POP NEWS DIGITAL

(The Hollywood Reporter) - The Sony film recently opened in Japan and Denmark. It has crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office in a welcome sign as cinemas begin to reopen around the globe after shuttering three months ago due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Sony and New Regency film pulled in $475K from 472 screens in 12 foreign markets, led by Japan — where it opened last weekend — with $300K for a two-week total of $1.3 million. It also opened recently in Denmark, where it earned $170K over the weekend for a territory total of $1 million. Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated film Little Women's global gross now stands at $209 million. Sony reported the weekend grosses on Sunday, becoming the first Hollywood studio to issue box office numbers since the shutdown and as roughly 2,000 theaters go back online worldwide. In addition to solid box office traffic in Japan and Denmark, there was also good news in South Korea, where Sony's local-language film ...

This year's annual Ginumanfest organized by Ginebra San Miguel in time for World Gin Day took time to pay tribute to the Filipino spirit and frontliners fighting the health pandemic. Streamed live on Facebook on Saturday night, June 20, basketball stars, popular OPM bands and some candidates of Miss Universe Philippines pageant offered a toast to freedom, frontliners and the Filipino spirit during the "One Ginebra Nation" online concert. For Filipinos, drinks are meant to be shared and enjoyed with friends. This same feeling of camaraderie, friendship, togetherness and unity is what Ginebra San Miguel aims to cultivate further as it celebrates World Gin Day as One Gin Nation. Some of the basketball stars who graced the online event were Mark Caguioa, Scottie Thompson, L.A. Tenorio, Joe Devance, and Japeth Aguilar. The three-hour show was hosted by DJ CJ and DJ Suzy. It was also broadcast on Magic 89.9 FM. More than 3,000 people watched the live online concert. Musical per...

An enraged megastar Sharon Cuneta on Saturday, June 20, hit back at a netizen who earlier threatened to rape her daughter Frankie Pangilinan. In a lengthy post on Facebook, Cuneta wrote: "What an a**h**e of a father. Considering may anak kayong babae. Oo alam namin. At anuman ang pambabastos ng isang tunay na hayop na tulad mo sa asawa ko at LALONG-LALO NA SA ANAK KONG DALAGA, ay pagpapatunay lamang na may mga demonyong nasa mundo na tulad mo; "Kaya tama ang ginagawa ng anak kong disente at matalino. Pinagmamalaki mo pang DUTERTE SUPPORTER KA, ganon ba? Alam mo bang kahihiyan ka sa Pangulo? At para sa kaalaman ng isang bobong katulad mo, ang Juvenile Justice Law ay hindi para hindi parusahan ang mga kabataang may krimen kundi kung seryoso ang offense ay pananagutan pa rin ngunit ihiwalay sila sa mga hardened criminals na maaaring abusuhin naman sila - at managot sa isang prosesong angkop sa kanilang pagiging menor de edad!;  "Ayon sa batas kung serious offense, minimum i...

Popular Filipino shoe designer Jojo Bragais is now a director! This after Bragais launched his directorial video project on LGBT in time for Father's Day celebration on June 21. The video clip was uploaded on the Facebook page of Bragais Shoes on June 19. "When I saw the finished video, I was really happy. Just like how I imagined the output to be. I've written the script and asked help from my good friends Ays Gonzales, Bessie Besana and Carissa Cielo Medved. I love to write. I am actually working on a BL series to be directed by Jill Urdaneta," said Bragais in an exclusive chat. Bragais, 28, is also into script writing. "I love to do new things. The idea of writing something and making it a reality - I just love it! That feeling is special." He learned script writing a few years ago from Moira Raymund Lee. Entitled "Papa's Boy," the 5-6 minute video clip is about a gay son (played by Johnsel Rotol) who dreams of joining pageants on the verge ...

 Araneta City shows gratitude to the first heroes of our lives with a series of online activities and promos that the whole family can enjoy this Father’s Day. Join the City of Firsts in celebrating the special day for fathers through the Araneta City official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AranetaCity/) this weekend. Crafty dads can catch a live woodworking demo on Saturday, June 20, by Lex Reyes of Craft MNL (4pm). Reyes, who honed his woodworking skills in Australia, will be teaching the basics of making a multi-purpose caddy. Then on Sunday, June 21, Clara Ole’s Chef Florencio “DJ” Santos III will conduct a live cooking demo (2pm), to be followed by a live jazz performance by saxophonist Joshe Calvin Tiu who will play classics from the 80’s and 90’s (6pm). Online viewers will also get a chance to win free Clara Ole gift packs through an online raffle! Simply watch Chef DJ’s workshop and tag 3 friends who love to cook on the comment section for a chance to win the prize...

            Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, together with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), has set up an aquaponics facility to benefit a community in Las Piñas, where the senator has also put up a vegetable garden.           Urban aquaponics is part of BFAR’s Fisheries Resiliency Projects to address food-related challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aquaponics or hydroponics is a way of growing vegetables without soil and at the same time growing fish in the same setup as well.           “It is really time for city dwellers to grow their own food even in an urban setting with limited space. Food self-sufficiency is very important especially during disasters or emergencies such as the ongoing pandemic,” said Villar, who has been advocating urban farming to beat food poverty.           The urban aquaponics an...

One Lady Gaga fan got the ultimate gift from the singer. Shannon McKee recalls an exchange she had with the 34-year-old pop star at a market in Malibu, California, that led to her going home with a new leather jacket.  McKee, 27, tells the Today show that she first encountered Gaga when she commented on her outerwear.  "I walked in and I was like, 'Hey, that's a really bad a** jacket you got on,'" McKee remembers telling Gaga."And she said, 'Thank you.' I kind of recognized the voice, but I'm not one to really go up to celebrities." McKee then left the market but later decided she wanted to go back in and tell the singer something else.  "I did have a story that I wanted to share with her, and I felt this need that she needed to hear it from me," McKee says. "And so when I went back, I was like, 'Hey, you're Lady Gaga, right? My best friend back in high school was a huge fan of yours. And you're the reason he actual...

Saying more Filipinos should have access to healthy and safe farm products, Sen. Cynthia Villar has pushed for a system of organic products certification which small farmers can also afford.   In defending the Committee Report amending Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, the Committee on Agriculture and Food said "farmers find the cost of third party certification with the tag price ranging from 42,000 to 150,000 per crop, valid for only one year to be exorbitant."   "This amount is way beyond the purse of small farmers who have the perennial problem to access even a small capital for production. Only rich farmers or corporations can afford third party certification. The provision has become a deterrent and a disincentive for small farmers comprising a large percentage of the farming population," Villar said.   Villar authored Senate Bill 1911 which proposes the establishment of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) as an alternative to thi...

The organization's board of governors recently announced its 'Academy Aperture 2025' plan to try to further improve the diversity of its membership and Oscar nominees. Last Friday, June 12, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed that it has met its 'A2020' goals announced amidst the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of several years ago — namely, to double its number of female and non-white members by 2020 — and that its board of governors has approved a package of additional measures to try to further improve the diversity of its membership and Oscar nominees, to be known as 'Academy Aperture 2025.' The Academy declared that prior to the 94th Oscar season, it will set up a task force "to develop and implement new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility"; shift from a fluctuating five to 10 best picture nominees to a guaranteed 10 in order to maximize the diversity of films nominated for the Academy's top honor;...

                The Talon 2 Senior Citizens of Las Piñas and the Apo, Sons and Daughters of World War II Veterans Association Incorporated of Las Piñas are thankful to Senator Cynthia Villar and Las Piñas Congresswoman Camille Villar for providing them with their new office headquarters complete with a vegetable garden, vermicomposting and waste management facilities. The new office buildings are located in Barangay Talon 2 in Las Piñas             “Our elders come from a generation which value simple and sustainable living. They are the first proponents of growing food in our own homes or backyards. Besides providing headquarters for their associations, we also want them to be productive. What better way to do that than through farming,” said Villar.             As the current chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, the senator has been advocating urban farming and o...

Face masks have become an emblem of the Filipinos in the fight against COVID-19 as they head for the new norm. And no matter how they look, you should be wearing face masks during situations whenever social distancing may prove difficult. But you might as well wear this must-have accessory of the moment with some style. Be reminded that surgical masks and N-95 respirators are reserved for health workers. And so it's worth finding a protective face mask that would accentuate your outfits. Popular Filipino fashion designer Frederick Berches has come up with chic designs for these newly essential accessories that's close to the heart of Pinoys. "Naisip ko na ang face mask ang isa sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga tao ngayon. Gusto kong gumawa ng face mask na makabayan and fashionable," said Berches, who is now based in Laguna, during an online chat. Berches, 43, admitted that the pandemic has affected his Barong Tagalog business, his original forte in fashion. He...