who can really do almost everything. He is a multi-awarded actor, singer, host, and a favorite guest of reality shows and is also known in K-entertainment circles as a “triple threat.” The 32-year-old entertainer is also among the most bankable K-endorsers, selling almost anything from milk tea and ready-to-wear, to cosmetics and coffee. He was also at one point the face of Mercedes Benz, proving that while he can appear to be reckless in many television appearances, he also exudes class. He is a screen idol that appeals to almost all age groups, and his squeaky clean image has earned him the tag, “Nation’s Little Brother.”

JOEL LAMANGAN’s Rainbow’s Sunset is a convoluted story of a rich troubled clan, whose main conflict revolves around the family members’ having to deal with grandfather Ramon (played by Eddie Garcia), who comes out as gay and wants to live with his best friend and lover Fredo (Tony Mabesa) who is dying from cancer. But Ramon’s outing himself at the age of 84 (“It’s already 2018!”) should be the least of this family’s — and the audience’s — concerns because Rainbow Sunset doesn’t only feature a conflicted clan, but its storyline is problematic too.

EVERY TIME someone judges me for reaching for a bottle of Ginebra San Miguel (because I’m not handling a more expensive bottle), I point out the gold seal on the label (itself a work by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo). The gold seal is a Monde Selection medal awarded by Brussels-based institution International Institute for Quality Selections. Ronald Molina, Assistant Vice-President and Marketing Manager for Ginebra San Miguel summarizes the sensation: “The only thing cheap about Ginebra San Miguel is the price.”

IN WHAT can be called as a tribute to the classic family sitcoms of yesteryears — John en Marsha and Pido Dida, to name a few — TV5 tackles Filipino family comedy with its newest show, John en Ellen starring John Estrada and Ellen Adarna.

THAT one iconic role can catapult an artist’s popularity to unimaginable heights and earn him a spot among the elites. In the world of Korean drama, there are only a few actors whose portrayal created such impact that they continue to be recognized years after their series have ended.

IT’S IMPORTANT to take care of your health during this pandemic, but going to the palengke or supermarket to get fresh vegetables to do this may be difficult for some. It is also getting scary to go to such public places these days. Luckily, these days one can order one’s lettuce and broccoli, tomatoes and carrots online. Following is a list of stores and sellers from which you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits, and even some other treats. It also really helps the economy of local farming communities during this time since most of these sellers source their produce locally rather than importing them. (And for those who want ready-to-cook options, there are some resources listed at the bottom.)

THIS FILIPINO remake of the beloved 2013 Korean hit by Lee Hwan-kyung is just what we need for Christmas. Of course, it’s mostly fantasy, with its cuddly convicts improbably getting along in their still livable cells — a distant alternative reality from the usual hellish scenes in most Philippine penitentiaries where sweaty, scabies-ridden bodies pile on top of each other, and violence is the norm. The prison setting resonates as we have an inordinate number of low budget movies set in prisons, to judge from the daily morning lineup on a major network’s free movie channel. We’ve had at least four presidents who were in prison at some point in their lives. Here is a very different kind of prison from what the movies usually bring us. Escapist entertainment, indeed, but then we all need a break.