Entertainment News (08/11/23)

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CCP launches comics, animation, games

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP) is launching completed digital projects under its Comics, Animation, and Game Development Grant Program. The two comics, three animations, and three games that will be unveiled on Aug. 12 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) received development funding last year. The program aims to generate content “reflecting the country’s rich cultural heritage of folktales, myths, and legends.” The game development grantees are: Ranida Games’ Sinag, a 1v1 fighting game that features Philippine mythology; Synthillate’s Pearls of Asia, a Philippine business simulator that showcases strategies from renowned Filipino personalities; and Kendikorp’s Gala, a casual exploration mobile game featuring iconic Filipino landmarks. The comics grantees are: Randy Valiente’s Lalang Kalibutan, which tells the story of how the world was created from the Visayan point of view, and Ruel Enoya’s Bantugen, an adaptation from the Maranao epic Darangen. Other digital projects to be launched are: Bernardo Carpio, a digital Pinoy comic with augmented reality; Bulusan and Agingay: Iyak ni Mampak, a stop-motion animation film; Sulayman, a 2D digital animation; and Lola Basyang, The Animation.

QCinema launches first project market

QCINEMA International Film Festival provides another opportunity for Filipino and Southeast Asian (SEA) filmmakers to reach a global audience as it launches the QCinema Project Market (QPM), a platform for filmmakers and producers to secure funding, expand their networks, gain exposure, develop their skills, and contribute to the growth of the international film industry. Over P15 million in grants will be available. Quezon City Film Development Commission Executive Director Liza Diño-Seguerra said in a statement: “In recent years, the region has shown impressive growth in its filmmaking, with high production values that rival international standards. This is evident in the diverse co-produced film projects between the Philippines and SEA showcased at major festivals like Autobiography of Makbul Mubarak (Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines), In My Mother’s Skin (Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan), Arnold is a Model Student (Thailand, Philippines, Singapore). With QPM, we get to support projects like that from the region and introduce them to funding and one-on-one networking opportunities so we can see their stories on the big screen.” Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers with projects in advanced stages of development are invited to participate. To be eligible to join the program, the filmmaker must have at least a draft of the full script of a feature-length fiction film project. The film must also not yet be completed by the time QCinema 2023 commences and must not be fully financed yet. Southeast Asian directors with at least one short of feature film may apply. Deadline of submission of entries is Sept. 15. Fifteen entries will be chosen to participate in the film market, slated from Nov. 18-20, in conjunction with the QCinema International Film Festival. For details on the requirements and for more information, visit the QPM website at https://qcinema.ph/grant/project-market/ .

FEU Chorale presents Pasasalamat concert

THE FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU) Chorale will give thanks and celebrate their talents at the FEU Auditorium with a concert titled Pasasalamat on Aug. 12. It will serve as a homecoming celebration for the group following their participation in the recently concluded 2nd Asia Choral Grand Prix in Bali, Indonesia, where six choirs from Spain, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines battled in this competition of winners. Two weeks before leaving for Bali, the FEU Chorale also competed in the Sing, Tarlac, Sing Choral Festival in Tarlac City and won a Gold Diploma, the Best in Folk Song Category, and the Second Prize. For Pasasalamat, the FEU Chorale will sing contemporary songs, folk songs, and sacred contemporary pieces, which they also performed in the Tarlac and Bali competitions. The concert will be at 6 p.m. on Aug. 12. Tickets, which cost P500 and P250, are available at the FEU Center for the Arts and the FEU Chorale’s FB page.

Daryl Hall to hold PHL concert in November

SINGER-SONGWRITER Daryl Hall, known as half of the iconic duo Hall & Oates and recognized as one of the best soul singers of the 1970s and 1980s, is set to perform live in the Philippines. Together with Daryl’s House Band and Todd Rundgren as a special guest, he will be having a concert on Nov. 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The last time he performed in the Philippines was in 1991. Mr. Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. Promoted by Ovation Productions, tickets to the concert are now available at smtickets.com with prices ranging from P2,750 to P15,750. For more details and updates, check the official website and Facebook Page of Ovation Productions at https://ovationproductionsmanila.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/ovationproductions/ .

Little Mermaid star Halle releases debut single

ASIDE from playing the iconic role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid and garnering four Grammy Awards as part of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, Halle Bailey is now pursuing a solo music career as Halle. She has released her debut single, “Angel,” produced by Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, and composer Theron “NeffU” Feemster. The song blends a silky R&B groove with orchestral arrangements. The 23-year-old singer-actress delivers vocals to give life to lyrics like: “Heaven knows your wings can weigh you down, but angels make a way somehow.” The track stems from the feelings of doubt upon being cast as a Disney princess and the differing opinions that arose from it, with the hope that “other brown and black girls and everyone in general feel embraced, respected, and inspired hearing the words of this song,” Ms. Halle said in a statement. It is accompanied by a music video directed by Wendy Morgan and is available on all digital music platforms worldwide.

Hong Kong-based rapper J-Hoon drops new album

CRITICALLY acclaimed hip-hop producer and rapper J-Hoon has released his sophomore album, the 14-track Noodles II , where he documents a decade of witnessing social instability, chaos, and fear in his hometown, Hong Kong — a city that has struggled to retain its degree of independence. “You could say that it’s my love letter to the bustling city, a poetic unravelling of its beautiful and ugly side amidst the crumbling terror of political conflict. It’s also diarist in tone and very much contemplative,” the singer said in a statement. “I didn’t know that I would be this brave to open up about my encounters in life, where stories and emotions sometimes get the best of me.” As a comeback album, it also shows J-Hoon’s looser yet more collected take on hip-hop, boom bap, jazz, trap, neo-soul, IDM, and electronic music. The album is available on all digital music platforms worldwide.

New virtual talent agency unveils virtual talents

BRAND New Company’s newest intellectual property, a virtual talent agency dubbed HEYU, has introduced their first generation of “virtual talents” or Vtubers, a three-piece music group named RE:NEGADE. An online personality behind a virtual avatar, known as a Vtuber, was an innovative form of entertainer that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current landscape of online content creation, they “maximize fan interactivity and near-limitless creativity,” according to Brand New Company. RE:NEGADE is composed of Jacki3, a Rebel Robot Rapper (a former deceased person), Ru VII, a Vampire Sorceress Rockstar, and Gemi9, a Siren Songstress Seeking Solace (who is not a mermaid). They will be regularly streaming content as well as releasing songs through HEYU’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@HEYUteam).