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The Power of the Dog, Dune triumph at BAFTA Awards

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH in The Power of the Dog — IMDB.COM/NETFLIX

LONDON —  Dark Western The Power of the Dog scooped the top two honors at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, winning best film and director for Jane Campion, while sci-fi epic Dune picked up the most prizes.

New Zealand filmmaker Ms. Campion wrapped up a successful weekend for her comeback feature film, after winning the top honors at the Directors Guild of America awards in Beverly Hills the day before.

Based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, the critically acclaimed movie set on a 1920s Montana ranch marks the return of Oscar winner Ms. Campion to feature films since 2009’s Bright Star.

“Jane … you are a visionary whose trail blazed through the last 30 years of cinema with stories about the silenced, the under-represented and the misunderstood,” producer Tanya Seghatchian said as she accepted the award on behalf of Ms. Campion, who was absent.

“You’ve inspired legions of women to find their voices. We’re here because of you.”

Ms. Campion later briefly appeared via a video call on the phone of one of the film’s producers during the winners’ press conference, and said she was “overwhelmed.”

Hosted by Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson, this year’s ceremony, known as the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) returned as a usual glitzy red carpet event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, following a virtual event last year due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

There were references to the war in Ukraine, with some nominees wearing ribbons and badges in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag or speaking about the crisis on the red carpet and on stage.

Dune, a mammoth adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, had lead nominations with 11 nods, mainly in the creative and technical categories. It won five awards.

Belfast, Kenneth Brannagh’s semi-autobiographical black and white comedy drama set at the onset of Northern Ireland’s three decades of conflict, won outstanding British film.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake won two awards, including best supporting actress for Ariana DeBose.

Fresh from his win at the Screen Actors Guild awards, Troy Katsur, who is deaf, won supporting actor for CODA, a coming-of-age story about the only hearing member of a deaf family.

“This is a historic moment because it’s been an extremely long time for folks to really accept a different perspective of the deaf community and deaf actors,” Mr. Kotsur told Reuters on the red carpet via an interpreter.

“Finally, they look at me not as a deaf person, but as an artist and an actor who happens to be deaf.”

An absent Will Smith won the leading actor award for playing the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard, while Joanna Scanlan won leading actress for portraying a widow who discovers her late husband’s devastating secret in After Love. — Reuters

 

And the winner is…

LONDON — The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held its annual film awards on Sunday, in a glitzy ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Below are the key winners of Britain’s top film honors.

Best Film: The Power Of The Dog

Outstanding British Film: Belfast

Director: Jane Campion, The Power Of The Dog

Leading Actor: Will Smith, King Richard

Leading Actress: Joanna Scanlan, After Love

Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur, Coda

Supporting Actress: Ariana Debose, West  Side Story

Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza

Adapted Screenplay: Coda

Film Not In The English Language: Drive My Car

Documentary: Summer of Soul

Animated Film: Encanto

Original Score: Dune, Hans Zimmer

Ee Rising Star Award: Lashana Lynch

— Reuters

Discovering a new voice

A STABLE internet connection, a smartphone’s recording feature and camera, and a passion for music (and hopefully, talent) are all people need to share their music with the world. With the growth of the online music performing community, the livestreaming app Kumu latched on to the phenomenon and launched Sing for the Stars, an all-digital international singing competition.

Launched in 2018, Kumu currently has more than 10 million registered users from over 55 countries. Creators on the app share content ranging from gaming to food and cooking, financial tips to music and entertainment. The app currently houses the reality show Pinoy Big Brother and has also hosted auditions for Miss Universe Philippines 2022, and collaborated with the Star Cinema film Love at First Stream (2021).

When the live events sector shut down during the pandemic, musicians went online and held regular livestreams on Kumu to augment their income.

“We felt that it is only right that we create an opportunity that enables our artists to really shine,” Kumu Senior Vice-President for Strategy and International Anand Roy said in an online conference with press from Southeast Asia and the United States on March 11.

Departing from the conventional singing contest where performers travel to one venue and sing for the judges live, Sing for the Stars’ setups are done from the performers’ respective locations.

“I think the first and most prominent way that’s going to reshape the way talent searches are conducted is via the dissolution of geographical boundaries,” Mr. Roy said.

The contest also gives free rein of the performance to the singer. “The performer decides the setting, the background, and the setlist,” Mr. Roy said.

Joining Sing for the Stars as performance judges are four-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Michael Bublé, and Tony award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga.

In the competition, both judges said they are on the lookout for the performer with a unique vocal tone.

“I’ll know who was exceptional to me the moment I hear that voice. And it won’t be because their pitch was so much better or because they can do these incredible runs. It will be because they have something in their voice that is so unique,” said Mr. Bublé during the online press conference.

“We’re looking for that voice, that tone that just makes you kind of stop and listen. I mean, there are great singers with wonderful voices. And then, there are the Frank Sinatra’s of the world,” Ms. Salonga said during the same Zoom session. “It isn’t that they’re more talented than the next guy, but there is something very special and unique that makes them who they are.”

Auditions began in February and the Kumu Music Team chose the Top 30 on March 12.

The next episode of the contest will be livestreamed on March 19, during which the Kumu Music Team and Warner Music Philippines will whittle the 30 down to 15 performers.

The Top 11 will move on to the final leg of the competition, while the remaining four will compete to secure their last chance to enter the finals.

The second runner-up will win a cash prize of $2,000; the first runner-up gets $4,000; and grand champion will take home $10,000, a one-year record contract with Warner Music, and have their own mini-concert inside the Kumu app, plus a one-on-one coaching session with Mr. Bublé.

“I think they can learn by being open and listening and studying and loving all kinds of music,” Mr. Bublé said of his advice to aspiring performers. “And if you’re an artist, and someone who has the ability to understand what makes other singers, great singers… you do have the ability to borrow and to grow into that.”

The livestream of Sing for the Stars is on www.kumu.live/kumumusic. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/kumuPH. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Zombies continue to be the ‘little black dress’ of social allegory in Netflix’s All Of Us Are Dead

All Of Us Are Dead — NETFLIX

ANY horror scholar will tell you: the movies that scare us most are the ones that speak to our real anxieties. These anxieties find their way into horror movies, expressed through sub-genres like vampires, slasher flicks and body horror. Others concerns, like the War on Terror (explored in Hostel, 2005) and the AIDS crisis (as manifested in The Thing, 1982), are associated with a particular cultural moment.

These days, it’s hard to tell a story about a rapidly spreading pandemic without acknowledging the one we’re living in. It’s hard to tell a zombie story with any kind of novelty, but Netflix’s new Korean series All Of Us Are Dead makes an ambitious attempt.

Horror subgenres rise and fall in cycles that align with these fears: the guise of fiction allows them to make certain ideas explicit that we might only have felt beneath the surface.

The zombie is the little black dress of social allegories in horror.

Zombies can stand in for the amassed proletariat, trapped in exhausted cycles of poverty. They can represent the mindless bourgeoisie, endlessly greedy as they stumble through cities without a care in the world. They can be embodied by performers of any age or race, and their typical lack of speech allows an audience to project any metaphor into the blank space of their brains.

They have been analyzed as terrorists (28 Days Later, 2002) and communists (Day of the Dead, 1985), as marginalized races (Land of the Dead, 2005) and voracious colonizers (Cargo, 2017).

The most popular horror stories are malleable: they invite the audience to conjure whatever frightens them onto the monsters, exaggerating, affirming and sometimes challenging their real-world anxieties.

The zombie genre was first codified by George A. Romero with Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Most zombie movies predating Romero drew from Haitian folklore origins, speaking to very specific anxieties around Black mysticism and enslaved bodies. Romero reimagined zombies as a latent contagion of shambling masses.

His films still engaged thoughtfully with issues of racism: the Black hero in Night of the Living Dead survives the zombie hordes only to be shot dead by white vigilantes. This codified another important theme in zombie stories: the living are just as dangerous as the dead.

On a grander scale, apocalypse narratives represent a dissolution of the social order. Some stories blame this on a lack of hard authority: wishy-washy leadership collapses, and only the strongest survive. The Walking Dead banked on this for a decade: the gun-slinging sheriff was exaggerated into a fascist fantasy, where the weak fell in line behind the strong.

All Of Us Are Dead leans toward the anti-authoritarian: malice and pride keep the police and military from intervening when a zombie outbreak strikes a small-town school. Still, there’s one good cop, one good teacher, and one good firefighter — though not all of them make it out unscathed.

The school administration are the first villains: a biology teacher’s son is mercilessly bullied, and is almost killed when the principal refuses to interfere. To empower his son, the teacher develops a virus that amplifies testosterone — a bizarre choice of pseudoscience — to turn fear into super-strength. This clearly codifies zombies as the rising masses failed by authority. If you’ll forgive the pun, nobody can control their faculties.

The problem is that the shambling pace and vacant minds of zombies make them inevitable, but often boring: the relentless monotony makes it difficult to sustain tension across 12 hour-long episodes. Like many 21st-century zombie stories, All Of Us Are Dead literally ups the pace by having sprinting zombies.

A new twist is introduced halfway through: some characters who get bitten can still speak and feel, gaining super-strength and heightened senses. They make a complex metaphor for asymptomatic carriers.

The deepest conflict in All Of Us Are Dead is between students and authorities. Before the outbreak, the show frankly depicts bullying, sexual assault, suicide, and teen pregnancy.

The school system is already broken: zombies are just a catalyst for this to turn into conflict. Choi Nam-Ra, one of the students, muses: “In some countries, they are sadder when adults die than when children die. And in others, they are sadder when children die. Which do you think ours is?”

In a later episode, Choi Nam-Ra and her friends are fired upon by the military when a rescue mission is suddenly aborted by command.

Critics and fans have identified the overt parallels between the show and the 2014 Sewol Ferry tragedy, where the crew abandoned the capsizing ship and left the passengers, mostly high school students, to drown.

While horror uses colorful allegories to entertain, it can speak truthfully to our emotions. All Of Us Are Dead follows a formulaic zombie plot, but this allows the show to challenge us with complex emotional struggles.

As we know from the real pandemic, a crisis doesn’t happen when an idyllic world is shattered by a few bad actors: it happens when the collective pressure of ignored pain and complacency is pushed to breaking point. Like all good zombie stories, All Of Us Are Dead was never about the zombies.

 

Naja Later is an Academic Tutor in Media and Communications at Swinburne University of Technology.

IMI temporarily shuts China plant as infections surge

INTEGRATED Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI) will temporarily close its facilities in Shenzhen, China due to the resurgence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the region, the Ayala-led company said.

Southeastern China has been placed under lockdown restrictions starting on March 14 due to a surge in coronavirus cases, it said.

“In compliance with China’s Government COVID Zero strategy, all nonessential activities have been halted until March 20, 2022 or until further notice,” IMI said in a disclosure on Monday.

The technology solutions company said its Shenzhen facilities contribute 10% of its total revenues.

“Local management teams are coordinating with government agencies to safeguard the health and welfare of all its IMI employees. Close coordination with affected customers and government units concerned is ongoing to help mitigate its negative impact on the business,” the company added.

IMI is an exporter of printed circuit board assemblies, flip chip assemblies, electronic sub-assemblies, box build products, and enclosure systems.

The principal products and services the company provides are for automotive, industrial, medical, communications, and consumer electronics; power semiconductor packages; optical bonding, enhanced display solutions, and metal mesh touch sensor technology; precision machining; and aviation.

IMI has four wholly owned subsidiaries, namely: IMI International Pte. Ltd.; IMI USA, Inc.; IMI Japan, Inc.; and PSi Technology, Inc.

The company is also 52.03% owned by AC Industrial Technology Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Corp.

In the third quarter of 2021, the company reported an attributable net loss of $6.23 million from a net income of $9.64 million the year before.

For the January-September period, attributable net loss was at $5.32 million, or lower than its P11.9-million loss in the same period the earlier year.

At the stock exchange, IMI shares dropped P0.03 or 0.35% to finish at P8.47 on Monday. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Time travel to the 2000s pop punk scene

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter

Music Review
Love Sux
By Avril Lavigne
DTA Records

WITH strong guitar riffs, hard-banging drums, and songs about love and heartache, Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne returns to her signature pop punk sound on her new album.

After a three-year hiatus, the eight-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter makes a comeback with her 7th studio album, Love Sux. The album was produced under DTA Records, a record label founded by Travis Barker from the pop rock band Blink-182.

Unlike her last album Head Above Water in 2019, Love Sux re-emerges as a version of the 37-year-old singer trapped in the mind of her 17-year-old (but more mature) self. The album is reminiscent of the edgy Let Go (2002) and playful The Best Damn Thing (2007).

The 12-track album opens strong with intro track “Cannonball” and Ms. Lavigne screaming, “Like a ticking time bomb, I’m about to explode,” followed by hard-banging drums and electric guitars — teasing the listener on the entire mood of the album.

It is followed by “Bite Me” and “Bois Lie” (featuring Machine Gun Kelly) which are upbeat and passable “last song syndrome” ditties about breakups.

Ms. Lavigne’s favorite song, “Love Sux,” illustrates her relationship status at the time she was recording the album. In the track, she sings: “Do you think I’m stupid? I keep killing Cupid. Shot an arrow in my exes, this is my confession. Never learned my lesson, no.”

When the album reaches the 7th track, the upbeat mood takes a break with the ballad “Avalanche,” which talks about not being at your best. In the chorus, Ms. Lavigne accurately describes the feeling: “I say that I’m just fine,
but I don’t feel all right on the inside. I say that I’m okay that I don’t feel okay right now, no… It’s like I’m runnin’ from an avalanche.”

“Love it When You Hate Me” (featuring Blackbear) and “All I Wanted” (featuring Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus) show that Ms. Lavigne still has fun writing and singing about careless experiences in relationships.

“Dare to Love Me” is the sole mellow love song in the entire album. She expresses it baldly in the chorus: “So, don’t tell me that you love me if you don’t mean it.…Only tell me if you care….” It has a melody slightly similar to her 2007 single, “Hot.”

Aside from evidently having fun going back to her roots in pop punk, Ms. Lavigne’s voice continues to improve and maintains a clear chest voice, and high-pitched tone — the kind that is challenging to belt out in solo casual singing or a sing-along.

Another highlight in the album is Blink-182’s Travis Barker who showcases his distinct drumming, which add to the flavor of the 2000s pop rock sound.

The album can be considered part of the current resurgence of pop culture trends from the 2000s, an example of rekindling a music genre that kids and teenagers grew up with 20 years ago.

Running at 33 minutes, Love Sux feels like a quick escape, to childhood memories of wearing neckties and sneakers, sporting side bangs and raccoon-like black eyeliner, looking back at the early self-discovery and lessons of young love.

Figaro plans store expansion as restrictions ease

FIGARO COFFEE FACEBOOK PAGE

FIGARO Coffee Group, Inc. (FCG) is planning to expand its stores outside of Metro Manila by opening stores in “strategic” areas in the country, the coffee shop and restaurant operator said on Monday.

“As restrictions are coming down and the pandemic is easing, the company is seeing a healthy rebound in consumer spending, especially in eating out. We look forward to meeting our customers where they are and opening outlets in strategic locations close to them,” FCG Chairman Justin T. Liu said in a statement.

Early this year, Figaro opened another branch in Cebu along V. Rama St., for a total of three stores in the southern city.

“To speed up deliveries and reach our customers faster, we are still looking to further strengthen our presence in Cebu through expansion in areas surrounding Cebu City and its outskirts as well,” FCG Chief Operating Officer Michael T. Barret said.

Mr. Barret pointed to a potential market in Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Iloilo, where Figaro opened its second branch in Tagbak, Iloilo City.

“We believe that the brand has successfully established its regular clientele and delighted customers have been telling their friends and families about it so everyone is looking forward to trying the products in their local areas” Mr. Barret said.

In the statement, FGC said it is boosting its position in the dine-in and take-out segment “to capture the strong foot traffic due to loosening of restrictions” after increasing its sales delivery last year.

The company currently has over a hundred stores in its network, composed of 56 Figaro Coffee cafes, 41 Angel’s Pizza stores, six Tien Ma’s restaurants, seven The Figaro Group Express outlets, and one Café Portofino outlet.

Most of FCG’s Figaro Coffee and Tien Ma’s branches are now seeing stronger dine-in traffic while delivery is still going strong, it said.

“Many customers are accustomed to the convenience of delivery so this segment will never go away. We seek to bring a positive dine-in experience as well for all our brands, which will well complement delivery revenues. We are also in strategic discussions with select lessors and malls to potentially locate our brands,” Mr. Barret said.

Figaro said it is set to open stores in Metro Manila, Batangas, and Bacolod, among others.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, attributable net income doubled to P107.24 million from P53.47 million in the similar period a year prior.

For full-year 2021, attributable net income grew 133% to P179.62 million from nearly P76 million in 2020.

At the stock exchange on Monday, Figaro shares dropped 8.47% or P0.05 to close at P0.54 each. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal blasts off at Big Dome tomorrow

TEAM BARANGAY GINEBRA — PBA IMAGES

NLEX faces Alaska; TnT and Ginebra locking horns

DEFENDING champion Barangay Ginebra and its fellow lower seeds keep the faith as they set out to defy the odds against their top four opponents in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.

The sixth-ranked Gin Kings face a one-miss-and-you-die situation versus TnT, which enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage on the strength of its No. 3 ranking in the elims.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone said despite their manpower problems, the group led by Justin Brownlee, LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson has what it takes to handle playoffs adversity.

“The team is capable,” said Mr. Cone, who’s going through this tough campaign without injured ace guard Stanley Pringle and two other key players Jared Dillinger and Aljon Mariano. “We still have plenty of talent left to do what we need to do in the playoffs. So we really have no excuse. We need to go out there and perform in playoff time.”

No. 7 Alaska, carrying the extra motivation of ending its PBA journey with a bang, is in the same boat against No. 3 NLEX. Ditto No. 5 San Miguel Beer (SMB) versus No. 4 Meralco and No. 8 Phoenix against top-ranked Magnolia.

The Fuel Masters were the last entrants to the Round-of-8, taking the last seat after rallying past NorthPort in a you-or-me encounter last Sunday, 101-98.

“We’re just happy to be here. We respect Magnolia a lot but we just have to focus on things we have control of and that’s how we’re going to execute (the game plan),” said Phoenix mentor Topex Robinson.

“That’s going to be a good challenge. We’ll just go from here and enjoy this moment. Magnolia is the No. 1 team, they’re the heavy favorites coming into the playoffs,” he added.

The quarterfinal round blasts off tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with NLEX and Alaska duking it out at 3 p.m. and TnT and Ginebra locking horns at 6 p.m. The Meralco-SMB and Magnolia-Phoenix matchups hit the floor on Friday. — Olmin Leyba

Campion bags top prize in DGA awards

The Power of the Dog — NETFLIX

JANE Campion took the top prize in Saturday’s Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards, winning for her work in the film The Power of the Dog.

Just the second woman to be nominated twice as best director for a film, she took the prize in the Theatrical Feature Film category.

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film for The Lost Daughter.

Meanwhile, HBO’s Succession won in every Dramatic Series category it had been nominated for.

The full list of winners follows:

Theatrical Feature Film: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

First-Time Feature Film: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Dramatic Series: Mark Mylod, Succession, episode “All the Bells Say” (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Comedy Series: Lucia Aniello, Hacks, episode “There Is No Line”

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies For Television And Limited Series: Barry Jenkins, The Underground Railroad

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials: Paul Dugdale, Adele: One Night Only

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live, episode “Keegan-Michael Key; Olivia Rodrigo”

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Reality Programs: Adam Vetri, Getaway Driver, episode “Electric Shock”

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Children’s Programs: Smrithi Mundhra, Through Our Eyes, episode “Shelter” (HBO Max)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Documentary: Stanley Nelson, Attica

IFC says ready to assist local governments in ‘building green’

MEMBERS of the Philippine Army assist in immediate repair works for homes affected by last year’s Typhoon Odette, internationally known as Rai, in Eastern Visayas, one of the Philippine’s most typhoon-prone regions. — PHILIPPINE ARMY

By Marifi S. Jara, Mindanao Bureau Chief

GOING GREEN for housing projects, whether high-end or socialized, does not have to be costly and complicated, according to an International Finance Corp. (IFC) executive involved in the institution’s certification system that aims to promote more climate-friendly and disaster resilient buildings.

“People think that when you say ‘green’ buildings, they are expensive and they are technically complex,” Angelo Tan, Philippine country lead of IFC’s Climate Business Department, said at last week’s Livable Cities webinar series.

Mr. Tan said IFC’s certification system called EDGE, or Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, offers a free online tool that provides simple and measurable standards on “building green” based on materials, and systems for energy and water.

IFC, the World Bank’s private sector arm, has certified 50 projects, which includes 6,400 homes, since EDGE was launched in the Philippines. A total of 420,000 sq.m. or 52% was certified in 2021 alone. Mr. Tan said another 3.77 million sq.m. have registered and are up for certification.

Complementary to the EDGE index, IFC is also ready to assist local governments units (LGUs) in setting up policies that will encourage more green ventures.

“Under IFC’s green and resilient programs, we want to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders,” Mr. Tan said. “We can work closely with you (LGUs) to enable you to make that enabling environment for greener and more resilient buildings.

INCENTIVES
The IFC executive said incentives for developers do not have to be limited to waived or reduced property tax, which cuts the local government’s potential revenue.

LGUs, he said, can introduce such measures as cutting the processing time for permits and requirements for green-certified projects, providing grants or loans, offering technical assistance, and updating local legislation to improve the regulatory framework.

Mr. Tan cited the IFC’s work with the Mandaluyong government for the city’s green building code, one of the pioneering local ordinances on environment-friendly property projects.

IFC is also piloting its Building Resilience Index (BRI) in the Philippines, an online tool that includes hazard mapping and resilience assessment for building projects.

With the help of EDGE and BRI, Mr. Tan said, green buildings could be made “more accessible, inclusive, and affordable.”

The IFC executive stressed that applying “quantitative” resilience and sustainability standards are especially important for socialized housing projects as the underprivileged population are under gravest threat from climate change.

“Risks are increasing with global warming… Climate impacts are felt disproportionately in urban areas with the most economically and socially marginalized,” he said.

HausTalk ramps up projects this year

REAL ESTATE company HausTalk, Inc. said it is planning more developments in 2022, spearheaded by projects in Antipolo and Quezon City.

“It’s going to be a very busy year for HausTalk this 2022. We didn’t expect so much sales during the pandemic. What was mainly affected was our production, since we couldn’t go full blast because of [lockdown] restrictions,” HausTalk President Maria Rachel D. Madlambayan said in a virtual interview on Friday.

“But now, since we are at Alert Level 1, we are starting to build up manpower, so all our backlogs in construction, we can catch up to. We’re looking for more projects. Being a listed company, there will be a lot more opportunities coming,” she added.

On Jan. 17, HausTalk was the first company to debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2022, raising P750 million from its initial public offering (IPO).

One of HausTalk’s upcoming developments is the Celestis 1 project in Barangay Baguyo, Antipolo City, spanning 5,260 square meters (sq.m). It is expected to be completed by 2023 and is projected to raise company sales to P500 million.

“Each unit in Celestis has an approximate lot area of 70 sq.m. and a floor area of 61 to 76 sq.m. The village is within walking distance from Assumption Antipolo, and is only three kilometers from Robinson’s Antipolo, the Antipolo Cathedral, and the town proper of Antipolo,” HausTalk said in a media release on Monday.

“Celestis 1 will sit adjacent to the larger horizontal development Celestis 2, a 7,963 sq.m estate featuring 60 family homes that are set to break ground soon. Around 100 units in all await residents looking for affordable but high-quality homes,” it added.

Another project is 50 Jocson Residences in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, which is a “high-end, exclusive townhome community with just eight bespoke and high-end units.”

50 Jocson is expected to generate some P325 million in revenues from the sale of seven of the high-end units.

Apart from property expansions, HausTalk said it is also working on improving its technologies and systems.

“We have upgraded our software, so everything is integrated. Even buyers now, abroad or anywhere in the world, can check on HausTalk and make reservations through the website. Because we are a public company, we are aligning all our logistics for the public to have easy access,” Ms. Madlambayan said.

The property developer said it also prepared measures for buyers who struggled financially over the pandemic.

“During the peak of the pandemic, we gave our buyers an option if they want to restructure or update their loans. We are also very lenient, and banks are accommodating to us,” Ms. Madlambayan said.

“We are trying to be friendly with their payments, to stretch it to longer terms where our business still isn’t affected. Our sales group is always trying to adjust on how they can help so they can pay their equity on time,” she added.

HausTalk offers affordable housing options, with existing properties in Antipolo, Laguna, and across Metro Manila.

At the stock exchange on Monday, HausTalk shares dropped 7.29% or P0.07 to P0.89 apiece. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Cignal launches new campaign for PVL Open Conference 2022

THE country’s finest women spikers will again showcase their skills in the only professional league in the country when the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference hits home at the Paco Arena in Manila starting March 16.

The spotlight will be on this season’s campaign of the PVL “The Heart of Volleyball,” which was launched by its broadcast partner Cignal TV. The current season’s campaign was inspired by how PVL is synonymous to Philippine volleyball, considered home of the best local volleyball players in the country and a league followed by the most passionate fans. The Heart of Volleyball will be seen across the multi-platform broadcast plan to be provided by Cignal TV together with Smart Communications, Inc. making sure that all PVL action is seen by fans nationwide whether on TV, digital, streaming & social media.

The PVL games will be airing live on One Sports (Free to Air CH. 41 and Cignal CH. 6) and One Sports+ (Cignal Ch. 91 SD, CH. 261 HD), with both channels also available on Cignal’s OTT Platform, Cignal Play, with video on demand also available on the platform. The livestream of the games will also be accessible on Smart GigaPlay, a platform exclusive for Smart subscribers.

“We are honored to bring the PVL games to volleyball fans across the country. The PVL as the Heart of Volleyball — a league rooted in excellence and skill — has a passionate and tight-knit community showcasing a remarkable and inspiring sisterhood in both victory and defeat. Cignal TV strives to bring the best of the PVL action right in the comfort of our viewers’ homes, giving them front row access to enjoy the heart-pounding games played by their volleyball idols,” shared Cignal President and CEO Robert P. Galang.

Volleyball fans are in for an exciting season bannered by the title defense of the Chery Tiggo Crossovers against perennial contenders and last season’s Final 4 teams Creamline Cool Smashers, Choco Mucho Flying Titans and Petro Gazz Angels plus retooled teams PLDT High Speed Hitters, Cignal HD Spikers, Balipure Purest Water Defenders, Black Mamba Army and the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers who will be making their much-awaited PVL debut.

“We are glad to have Cignal as our television partner for another season of the Premier Volleyball League. Not only were we happy with the metrics from the past Open Conference but also the outputs of their team to give world-class coverage of our games. We are looking forward to another memorable season with them that, hopefully, all our fans will enjoy. “ shared Premier Volleyball League President Ricky Palou.

Oscar-winning actor William Hurt, 71

WILLIAM Hurt in his Oscar-winning role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. — IMDB.COM

WILLIAM HURT, an Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in movies such as Kiss of the Spider Woman and Broadcast News, died on Sunday at the age of 71, according to Deadline.

“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday,” the actor’s son, Will, said in a statement obtained by Deadline.

“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”

The actor disclosed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which had spread to the bone, although at the time he credited an alternative form of chemotherapy with saving his life, according to media reports.

Mr. Hurt’s death was also confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne.

Mr. Hurt, who studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, emerged as one of the most celebrated leading men of the 1980s, earning three Academy Award best actor nominations for his roles in 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, 1986’s Children of a Lesser God, and 1987’s Broadcast News.

He won the Oscar for his portrayal of a homosexual man who shared a prison cell with a political prisoner in Brazil in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Hurt received his fourth and final Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in A History of Violence, a crime thriller released in 2005.

More recently, he played General Thaddeus Ross in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, a recurring role he would reprise in later superhero films based on Marvel Comics including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow. — Reuters

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