Entertainment News (02/20/24)

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CCP holds free film screenings at universities

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP), through its Lakbay Sine program, will screen award-winning local films for free from Feb. 22 to 24 in various venues in Metro Manila. Liway by Kip Oebanda will kick off the program, showing at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, at University of Santo Tomas, on Feb. 22, 1 p.m. At the St. Paul University in Quezon City, the Cinemalaya 2022 Best Film Blue Room, by director Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan, will be screened on Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m. This will be followed by a special screening of Anak, directed by Rory Quintos and written by National Artist Ricky Lee, at the same venue at 1 p.m. It includes a talkback session with Mr. Lee and the film’s two, award-winning actresses, Vilma Santos and Claudine Barretto.

SB19’s Josh Cullen drops remix with rapper Yuridope

P-POP star Josh Cullen has joined forces with Filipino rapper Yuridope for the official remix of “Get Right.” The remix treatment also serves as a collaborative effort with multi-talented producer Cursebox, who mixed genres and produced the track with a more upbeat twist from the original. Josh Cullen and Yuridope’s remix of “Get Right” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.

Oscar-nominated The Holdovers in Ayala Cinemas

ACCLAIMED film The Holdovers is opening exclusively in Ayala Malls Cinemas starting Feb. 21. Known as filmmaker Alexander Payne’s “most emotional movie,” it follows a grumpy instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a prestigious school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go over the holidays. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The Holdovers has been nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Dua Lipa releases new single

AFTER teasing the new single on social media and performing it at the Grammys, pop superstar Dua Lipa has finally released “Training Season,” complete with a dance music video. The song is about embracing her singlehood and dating life without feeling any pressure to find the “right” one. “I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw. The next morning, I arrived at the studio to Caroline [Ailin] and Tobias [Jesso Jr.] asking me how it went, and I immediately declared ‘Training season is over,’” she said. The single is out now on all streaming platforms.

Thriller Night Swim in cinemas nationwide

HORROR classics such as Poltergeist and Jaws inspired Night Swim, an upcoming film diving into aquaphobia. According to director Bryce McGuire, growing up in Florida builds up “a fear and reverence for the water.” The film follows Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell), a baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness. He persuades his wife Eve (Kerry Condon) that their new home’s backyard swimming pool will provide physical therapy for him, but a dark secret instead drags the family under. Night Swim screens in cinemas nationwide starting Feb. 21.

Maya Hawke drops new single ahead of album

SINGER and actress Maya Hawke has released “Missing Out,” the first single from her upcoming album, Chaos Angel, to be released on May 31 via Mom+Pop. Her third album, it is produced by co-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson and will feature contributions by longstanding collaborators Benjamin Lazar Davis and Will Graefe. “Missing Out” is inspired by the typical college party experience that Ms. Hawke never personally had. The track comes with a science-fiction influenced video directed by Alex Ross Perry. It is now out on all streaming platforms.

Madame Web tops Philippine box office

THE FIRST superhero movie with a female lead in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was the No. 1 movie in the Philippines over the weekend. Madame Web, which came out on Feb. 14, grossed P10,402,829 on its first day, making it the biggest opening day gross so far for 2024. It stars Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, and Tahar Rahim. It is now showing in cinemas via Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

ENHYPEN releases Spotify single

PRODUCED exclusively for Spotify, ENHYPEN’s latest release delivers their rendition of predecessor K-pop group BTS’s “I NEED U.” It is part of the Spotify K-pop ON!   campaign, being the first of three Spotify-exclusive covers by a line-up of K-pop artists, each paying homage to more senior groups that ignited their passion for the genre. In ENHYPEN’s cover, acoustic instrumentals replace the electronic synth sounds of the original version. On Feb. 21, K-pop ON! will take listeners behind the scenes for a peek into the making of the cover. The track is out now on Spotify.

Mystery Manila launches Pasay branch in Newport

NEWPORT World Resorts has launched a branch of Mystery Manila, where visitors must explore dimensions to decode clues and collect as many crystals as possible. “Unlike the mysteries in our other branches, the one here [involves] exploring several rooms while solving [puzzles],” the game masters behind Mystery Manila said of “The Walkthrough Experience,” in a statement. The first Pasay City branch can be found on the Ground Floor of the Newport Garden Wing. Participating teams can have a maximum of six players at P699 per head.