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‘Anak Datu’ opens a rush of truth from ripples of trauma
A year after it premiered, Anak Datu is returning to the stage, opening the 37th season of Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. When it debuted, it immediately became a landmark production in several ways. It was one of the first plays to be mounted with a live audience after the lockdowns and restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. And it was the first play to be staged at the newly opened CCP Black Box Theater or Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. Anak Datu is one of the few plays on the Tausug and Moro people and cultures of Mindanao, portrayed with marked sensitivity and apparent diligence. It was lauded by critics and audiences, with former Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as one of the prominent people who trooped to CCP to watch the play on 1 October 2022. The play went on to win six awards at the 13th Gawad Buhay and five at the 35th Aliw Awards. [caption id="attachment_192618" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] the tausug pangalay dance is incorporated into the play.[/caption] Fine-tuned production Despite the accolades and being one of the most important theatrical events in 2022, the play was faulted by some for what was seen as its confusing storytelling, its shifts in timeline and milieus, and the cumbersome sets. The second staging afforded the creative team the opportunity to fine-tune these and other aspects of the production. According to director Chris Millado, former CCP vice president and artistic director, they were able to make the storytelling clearer and supply an elevated platform to make the designs of the light projections more visible. For Dennis N. Marasigan, current CCP vice president and artistic director, “[o]n its rerun, Tanghalang Pilipino's Anak Datu is tighter, its storytelling and technical aspects clearer and crisper, and its staging even more affecting, effectively overlaying story, myth and history.” The restaging marks another milestone in the journey of the play, which started in 2018 from talks that artist Toym Imao, son of the late National Artist for visual arts Abdulmari Asia Imao, had with Millado and veteran actor and TP artistic director Fernando “Nanding” Josef about making a stage adaptation of the elder Imao’s short story for children, written in 1968, the year Toym was born. The team recruited award-winning playwright Rody Vera to write the script. The plan became more concrete when Josef decided to make the project TP’s first original play after the pandemic lockdowns. By then, the play has evolved into something larger than the original story. Serving as Anak Datu’s set designer, Imao recalled the anxieties they felt during the first stages of production, especially the prospect of one of them getting sick and shutting down the show. “But we were able to tell an essential story that was important, especially for a nation that was coming out of the devastating election of May 2022 for a lot of people. It is something important for us na nakapagkuwento kami (we were able to tell a story),” he said. [caption id="attachment_192619" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Ramli Abdurahim as the pirate Jikiran.[/caption] Three stories Anak Datu tells three stories — Toym’s childhood with his father (Paul Jake Paule) and mother, Grace de Leon (Toni Go-Yadao); his father’s short story; and the recent history of his father’s people, the Muslim Tausug in Sulu Archipelago and the Moro, the collective Muslim ethnic groups, of Mindanao. The Imao family portion shows Toymie (Carlos Dala) growing up with Voltes V and other preoccupations of middle-class children in Metro Manila. Then there is the story of the disputed 1968 Jabidah Massacre, told through Jibin Arula (Gie Onida), the lone survivor — how young Tausug men, mostly illiterate, were recruited by the military, transferred to Corregidor and then massacred upon the discovery of a suspicious plot. Also dramatized is the 1974 Palimbang Massacre, in which the military allegedly murdered more a thousand Moro men inside the Malisbong masjid in the province of Sultan Kudarat, while 3,000 women and children were detained and about 300 homes were burned down. These incidents were said to have sparked the conflicts and armed struggle in Mindanao that would scar the region for decades. Along with the contemporary scenes is the retelling of the short story Anak Datu, set in a pre-colonial time and rendered in mythical mode, combining both the familial and the tragic. The Tausug village of datu Karim (Hassanain Magarang) and his wife Putli Loling (Tex Ordoñez-De Leon and Lhorvie Nuevo) is attacked by pirates, led by Jikiran (Ramli Abdurahim), who kidnaps the pregnant Putli Loling. She gives birth to Karim, who grows up knowing Jikiran as his father but later learns the truth. [caption id="attachment_192620" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Artist Toym Imao taking a picture with the cast and creative team.[/caption] Graceful movements All throughout, the play shifts among these threads of stories, each one compelling and multi-layered. Counterbalancing the oral storytelling is the dramatization through graceful movements, choregraphed by Magarang using the pangalay or Tausug traditional dance, a shared art form with the Yakan (pamansak) and Sama (igal) peoples, thus rendering the stories more visual and adding allure and distinctive cultural flavor to the play. The dances are accompanied by a live kulintangan or gong ensemble. The stark interiors of the theater come alive and burst with colors courtesy of the lighting by Katsch Catoy and projection design of GA Fallarme, who uses Abdulmari Imao’s paintings and traditional Tausug and Meranaw motifs such as the okir as inspirations. Toym’s set pieces are highly movable to keep up with the constant shifts in storytelling, and the bigger ones are like art installations, contributing to the visual richness of the production. Harnessing memory, myth and history, Anak Datu is able to weave its stories into an enthralling whole, establishing interconnectedness and consolidating the story of a person, a family and a community into the very story of a nation, like three or more streams converging into a great river. Tanghalang Pilipino’s Anak Datu runs 29 September to 15 October at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater). The post ‘Anak Datu’ opens a rush of truth from ripples of trauma appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nobel prize goes to mRNA Covid vaccine researchers
Researchers Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that paved the way for groundbreaking Covid-19 vaccines. The pair, who had been tipped as favourites, "contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times", the jury said. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020 and the first mRNA vaccines were approved for use against the illness in December that year. Billions of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna doses have been injected around the world since then. Together with other Covid vaccines, they "have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease in many more", the jury said. Kariko, 68, and Weissman, 64, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, have already won a slew of awards for their research. In recognising the duo this year, the Nobel committee broke with its usual practice of honouring decades-old discoveries, aimed at ensuring it has stood the test of time. While the prizewinning research dates back to 2005, the first vaccines to use the mRNA technology came out just three years ago. Unlike traditional vaccines which use weakened virus or a key piece of the virus' protein, mRNA vaccines provide the genetic molecules that tell cells what proteins to make, which simulates an infection and trains the immune system for when it encounters the real virus. Sweet comeback The idea was first demonstrated in 1990 but it wasn't until the mid-2000s that Weissman, of the US, and Hungarian-born Kariko developed a technique to control a dangerous inflammatory response seen in animals exposed to these molecules, opening the way to develop safe human vaccines. The honour is particularly sweet for Kariko, the 13th woman to win the Medicine Prize, who toiled in obscurity for years and struggled to convince her superiors of the need for research on messenger ribonucleic acid. Speaking to Swedish Radio, she said her late mother always had faith in her, listening to the Nobel prize announcements "year after year" hoping to hear her daughter's name called out. "Unfortunately, five years ago she passed at the age of 89. She might be listening from above," Kariko said. Thomas Perlmann, the secretary general of the Nobel Assembly, called Kariko "an extraordinary and unusual scientist" who "resisted any temptation" to do "something easier". Weissman told AFP he heard the news from Kariko, who received the call from the jury first. "We were wondering if somebody was pulling a prank on us," he said. "This is the ultimate -- this is the prize I thought of when I was five years old when I started to get interested in how things worked," he added. Breakthrough In the 1990s, Kariko believed mRNA held the key to treating diseases where having more of the right kind of protein can help -- like repairing the brain after a stroke. But the University of Pennsylvania, where Kariko was on track for a professorship, demoted her after grant rejections piled up. She carried on as a lower-rung researcher. Much of the scientific community was at the time focused on using DNA to deliver gene therapy, but Kariko believed that mRNA was also promising since most diseases are not hereditary and don't need solutions that permanently alter our genetics. First though, she had to overcome the problem of the massive inflammatory response in animal experiments, as the immune system sensed an invader and rushed to fight it. Kariko and Weissman discovered that one of the four building blocks of the synthetic mRNA was at fault -- and they could overcome the problem by swapping it for a modified version. They published a paper on the breakthrough in 2005. In 2015, they found a new way to deliver mRNA into mice, using a fatty coating called "lipid nanoparticles" that prevent the mRNA from degrading and help place it inside the right part of cells. Both these innovations were key to the Covid-19 vaccines. Nobel Committee member Olle Kampe said the prestigious prize may help sway the opinion of some anti-vaxxers. It "may make hesitant people take the vaccine and be sure that it's very efficient and safe", he told AFP. The technology is now being used to develop other treatments for cancer, influenza and heart failure, among others. Kariko and Weissman will receive their Nobel diploma, gold medal and $1 million cheque in Stockholm on December 10. The Nobel will however not be the first gold medal in Kariko's family. Her daughter Susan Francia is a two-time Olympic gold medallist rower. The post Nobel prize goes to mRNA Covid vaccine researchers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week
Narcolepsy, cancer, or mRNA vaccine research could win the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday when a week of announcements kicks off, but experts see no clear frontrunner for the Peace Prize. The awards, first handed out in 1901, were created by Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel in his 1895 will to celebrate those who have "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." The Medicine Prize is first out and will be announced in Stockholm on Monday around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT), followed by the awards for physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature on Thursday. The Peace Prize, the most highly-anticipated Nobel and the only one announced in Oslo, will follow on Friday, before the Economics Prize rounds things off on October 9. The Medicine Prize has over the years crowned groundbreaking discoveries like the X-ray, penicillin, insulin, and DNA -- as well as now-disgraced awards for lobotomy and the insecticide DDT. Several Nobel watchers have suggested this year's prize could go to research into narcolepsy and the discovery of orexin, a neuropeptide that helps regulate sleep. It could also go to Hungarian-born Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of the United States for research that led directly to the first mRNA vaccines to fight COVID-19, made by Pfizer and Moderna. Their discovery has already won a slew of major medicine prizes, but the Nobel committee nowadays often waits decades to bestow its laurels to ensure the research stands the test of time. "Maybe the Academy thinks it needs to look into it more, but someday they should win," predicted Annika Ostman, science reporter at Swedish public radio SR. Gene engineering and IceCube telescope But Ostman said her guess for this year was on Kevan Shokat, an American biologist who figured out how to block the KRAS cancer gene behind a third of cancers, including challenging-to-treat lung, colon, and pancreatic tumors. T-cell therapy for cancer treatment and work on the human microbiome could also be contenders, said David Pendlebury, head of the Clarivate Analytics group which identifies Nobel-worthy research. "There are more people deserving of a Nobel Prize than there are Nobels to go around," he told AFP. Lars Brostrom, Ostman's colleague at SR, singled out two American biologists, Stanislas Leibler, and Michael Elowitz, for their work on synthetic gene circuits which established the field of synthetic biology. It enables scientists to redesign organisms by engineering them to have new abilities. But Brostrom noted the field could be seen as controversial, raising "ethical questions about where to draw the line in creating life". For the Physics Prize, twisted graphene or the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica were seen as possible winners, as well as the development of high-density data storage in the field of spintronics. Peace Prize to Iranian women? For Wednesday's Chemistry Prize, Pendlebury suggested next-generation DNA sequencing could get the nod, or research into how to target and deliver drugs to genes. Brostrom said he would love to see it go to US-based chemist Omar Yaghi for his work into porous materials known as MOFs, which can absorb poisonous gases or harvest water from desert air, and is an "important field for the future" with enormous potential for the environment. Criticism over a lack of gender and geographical diversity has plagued the Nobels over the years. US-based men have dominated the science fields, while women account for just six percent of overall laureates -- something the various award committees insist they are addressing. Among the names making the rounds for Thursday's Literature Prize are Russian author and outspoken Putin critic Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Chinese avant-garde writer Can Xue, British author Salman Rushdie, Caribbean-American writer Jamaica Kincaid and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse. But for the Peace Prize, experts have been scratching their heads over possible winners, as conflicts rage around the globe. Some have pointed to the Iranian women protesting since the death in custody a year ago of Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress code imposed on women. Others suggest organizations documenting war crimes in Ukraine, or the International Criminal Court, which could one day be called upon to judge them. "I think that climate change is a really good focus for the Peace Prize this year," Dan Smith, the head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told AFP after a year of extreme weather around the world. For the Economics Prize, research on income and wealth inequality could be honored. Recent winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize Here is a list of the winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize in the past 10 years: 2022: Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution. 2021: US duo David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for discoveries on human receptors responsible for our ability to sense temperature and touch. 2020: Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice, together with Briton Michael Houghton, for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, leading to the development of sensitive blood tests and antiviral drugs. 2019: William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza of the US and Britain's Peter Ratcliffe for establishing the basis of our understanding of how cells react and adapt to different oxygen levels. 2018: Immunologists James Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, for figuring out how to release the immune system's brakes to allow it to attack cancer cells more efficiently. 2017: US geneticists Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young for their discoveries on the internal biological clock that governs the wake-sleep cycles of most living things. 2016: Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his work on autophagy -- a process whereby cells "eat themselves" -- which when disrupted can cause Parkinson's and diabetes. 2015: William Campbell, an Irish-US citizen, Satoshi Omura of Japan, and Tu Youyou of China for unlocking treatments for malaria and roundworm. 2014: American-born Briton John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard I. Moser of Norway for discovering how the brain navigates with an "inner GPS". 2013: Thomas C. Sudhof, a US citizen born in Germany, and James E. Rothman and Randy W. Schekman of the US for work on how the cell organizes its transport system. The post Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Celebrated Syrian author Khaled Khalifa dead at 59
Syrian writer and veteran government critic Khaled Khalifa has died of cardiac arrest at the age of 59 at his home in Damascus, a close friend told AFP. Khalifa, who hailed from Maryamin in northwestern Aleppo province, was celebrated for his novels, television screenplays, and newspaper columns, and honored with several of the Arab world's top literary awards. He "died in his home alone in Damascus" on Saturday, said journalist Yaroub Aleesa, who had spent time with the author during his final days. "We called him repeatedly and he didn't respond. When we went to his home, we found him dead on the sofa." Doctors at the Abbassiyyin Hospital in Damascus said the cause of death was a heart attack. Khalifa gained fame as a writer of several popular Syrian TV series in the early 1990s. He was known as a staunch opponent of the ruling Baath party and his columns criticizing the authorities. But despite his well-known stance, he chose to remain in the country after the 2011 civil war broke out with the repression of protests against the government. "I am staying because this is my country," he said in a 2019 interview. "I was born here, I live here and I want to die here!" His 2006 novel "In Praise of Hatred" was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arab Fiction -- often dubbed the Arab Booker Prize -- and was translated into six languages. The novel recounts the story of a young Syrian woman from Aleppo who escapes her sequestered life by joining a jihadist organization. In 2013, his novel "No Knives in the Kitchens of this City" won the Naguib Mahfouz Literature Prize, Egypt's top accolade for writers. It focuses on the lives of Syrians under the rule of the Baath party headed by President Bashar al-Assad. The writer's death sparked a wave of condolences on social media from fellow writers and members of Syria's exiled opposition. "Goodbye, you kind man," wrote Syrian writer and academic Salam Kawakibi. Khalifa was expected to be buried later on Sunday in Damascus, though details of the funeral had yet to be disclosed. The post Celebrated Syrian author Khaled Khalifa dead at 59 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting
The president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Nina Lim-Yuson, grew up in a family and home of Girl Scouts. Her grandmother, Pilar Hidalgo-Lim, was one of the co-founders of the GSP. “It was actually my Lola Pilar who suggested to Josefa Llanes Escoda, the GSP founder, to go to America to learn about girl scouting.” This tidbit of history, Nina shared in an online interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE. Pilar Hidalgo-Lim became GSP president, and so did Nina’s mother, Estefania Aldaba-Lim, who served as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Nina’s sister too, the eminent broadcast journalist, Cheche Lazaro, was a Girl Scout. Coming from a lineage of women achievers, Nina could not have chosen a different path. It was scouting that formally introduced the family to social responsibility, skills development and citizenship. Her brothers were also Boy Scouts. “I started when I was six years old and it was my Lola Pilar who inducted me as a Brownie. It used to be called Brownie because we were still using the American pattern,” she related. She belonged to Troop Number One, the first to be organized by the GSP national headquarters. In high school at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School of the Philippine Women’s University, she became a junior and later a senior Girl Scout. College would briefly end her Girl Scouting as she focused on her studies. Along the way, she also danced with the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company. It was not unexpected that she would return to scouting, her first love, and her first extra-curricular activity. For the last 36 years, she has been active in various organizations and volunteer work. She founded the Museong Pambata. She is a recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and is active in its various social development efforts. What Nina brings to her post is the legacy of leadership that had been passed on to her through generations of women leaders in the family. “My Lola Pilar was my idol. She was such a nice person and I never knew her totally as a president. I knew her more as a loving lola from all the stories she related when we rode up to Baguio. “My mother, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was very career-minded. I learned naman from her a lot of things, like being thrifty and having a list of things to do. In terms of organization, she was like that. Because she was in government. And, you know, when we started Museo, while it was actually my concept, I learned a lot from her. She would call me up at 5 o’clock in the morning and she would rattle off what needed to be done, like ‘number one, number two and so on.’ That was her. And I’m glad that I worked with her for six years in Museo. She was the president and I was the executive director for six years. I took over in 2000 as president and chief executive officer. And then, I stepped down in 2017.” Girl Scouts who read and tell stories Nina was elected president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines for the term 2021-2024 during its 2021 national convention. From day one, she shared, “My purpose was to reach out to the community-based troops because we have always been school-based. Many young women now have social problems so we need to reach out to the communities through our community-based troops.” Also on top of her priorities is literacy development, a cause that she addressed even in the Museo Pambata. She explained, “My advocacy has always been education. So, I was very concerned because the Asian Development Bank reported in 2022 that the World Bank found out that our Filipino children at ages 9 and 10 cannot read. So, I felt that because girl scouting is all over the country, with 96 local councils, the organization could serve as a vehicle for improving literacy in our country. “We started the Girl Scout Storyteller project because storytelling affects the heart first before the mind. When young people start with storytelling, they will love the stories and then the written word. They would then want to read. “We now have storytelling in economically challenged communities and we have partners. We sent out 2,500 books throughout the country with the help of our partner couriers.” Initially, she sought the help of her family foundation “to give a donation. I also sought the help of Ging Montinola, who is into literacy development. Together, we founded the literacy program. We are building this fund to cover the cost of buying children’s books. We will have a storytelling contest next year.” Raising funds for Camp Escoda Nina then shifted the conversation to another major endeavor that she is spearheading as GSP president — fundraising for the 27-hectare Camp Josefa Llanes Escoda in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, which was donated by the provincial government during the term of Governor Amado Aleta, the father of consul and civic leader Fortune Ledesma. “Palayan is beautiful because it has rolling hills, but it doesn’t have electrical and water facilities and roadworks. It doesn’t have a swimming pool, and it’s so hot in Nueva Ecija. It also does not have a conference hall. This is a big one-time fundraising project because it’s for the future of the girls who are going to the camp. Because as of now, if you go camping there, you have to walk up the hills to get your drinking water. You have to make buhos to take a bath.” She recalled, “In my time as a young Girl Scout, which was of another era, we had to walk in the dark to fetch water to fill up two drums. I was so scared because there were tuko in Los Baños. That taught me to be courageous. Camps really build up your lifetime skills and attitude. Camping is very integral in girl scouting and boy scouting. So, this camp will serve a purpose. It just needs various basic facilities to make it world-class and convenient with the proper amenities, but the girls will continue to learn all those survival techniques and appreciate nature right on the camp.” She praised architect Pippo Carunungan, “who is an environmental planner. He surveyed the site and drew up everything. It will be a beautiful camp, he said, because it’s a gift of nature.” First Lady as Chief Girl Scout Nina recently led the Girl Scouts in a fundraising ball attended by the “First Lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos, who is our Chief Girl Scout. It’s mandated in the GSP constitution that whoever is the female president of the country or the First Lady is the Chief Girl Scout. In the past, we had Imelda Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. All the first ladies were all Chief Girl Scouts. “Mrs. Liza Marcos spoke before us and she promised to help. She said, ‘We will make it the best campsite.’ Everyone was excited to see her and she obliged everyone who asked to have selfie with her. She is very friendly. She is really a Girl Scout.” Nina shared, “A generous couple is sponsoring the swimming pool at P6 million, while a gentleman entrepreneur is sponsoring the perimeter fence at P1.5 million. Many other businessmen and leaders have pledged to help build this dream GSP project. “We really need to raise about 50 million to have a very good camp. But when the First Lady heard about it, she said, ‘It has to be P250 million.’ But, really, when we have the funds, we can have deep toilets that have running water instead of tabo-tabo. Since we have a little Pampanga river that runs across the camp, we can build a bridge that crosses it and then the girls can have white-water rafting there in the Pampanga river. “Camp Escoda will be a very important and significant venue for our Girl Scouts to gather, bond, learn new skills and develop as morally upright citizens of the country and the world. It is especially so because camping is integral in any Girl Scout’s life. If you don’t have camping, it’s like half of your scouting life is missing. Every Girl Scout remembers that time of her youth. And being the national camp, it will welcome Girl Scouts representing the 96 councils from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who will participate in various events and trainings.” Girl Scouts of all ages As GSP president, Nina travels to various parts of the country. “We have regional conferences aside from the meeting of the Central Board when regional heads and executives come to Manila. “I had just come from Baguio where I stayed for two-and-a-half days. I met our young Girl Scout representatives from ages 14 to 18. I enjoyed listening to them and exchanging ideas with them. I am so happy that we have a wealth of intelligent girls who want to serve the country. They are the ones who are going to take over. “It’s amazing that GSP is no longer limited to old people on the board. We finally have young ones on the board. Our Escoda committee is headed by Jade Delgado from Iloilo. Then we have Justine Bautista. She’s a psychometrician. She heads the Program Committee, which is a big committee because when we were in Baguio, we had 86 girls from all the councils throughout the country. Many of them are running for SK. “So, in my 70s now, which I don’t feel at all, I don’t take any medicines or something like that. Being with young people is what inspires me. Because at 15, 16 or 17, they already know that they have some kind of a mission.” Nina proudly shared that the venue of the Baguio conference, 'Ating Tahanan' on the South Drive was bought during the tenure of my Lola Pilar. We have four buildings there, including the houses of Senator and actor Rogelio de la Rosa and Carlos Valdes, the accountant. Lola Pilar, according to Carlos Valdes, twisted his arm to get a low price. I’m so thankful for all those who preceded me because they bought these places. It’s on South Drive which is so valuable. We even have a reserved forest behind us.” As she looks forward to the next camping and gets even busier raising funds for Camp Escoda, Nina feels elated that “every one of us in the Girl Scouts has been together in our various undertakings. The nice thing is we are now intergenerational because we try to bring in the old with experience, institutional memory and their wisdom born of their long life, and the young who are full of enthusiasm, energy and new ideas.” A star scout for a granddaughter While Nina does her part for the bright future of girl scouting in the country, her personal family too has not stopped contributing to the roster of members to this worldwide organization. Today, a granddaughter of hers, seven-year-old Rocio Yuson de Guzman, is a Star Scout. She is the daughter of Nina’s daughter, Nicky. No grandmother could have been prouder. Nina said, “Rufio loves being a star scout. When I arrived from the recent world conference in Cyprus, I came back with some badges and I gave some to Rufio who is very proud of the little badges that I got for her.” For sure, Nina will pass on not just the badges to Rufio. More importantly, she will give her granddaughter the once-in-one’s-childhood experience of being a Girl Scout and learning “the values that are identified in the Girl Scout Promise and Laws. I think that while there is so much to enjoy and learn, it is the inculcation of these values that would mold her into a well-rounded human being. As we all know, a Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted. A Girl Scout is loyal, thrifty, courteous… and so on. It’s like a mantra -- the values that one lives by. “I have reached that point when it is not about success or what one accumulates in life, whether awards or accomplishments or material things. It is more about what I can share and scouting gives me that honor and privilege — to do my part in helping mold our young girls and making them aware even at an early age that they have a mission and worthy purpose in life. It is not just about being good and outstanding on your own but it is also about helping others to become better in what they’re doing and live better lives. “And I need not look far. As a grandmother, I dote on my Star Scout granddaughter, Rufio. There’s a world out there for her to discover and in which she has a role to play and use the skills and values she will learn from scouting.” The post Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Mexican singer Peso Pluma threatened ahead of Tijuana concert
Posters threatening the life of Mexican singer Peso Pluma were put up in Tijuana on Tuesday, Mexican authorities said, as he was set to perform in the United States at the MTV Video Music Awards later in the evening. Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero said the prosecutor's office is investigating the posters, which promised that the artist would be killed if he performed in the border town as scheduled in October. One person has already been arrested, Caballero said. "It is up to me to protect the citizens of Tijuana, and therefore in the next few days we will determine if the concert will take place or not," the mayor said, adding that authorities were examining whether there were organized crime connections behind the threats. Local media broadcast an image of one of the posters, signed with the initials "CJNG" -- corresponding to the Jalisco Cartel--New Generation, a powerful drug gang. In at least one of his songs, Peso Pluma shouts out a different gang, the Sinaloa cartel. "Singers such as... Peso Pluma make apologies for crime, so there are certain groups that get upset," Caballero said. "Unfortunately those who suffer the consequences are the citizens who want to attend their concerts." Peso Pluma, born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, has said in the past he has written songs "commissioned" by drug traffickers. "Narcocorrido," or drug ballad music, has proved controversial in Mexico, though the mayor said that she would not move to ban the genre's concerts or broadcast over the radio because of its content. The 24-year-old behind the hit "Ella Baila Sola" is scheduled to perform in Tijuana on 14 October. The post Mexican singer Peso Pluma threatened ahead of Tijuana concert appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘I’d never work in Hollywood’: Mexico star director Michel Franco
He has piled up awards and looks set for even greater acclaim with a moving new drama starring Jessica Chastain, but Michel Franco has no interest in being lured to Tinseltown. "Memory", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, packs more moral conundrums into its 100 minutes than many directors manage in an entire career. Featuring Chastain as a recovering alcoholic who meets a dementia patient, played by Peter Sarsgaard, it tackles buried trauma, the weakness of memory, and the rights of disabled people to control their own lives. Franco wrote and produced "Memory", as he has all his films. Still just 44, he has covered a wide range of vital topics in his work, from a nightmarish military coup in "New Order" (which won the Grand Jury prize in Venice in 2020) to terminal illness in "Chronic" (best screenplay at Cannes in 2015), to teenage bullying in "After Lucia" (winner of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2012). The latter attracted renowned actor Tim Roth ("Pulp Fiction"), who has since appeared in two of Franco's films, "Chronic" and "Sundown". But despite now working with one of Hollywood's biggest stars in Chastain, Franco is determined not to follow fellow Mexican directors like Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to Los Angeles. "Where I feel comfortable is in Mexico City. There are fewer rules," Franco told AFP in Venice. "What is very interesting about the United States are the actors. In Mexico, there are good actors, but the big leagues are in New York, in Los Angeles," he explains. "I would never work in Hollywood," he said. "I would never work for a studio where I don't have the final cut of my film." Nor is he a fan of streaming services, which he describes as "the enemies of cinemas". Insecurities, fears Speaking ahead of the premiere of "Memory", Franco told AFP he had to delve deep into his anxieties for the script. "One of my biggest fears is losing my mind. That's why I'm interested in exploring dementia," Franco told AFP. But he insists his films are not born from a desire to tackle a particular theme. "'Chronic' came out from seeing the nurse who cared for my grandmother, I had her right there in front of me every day." For "Memory", the initial spark was imagining someone being followed home from a high school reunion, which is how the main characters meet. "I didn't know why or who they were. But that was the first thing that occurred to me," Franco said. Parents often fail their children in Franco's films, but he says: "I try not to see them as villains because then it's uninteresting. "I am interested in broken people, who have not completely finished inventing themselves. People with insecurities, with fears, give me more confidence than those who think they have everything clear," he added. His scripts are brutally precise but never weighed down with explanatory dialogue, preferring to let performances and visual details do the work. "The more I can achieve without dialogue, the better. The rule is 'less is more'," he said. The post ‘I’d never work in Hollywood’: Mexico star director Michel Franco appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CLASSIC ROCK OPERA BALLET ‘RAMA, HARI’ RETURNS
Rama, Hari, the acclaimed Filipino rock opera ballet, returns to the stage this September, with performances at the Metropolitan Theater on 15 to 16 September and at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater on 22 to 23 September. The production holds the prestige of being the only collaboration that features the masterful works of five National Artists: Alice Reyes for direction and choreography, Ryan Cayabyab for music, Salvador Bernal for production Design, and Bienvenido Lumbera for lyrics and libretto with English translations by Rolando Tinio. Presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in partnership with the Metropolitan Theater and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with the generous support of Birch Tree Adult Boost, the production features artists from CCP’s Professional Artist Support Program and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines. Inspired by the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, the ballet tells of the adventures of Rama, prince and incarnation of the god Vishnu, who comes down to earth to save the world from Ravana, the most powerful of demons, and in time falls in love with Sita, daughter of the king of Mithila, Janaka, and eventually marries her. The evil Ravana attempts to tear the two apart, only to find himself defeated. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a new musical genre was born, referred to as OPM, or Original Pilipino Music. Rama, Hari has the distinction of being the first OPM music and dance theater masterpiece. Rama, Hari was last restaged in 2012 and won 14 Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards. It was intended to be restaged once more in 2020 but was canceled due to the pandemic lockdown. The 2023 cast features Arman Ferrer in the lead role of Rama, with Vien King alternating. They will perform alongside dancers Ronelson Yadao and Ejay Arisola. Karylle Tatlonghari, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez and Nica Tupas alternate in the role of Rama’s beloved wife Sita, with dance counterparts, Monica Gana and Katrene San Miguel. Rak of Aegis Star Poppert Bernadas takes on the role of the demon King Ravana, alternating with Los Angeles-based musical theater actor Matthew San Jose (making his Manila debut) and Jonel Mojica. Dancing the role are Richardson Yadao and Tim Cabrera. Theater icon Audie Gemora takes on the role of King Dasaratha. Also joining the cast are Katrine Sunga and Maron Rozelle Mabana in the dual role of King Dasaratha’s Third Wife, Kaikeyi, and the Golden Doe, while Miah Canton and Raflesia Bravo take on the dual role of Kaikeyi’s evil adviser Kooni and Ravana’s demon sister Soorpanakha. Paw Castillo and Jon Abella do double duty as Monkey Army General Hanuman, and Rama’s brother Lakshmana. Certain performances of Rama, Hari will have live music performed by The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. The post CLASSIC ROCK OPERA BALLET ‘RAMA, HARI’ RETURNS appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Emma Stone stars in sex-mad Frankenstein-like tale at Venice
With Emma Stone as a sex-mad reanimated corpse in "Poor Things" and Wes Anderson presenting his take on Roald Dahl, the Venice Film Festival was taken on some wild rides on Friday. "Poor Things" was set to premiere on the Lido without its star to light up the red carpet, due to the ongoing Hollywood strike barring actors from publicity work. Rumors at the festival suggest the horror-comedy, in which Stone plays a woman brought back from the dead by a mad scientist, could be an early awards frontrunner. Its Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has established himself as one of the most imaginative and daring filmmakers of his generation. His previous film "The Favourite", also starring Stone, won the Jury Prize in Venice in 2018 and best actress for Olivia Colman, paving the way to her Oscar triumph. "Poor Things" is among 23 movies competing for the top prize, the Golden Lion, to be awarded on September 9 by a jury including directors Damien Chazelle, Jane Campion and last year's winner Laura Poitras. Anderson's Dahl Meanwhile, another indie darling, Wes Anderson, was feted in Venice with a lifetime achievement award. He presented "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", a 40-minute film based on a short story by beloved children's author Roald Dahl. It is one of four Dahl adaptations the whimsical director has made for Netflix featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel and Ralph Fiennes. As always, there is a meticulous, chocolate-box feel to Anderson's film. "It's more like a little theatrical presentation that we found a way to film," Anderson told reporters. The director, who previously adapted Dahl's "Fantastic Mr Fox", said he was strongly against moves to alter the author's books for "sensitivity" reasons. Asked about recent revisions to Dahl's books to remove character descriptions like "fat" and "crazy", Anderson said: "No one who is not an author should be modifying someone's book." He added: "I understand the motivation for it, but I'm in the school where, when the piece is finished... the audience participates in it, we know it, so when it's done, it's done." Strikes and waivers Also premiering on Friday was "The Promised Land" starring Mads Mikkelsen, described by The Hollywood Reporter as a "gripping historical epic" about a low-born soldier seeking to better himself. Mikkelsen was able to attend the festival for the Danish film, but Venice has lost out on several star appearances due to the actor and writer strike in Hollywood, which is primarily over pay and the potential threat of AI. Some independent films have been given a waiver, including Michael Mann's "Ferrari" which premiered on Thursday, allowing lead actor Adam Driver to attend. But others such as Stone and Bradley Cooper (for his Leonard Bernstein biopic "Maestro") are not coming, costing the studios valuable PR shots of their stars arriving by gondola and working the red carpet. Still to come in Venice are new movies by Sofia Coppola ("Priscilla" about Elvis Presley's wife) and David Fincher ("The Killer" starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton). There are also out-of-competition premieres for controversial directors Woody Allen ("Coup de Chance") and Roman Polanski ("The Palace"). The post Emma Stone stars in sex-mad Frankenstein-like tale at Venice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Veteran broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez dies at 71
Award-winning television and radio newscaster and host Mike Enriquez, has passed on at age 71. This was announced at the closing minutes yesterday of 24 Oras, the primetime newscast on GMA 7 that Enriquez anchored for 19 years. His fellow anchors Mel Tiangco, Vicky Morales and Emil Sumangil couldn’t hide their sadness as they read the network’s statement announcing Enriquez’s passing on 29 August. Enriquez spent a total of 29 years on the GMA Network, as news anchor of 24 Oras and its predecessor Saksi, and as host of the long-running investigative docudrama Imbestigador and head of its regional and radio subsidiaries. He became a household name with his unique brand of delivering the news, which commanded authority but was not too formal, allowing him to inject casual remarks. Famous for the catchphrases “excuse me po” and “hindi namin kayo tatantanan,” his booming newscasting style became material for fond parodies and spoofs. Born Miguel Castro Enriquez on 29 September 1951, the multi-awarded broadcaster began his career as a staff announcer at the Manila Broadcasting Company in 1969. He went on to work as disc jockey, reporter, desk editor, program director and station manager in various stations, including Radio Mindanao Network where he steered to success DWKC 93.9 on FM radio as station manager and DJ. Enriquez left RMN in 1994 and joined GMA in the same year to lead its radio operations, but was soon convinced by his GMA bosses to be a news anchor. He first worked on-cam in the network’s coverage of the 1995 senatorial elections. The veteran radio-TV anchor went on medical leave in December 2021 to undergo kidney transplant. In a previous interview, Enriquez shared that aside from battling diabetes, he also underwent heart bypass surgery in 2018. After his medical hiatus, Enriquez headlined GMA-7’s Eleksyon 2022: The GMA News and Public Affairs’ Election Coverage with fellow GMA News pillars Mel Tiangco, Vicky Morales, Arnold Clavio, Howie Severino and Jessica Soho. Shortly after, he returned to his regular programs on GMA’s flagship AM radio station Super Radyo DZBB 594. Enriquez also hosted Super Balita sa Umaga and Saksi sa Dobol B. In addition to his on-air duties, Enriquez served as RGMA Network Inc. president and GMA Network’s consultant for Radio Operations. Among other awards in his five-decade career, Enriquez won the Most Outstanding Male News Anchor at the De La Salle Araneta University’s Gawad Lasallianeta Awards for four consecutive years. He is survived by his wife Lizabeth “Baby” Yumping. (With additional reporting by Pauline Songco) The post Veteran broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez dies at 71 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Veteran actress Angie Ferro dies at 86
Angie Ferro, an acclaimed veteran actress of stage, TV and film, has passed on, according to tributes by friends and industry colleagues posted online. She was 86. "Rest in eternal peace, our feisty talented driven theater colleague, our dearest Angie Ferro!," wrote Bohol-based theater director and musician Lutgardo Labad, a stalwart colleague of Ferro in the theater company Philippine Education Theater Association or PETA. "Patay na si Uray Hilway ng Amaya at Lola Igna. My teacher, a friend, ina ng aming teatro. Rest in peace, BB. Angie Ferro," said GMA head writer Suzette Severo Doctolero in her own Facebook post. Doctolero's tribute referenced two of the late-career projects that made Ferro a recognizable face and name to younger TV and movie watchers. In 2011-2023, she was in the cast of GMA7's blockbuster period TV series "Amaya". In 2019, at 82 years old, she was the lead star in the independent film "Lola Igna," for which she would win Best Actress in that year's Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino and garner as well a Best Actress Gawad Urian nomination. Born in Baleno, Masbate, Philippines, Ferro was in landmark films across various decades such as Celso Ad Castillo's "Pagputi ng Uwak... Pag-itim ng Tagak (1978) and Lav Diaz's "Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino" (2004). She won Best Supporting Actress at the FAMAS Awards for "Pagputi ng Uwak..." and was a supporting actress nominee in the 2005 Gawad Urian for "Ebolusyon". In October 2021, she received the Nora Aunor Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award at the 36th PMPC Star Awards for Movies. She was reported to be in critical condition in May this year, with friends and colleagues rallying for financial support because the actress had no immediate family. The post Veteran actress Angie Ferro dies at 86 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Top-of-the-line bling: Drake reveals he bought Tupac’s crown ring
Canadian rapper Drake revealed Friday that he is the buyer of a crown-shaped ring that belonged to slain hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, which sold at auction this week for a record $1 million. Drake shared an Instagram story that showed him wearing the bauble, which sold Tuesday at Sotheby's for a total of $1.016 million, including commission and fees. That was well above the pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000, making it the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold, the auction house said. Drake -- the best-selling artist behind hits such as "Hotline Bling" and "Nice For What" -- has spent lavishly in the past, including buying a Boeing 767 for personal use and paying $104 million for a Los Angeles home once owned by singer Robbie Williams. The New York-born Shakur wore the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time with 75 million records sold, he was shot dead by an unidentified assailant in Las Vegas just days later. He was 25. Shakur, whose hits included "California Love," designed the ring over the course of a few months, Sotheby's said. He did so through his godmother Yaasmyn Fula, who put the ring up for sale. A gold circlet studded with a central cabochon ruby flanked by two pave-cut diamonds sits atop a diamond-encrusted gold band. Shakur was influenced by 16th century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli's political manifesto "The Prince," which he read while in prison on sex abuse charges. He modeled the design on the crowns of the medieval kings of Europe, Sotheby's added. The post Top-of-the-line bling: Drake reveals he bought Tupac’s crown ring appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nothing compares to her: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dead at 56
Acclaimed and controversial Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor has passed away at age 56, her family announced in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the statement said. The cause and time of death was not released to the public. O' Connor is best known for her now-classic rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which catapulted her to fame when the song topped worldwide charts and was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards. But she will also be remembered for a deeply divisive gesture: In 1992, she infamously tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II in an episode of Saturday Night Live to protest against the Catholic Church’s silence on child abuse cases. Born in Dublin, O’Connor made a mark not only as an accomplished artist but also for being outspoken and provocative throughout her career. She rocked a signature shaved head, wore bold and eccentric clothing and never backed down from her fierce, unconventional persona. She released 10 studio albums, beginning with The Lion and The Cobra (1987), which charted internationally and gave her her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), was O’Connor’s breakthrough as a singer-songwriter, gaining critical raves and selling over seven million copies worldwide. Through her sophomore album, O’Connor made legendary musician Prince’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U” into her own, and with it, she became the first woman to win the Video of the Year honors at the MTV Video Music Awards on 6 September 1990. The album also earned three Grammy nominations. However, despite being nominated for the music industry’s highest awards, she became the first artist to criticize and boycott the Grammys, claiming that it measured artists’ worth based on commercial success alone. In later years, the Irish star opened up about her struggles with mental health. O’Connor went on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 and revealed her struggles with bipolar disorder and depression. Living through these mental disorders felt like “a bucket with holes in it, just leaking tears from every pore,” she said. In her 2021 memoir Rememberings, O’Connor recalled that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the physical abuse she went through growing up. The tragic death of her 17-year-old son, Shane, in 2022 added to O’Connor’s struggles, leading her to seek immediate medical care for herself. The post Nothing compares to her: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dead at 56 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Willie Nepomuceno dies at 75
Willie Nepomuceno, the master impersonator and satirist who rose to fame with his uncanny mimicry of famous personalities such as singer Frank Sinatra and political leaders from Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to Juan Ponce Enrile, Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte, has died, according to his family. [caption id="attachment_162700" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] The many faces of Willie Nepomuceno. [/caption] In a Facebook post, his loved ones announced “with deep sadness and heavy heart… the passing of our beloved father, WILLIE NEPOMUCENO, on July 26, 2023, at the age of 75.” “He has peacefully joined our creator,” they added, with details of the wake to be announced soon. Right up to the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, Nepomuceno was making Filipinos laugh with his gentle lampoons of the former president and a host of other popular figures. His range was extraordinary — he could do Jaime Cardinal Sin, the late prelate of the Archdiocese of Manila, one time, and ace comedian Dolphy the next, down to their respective physical traits and voices. Long before stand-up comedy became an established profession, Nepomuceno made a viable living from it, mounting shows and concerts and even releasing albums that showcased his ability for impersonation and spoofs. His 1984 album Willie’s Way won Best Comedy Album at the then-Cecil Awards. He also brought his art to TV, such as on the ABS-CBN noontime show It’s Showtime where he served as a judge in its celebrity look-alike contest while in character as, say, President Erap, Manny Pacquiao or Stevie Wonder. Nepomuceno was born on 8 July 1948. He died just 18 days after his 75th birthday. In a Facebook post, his son Willie Wilsson Nepomuceno bid goodbye to his father, writing: "Farewell, Tatay. Though it's incredibly hard to say goodbye, I am grateful for the time we had together. Your love, guidance, and presence in my life have shaped me into the person I am today." “Your legacy will forever be engraved in my heart,” he added. “Rest well, knowing that you are deeply loved and missed.” The post Willie Nepomuceno dies at 75 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Master impersonator Willie Nepomuceno dies at 75
Willie Nepomuceno, the master impersonator and satirist who rose to fame with his uncanny mimicry of famous personalities such as singer Frank Sinatra and political leaders from Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to Juan Ponce Enrile, Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte, has died, according to his family. In a Facebook post, his loved ones announced “with deep sadness and heavy heart… the passing of our beloved father, WILLIE NEPOMUCENO, on July 26, 2023, at the age of 75.” “He has peacefully joined our creator,” they added, with details of the wake to be announced soon. Right up to the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, Nepomuceno was making Filipinos laugh with his gentle lampoons of the former president and a host of other popular figures. His range was extraordinary – he could do Jaime Cardinal Sin, the late prelate of the Archdiocese of Manila, one time, and ace comedian Dolphy the next, down to their respective physical traits and voices. Long before stand-up comedy became an established profession, Nepomuceno made a viable living from it, mounting shows and concerts and even releasing albums that showcased his ability for impersonation and spoofs. His 1984 album Willie’s Way won Best Comedy Album at the then-Cecil Awards. He also brought his art to TV, such as on the ABS-CBN noontime show It’s Showtime where he served as a judge in its celebrity look-alike contest while in character as, say, President Erap, Manny Pacquiao or Stevie Wonder. Nepomuceno was born on 8 July 1948. He died just 18 days after his 75th birthday. In a Facebook post, his son Willie Wilsson Nepomuceno bid goodbye to his father, writing: "Farewell, Tatay. Though it's incredibly hard to say goodbye, I am grateful for the time we had together. Your love, guidance, and presence in my life have shaped me into the person I am today." “Your legacy will forever be engraved in my heart,” he added. “Rest well, knowing that you are deeply loved and missed.” The post Master impersonator Willie Nepomuceno dies at 75 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tupac Shakur ring sells for record $1-M
A gold, ruby, and diamond crown ring worn by rap legend Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance sold for $1 million at auction in New York Tuesday. The winning bid was well above Sotheby's pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000 and becomes the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold, the auction house said. The New York-born rapper wore the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on 4 September 1996. He was shot dead by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas just days later on 13 September. He was 25. Shakur, whose hits included "California Love," designed the ring over the course of a few months, Sotheby's said. He did so through his godmother Yaasmyn Fula, who put the ring up for sale. Shakur was influenced by 16th-century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli's political manifesto "The Prince" which he read while in prison on sex abuse charges. He modeled the design on the crowns of the medieval kings of Europe, Sotheby's added. The ring is engraved "Pac & Dada 1996," a reference to his girlfriend Kidada Jones. A gold circulet studded with a central cabochon ruby flanked by two pave-cut diamonds sits atop a diamond-encrusted gold band. The sale was part of a dedicated hip-hop auction to mark 50 years of the genre which falls in August this year. Shakur is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, selling 75 million records. He was a central figure in the Los Angeles-based West Coast hip-hop scene, which feuded with rival East Coast rappers in New York. His killers have never been caught and theories about who was responsible have long abounded. Shakur's murder was followed six months later by the gunning down of East Coast rapper Christopher "The Notorious BIG" Wallace. Many believe they were slain as part of a rivalry between their music labels, LA-based Death Row, and New York's Bad Boy Entertainment. But some music historians say the coastal rift was exaggerated for commercial reasons. Last week, Las Vegas police searched a home as part of their investigation into the murder of Shakur. The post Tupac Shakur ring sells for record $1-M appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tupac Shakur ring sells for record $1 million
A gold, ruby, and diamond crown ring worn by rap legend Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance sold for $1 million at auction in New York Tuesday. The winning bid was well above Sotheby's pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000 and becomes the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold, the auction house said. The New York-born rapper wore the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on 4 September 1996. He was shot dead by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas just days later on 13 September. He was 25. Shakur, whose hits included "California Love," designed the ring over the course of a few months, Sotheby's said. He did so through his godmother Yaasmyn Fula, who put the ring up for sale. Shakur was influenced by 16th-century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli's political manifesto "The Prince" which he read while in prison on sex abuse charges. He modeled the design on the crowns of the medieval kings of Europe, Sotheby's added. The ring is engraved "Pac & Dada 1996," a reference to his girlfriend Kidada Jones. A gold circulet studded with a central cabochon ruby flanked by two pave-cut diamonds sits atop a diamond-encrusted gold band. The sale was part of a dedicated hip-hop auction to mark 50 years of the genre which falls in August this year. Shakur is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, selling 75 million records. He was a central figure in the Los Angeles-based West Coast hip-hop scene, which feuded with rival East Coast rappers in New York. His killers have never been caught and theories about who was responsible have long abounded. Shakur's murder was followed six months later by the gunning down of East Coast rapper Christopher "The Notorious BIG" Wallace. Many believe they were slain as part of a rivalry between their music labels, LA-based Death Row, and New York's Bad Boy Entertainment. But some music historians say the coastal rift was exaggerated for commercial reasons. Last week, Las Vegas police searched a home as part of their investigation into the murder of Shakur. The post Tupac Shakur ring sells for record $1 million appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96
Tony Bennett, the last in a generation of classic American crooners whose ceaselessly cheery spirit bridged generations to make him a hitmaker across seven decades, died Friday in New York. He was 96. Raised in an era when big bands defined US pop music, Bennett achieved an improbable second act when he started winning over young audiences in the 1990s -- not by reinventing himself but by demonstrating his sheer joy in belting out the standards. And then at age 88, Bennett, in 2014 became the oldest person ever to reach number one on the US album sales chart through a collection of duets with Lady Gaga -- who became his friend and touring companion but only one of a long list of younger stars who rushed to work with the singing great. Bennett's publicist, Sylvia Weiner, announced his death. Likened since the start of his career to Frank Sinatra, Bennett first tried to distance himself but eventually followed much of the same path as other crooners of yore -- singing in nightclubs, on television, and for movies, although his attempts to act ended quickly. His gift proved to be his stage presence. With a welcoming smile and dapper suit, he sang with gusto and a smooth vibrato in a strong, clearly enunciated voice, which he kept in shape through training from the operatic Bel Canto tradition. Starting with his recording of the film song "Because of You" in 1951, Bennett sang dozens of hits including "Rags to Riches," "Stranger in Paradise" and, in what would become his signature tune, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," which landed him two of his career's 19 Grammy Awards. But the British Invasion led by The Beatles initially took a toll on the singer, whose music suddenly sounded quaint and antiquated. He nearly died of a cocaine overdose in 1979 before sobering up and eventually reviving his career. "When rap came along, or disco, whatever the new fashion was at the moment, I didn't try to find something that would fit whatever the style was of the whole music scene," Bennett told the British culture magazine Clash. "I just stayed myself and sang sincerely and tried to just stay honest with myself -- never compromising, just doing the best songs that I could think of for the public. "And luckily it just paid off." Singing as hardscrabble youth Tony Bennett -- his stage name came after advice from showbiz A-lister Bob Hope -- was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in the Astoria neighborhood of New York's Queens borough. His father was a struggling grocer who immigrated from southern Italy's Calabria region, to which his mother also traced her ancestry. He showed early promise as an entertainer, singing at age nine next to legendary New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia when he ceremonially opened the city's Triborough Bridge, now known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. But his father's death at age 10, at a time when the United States was still struggling to exit the Great Depression, led him to leave school and earn money through jobs including singing at Italian restaurants and caricature painting, which remained a lifelong side career. During World War II, Bennett was drafted into the 63rd Infantry Division and was sent to France and Germany. But he was demoted after cursing out an officer from the South who objected to Bennett dining with an African American friend in the then racially segregated army. As punishment, Bennett spent his tour of duty digging out bodies and shipping them. But after the Allied victory, Bennett found an unexpected break into music as he waited with fellow troops in Wiesbaden, Germany to return home. With the city's opera house still intact, a US Army band performed a weekly show to be broadcast on military radio across Germany. Taken on as the band's librarian, Bennett was quickly impressed with his voice and was made one of four vocalists. "During this period in the army, I enjoyed the most musical freedom I've ever had in my life," Bennett later wrote in his autobiography, "The Good Life." "I could sing whatever I wanted, and there was no one around to tell me any different," he wrote. Outspoken against racism and war When he returned to the United States, he took formal singing lessons through the GI Bill, which covered educational expenses for returning troops. His experiences made Bennett a lifelong liberal. He became especially enraged in the 1950s when he played in Miami with jazz pioneer Duke Ellington, who was not allowed to attend a press party due to segregation at the hotel. In a then risky move for a popular entertainer, he accepted an invitation from singer Harry Belafonte to join civil rights icon Martin Luther King in the 1965 march from Selma, Alabama in support of equal voting rights for African Americans. He later wrote in his memoir that the hostility of the white state troopers reminded him of Nazi Germany. He was also an outspoken opponent of war, at times raising controversy. "The first time I saw a dead German, that's when I became a pacifist," he told popular radio host Howard Stern days after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Late in life, still cool Bennett was married three times and had four children including Antonia Bennett, who has followed his path as a singer of pop and jazz standards. But his son Danny Bennett was most instrumental in his father's career, aggressively courting MTV and other players in the pop world as a manager for his father. By the early 1990s, Bennett -- his style and look little changed from the 1960s, except for more gray hair -- was appearing in music videos on MTV and singing warm-up at concerts by alternative rock giants such as Smashing Pumpkins and Porno for Pyros. Proof that Bennett was back came in 1993 when he presented a prize at the MTV Video Music Awards alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who hailed his cool factor and playfully sang part of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." His career only kept building and a decade later, he released three successful albums of duets. On one of them, "Body and Soul," he sang with Amy Winehouse in her last recording before she died in 2011 at age 27. He marked his 90th birthday with a star-studded concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, which was turned into a television special and album. The title was taken from a song popularized by Bennett: "The Best Is Yet to Come." Bennett toured the United States and Europe into his final decade, playing his last public performance before the coronavirus pandemic halted touring in New Jersey on 11 March 2020. Soon after, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. He had kept his condition quiet for years. Upon turning 95, Bennett played two more birthday concerts, again at Radio City Music Hall, with Lady Gaga -- shows billed as his farewell to New York. He then canceled the remainder of his 2021 tour dates on "doctors' orders." "And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing / And I will stay younger than spring," he crooned during the first of his farewell shows, in a rendition of his ballad "This Is All I Ask." "You've been a good audience," Bennett said prior to his encore. "I love this audience." The post Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Superapp democratizes travel
Born out of a simple aspiration of democratizing travel came AirAsia’s Superapp, the latest online travel agency platform that features flights, hotels, transport and rewards services. [caption id="attachment_158159" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Chureito Pagoda in Japan.Photograph courtesyof Unsplash/tian shu Liu[/caption] “It was very hard for airlines during the pandemic. While everyone was very quiet, our leader Tony Fernandes was able to finish conceptualizing the Superapp. He started it even before the pandemic,” airasia Superapp managing director Ray Berja told Daily Tribune. The AirAsia Superapp takes the hassle out of booking the best value travel deals and is very useful not only for domestic trips but also international travel. From flights on over 700 airlines, the best accommodation packages, to ride hailing, food, deliveries and more, the app aims to be every traveler’s one-stop shop for all of their preferred travel needs. The app is partner to over 900,000 hotels across the globe. In the Philippines, it is tied with Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, Hotel 101 Manila, Red Planet Hotels, Berjaya Makati Hotel, Sunlight Hotel Coron and more. Currently, the Superapp has around 50 million active users. The number continues to grow exponentially in an annual periodical basis. “It’s for everyone. When we flew our first aircraft in 2001 with our founders, it was to really let everyone fly. Continuing that is a vision and aspiration for everyone to actually travel and go wherever they want to go,” Berja said. Japan remains the top choice for Filipino travelers, followed by Korea, Bangkok in Thailand, Bali in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Hong Kong. “Our number of flights are almost on the 100 percent frequency, equivalent to when we were flying before the pandemic. Internationally, we already saw the opening of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. China is going down, but we expect to see an increase in the next months or so. We are almost at par with our pre-pandemic level. We are hoping to get back on a strong growth year on year,” Berja said. The Superapp is nominated as Asia’s Best Travel Booking App at the World Travel Awards. Vote at worldtraveltechawards.com/award/asia-best-travel-booking-app/2023. “To be vetted across the world’s best is overwhelming, given that we are only on our first year. This nomination is something really close to our hearts,” Berja concluded. Download the Superapp via App Store for ios, Play Store for android or App Gallery for Huawei. The post Superapp democratizes travel appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Madonna hospitalized for several days, tour postponed
Madonna is recovering after falling ill with a "serious bacterial infection" that landed her in an intensive care unit for several days, her manager Guy Oseary said in a statement Wednesday. "Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care," he said. "A full recovery is expected." Oseary said the 64-year-old pop icon's "Celebrations" tour, due to start July 15 in Vancouver, Canada, was postponed until further notice. The New York Post's Page Six website said the pop star was taken to a hospital in the city after becoming unwell. Her global, nearly sold-out tour was billed as paying homage to Madonna's more than four-decade long career, and according to her website boasted 84 concert dates. Stops in the United States were to include Detroit, Chicago, Miami and New York, the city where her storied rise to superstardom began. She was then slated to continue in Europe, with dates in London, Barcelona and Paris, as well as four dates in Mexico City. The Grammy-winning megastar behind classics including "Like a Virgin" has asserted incalculable influence over her stellar career as one of music's top stars. In his statement on social media, her manager vowed to provide more information when available, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows. In 2020 Madonna underwent hip replacement surgery following an injury sustained on her "Madame X" tour. 'Material Girl' Born in 1958, the Catholic-educated artist headed to New York in the late 1970s with just 35 dollars in her pocket. She scraped a living through everything from nude modeling to selling donuts. Her first big single was "Everybody" in 1982, followed by a string of hits including "Lucky Star," "Borderline," and "Holiday." The 1984 release of "Like A Virgin" propelled Madonna onto the international stage. She followed up in 1985 with another disco anthem, "Material Girl." The early 1990s saw her don infamous pointy cone-shaped bras on her "Blond Ambition" Tour in 1990. She also released a racy book called "Sex," filled with photographs of sexual acts that was released to accompany her 1992 album "Erotica." In the late 1990s her music took off in a new direction, thumping to a new dance-flavored beat on her multi award-winning 1998 album "Ray of Light." In 2003 she grabbed the showbiz world's attention by clinching pop princess Britney Spears in a lingering kiss on stage at that year's MTV Music Video Awards. And she still displays the provocative streak for which she is both beloved and notorious. In January, news dropped of her forthcoming tour in a video nodding to her 1991 documentary "Truth or Dare." In the clip, the Queen of Pop plays the classic sleepover game with fellow celebrities, all with risque undertones. "I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for," she said when announcing the tour. The post Madonna hospitalized for several days, tour postponed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»