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Miss Saigon co-creator praises musical s Philippine connections
Claude-Michel Schönberg is back in the country to witness the comeback of "Miss Saigon," which has close ties to the Philippines because of all the Filipino actors who took part in its numerous stagings, beginning with theater legend Lea Salonga......»»
Beermen ready to match Hotshots intensity in trying to tie series
The San Miguel Beermen are bracing for a “strong” comeback by the Magnolia Hotshots, head coach Jorge Gallent said, as they will try to take a 2-0 series lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals Sunday night......»»
Beermen foil Hotshots comeback try to win Game 1
The San Miguel Beermen drew first blood in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals after weathering the gritty Magnolia Hotshots, 103-95, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Friday......»»
Beermen put premium on composure vs Gin Kings
The San Miguel Beermen underscored their need to be composed, especially in close games as they try to build a 2-0 lead against Barangay Ginebra in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis series on Friday......»»
Cone frustrated with Ginebra starters poor performance in loss to San Miguel
As their massive comeback against the San Miguel Beermen fell short, Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone voiced disappointment in his starters......»»
Great Brown Hope
The entire nation erupted in celebration when Kai Sotto finally made his debut in the National Basketball Association Summer League. It was such a memorable performance. The 7-foot-3 Filipino posted six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and an assist in the Orlando Magic’s 88-71 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from washing away the bitterness from being benched in their first three matches against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks, Sotto’s breakout performance could pave the way for him to land a two-way contract in the NBA. We, however, have to manage our expectations. The Filipinos’ road to the NBA is littered with tears, frustrations, and a lot of heartbreaks. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese, Iranians, and Koreans, no full-blooded Filipino has ever penetrated the NBA since its founding in 1946. Johnny Abarrientos came very close when he caught the attention of the Charlotte Hornets following Alaska’s grand slam season in 1996. In fact, the Hornets sent its international scout, Joe Bettancourt, to the country to watch the 5-foot-7 Abarrientos live and in action. Bettancourt was on the sidelines when Alaska battled Purefoods, hoping to give Abarrientos a 10-day contract that would have him replacing the injured Muggsy Bogues, the 5-foot-3 court general who ran the offense for Hornets coach Dave Cowens. Abarrientos, Bettancourt, and Alaska coach Tim Cone even had a “secret meeting” at the Manila Peninsula in 1997 to discuss the terms of Abarrientos’ contract and the possibility of him becoming the first Asian to play in the NBA. But it never happened. Cowens eventually pulled the plug on Bogues and sent him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for BJ Armstrong, a 6-foot-2 playmaker who was part of the great Chicago Bulls squad that won three straight NBA titles. With Bogues gone, Abarrientos’s chance of making it to the NBA also vanished. Japeth Aguilar tried to revive the Filipinos’ NBA dream a decade later. After seeing action for Ateneo de Manila University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines league, Aguilar moved to the United States to enroll at Western Kentucky University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program that produced NBA players like Courtney Lee, Mitchell Robinson, and Jeremy Evans. But the 6-foot-9 Aguilar failed to adjust to the speed and physicality of American basketball that had him struggling in his two years with the Hilltoppers. Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the New Orleans Hornets but their scout, Don Sellers, said that he remained a “work in progress” and was not yet ready for the NBA. Then, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League but his run also didn’t last long as he was eventually relegated to being a practice player until he was waived. Aguilar’s Gilas Pilipinas teammates — Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena — also tried their luck with the NBA but their journeys only brought them as far as the NBA D-League. Veteran international campaigner Jojo Lastimosa was spot on with his observation: In this time and age, making it to the NBA is harder than it used to be. It’s no longer height that matters, but the mentality, work ethic, international exposure, and overall skill set that are the most important. For Sotto to make it to the NBA, he has to develop a reliable outside shot and quicker feet that will make him deadly in pick-and-roll attacks and enable him to switch to smaller, faster players at the defensive end. He also has to spend a lot of time getting exposed to American basketball, where giants like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic are shooting, running, attacking, and dribbling like skilled playmakers. Sotto is a generational talent. He is our only hope to break the solid walls of the NBA, where only 450 roster spots are available. If he doesn’t make it, maybe — just maybe — it’s time for us to abandon our NBA dream. The post Great Brown Hope appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Beeracle’ cited by NY Times
There’s an article in the May 29, 2023, issue of The New York Times citing San Miguel Beer’s comeback from a 0-3 deficit to win the 2015-16 PBA Philippine Cup Finals over Alaska in relation to the Boston Celtics’ bid to duplicate the feat in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat this season......»»
French minister demands Assad trial
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be put on trial following “hundreds of thousands of deaths” and “chemical arms use” during the country’s civil war, the French foreign minister said on Tuesday. Catherine Colonna’s call followed Assad’s appearance at a summit of the Arab League, a regional organization that had banned him and suspended his country for a decade. “We have to remember who Bashar al-Assad is. He’s a leader who has been the enemy of his own people for more than 10 years,” Colonna said, Agence France-Presse reported. A lifting of European Union sanctions on the Syrian regime was “certainly not” planned, she added. Comeback, legitimacy Several Arab capitals cut ties with Assad after the Damascus regime’s repression of anti-government protests sparked a civil war in 2011, with some supporting the opposition instead. The brutal war has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and devastated much of the country’s infrastructure and industry. States that once bet on Assad’s demise have warmed to him as he clung to power and clawed back territory with Iranian and Russian support. “There is relief on the Syrian street in general, and great optimism about the future,” Bassam Abu Abdallah, who heads the Damascus Center for Strategic Research and is close to the government, said. “We have turned a new page.” Arab outreach peaked after the deadly 6 February earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey. Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London, said Assad saw the Arab League return “as recognition that he has won the war and as formal acceptance of his legitimacy as president.” The opposition and rebels’ role in determining the country’s political future has vastly shrunk, Khatib added. Large parts of Syria’s north remain outside government control after 12 years of war that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists. Though the frontlines have mostly quietened in recent years, Russian, Iranian, Turkish and United States forces are still present in Syria. Several rounds of United Nations-brokered talks in Geneva between the government and opposition groups, aimed at forging a new constitution, have failed, with no political solution in sight. The post French minister demands Assad trial appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DiCaprio and Scorsese score raves at star-packed Cannes
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese were set for a victory lap at Cannes on Sunday after their Native American crime epic, "Killers of the Flower Moon" scored rave reviews, while the festival prepared to bow down before Jude Law as King Henry VIII. Scorsese's latest opus, about a wave of murders among oil-rich Osage Indians in the 1920s, was showered in words like "searing", "triumph" and "masterpiece" by critics who scored the Cannes Film Festival's hottest ticket on Saturday night. Based on a non-fiction bestseller, the film sees DiCaprio as a weak-willed man who marries a wealthy Osage woman and is drawn into the deadly schemes of his kingpin uncle, played by Scorsese's other long-time muse, Robert De Niro. IndieWire said DiCaprio gives "his best-ever performance", while The Guardian awarded five stars for a "remarkable epic about the bloody birth of America". The stars were due to address reporters later on Sunday. But the festival was already set for another glitzy premiere later in the day, with "Firebrand" starring Jude Law as 16th-century English king Henry VIII alongside Alicia Vikander as his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr. Drives me crazy While Scorsese's Apple-funded film had an out-of-competition slot at the festival, "Firebrand" is in the increasingly close race for its top prize Palme d'Or, to be announced on May 27. Among the entries are Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore's new film "May December" which received positive reviews after its Saturday premiere. The tale of a woman who caused a tabloid scandal by marrying a schoolboy -- and the actress who enters their lives years later to research a role -- was described as "deliciously campy" by IndieWire. Portman told AFP she liked seeing women "behave in morally ambiguous ways". "It always drives me crazy when people are like, oh if only women rule the world, it would be a kinder place. No, women are humans and come in all different complexities," she said. Arguably the current favorite for the Palme is British director Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest", a unique and horrifying look at the private life of a Nazi officer working at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Critics were near-unanimous in their praise, Variety calling it "chilling and profound". It was partly inspired by a book of the same name by British novelist Martin Amis, who died on Saturday at 73. Also well received was "Four Daughters", a heartbreaking documentary about radicalization within a Tunisian family that is both inventive and engaging. That may go down well with jury president Ruben Ostlund, last year's winner for "Triangle of Sadness", who likes his arthouse films with some lighter touches. A total of 21 films are in the main competition, with entries from past winners Wim Wenders, Ken Loach, and Nanni Moretti still to come. Aging icons The weather has been untypically wet this year, but Cannes has had no shortage of splashy moments. Law is not the only one playing a monarch -- the festival opened controversially with Johnny Depp's "comeback" film, "Jeanne du Barry", in which he takes the role of French king Louis XV. Aging Hollywood men have been a key theme of this 76th edition, with honorary Palmes for Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford, the latter at the world premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", as well as an appearance by Sean Penn for paramedics drama "Black Flies". The post DiCaprio and Scorsese score raves at star-packed Cannes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Next five years set to be hottest period ever: UN
It is near-certain that 2023-2027 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, the United Nations warned Wednesday as greenhouse gases and El Nino combine to send temperatures soaring. Global temperatures are soon set to exceed the more ambitious target set out in the Paris climate accords, with a two-thirds chance that one of the next five years will do so, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said. The hottest eight years ever recorded were all between 2015 and 2022 -- but temperatures are forecast to increase further as climate change accelerates. "There is a 98-percent likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record," the WMO said. The 2015 Paris Agreement saw countries agree to cap global warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius above average levels measured between 1850 and 1900 -- and 1.5C if possible. The global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15C above the 1850-1900 average. The WMO said there was a 66 percent chance that annual global surface temperatures will exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the years 2023-2027, with a range of 1.1C to 1.8C forecasted for each of those five years. ' Uncharted territory' While this does not mean that the world will permanently exceed the Paris benchmark, "WMO is sounding the alarm that we will breach the 1.5C level on a temporary basis with increasing frequency", said the agency's chief Petteri Taalas. "A warming El Nino is expected to develop in the coming months and this will combine with human-induced climate change to push global temperatures into uncharted territory. "This will have far-reaching repercussions for health, food security, water management and the environment. We need to be prepared." El Nino is the large-scale warming of surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The weather phenomenon normally occurs every two to seven years. Conditions oscillate between El Nino and its opposite La Nina, with neutral conditions in between. The WMO said earlier this month that the chances of El Nino developing were 60 percent by the end of July and 80 percent by the end of September. Typically, El Nino increases global temperatures in the year after it develops -- which in this cycle would be 2024. Despite the cooling influence of La Nina conditions over much of the past three years, the warmest eight years on record have all been from 2015 onwards, with 2016 the hottest. Heat gets trapped in the atmosphere by so-called greenhouse gases, which are at a record high. The three major greenhouses gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Temperatures rising since 1960s Global land and sea mean near-surface temperatures have increased since the 1960s. The chances of temperatures temporarily exceeding 1.5C above the 1850-1990 average have risen steadily since 2015, a year when they were considered close to zero. Britain's Met Office national weather service is the WMO's lead center on yearly to 10-yearly climate predictions. While there is a 66-percent chance that one year between 2023 and 2027 will exceed the 1.5C threshold, there is now a 32 percent chance that the entire five-year mean will do so, the Met Office said. "Global mean temperatures are predicted to continue increasing, moving us away further and further away from the climate we are used to," said Met Office expert scientist Leon Hermanson. Temperatures in 2023 are likely to be higher than the 1991-2020 average in almost all regions except for Alaska, South Africa, South Asia and parts of Australia, the WMO said. Parts of the South Pacific Ocean are likely to be cooler than average. The post Next five years set to be hottest period ever: UN appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pacquiao plots comeback
After an absence of 20 months, Manny Pacquiao returned to the site of his old playground to watch a major fight and raise speculations that he is on the cusp of staging a comeback at age 44. But Pacquiao told Daily Tribune yesterday that while he is missing boxing, a comeback seems to be unlikely at the moment since he has a commitment to fight an exhibition on 29 July in Japan. Asked whether a regular boxing bout could be next, Pacquiao was tight-lipped but didn’t close the door on such a possibility. “We’ll see,” said Pacquiao, who was at ringside when Gervonta “Tank” Davis demolished Ryan Garcia in the seventh round of their high-profile showdown at the T-Mobile Arena. Pacquiao last fought in August 2021 and lost to Yordenis Ugas of Cuba and several weeks later, he announced his retirement. While watching the fight, boxing fans called out Pacquiao’s name and it brought back memories of his fighting days in Sin City that lasted for two decades. “The crowd’s reaction to his presence was terrific,” Sean Gibbons, who mans the Pacquiao’s owned MP Promotions said. “All the fans loved that Manny was here,” Gibbons said. Lawyer Tom Falgui, who joined the future Hall of Famer, said the audience applauded when “Manny and wife Jinkee were shown on the screen.” Pacquiao rubbed allows with former undisputed heavyweight king Mike Tyson and five-division titlist Sugar Ray Leonard and was interviewed on television and dropped by the dressing rooms of the main event fighters Davis and Garcia. Pacquiao will spend a few days in Los Angeles to bond with his son Jimuel, whom he had not seen since the Ugas fight, before leaving Tuesday night and arriving in Manila on Thursday morning. Still, don’t rule out a possible comeback that could take place sooner than later. “We are trying (to stage a fight),” Gibbons added. Even Falgui is on the same radar screen, stressing that there are plans for a return fight. “Keeping our fingers crossed.” The post Pacquiao plots comeback appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ginebra, TNT go for broke
Games Wednesday: (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 5:45 p.m. Ginebra vs TNT Series summary: Game 1: Ginebra 102, TNT 90 Game 2: TNT 95, Ginebra 82 Game 3: Ginebra 117, TNT 103 Game 4: TNT 116, Ginebra 104 An all-out war gets underway as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang Giga collide for an all-important victory in Game 5 of their Philippine Basketball Association best-of-seven finals series on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Action starts at 5:45 p.m. with both squads tipped to be at their best to deliver a win that will put them a heartbeat away from clinching the title of this season-ending conference. According to PBA head of statistics Fidel Mangonon III, the battle had turned into a cold-blooded shootout with Ginebra piling a total of 405 points with 56 three-pointers while TNT compiled 404 points with 55 treys. In Game 3, in fact, the Kings ran wild from the rainbow area, hitting 18 three-pointers to set a franchise record for the most number of treys. But TNT responded in Game 4 as it unloaded a finals record of 21 long bombs to eclipse its previous mark of 20 that it tallied in a 121-119 double-overtime win over Rain or Shine in Game 7 of its 2015 Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals series. TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa said their sharp form from downtown was a product of their good spacing and ball movement. “If you shoot well, most likely, you’re gonna win,” said Lastimosa, also the team manager of the Tropang Giga. “I think what we did was we went back to what we do best. If we have Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) there as a screener and we have proper spacing, and we can locate shooters on the corner, we know that we’re gonna get shots.” He added they marched into Game 4 with fire in their eyes after realizing their mistakes in Game 3. “The problem with our last game was that we didn’t have good spacing. Rondae was our facilitator and the ball didn’t go to the shooters,” he said. “But in Game 4, Calvin had a lot of looks and it stemmed from our spacing. If it’s your night, it’s your night. We have a lot of heroes, Kib Montalbo was a huge part of this game, and without Roger there, having a broken finger, we need somebody who can step in and help out in the scoring side.” For Montalbo, it’s all about getting prepared, whatever your role is, and in Game 4, he was promoted to become a starter and immediately made a huge impact, scoring 16 points and hitting 4-of-8 treys. “I wasn’t able to play much previously, but I was inserted to the starting position and I just took advantage,” Montalbo said. “For me, it’s about putting in the work because, you’ll never know. Things like that can happen in the finals.” “We also brought that mentality of refusing to lose and Coach Jolas is one guy who doesn’t want to lose,” added Montalbo, who played one of his better games in the tournament capped by a buzzer-beating desperation heave from way, way out to close out the first half. Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted that Lastimosa, his team captain when he won a grand slam with Alaska in 1996, outwitted him. “We played badly and they we’re off to a good start, so now the series is tied,” Cone said. “It was quite disappointing and, in many ways, it was embarrassing. But it’s a series, so we need to get ready for Wednesday.” Seeing Justin Brownlee, who lost the Best Import plum to Hollis-Jefferson, getting into early foul trouble and watching his team missing 10 of 23 attempts from the free throw line are some of areas Cone sees need some improvement. With Brownlee, a three-time Best Import winner, nursing five fouls, TNT was able to attack his defense, putting to waste his 28-point effort. In Game 2, Brownlee was limited to only 12 points, his lowest in the conference, and went without a three-point field goal for the first time in 77 games. That’s why if there’s one player who can inspire the Kings to regroup, it’s Brownlee, who is on his quest for record seven championships that will make him the winningest reinforcement ever to play in the PBA. The post Ginebra, TNT go for broke appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kings go for jugular vs Beermen
Reigning champion Barangay Ginebra shoots for the kill against San Miguel while Talk ‘N Text and Meralco break a deadlock in its own duel as the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals close in on a climax......»»
Polistico inatake sa puso, dedbol
YUMAO na ang dating miyembro ng Philippine Team at sentro ng San Miguel Beermen at Alaska Aces na si Adriano “Dong” Polistico dahil sa atake sa puso. The post Polistico inatake sa puso, dedbol first appeared on Abante......»»
PBA opener pits aces, bossing
Alaska Milk and Blackwater open hostilities for a PBA 46th season featuring exciting subplots from big names making a comeback to marquee players wearing new uniforms to bright young prospects taking flight......»»
Same but different Piolo Pascual in movie comeback
Piolo Pascual returns to the movies via Netflix’s My Amanda, a film about close friends who are each other’s constants through good and bad times......»»
Banal makes PBA comeback with Alaska
Gab Banal is set for a homecoming of sorts with Alaska Milk......»»
Abueva takes on former team as Fuel Masters gun for third straight win vs Aces
All eyes will be on Calvin Abueva as he faces his former team. (PBA Images) Phoenix Super LPG hopes to build on the successful comeback of Calvin Abueva when it battles his former team Alaska on Thursday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center. What Abueva has for an encore will be known in the 4 p.m. opener as the Fuel Masters (4-2) go for a third straight victory against the Aces (4-3), who are also riding on an impressive run of three wins in the last four outings. Unbeaten leader TNT looks to shrug off the rust factor as it aims for a sixth win opposite slumping NLEX (1-5) at 6:45 p.m. The Tropang Giga are slated to see action for the first time in eight days after Monday’s game against the NorthPort Batang Pier was postponed as a precautionary measure after facing the Blackwater Elite last week. One of Blackwater’s player is currently under quarantine after he had an initial positive result for COVID-19. He has since been declared negative in the succeeding antigen and RT-PCR tests. Abueva played as if he was not out of action for 16 months due to an indefinite suspension, posting 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in Phoenix’s 114-110 triumph against NLEX. With Abueva back, many see Phoenix as a team with a legitimate chance of winning the crown, something Alaska coach Jeffrey Cariaso acknowledges. “We’re in a situation where Phoenix is already playing well, they added Calvin, who would give them an extra spark — extra All-Star. So we’re gonna have our hands full,” said Cariaso as he eyes to keep the same grit that enabled Alaska to buck a 0-2 start. Alaska is coming off a 99-96 victory over Terrafirma last Tuesday......»»
SMB nilagok ang Alaska
PAMPANGA – Ipinakita ng San Miguel Beer ang kanilang dugong kampeon sa huling minuto ng laro para ibaon sa pagkatalo ang Alaska Aces, 92-88, sa PBA Philippine Cup elimination round na ginanap sa Angeles University Foundation Arena sa Angeles, Pampanga. Naitala ng Beermen ang kanilang ikalawang diretsong panalo sa kartadang 3-2 (win-loss) at para pigilin […] The post SMB nilagok ang Alaska appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
PBA: Beermen out to prick Aces bubble
By JONAS TERRADO Games Saturday (AUF Gym powered by Smart 5G) 4 p.m. –Terrafirma vs NorthPort 6:45 p.m. – San Miguel vs Alaska Alaska gets another acid test Saturday when it goes for a fourth consecutive victory against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles […].....»»