Top 20 candidates for Miss Teen Earth and Little Miss Earth Philippines announced

A new beauty pageant for the teens and kids will grace the stage to showcase beauty, wit, charm and love for Mother Earth. The search for Miss Teen Earth and Little Miss Earth Philippines has begun. The Top 20 candidates for Miss Teen Earth Philippines (13-17 year olds) and the Top 20 candidates for Little Miss Earth Philippines (4-9 year olds) were announced on April 21-22, 2014 at the Manila Ocean Park where all the finalists coming from across the country were gathered.

Captured Dream Entertainment Productions together with PLDT Home TELPAD present the MISS TEEN EARTH AND LITTLE MISS EARTH PHILIPPINES 2014 on May 27, 2014 at SM Mall of Asia ARENA with delayed telecast on June 8, 2014 at GMA 7's SNBO.

Audition: Marco Polo the Musical | May 9, 2014

You can read the background and previous shows of Marco Polo the Musical here.

2nd audition is scheduled on May 16, 2014. Check details here.

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ONE FC rolls out 10 explosive fights on May 2, 2014 at SM MOA Arena

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans will enjoy an all-night explosive action as ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) rolls out 10 explosive matches featuring the world’s best fighters and local heroes on May 2, 2014 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City, Philippines starting at 7pm.

“Expect explosive knockouts and exciting finishes in what is probably the most exciting fight card ever that will keep fans from around the world on the edge of their seats," said Victor Cui, ONE FC chief executive.

Cui said the 10 bouts will feature some of the biggest stars in the Philippines and around the world, including Bibiano Fernandes (Brazil), Masakatsu Ueda (Japan), Eduard Folayang (Philippines), Kotetsu Boku (Japan), and Ana Julaton (USA).

To read about the presscon of this event (including a video), please visit:

Presscon of "One FC: Rise of Heroes" at SM MOA Arena on May 2, 2014

Pinoy Big Brother Season 5: PBB All-In Housemates (2014)

The new Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) All-In Housemates 2014 (Season 5) are revealed today, April 27, 2014 on ABS-CBN network in ASAP, Buzz ng Bayan and finally in PBB All-In Kick-Off opening night.

Pinoy Big Brother started in 2005 and since then, the show had 4 regular seasons, 2 celebrity editions, and 3 teen editions. So far, the Big Brother house has witnessed the lives of 180 housemates in all. With PBB's Season 5, new 18 housemates will take part in the challenges and trials of real life in the house. Who do you think will win the hearts of many so as not to be evicted?

A total of 229 individuals were shortlisted out of over 44,000 auditionees. 22 of which were presented to the management of the show for final casting. Of the 229 shortlisted, 11 came from the Davao audition, 22 from the Cebu audition, 138 from the Manila audition, 22 from online audition, and 3 were referrals.

The biggest surprise probably was the 18th and last housemate. Instead of being one of the co-hosts of Pinoy Big Brother, she now became one of the housemates. Even her sister, host Toni Gonzaga, was shocked of the revelation. 

Hosted by Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez, Robi Domingo, and John Prats, Pinoy Big Brother All-In premieres on April 28, 2014 and is shown every weeknights on ABS-CBN network, replacing the recently concluded Biggest Loser Doubles (Pinoy Edition). Laurenti Dyogi directs the reality show.

Here are the 
18 PBB Housemates All-In 2014:

1.  AXEL TORRES, 19 (Taguig City)

Audition: Noli Me Tangere (Opera) | May 2-3, 2014

Based on a novel written by Jose Rizal, Felipe de Leon's Noli Me Tangere Opera first debuted in New York City and now will be staged in Manila this September 2014. 

Auditions are scheduled on the following dates at Resorts World Manila:

• May 2, 2014 Friday (4-8pm) - Registration is from 2-4pm only
• May 3 Saturday (10am-3pm) - Registration is from 8-1130am only

Paolo Onesa releases debut album "Pop Goes Standards"

Finalist of The Voice of the Philippines (Season 1) and the ultimate heartthrob crooner Paolo Onesa is now a certified recording artist as he releases his debut album Pop Goes Standards. He crooned his way through his performances at The Voice of the Philippines and he has proven to be a singer to watch out for in this generation.

Audition: PETA's "Florante at Laura: Remastered" | April 29, 2014

Open auditions for FLORANTE AT LAURA: REMASTERED, PETA's newest top-flippin Balagtasan Battle on April 29, 2014 at PETA Theater Center, Lino Brocka Hall, 5-8pm

Please prepare the following:

1 rap/song

1 hiphop dance

1 tagalog monologue

Open auditions for a new musical | April 28, 2014

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Empire Salon launches the Pastellic Collection at Prive club

Empire Salon, the newest salon located inside Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City that has been generating buzz in the beauty/ fashion industry, has recently launched its Summer hairstyle collection via an exclusive mini show at Prive club at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. 

Dubbed “Pastellic,” the show featured a playful blend of candy and gem hues. Salon manager Angie Manabat explains that “not everyone can wear pastel colors so some can wear metallic panels instead. The colors are not very loud and there is a playful twist as well."

Virgin Labfest X line-up of plays announced (2014)

Congratulations to the playwrights for the main line-up (12 One-Act Plays) of Virgin Labfest X (2014)!

Established in 2005, THE VIRGIN LABFEST is a laboratory festival of new plays by emerging and established Filipino playwrights and held annually at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The Virgin Labfest aims to provide Filipino playwrights a venue to present their unpublished, unstaged, untested and untried works to the theatergoing public. The Virgin Labfest is a yearly project of the Manila-based playwrights group Writer's Bloc, Inc., acclaimed theater company Tanghalang Pilipino, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Spotify launched in the Philippines with partnership of Globe Telecom

Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service, was launched  in the Philippines last April 8, 2014 at 71 Gramercy in Makati City. The very comprehensive music platform can be accessed through mobile, tablet and desktop. What better way to make music accessible worldwide for free is though Spotify.

UAP ConEx 2014 held at SMX on April 10-12, 2014

The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), an integrated and accredited professional organization of architects, made innovation and sustainability this year’s agenda for its Convention Exhibit with its adopted theme “Innovative Architecture, Sustainable Future.”  UAP on its 40th (Ruby) Foundation anniversary highlights green architecture and ground-breaking design in its lively showcase of products, materials, technologies, and services for building and construction.

UAP held the country’s premier building and construction expo “UAP ConEx 2014: Innovative Architecture, Sustainable Future, on April 10-12, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center. The three-day event showcased exhibitors from construction supplies, product technology, design management, electrical equipment, government documents assistance, and a lot more.

Cheche Lazaro features the children in Joey Velasco's paintings

"Hapag ng Pag-asa" by Joey Velasco

One great Filipino painter caught the attention of many because of his very unique depiction of Filipino life and street children with Jesus Christ as the center of each masterpiece. Joey Velasco has moved us with his very intricate details and realistic depiction of his subjects. His legacy continues to live on after his untimely death in July 2010 at the age of 43, suffering from a kidney disease.

Velasco's "Hapag ng Pag-asa" became a significant work because of his interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Instead of including Jesus' 12 apostles, the painter showed 12 street children. These children are not fictional. Before Velasco passed away, he continued to support them by securing them a shelter at Gawad Kalinga village. 

NCCA’s Taoid celebration jumpstarts National Heritage Month

In the Philippines, May is declared a National Heritage Month, and to usher in the celebration, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will hold Taoid Heritage Program Celebration, an annual yearlong heritage conservation program.

An Ilocano word for “heritage,” Taoid is the flagship program of NCCA’s Subcommission on Cultural Heritage (SCH), which is headed by Commissioner Fr. Harold Rentoria. This year, it has taken on the theme “Pamanang Pinoy: Taoid 2014.”  It will give us a glimpse of the legacies of the past and how it remains to shape the present and the future. It is a recognition and celebration of the different aspects of our national cultural heritage—our traditional art forms and practices, important cultural structures both movable and immovable and other objects of national importance whether tangible and intangible.

Call for Submission: Subprimal Poetry Art's Spring 2014 issue

Subprimal Poetry Art is open for submissions for its upcoming Spring 2014 issue. They are looking for poetry and flash fiction that are crafted, urgent, compelling, mythical, concerned with spiritual revelation, uses rhythmic sensual, vivid imagery and deals with fundamental truths. They like pieces that use language in new ways. They have a special fondness for prose poems. Voices outside of the status quo keep people awake at night.

Manila celebrates World Book and Copyright Day 2014 on April 23

Everyone is invited to this year’s World Book and Copyright Day celebration on April 23, 2014 at Bonifacio High Street Activity Center and Fully Booked in Taguig City. This is a day to celebrate the power of the written word and the excellence of our homegrown talents in music, literature, visual arts, dance, theater and more. Opening Ceremony begins at 10:00am. Activities are spread out until 8:30pm.

World Book & Copyright Day is an annual event promoting reading, publishing, and copyright awareness. This year, the National Book Development Board is celebrating #WBCD2014 at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City with an industry fair of creative performances, musical acts, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, etc.

Models Casting: Philippine Fashion Week (Holiday 2014) | April 22, 2014

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ICON Manila's 1st International Entertainment and Design Conference | July 3, 2014

ICON Manila announces its International Entertainment and Design Conference 2014 happening in Manila on July 3, 2014 (9am-6pm) at the SMX Convention Center. It will be the first event of its kind in Asia, featuring top professionals in animation and concept design for feature film, television and games.

Top design artists from major animation studios such as Walt Disney, Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon,  Sony Animation Pictures, and Marvel Productions will share their expertise and break down the design process for students and professionals working in the entertainment design industry. Speakers at the conference have decades of tenure and are esteemed members in their fields of expertise.

Earth Day Network Philippines holds "Pro Earth Run 2014" at Bonifacio Global City on April 12

Earth Day Network Philippines stages its first-ever fun run, PRO-EARTH RUN 2014, on April 12, 2014, 4:30AM, at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This is an advocacy run to encourage people to Protect, Respect, and Oversee the sensible and sustainable care for Mother Earth. It is presented by Malungai Life Oil - all-natural concentrated vegetable extract developed from pure Malunggay leaves and seeds and UPS - United Parcel Service.

PRO EARTH RUN has 3K, 5K, 10K race category event, with a special 1.5K Run with Doraemon track.

Salomon X-Trail Run 2014 at Hamilo Coast, Batangas | April 12, 2014

Salomon Philippines, the world’s leading trail running shoe gets ready for this year’s leg of its highly-anticipated trail running event in the region - the Salomon X-Trail Run 2014 to be held at the Hamilo Coast in Batangas, Philippines on April 12, 2014. 

As the number one footwear brand in trail running, Salomon is proud to hold another round of its long-running X-Trail Run, which is scheduled to happen in key countries and cities in the region namely, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

Having attracted numerous participants from all over the Asia-Pacific Region, this series of trail running events has always been filled with various participants, from newbies to hardcore loyalists of the Salomon brand. Hence, the brand has made it a point to keep things exciting and challenging for everyone, offering various types of races – adventure, offroad runs, even mountain runs, making the Salomon X-Trail Run something to look forward to each year.

Discovery Channel's "Manhunt with Joel Lambert" premieres on April 7, 2014

Discovery Channel launched its newest TV series, Manhunt with Joel Lambert, in Manila held at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5 (Makati, Philippines) on March 31, 2014. Known for its engaging line-up of high-quality non-fiction entertainment, Discovery Channel gave a sneak peek of how it is to hunt a criminal in real life, showing us the 6th Episode: “Escape the Jungle” shot at Mt. Sta. Rita in Zambales, Philippines. This particular episode is scheduled for airing on May 12, 2014. 

The program also had an open forum where media had a chance to ask questions for Joel Lambert and the Philippines' Army Scout Rangers (ASR) headed by its Field Commander, Lt. Jerson Jurilla. This event was hosted by Rovilson Fernandez.

Each week, he goes into unknown territory - in the Philippines, South Korea, Poland, America, South Africa and Panama - with nothing but a basic survival kit and a tumbler of water. He must then evade capture and reach a pre-determined extraction point within two days. Will his training, skill and cunning be enough to help him escape?

Manhunt with Joel Lambert premieres on April 7, 2014 (Monday) at 7:00 p.m. (Indonesia); 8:00 p.m. (Philippines/Singapore); 9:00 p.m. (Malaysia).

Free Screening: Short Films of Cinema Rehiyon 6 at DLS-CSB | April 7, 2014

In celebration of CineSB Independent Filmmaking Festival, the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde presents 13 short films from Cinema Rehiyon 6 (Luzon entries) on April 7, 2014 at 4-7pm. This will be held at the School of Design & Arts (SDA) Theater, 12th floor. The school is located at Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz), corner Taft Avenue, Manila. Admission is FREE.

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PBA All-Stars to play at the SM Mall of Asia Arena | April 3-6, 2014

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) gathers its greatest players as they battle out their court skills and do other exciting challenges at the annual PBA-All Star Weekend on April 3-6, 2014 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena and selected SM Supermalls. Various activities have been lined up for the fans to watch out for. 

The weekend will kick-off with challenges where current champions Jonas Villanueva (Air 21), Mark Cardona (Air 21) and Chris Ellis (Barangay Ginebra) will be defending their titles.

Call for Submission: Electrolux Design Lab 2014 Competition

Imagine this: You had an exhausting day at school and you can’t wait to get home and rest. On your way home, the weather was unpredictable and the pollution in the streets was horrible. As you enter your room, you realize that it is not as spotless as you hoped it was. You come in to the kitchen to find good food, but you find nothing on the dining table. You had a draining day and the last thing you would want to do is take care of the household chores.