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Petron looks for redemption as PSL Grand Prix starts

FELL short in last season’s edition of the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL) Grand Prix, the Petron Blaze Spikers look to redeem themselves when the 2018 edition of the tournament commences tomorrow at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Blaze Spikers, who wound up with a runner-up finish last time around, begin their campaign against the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors in the 4 p.m. game following that between the Generika-Ayala Life Savers and the Foton Tornadoes at 2 p.m.

Petron lost to eventual champions F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in their best-of-three finals series last year despite taking the opening game, something it hopes to make up for as it begins its bounce-back bid.

“Our campaign last year ended in a heartbreak so we will try our best to win it this time,” said Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, referring to the meltdown it had in the finals against F2 Logistics.

Back to lead the Blaze Spikers are stalwarts Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Frances Molina, Mika Reyes and Rhea Dimaculangan with imports Lindsay Stalzer and Hillary Hurley of United States and libero Yuri Fukuda of Japan backstopping them anew.

Petron though lost auxiliaries Mina Aganon to Foton and April Ross Hingpit, Bang Pineda and Marivic Meneses to Generika-Ayala, but acquired former University of Santo Tomas standout Chloe Cortez, Luth Malaluan and Pia Gaiser to boost their defense as well as backup setter Angelica Legacion.

GEORGE PASCUA-COACHED
On the part of Sta. Lucia, now coached by former Petron bench tactician George Pascua, it hopes to improve on its sixth-place finish in the 2017 PSL Grand Prix.

The Lady Realtors recruited veterans Michelle Laborte and Rubie de Leon to boost their roster, joining mainstays MJ Philips, Rebecca Rivera, Pamela Lastimosa and Jonah Sabete and imports Marisa Field and Kristen Moncks of Canada and Bohdana Anisova of Ukraine.

“We want to see Micmic (Laborte) and Rubie mentoring our young players. We have a promising young setter in Rebecca while MJ might see a lot of minutes at the middle with the presence of the imports. So I want to see Rubie and Micmic take these young players under their wings,” said Mr. Pascua, who is also the new coach of the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Generika-Ayala will also have a new coach when it takes the PSL floor anew as UAAP coach Sherwin Meneses has taken the place of Francis Vicente at the Life Savers’ helm.

He will be assisted by former Iriga City mentor Parley Tupas with Katarina Pilepic of Croatia, Kimberly Gutierrez of Mexico and Darlene Ramdin of Trinidad and Tobago as imports and Angeli Araneta, Ria Meneses, Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain leading the local crew.

Its first opponent, Foton, made a coaching change as well with Rommel Abella now the coach in place of Serbian coach Moro Branislav who is now handling the Cocolife Asset Managers.

The Tornadoes will have Brooke Kanda of the United States, Elizabeth Wendel of Canada and Katarina Vukamanovic of Serbia as imports with Gen Casugod, Maika Ortiz, Ms. Aganon and Dindin Manabat making up the core of their locals.

PSL Grand Prix matches are broadcast over ESPN5 and Aksyon. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Inbred

Movie Review
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Directed by Martin McDonagh

By Noel Vera

MARTIN MCDONAGH? Much-honored playwright and to be fair I’ve yet to see any of his theater work, but the movies…

McDonagh’s debut feature In Bruges has two hitmen cooling their heels in the eponymous city (Why hitmen? Because they’re cool. Duh!). He manages to create an atmosphere of suspended animation, the drifting snow a metaphor for the souls drifting within the city’s ancient walls, but the so-called souls themselves are basically Tarantino characters with just so much more wit and inventive profanity stitched into them, laced with a generous dose of Gaelic lilt for that, y’know, European flavor that Tarantino wishes he could effortlessly evoke (but can’t). A couple of gimmicky plot twists and extended gunfights later the city remains gorgeous but the characters are still cartoon sketches. With their heads blown apart.

Seven Psychopaths if anything is a step backwards: McDonagh switches out the gorgeous city of Bruges for the sunbaked flatlands of California (and nearby Joshua Tree National Park), seven psychopaths (on the presumed theory that more is better) for the two hitmen but instead of pretentious discussions of heaven, hell, damnation, redemption we have more Tarantino dialogue — funnier and more profane than ever — and Christopher Walken in Prophecy mode, a fallen angel with a pair of uncannily clear eyes. Which makes up for plenty but not everything.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (I’d written “Seven Billboards” before catching myself) is a more earnest stab at winning approval from the critical establishment, particularly in the United States, and right away a question pops to mind: Why a movie set here when his first few plays are set in Ireland where he grew up and presumably knows well? Has he spent enough time in Missouri (where the movie is set) or Asheville, North Carolina (where it was actually shot) to learn something of the people there?

I have to admit the movie starts strong, with the most dramatically fruitful premise of all his big screen efforts to date: Mildred (Frances McDormand) bullies advertising manager Red Welby (Caleb Landry Joes, so vividly in Twin Peaks: The Return) into renting her the aforementioned three moldering advertising boards on a small road near her house. She paints them a bright blood read and on the red in huge black block letters: “RAPED WHILE DYING”; “AND STILL NO ARRESTS?” “HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?”

Genius message; what gives the haiku its punch (aside from the blocky-black on blood-red) is the way the words has been broken into three parts, in ascending levels of accusation. “RAPED WHILE DYING” grabs your attention; “NO ARRESTS” sketches the nature of her complaint; “HOW COME” drives the charge home, directly naming the man being questioned.

The billboards’ power doesn’t owe so much from the creativity of the public shaming — okay they owe a lot but not everything — as from Mildred’s stonily understated anger, and McDormand’s seemingly effortless evocation of that anger. She’s past tears; you sense that she had used them up some time ago. She’s thought this carefully through but only up to a point (doesn’t have the money to keep the boards up past the rented month, for example) which suggests her mind has worried the problem furiously but can’t get past the need to prod the police into action — any kind of action.

As for the aforementioned police officer: Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) could be involved in Mildred’s daughter’s rape and murder and the subsequent coverup, only he probably isn’t; he’s actually been distracted by his own problems, particularly dying of cancer. Throwing in a terminal illness is daring conceit on McDonagh’s part, a possibly cheap ploy to complicate the audience’s reaction to this walking stereotype of the redneck police chief, only Harrelson’s performance is charming enough and weary enough (he matches McDormand’s weathered expression with his own stricken gaze) to turn the gimmick into dramatic gold, sketching a man who’s been excused out of any and all constraints and conventions to act the way he sees fit, and he sees fit to respond to Mildred in a simultaneously supportive yet passive-aggressive way.

Third leg of this hate triangle — hate and recrimination and regret — is Willoughby’s subordinate Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell), easily the knottiest character in the picture. Dixon is an unrepentant racist — he’s been accused of beating a black man — and Rockwell plays this thuggish buffoon with courageous abandon; about the time when McDonagh starts to give him more sides than the three he’s shown so far (craven slacker, mama’s boy, abusive bully) is about the time when the movie goes off its rails — about the time when Mildred firebombs the police station.

Say what? Skip the next two paragraphs if you plan to see the picture!

McDonagh does well enough establishing each of the three characters and their respective sources of angst but with Mildred’s firebombing the coincidences and plot twists start piling on faster than your brain can come up with halfhearted excuses (certainly McDonagh doesn’t seem to feel like helping). Why would Mildred seek revenge for someone burning down her billboards when she didn’t pay for the extra month’s rent anyway? (And why is the arson such a shock to her — did she think the town would take her provocation lying down?) Why did Dixon pick that precise moment to start reading Willoughby’s letter? Why should Mildred get away with the firebombing so easily? (Her friend James — Peter Dinklage, criminally underused — provides a handy alibi, but she’s so obvious a suspect shouldn’t I be suspicious anyway?) Why, when Dixon gets back the results of the DNA testing, does he accept them so readily? (Shouldn’t he at least raise the possibility of a military coverup?) Why, when Mildred confesses to the firebombing, does Dixon accept her confession so readily? Third degree burns hurt, especially on the face — probably hurt even worse over a longer period of time than having one’s head blown apart, but, hey, what do I know?

And why should Dixon change at all? Knottiest question in the whole picture and I know it’s been worried up and down the internet by many a critic and blogger. Fans love the uncertainty and vagueness; nonfans accuse McDonagh of taking the gimmicky way out, complete with ambiguous ending; even more virulent nonfans condemn the movie for its implicit racism (Dixon beats up a black man and suffers no consequence; he suddenly decides to help a white woman and we’re supposed to applaud him). I think McDonagh tries for uncertainty but without rooting the twists in what we already know of his characters he ends up with Tarantino callowness — change for the sake of effect in effect (Mcdonagh’s cluelessness towards Dixon’s black victim doesn’t help). If, say, he were a John Boorman — another filmmaker who profoundly misunderstood the South — he could use his uniquely obsessive visual style to produce a Deliverance (a grossly unconvincing drama that is, at the same time, a great action film) only he has no unique obsessive style; the most he’s got, visually speaking, are the three billboards gleaming redly against the North Carolinian verdure. Pity, because that first half at least deserves a nod of recognition, if not respect.

MTRCB Rating: R-13

Female artists strike right note at NME Awards

LONDON — Female musical acts took home a slew of prizes at the NME Awards in London on Wednesday, in a move that artists present welcomed as the entertainment industry reeled from allegations of sexual misconduct against women. New Zealand songstress Lorde was honored as the best international solo artist, while Haim, a trio of sisters from California, were named best international band. British rapper Stefflon Don was named best new artist at the event. “We feel really good being here because it does feel like a lot of women are nominated but I definitely feel like the majority of awards shows are not representing females,” Danielle Haim told Reuters. Shirley Manson, lead singer of British band Garbage, who was also honored at the event, welcomed the recent focus on the treatment of women in the entertainment industry, spearheaded by the #MeToo campaign on social media. “I think the #MeToo campaign is an opportunity to really continue the conversation and actually facilitate change, whether it will turn out to be the case I don’t know. It worries me a little that it’s a lot talk and little action,” she said. US pop star Ariana Grande, was also honored for her One Love Manchester concert, held weeks after a suicide bombing killed 22 people shortly after one of her concerts in the city in May 2017. Other acts that were recognized at the event included British rockers Kasabian, who were named best live artist, while former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who performed a medley of his hits at the ceremony, was given the “Godlike Genius” award. The NME, or New Musical Express, is a British music publication that was founded in the 1950s, and was highly influential for periods during the late 20th century. — Reuters

Quickfire Federer two wins from oldest number one spot

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS — Roger Federer delivered a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Ruben Bemelmans in just 47 minutes on Wednesday as the Swiss star moved just two wins away from becoming the sport’s oldest world number one.

The 36-year-old top seed, a two-time champion at the Dutch indoor event, needs to reach the semifinals to take back the number one spot from Rafael Nadal.

With two more victories, Federer would become the oldest man by three years to hold the top position in the rankings.

“It’s very surprising how good things went today,” Federer said. “The key is to start well, put him under pressure. I wanted to make him think he had to do something special to beat me. I did well there, I felt good, I’m healthy and I’m confident. It was a great first round for me.”

Federer gave no quarter as he raced to a 5-0 lead, with the outmatched Bemelmans winning his first game after 16 minutes.

The outcome was never in doubt as Federer dominated with six aces and four service breaks, winning an impressive 21 of 23 first-serve points in the demolition.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion on Thursday takes on German Philipp Kohlschreiber, against whom he stands 12-0 in career meetings.

Third seed Alexander Zverev fell in an upset to qualifying lucky loser Andreas Seppi of Italy, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round to open up Federer’s half of the draw.

Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin, the duo who faced off in last year’s season-ending ATP Finals, both advanced with straight-sets wins.

Second seed Dimitrov, who beat Belgian fourth seed Goffin in the London final last November, had to fight back in the second set to defeat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in their first-round encounter.

Goffin made light work of veteran Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, cruising through 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. Dimitrov won the opening set against Sugita but fell behind a break in the second before leveling for 5-all.

As the set went into a tie-break, the Bulgarian surged ahead as he took a 5-2 lead but had to hold off his opponent as Sugita clawed back to within a point of leveling. — AFP

Liza Minnelli’s Cabaret costume up for auction

Liza Minnelli’s signature “Sally Bowles” Cabaret performance ensemble, bowler hat, boots and jewelry (ca. 1970s) are pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters, Feb. 13. — REUTERS

LOS ANGELES — Liza Minnelli’s signature Cabaret bowler hat, boots, and halter top vest are going up for auction in a sale of more than 1,000 lots belonging to the singer, her mother Judy Garland, and movie director father Vincente Minnelli. California auction house Profiles in History announced on Wednesday that the “Love, Liza” auction in May, the first from Minnelli’s vast personal collection, would also include her 1971 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow as well as her hand-annotated shooting script for Cabaret. The 1972 musical brought Minnelli a best actress Oscar for her performance as Berlin nightclub singer Sally Bowles and sent her career rocketing. Price estimates have yet to be determined as auctioneers sort through the collection that Minnelli has assembled over decades. Minnelli, 71, said she was selling to downsize her life. The two-day sale will take place in Calabasas, near Los Angeles, at a date to be announced in late May and will be preceded by a free public exhibition at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills from April 4-29, the auction house said. “Usually when you see these famous people auctions, it’s household furnishings. This is pretty substantial. Liza Minnelli is a cultural icon, and this is the most important Judy Garland material that has ever been sold,” Profiles in History Chief Executive Joe Maddalena told Reuters. “Between Vincente Minnelli, Judy Garland and Liza, they kept everything. There are probably 500 Halston custom-made stage costumes,” he said The Judy Garland memorabilia includes an MGM studio paycheck that was issued when she was 13, before she appeared in her first film, along with a green tramp clown tailcoat she wore for a 1956 photograph by Richard Avedon. Items by the fashion designer known simply as Halston include garments that Minnelli wore on stage, screen and in personal appearances, including a red sequined tuxedo from the 1970s, and a black and crimson beaded flapper dress. “We have tried to make an auction where there is something for everybody. There will be things for a few hundred dollars, and things for tens of thousands. It will cover the gamut,” Maddalena said. — Reuters

APEC members failing to maximize potential of labor information portal

MEMBER-ECONOMIES of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc are not maximizing an available labor market information system to help address unemployment and job-skills mismatches, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

According to a policy note written by Ateneo de Manila University professor Leonardo A. Lanzona, Jr. published by PIDS, a state think tank, the Labor Market Portal, developed by APEC in 2014 , remains underutilized “given the limited data contribution from APEC economies.”

“While job creation and labor mobility are necessary to tackle high and increasingly persistent unemployment, promoting jobs without paying due attention to the matching of quality and to skills required may only buy time and prolong unemployment,” he said.

This, according to Mr. Lanzona, may be addressed by fostering and sharing full information on the labor pool for matching to appropriate jobs.

Mr. Lanzona said information asymmetry and transaction costs are key problems, which must be addressed to improve labor mobility.

As a result, employers continue to offer the same wages for workers who are more or less productive. To add, workers can then be misallocated to tasks and sectors.

The author said this can be addressed in the Philippines by “improving the employers’ access to skills certifications” of the workers in order for employers to compare skills of job candidates.

Mr. Lanzona recommended that the laws governing labor markets be reviewed and standardized.

“Broader support and agreement for standards among the APEC economies should lead to more transparent and less fraudulent methods of entry,” he said, adding that the establishment of standardized rules and institutions is a “win-win” situation for both global and individual economies. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Phoenix Petroleum net income surges 65% in 2017 on record sales

PHOENIX PETROLEUM Philippines, Inc. on Thursday said it posted record sales volume, revenues and net income in 2017 as its investments through the years began bringing returns.

“Phoenix Petroleum’s momentum in 2017 is a result of its investments over many years in its people, products, and partnerships. We will continue to be opportunistic as we grow the business,” Dennis A. Uy, president and chief executive officer, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Phoenix reported a net income of P1.79 billion for 2017, up 65% growth from the previous year. Last year’s profit included the partial consolidation of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business starting in August 2017.

Excluding non-recurring gains and costs related to the LPG business, core income still hit an all-time high of P1.42 billion, or 30% higher than the previous year.

The company said its “solid” full-year core income growth underscored the strength of its fuels business, in which sales volume increased by 17% to 1.76 billion liters from 1.5 billion liters.

The group reported revenues of P44.426 billion, an increase of 45% over the level in the previous year.

Phoenix attributed last year’s higher sales volume to the addition of new stations, acquisition of new direct commercial accounts across various industries, as well as the consolidation of the LPG business.

As of end-2017, Phoenix had a total of 530 retail service stations.

“In the past 12 months, [Phoenix] completed two acquisitions, marking its foray into the higher margin business of LPG and convenience retailing,” it said. “LPG and convenience stores (CVS) are underpenetrated markets with tremendous domestic growth potential as they benefit from consumers’ growing purchasing power and evolving lifestyle.”

In August last year, the company completed the acquisition of Petronas Energy Philippines, Inc., which it has since renamed to Phoenix LPG Philippines, Inc. The unit owns and operates the Phoenix Super LPG brand.

In January 2018, Phoenix completed the purchase of the Family Mart convenience store brand, which currently has 67 outlets in Luzon.

In September 2017, Phoenix set up PNX Petroleum Singapore Ltd. Pte, further strengthening its portfolio. The unit is expected to enhance the efficiencies of the Phoenix group’s petroleum importation flows as well as provide access to fast-growing markets in Southeast Asia.

Earlier this year, Phoenix announced its joint venture with Thailand-based Tipco Asphalt Public Co. Ltd. and PhilAsphalt (Dev’t) Corp. for the marketing and distribution of asphalt in the Philippines. The move is part of Phoenix’s strategy to complete its petroleum product offerings and to optimize the expected growth in the government’s infrastructure spending.

Phoenix is engaged in trading and marketing of refined petroleum products, including LPG and lubricants, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, hauling and into-plane services, and just recently convenience store retailing.

The company has grown in 15 years from only five stations in Mindanao, making it the fastest-growing oil companies in the country.

Phoenix Petroleum shares jumped by 2.52% to close at P13 each on Thursday. — Victor V. Saulon

Sandiganbayan defers Aquino arraignment on Mamasapano case

ANTI-GRAFT court Sandiganbayan adopted on Thursday, Feb. 15, the resolution issued by the Supreme Court suspending the arraignment and pre-trial on the charges filed against former President Benigno S.C. Aquino III and several others in relation to the botched police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) last Feb. 7 following a manifestation filed by the Office of the Solicitor General and the relatives of the Special Action Force (SAF) troopers who were slain in the operation. The TRO pertains to several cases covered by the Ombudsman’s dismissal of the 44 counts of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide against the former president and his co-accused. The other respondents are former police chief Alan L.M. Purisima, and former SAF chief Getulio P. Napeñas. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Your Weekend Guide (February 16, 2018)

PPO concert

THE Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra presents the 6th concert of its 35th season, Romancing the Classics, on Feb. 16, 8 p.m., at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The evening’s repertoire includes Bedrich Smetana’s “Die Moldau (Vltava) No. 2” from Má vlast (My Country), Manuel De Falla’s “Interlude” and “Spanish Dance” from La Vida Breve, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Op. 47 under the baton of Spanish guest conductor David Gómez Ramírez. For inquires and subscription, call the CCP Marketing Department at 832-1125 loc. 1806, CCP Box Office at 832-3704, or Ticketworld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

FringeMNL 2018 festival

BULACAN State University’s Theater Arts unit, in partnership with FringeMNL presents Layetta Bucoy’s May Isang Alamat on Feb. 17, 4 p.m., at the Pineapple Lab in Poblacion, Makati City. The play centers on environmental issues and hope for humanity. For information, visit www.facebook.com/FringeMNL. For tickets, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

The Platters

THE GOLDEN Sound of the Platters will be held on Feb. 16, 8 p.m., at the Kia Theater, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. For tickets, visit TicketNet (www.ticketnet.com.ph/).

Incubus live

THE band behind songs like “Drive,” “Wish you Were Here,” “Nice to Know You,” and “Megalomaniac,” and which has sold over 23 million albums worldwide, is set to perform live in Manila on Feb. 17, 8 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City. For tickets, visit TicketNet (www.ticketnet.com.ph/).

Childrens’ theater

BASED on Nick Joaquin’s book Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979), Tanghalang Pilipino presents a stage adaptation of Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Juan Tamad from Feb. 16 to March 11 at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It was adapted by Rody Vera and directed by Jonathan Tadioan. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Manila Biennale 2018

IT IS a busy weekend at the Manila Biennale. There is the “Sensing the Site-Specific” art writing workshop, a two-day event from Feb. 17 to 18, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Teatro in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. The workshop includes “A Roundtable Discussion on Art Criticism” with panelists National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose and Katya Guerrero, co-moderated by Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez and Odel Paras. Workshop fee is P1,350. For reservations, e-mail opencity@manilabiennale.ph with the subject: CRITIC ONE. Lost Frames, which features video and film from artists whose works occupy the margins of moving images, will be held on Feb. 17, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the 3rd Floor, Mission House, Museo de Intramuros, Intramuros, Manila. It will include a screening, talk, and open forum with Manila Biennale’s featured moving image artists Vic Balanon, Gary-Ross Pastrana, and John Torres. Admission is free. For reservations, e-mail opencity@manilabiennale.ph with the subject: LOST FRAMES.

Free Valentine concert

CELEBRATE the season of love with Ensemble, a free Valentine concert by Globe LIVE, featuring Ebe Dancel, Clara Benin, Johnoy Danao, Bullet Dumas, and Reese Lansangan, accompanied by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra Quartet, to be held on Feb. 17 at the Globe Iconic Amphitheater in BGC. Globe customers who purchase P2,000 worth of gadget accessories or 0917 apparel from Globe Iconic Store will get tickets for VIP seating. BGC customers can also get VIP seating tickets when they shop from any Bonifacio High Street Shop amounting to P2,000. For more information, call the Globe hot line at 730-1010, or visit Globe Iconic Store.

BGC holiday weekend

BONIFACIO Global City (BGC) has a jam-packed weekend celebrating both Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. Rising in the middle of Bonifacio High Street is a giant fairy-tale book for selfies (take a photo and get a chance to win a dinner date from BGC). Meanwhile, BGC welcomes the Year of the Dog on Feb. 16 to 18 with a showcase of Chinese food, music, and art. Savor traditional Chinese fare, dance for good fortune, see cultural performances, and try your hand at guzheng (zither)-playing, calligraphy, and paper-cutting. Take a peek at your future by joining the palm reading, tarot reading, and fortune telling events. For more information, visit BGC’s official Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/bonifacioglobalcityph and https://www.facebook.com/BoniHighStreet.

A Comedy of Tenors

REPERTORY PHILIPPINES presents a Ken Ludwig comedy, A Comedy of Tenors, until Feb. 18 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati. Directed by Miguel Faustmann, it is set in 1930s Paris where opera stars, singing waiters, lovers, wives, and children converge in a tale of chaos, mistaken identities, and bedroom hijinks. Starring Loy Martinez, Jeremy Domingo, Noel Rayos, Issa Litton, Mica Pineda, Arman Ferrer, and Sheila Martinez. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Don Quixote

BALLET PHILIPPINES presents Don Quixote, featuring international guest artist Joseph Gatti, with performances on Feb. 17, 7 p.m., and Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

’Night, Mother

PETA closes its 50th theater season with a Filipino adaptation of Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer-prize winning drama ’Night, Mother, featuring Eugene Domingo and Sherry Lara. On an otherwise normal evening, Jessie announces to her mother that she plans to kill herself before the night ends. The show runs until March 18 at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Himala: Isang Musikal

AICELLE SANTOS stars as a young woman who is looked upon as a bucolic town’s savior in Himala: Isang Musikal. The show runs until March 4 at the PowerMac Center Spotlight, Circuit Lane, Circuit Makati, Makati City. The musical is based on the 1982 Ishmael Bernal film starring Nora Aunor. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Ballet & Ballads

THE LATEST edition of Ballet Manila’s Ballet & Ballads series closes the ballet company’s current season with a mix of dance and song. The star-studded affair features Ballet Manila CEO and Artistic Director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, crooner Christian Bautista, the Klassikal Musical Foundation, and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra. There will be performances on Feb. 17, 6 p.m., and Feb. 18, 3 p.m., at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Amazon.com to add 2,000 jobs in France

AMAZON.COM, Inc. will create 2,000 permanent jobs this year with an eye to the strengthening French economy.

Amazon, which already added 1,500 jobs in France last year, is seeking workers to staff its distribution centers and sorting centers. Further jobs will be created in delivery services. The expansion will increase the retailer’s French work force by more than a third and bring its total number of employees to more than 7,500 by the end of 2018.

“The French economic context gives us confidence and encourages us to invest,” Frederic Duval, head of Amazon France, said in an interview. “We have more customers, so more business, and as we have more business, we hire more. We think this level activity is sustainable, thus we’re hiring people with permanent contracts.”

The plans are the latest sign that France’s long-awaited economic recovery is starting to generate jobs. France’s unemployment rate fell to 8.9% in the fourth quarter, its lowest in almost nine years, national statistics office Insee said Thursday.

Duval said there is “absolutely” no link between the job creation and a settlement reached this month with French tax authorities. “That problem is now settled and we no longer have any dispute with the state in this matter,” he said.

Amazon has invested more than €2 billion ($2.48 billion) in France since 2010. — Bloomberg

Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em

By Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong

THERE are a slew of popular free-to-play online card games currently out to tickle the fancy of both desktop and mobile gamers. From Blizzard’s Hearthstone to Wizards of the Coast’s Magic The Gathering Online to Konami’s Duel Links, there is no lack of options available for players at home or on the go. And given the sheer number of alternatives in the genre, it takes uniqueness and no small measure of good fortune for any one title to stand out. Shadowverse, Cygames’ entry to the already-crowded market, not only succeeds in holding its audience captive, but does so in a manner that makes it accessible to newcomers and veterans of the genre alike.

Released in June 2016, Shadowverse is an online collectible card game available on iOS and Android, as well as on Steam, and features an anime artstyle combined with fast-paced gameplay. In Shadowverse, players choose one of eight character “crafts” and must do battle by summoning creatures or casting spells, and using them and their special effects to either hit opponents’ creatures or the opponents themselves. Players start at 20 life and win the game when their opponents’ is reduced to zero.

While this might sound similar to the mechanics of other online card games (think Hearthstone and Magic The Gathering), there are features that help Shadowverse stand out. For one, players are restricted by their archetype. Each “craft” has its own distinct style in draining the health of opponents. Whether it’s Runecraft’s constant spellcasting or Swordcraft’s Officer and Commander pair-up, it adds a certain flavor to how each match goes, with deck archetypes changing depending on the crafts players are up against. Parenthetically, Shadowverse benefits from its Evolution mechanic. At the start of every game, each player is given two evolution points. While initially unusable, they are unlocked later on and can turn a game right on its head. They not only buff cards; they also trigger a card’s Evolve effects, which, whether positive or negative, can have a massive impact on the game, thus adding an extra layer of strategy to tap or watch out for.

Complicated? On the contrary, Shadowverse is arguably the most straightforward online card game newbies can sink their teeth into. While cards can have special effects, their interactions with one another are easy to predict. The low life total means matches are quick to get into and get out of, and the sheer generosity of the game — from log-in bonuses to frequent giveaways to even special gifts just for playing — means that there’s no real lack of cards even for those who refuse to shell out real currency for them. Where other games hide desired content inside a paywall, Shadowverse is surprisingly generous with it.

True, Shadowverse does tend to falter a little with its game length. With its design philosophy catered to making games fast and straightforward, endings can come with shocking quickness due to high creature attack power combined with low player life. Some cards can feel downright oppressive at times, and while developers have gone to great lengths to make the gameplay balanced and interesting, it’s hard not to feel cheated when matches end as early as in Turn Four.

All the same, Shadowverse is extremely fun and enjoyable. With two formats (Rotation and Unlimited), an arena draft mode, and even a single player mode, it’s hard not to find something to like in the game. It experiments with unique concepts and doesn’t in any way feel like a cash grab, ensuring a steady stream of cards and rewards for players new and old. It is, in the final analysis, truly free to play.


Video Game Review

Shadowverse
Mobile/PC via Steam

THE GOOD

• Easy and simple but interesting mechanics

• Accounts can be linked

• Playable both on mobile and on desktop

• Generous and accessible to new and old players

• Many archetypes to play around with, with constant balance changes to ensure fairness

THE BAD

• Games can be a bit too quick at times

• Single player modes aren’t fully fleshed out

• Connection to the server can be a bit spotty

RATING: 8.5/10

Britney Spears honored for support of gay community

LOS ANGELES — Pop star Britney Spears will be honored for her support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at an awards ceremony this year, advocacy group GLAAD said on Tuesday. The GLAAD Vanguard Award is given to media personalities who have promoted equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people, GLAAD said. Previous winners include Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor and Whoopi Goldberg. Spears is a longtime supporter of the gay and transgender community, GLAAD said in a statement. She has spoken out against bullying of LGBTQ youth, publicly opposed bills in Texas that would have restricted transgender rights and participated in a musical tribute that honored the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. She has also supported gay marriage, and last year wrote an open “love letter” to the LGBTQ community that read: “Your stories are what inspire me, bring me joy, and make me and my sons strive to be better people.” Spears will receive the Vanguard Award at the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 12 in Beverly Hills, California. — Reuters