Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, June 8, 2015

Award-Winning Play "The Normal Heart" All Set to Open on July 3

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AAI / The Necessary Theatre proudly announces the Asian premiere of " THE NORMAL HEART " - the 2011 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Play about the early rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. During this period, a deadly epidemic was decimating North America's gay population, killing people in the thousands, devastating an entire generation and changing the way we think about sex forever.

Written by playwright and activist Larry Kramer, " THE NORMAL HEART " is a largely autobiographical play that puts a human face to an issue often mired in numbers, facts and statistics as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the openly gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. He watches in horror as friends and lovers fall prey to a mysterious virus targeting his community.

For its Manila run, " THE NORMAL HEART " is set to open on July 3 (Fri) 8pm with succeeding limited performances on July 4 (Sat) 3pm & 8pm; July 5 (Sun) 3pm & 8pm at the Carlos P. Romulo auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

Topnotch theater actor Bart Guingona (who also directs the play) shall essay the role of the very intense activist Ned Weeks who is both difficult and charming.

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In a space where everyone is acting, how do you know if it's real?

The Ateneo de Manila University’s Fine Arts Program presents" AUTHORIAL INTENT " by Itamar Moses, a postmodern romantic comedy that confronts the audience with a rich and self-aware story, written with both insider knowledge of the mechanics of drama and a shrewd grasp of the ultilayered ways in which people deceive themselves.

" AUTHORIAL INTENT " puts its audience behind the fourth wall of a condominium shared by a couple, referred to only as A and B. They have just begun to live together. Three days after moving in together, a woman tells a man she doesn't love him anymore --- move out !!!. Suddenly, the play itself undergoes a parallel breakdown, with the two characters speaking their objectives and subtext instead of their dialogue. Finally, the two actors step out of character, to look back and wonder: Is there anything at all behind the artifice?

But the masterful stroke of playwright Itamar Moses' pen further unmasks the layers of truth and craftsmanship behind the encounter, from their character objectives and conversational tactics to the revelation that the condominium is actually the set of a play, where A and B find themselves as actors in a very real world, perpetually in search of something to be sure about. In a space where everyone is acting, how do you know if it's real?

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The Reality Film Lab (TRFL) is an intensive training field for aspiring film practitioners. Since its inception last year, Reality Entertainment, a film production company that produced Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, Rigodon and On The Job, has been facilitating The Reality Film Lab. TRFL is a non-profit filmmaking workshop that shapes Philippine cinema by building a network of dedicated filmmakers equipped with the vital cinematic tools and mastery of the art. This 2015, the film lab will span from June 14 to July 11.

The Reality Film Lab offers Film Directing, Digital Cinematography, Editing, Scriptwriting, Production Design and Film Production classes. This year, TRFL is offering master classes that will cross over to different fields such as Prosthetics, Acting, Animation, Makeup, Documentary, Storyboarding, Pitching, Color Grading and Sound Design.

Headed by internationally acclaimed director Erik Matti and renowned producer Dondon Monteverde, TRFL brings together a roster of experts who are at the top of their respective careers.

With top industry professionals at their side, students earn hands on experience with professional-grade equipment. Cinematography students are equipped with RED Epics, Black Magic cameras and lighting tools for their projects. Production Design students enjoy regular trips to the commercial sets of their mentors. Editing students create their own editor’s cut of reputable films, with their exclusive access to raw On The Job footage and other Reality Film productions.

Supergirl TV Series: Spoiler Alert for Superman's Cousin Now Flying on TV

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The whole plot in 5 minutes and 34 seconds. Nice.

It's not a bird, it's not a plane, it's not a man, it's the girl from Glee.. not as hot as Smallville's Supergirl, but very cool SUPER GIRL!

Melissa Benoist plays Kara Danvers in the new TV series simply called Supergirl.

Soooo....Superman gets an angst-laden blockbuster action movie franchise...and Supergirl gets a rom com series. They make her character seem unsure of herself, insecure, vulnerable... how women are typically portrayed. If they ditch the corny "oh poor weak me where is my true love" music it might stand a chance to be successful. Superman gets a sweeping score for music and Supergirl is a chick rock fling. Remember, girls just want to have fun.

The hype is real. She's Marley from Glee, playing Superman's cousin ...and I don't really need to say much because the trailer seems to have told the entire first episode. After watching that trailer, I don't really see the need to watch the show. That six minutes was really all it has to offer. For a second I thought it was an SNL spoof of how movies treat females as adorable little idiots. This really reminds me of the black widow SNL skit.

Last Call for MICHELIN’s Right2Race Players

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Online game enthusiasts have until June 16, 2015 to join MICHELIN’s Right 2 Race (R2R) 2015 promo, an online game that tests players’ racing knowledge accurately, resulting in a fun and exciting experience.

The game is played in six select countries and three players with the best and fastest lap times get the chance to win a trip to Sepang, Malaysia and join in the once-in-a-lifetime MICHELIN Pilot Sport Experience on July 18.

The MPSE is a much-awaited motorsport event organized by MICHELIN in the Sepang International F1 Circuit in Malaysia where winners get to ride and drive with professional racers on high-performance vehicles such as the Formula 4, Renault Clio Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the legendary Formula Le Mans.

Last year, one of the Philippines’ winners, Ivan Isada, won in the actual race and emerged as Overall Champion of the 2014 MPSE, besting 25 other winners from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and the Philippines. Safety, handling and speed were the race criteria, As the ultimate winner, Mr. Isada received an exclusive all-expense paid trip to witness the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours in Le Mans, France in June 2015.

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The towns of Tubigon and Maribojoc in Bohol province now have clean and safe drinking water due to a joint effort of the Coca-Cola Company and Habitat for Humanity Philippines. The two towns have newly rehabilitated water supply systems, a project which began in February 2014.

In Tubigon, a redeveloped 105,000-liter water storage tank will be able to provide clean water to 500 families in the barangays of Panaytayon, Ilijan Norte and Ilijan Sur. Meanwhile, 2,000 families across nine barangays in the town of Maribojoc will benefit from a new multi-filtration water system that outputs 1.2 million liters of clean water per day.

Representing the provincial government of Bohol, Atty. Anthony Damalerio expressed his gratitude to Coca-Cola Philippines and Habitat for “this good example of public-private partnership. This is one way to honor our strong commitment to deliver that basic commodity to our barangays.”

Damalerio said that the province’s demand for clean water will be increasing this year since Bohol will be embarking on massive infrastructure projects. Due to this, he explained, providing barangays access to clean and safe drinking water is a topmost priority. “We must not forget the role of our barangays.”

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These days, almost everyone can easily become a blogger. With so many sites offering free blog platforms, anybody (young or old, student or professional) can quickly setup his or her own site and publish whatever they want, may it be personal or sponsored.

Just as there are various themes and ways to design, many have their own smart ideas of what a blog, or blogger, should be. It seems many have realized how influential blogs can be, and how it has distinguished itself for being more reliable and less biased as compared to the official sites that sugarcoat what they have to offer.

There has been also a continuous debate on how bloggers should be compensated, or not. Many are arguing bloggers do not deserve to complain for what they are getting for bloggers are not real journalists that have years of educational background or experience. Unlike journalists that have paychecks from their publications, most bloggers are freelancers who established their own sites. Bloggers don't normally get a stable monthly source of financing to help them pay their bills, unless they have a day job.

The years of hard work bloggers put into our blogs deserve better and more rewarding incentives or privileges/benefits. As compared to newbies who are still learning the process or just newly setup their blogs, the bloggers who were ahead have attained authority and the power to demand better compensation. For those who just joined the blogging community, let the rewards become a motivation for everyone to work their way up.

As a fellow blogger have said, "Nothing is FREE. It takes a lot of time, electricity, energy, and brainpower to write a blog post." Then we should be fairly compensated for all our efforts, as compared to some bloggers who do otherwise..... and when we say fair it should be commensurate to our site's status.

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Renowned actress-comedienne Tuesday Vargas is all set to direct the 30th installment of the longest running musical comedy variety show in the Philippines, Live Ang Istoryang Dinebelop ng SAMASKOM (Live A.I.D.S.).
Dubbed as Live A.I.D.S. XXX: Tatlumpung Taong Tawanan, Vargas aims to bring back to the stage three decades worth of wit and hilarity the show is best known for. She wants to bring forth in this 30th offering a timeless performance where generation gaps are closed, and where audiences from all ages can laugh with each other.

“I wanted this one to be a landmark show that will set the bar for future Live A.I.D.S. to follow.” Vargas said.

This year, the show revolves around a dystopian theme set in an alternate universe.

“In effect, time machine ang handle,” she said. “I want to offer the best of the three decades of Live A.I.D.S.― I want to pool performers from the 80’s, 90’s and millennial’s batches.”

For decades, Live A.I.D.S. has garnered fanatics and avid viewers who have steadfastly sought out the show, including known personalities such as Bianca Gonzales, Ricky Lee, Quark Henares, John Lapus, and Vice Ganda. After all, it is the show which gave rise to the career of comedy stars Giselle Sanchez, Ate Glow, Michelle O’ Bombshell, and of course, the director herself, Tuesday Vargas.

Top 6 Items WeChat’s WeReward Can Give You For Free

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With WeChat’s WeReward, all one has to do is make a video/voice call on WeChat and get great deals such as Lazada’s Php100 voucher (with no minimum purchase) and Free entrance plus free drink on your favorite clubbing destinations, Raven and URBN. All these for FREE just by using WeReward.

Mobile social communications app WeChat is taking the term “reward” to a whole new level with its WeReward program by partnering with some of the Philippine’s biggest brands, like the Philippines’ One-Stop Shopping Destination, Lazada.com.ph; the easiest and most fun online ordering and delivery app, Foodpanda; superclubs Urbn & Raven, and the ultimate in wearables and running apps, Runtastic, to enable its loyal users to take full advantage of their promos without having to pay a centavo!

WeChat users can receive items from any of the mentioned brands by accumulating enough points through daily tasks like making 60-second voice or video calls. Each corresponding action gives WeChat users 30 points which can be used to redeem prizes. A user can acquire a maximum of 30 points per day.

Below are some of the top and most sought-after items that users can receive through WeReward:

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First there was Ever After High, and then there was Monster High, what's next? Descendants - a straight to TV movie you may actually be interested in. Find out if evil runs in the family.

I wanted to like this...but I just can't get past the characters...I mean...just look at Jafar...one of the best dressed villains of the Disney universe... I was hoping Jafar's kid would be a girl....now looks like some guy who just sits around and drinks beer all day. Once Upon a Time does a MUCH better job of expanding stories. I'll take "Lily" over this version of Maleficent's daughter any day.

These new characters aren't as classy as a "typical" Disney-Villain would. As an evil regal, I feel extremely offended by that Evil Queen's costume. Seems more like a B-Movie type of thing, than something Disney-ish. It sounded really good and had potential at first, but instead is wasted energy and time.

This is more aimed at kids rather than adults so it’s natural that they'd make it to where it is more kid and teen friendly versus the complicated world of Once Upon a Time. This is a movie for kids/teenagers, they won’t make it dark and scary or very realistic.

Michelin Right2Race 2014 Champ, Off to Le Mans 24 Hours

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Thumbs Up All The Way To Le Mans!

Michelin Right2Race 2014 Overall Champion Ivan Isada (2nd from left), who bested 24 other participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines at the 2014 Michelin Pilot Sport Experience (MPSE), gives a victorious thumbs-up sign with his father, former motorsport champion, Vip Isada, prior to take-off for Le Mans, France.

The younger Isada received from Michelin an exclusive all-expense paid trip to France for his MPSE achievement. After a stop-over in Paris and an unforgettable dinner experience at the Michelin 3-star restaurant “Guy Savoy” at La Monnaie de Paris, Ivan and Vip will witness the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours on June 13-14 at the Circuit De La Sarthe at Le Mans.

Their experience will include a helicopter ride over the track and a private guided tour of the paddock.

Open Access BPO Holds Health Event to Celebrate Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

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Open Access BPO, an outsourcing services provider with call center operations in the Philippines, carries on its tradition of promoting wellness in the workplace by holding a health event on May 27, 2015 to take part in celebrating Cervical Awareness month.

The company partnered with health brands to spread knowledge about the disease and offer free services to its employees in the firm’s Makati office.

Among those companies is GlaxoSmithKline, whose representatives showed a docu-film exploring the effects of cervical cancer to Filipino families.

Also in the venue were representatives of Merck Pharmaceuticals’ Sangobion brand who assisted attendees in doing self-check on the five signs of iron deficiency anemia.

Along with the pharmaceutical companies, Slimmers World was present in the event to give skin treatments, physical consultations, and nutritional counseling to Open Access employees.

White Flower, on the other hand, simultaneously offered free massage and ear candling services.

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Michelin and Renault Sport have joined forces to develop 18- and 17-inch diameter tires for the Formula Renault 3.5 and Formula Renault 2.0 single-seater racing cars. The racing cars star in the WSR (World Series by Renault) that is ongoing up to October 2015.

The Michelin-Renault partnership began in October 2014 after a positive test at Jerez, Spain, which encouraged the two partners to continue down this road. Today, following further testing, Renault Sport and Michelin have concluded that the replacement of the 13-inch tires that currently equip the WSR’s FR3.5 and FR2.0 cars by 18- and 17-inch tires respectively is a first class solution to make driving even more enjoyable for competitors, including enhanced performance during transient phases. Tires with smaller sidewalls produce less yaw, greater precision and improved steering response. At the same time, the change marks a big step forward in terms of the opportunities it offers when it comes to carrying over technology to Michelin road tires.
Ever since the pioneering days of the sport, motor racing has served as an important testing and development laboratory for technologies that go on to be used for road car tires. Michelin has long adhered to this philosophy and uses all the disciplines in which it is active to collect technical data that its Research and Development experts can dial into new, ever better-performing and increasingly efficient tires.

The World Series by Renault features two single-seater championships which are reputed for revealing talented upcoming drivers. They are the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, which is open to drivers as young as 16 years old, and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series which stands out as a benchmark series for the grooming of future Formula 1 drivers.

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Adam Richman continues his culinary adventures in TLC’s brand new series, MAN FINDS FOOD. He embarks on a new quest to uncover the most unexpected and delicious treasures in towns across the U.S. Discover some truly surprising must-eats that only those in-the-know would be able to find in MAN FINDS FOOD, premiering June 8 at 9:30 PM on TLC.

From a Thai joint in Los Angeles that serves a spicy off-menu burger he can only describe as “life-changing”, to one of the best Pakistani restaurants in Milwaukee hidden in an unassuming office building, Adam takes viewers all over the U.S. as he samples the country’s amazing food creations. These tantalising treasures are sometimes found in towns not known for that particular dish – or for food in general.

Occasionally nestled in locations that are nearly impossible to find, Adam and his crew will hunt down and reveal these classified creations one by one. In Chinatown, he learns about a sandwich so secret you need to be one of the first five to order it. In a neighbourhood known as Kaimuki, he sees how a once-illegal Hawaiian food is specially prepared by pounding it with a pestle. And he makes some mouthwatering finds in the randomest of places, such as a bowling alley – that happens to serve full-broiled chicken, which Adam has proclaimed as his favourite.

Along the way, Adam talks to the creators of these dishes and connects with the locals to find out about their favourite food joints and what other scrumptious secrets the towns might be harbouring.

Tune in as each episode builds up to reveal the most outlandish, delicious, off-the-menu creations.

AMD Lights Up Broadway with Times Square’s Largest High Definition Display

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AMD announced details behind one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced display walls, located in New York’s Times Square at 1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets. The stunning visuals that drive the digital sign’s massive size – 25,000 square feet of Ultra-High Definition digital signage incorporating nearly 24 million pixels – are powered by AMD FirePro™ professional graphics cards.

The sign, with playback system designed and managed by Diversified Media Group, is a single surface covering a city block in length and stands eight stories high. Driving the visual display are three AMD FirePro professional graphics cards using AMD Eyefinity Technology, with each card powering six sections of the display for a combined resolution of 10,048 x 2,368 pixels. The individual display sections are synchronized across graphics cards and zones using the FirePro™ S400 synchronization module.

“Graphics realism is a key driver for the next generation of immersive experiences, whether through display walls, virtual reality, or other aspects of visualization,” said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager, EESC Business Group, AMD. “The Times Square display powered by our AMD FirePro professional graphics and scalable Graphics Core Next architecture is a great example of how AMD is ready and able to innovate with customers and push the boundaries of visual technology.”