Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift among highest paid entertainers of 2022 — Forbes
The combined earnings of the Top 10 highest paid entertainers of 2022 amounted to $1.35 billion (P74.6 billion), which is only half as much as the earnings of last year's top earners......»»
Filo Swifties reveal how much they spent on Taylor Swift Eras Tour Singapore
Filipino Swifties revealed how much they spent on watching Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" in Singapore. .....»»
Taylor Swift, Beyonce reporting jobs trigger controversy
It's rare for a news outlet to dedicate a reporter to one personality, but the publication USA Today has decided Taylor Swift and Beyonce are phenomena requiring their own beats. The recent announcement by Gannett, which owns USA Today, that it was seeking two journalists to cover the biggest names in music as if they were running for president triggered both excitement and eye rolls -- and broader conversation about coverage priorities in an increasingly fragmented and financially precarious news media environment. Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily newspapers, has slashed jobs across local markets over the past several years, laying off six percent of its news division in December. So news of the Tay and Bey positions struck a nerve. "I suppose now is a good time to remind Twitter that I'm the only full-time news reporter left at my newspaper that was sold by Gannett in December," said Brad Vidmar on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Vidmar, 41, works for The Hawk Eye, a newspaper in Burlington, Iowa that GateHouse, an investment firm-run publishing company, purchased in late 2016. In 2019 GateHouse acquired Gannett and took its name, becoming the largest newspaper company in the nation -- and one with a reputation for scooping newspapers before curtailing their resources. Gannett resold The Hawk Eye to a family-owned media company in late 2022 -- its staff a skeleton of what it once was. "They just kept cutting and cutting and cutting staff all across the board," Vidmar told AFP. "What you saw was a situation where there are fewer reporters, reporters forced to take on multiple beats." Losing local content meant filling the paper with wire stories or stories from the broader USA Today network, he explained. Vidmar said Gannett's announcement of the Swift job made "my eyes roll." "They've been downsizing newsrooms for years now, but of course, they need somebody dedicated to covering Taylor Swift," he said. Shaping a generation Gannett said the new positions will be employed by USA Today and The Tennessean, the company's Nashville-based paper. The aim of the new jobs -- which are in addition to three music reporters The Tennessean now employs -- will be to "capture the excitement around Swift's ongoing tour... while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career," Gannett said. Another position is aimed at similarly analyzing Beyonce's impact. The NewsGuild's New York branch was skeptical, writing on X: "Gannett's strategy to be profitable again: 1) Lay off hundreds of reporters 2) Destroy local news coverage 3) Hire a Taylor Swift reporter." Lark-Marie Anton, Gannett's chief communications officer, said in a statement to AFP that "these roles do not come at the expense of other jobs," noting that in Gannett's bid to "grow our audience," the company has hired 225 journalists since March and has more than 100 open roles. "Taylor Swift and Beyonce Knowles-Carter are artists and businesswomen. Their work has tremendous economic impact and societal significance influencing multiple industries and our culture -- they are shaping a generation," Anton said. Under pressure Robert Thompson, a media scholar at Syracuse University, said his initial reaction to the new jobs was questioning whether "this is a joke." But he said after more reflection "I think it would be silly to categorically dismiss this... There are so few things that everybody really kind of knows whether they're fans or not, and Beyonce and Taylor Swift are some of the very rare ones." The jobs have the potential to allow for "really insightful ways to tell the story of 21st-century America through the lens of its most popular personages," he said. On the other hand, Thompson acknowledged that the negative reaction to the new jobs in light of dwindling local news coverage is reasonable. "If you were to get a bunch of people together and say, 'We've got X number of dollars, how should they be spent?' Most of them would probably not say the Taylor Swift beat," he said. "But that doesn't mean that separate from that context there can't be some really good things to come of it." If performed correctly, the new jobs are not necessarily the "dream" careers some headlines have touted them as he said. The fan bases for both Swift and Beyonce are notoriously defensive -- music critics who make even the slightest negative comment about their idols can be doxxed or receive death threats. Along with the "organized wrath" of Swifties and the Beyhive, the worlds these artists have curated are famously guarded. Plus, Thompson noted, "The eyes of the profession are going to be on these poor folks when they finally get hired." "That first piece that they file -- it better be really good." The post Taylor Swift, Beyonce reporting jobs trigger controversy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Golden Globes to air January 7 under new ownership
Next year's Golden Globes will take place on 7 January, the organization that bestows the entertainment awards said Thursday, in the wake of intense scrutiny over accusations of corruption and racism in recent years. Nominations are set to be revealed on 11 December, the organization added in a statement. The combined film and television awards have long been considered among the most prestigious in Hollywood after the Oscars. But the Golden Globes have lost their luster among many in the industry after The Los Angeles Times in 2021 revealed the bleak backstage operations of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which made up the contest's jury. In particular, the report said the group did not have a single Black member at the time, and detailed accounts of HFPA voters receiving lavish gifts from entertainment studios whose products they were voting on. In 2022, the historically raucous ceremony was shunned by Hollywood's elite and was not broadcast on television. Since then, the Globes have launched several image reform measures, including involving a more diverse group of voters and instituting a crackdown on ethics violations. The changes brought the ceremony back to live television in January 2023, and despite several notable red-carpet absences, the number of stars in attendance -- including Steven Spielberg, Michelle Yeoh, and Brad Pitt -- suggested that Hollywood was ready to move on from the scandal. Still, the show recorded its worst-ever ratings, with only 6.3 million viewers. As part of its reforms, the Golden Globes have been bought out by private investors, effectively shuttering the 80-year-old HFPA. As part of Thursday's announcement, the Globes said it had formed a new committee that would now be "responsible for selecting, ratifying and accrediting journalists as voting members" of the Globes' jury. The nine-member committee will "uphold and enforce rigorous standards and practices for the voting body," the statement added. The committee will include Tim Gray, veteran entertainment journalist from Variety magazine, who was named vice president of the Golden Globes. The post Golden Globes to air January 7 under new ownership appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Call of Duty’ to remain on Playstation
Tech giants Microsoft and Sony reached a deal to keep releasing the popular "Call of Duty" video games on the Playstation game console, Microsoft announced Sunday. Microsoft, the owner of the rival Xbox console, moved to acquire game studio Activision Blizzard -- which produces "Call of Duty" -- in January 2022. That move sparked fears of consolidation in the gaming industry, leading US and British regulators to hold up the finalization of the acquisition. Sunday's "binding agreement" means that "Call of Duty" games will continue to be released on both the Xbox and the Sony Playstation. "We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard," tweeted Microsoft's gaming head Phil Spencer. "From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers," said Microsoft President Brad Smith. "Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that 'Call of Duty' remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before." In December, ahead of the merger, Spencer had announced that Microsoft was committed to bringing "Call of Duty" to Nintendo, another console maker, following the completion of the acquisition. Sony had previously sought to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which also produces mega-hits "Candy Crush" and "World of Warcraft." The acquisition would make Microsoft the third biggest company in the gaming industry, in terms of revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The post ‘Call of Duty’ to remain on Playstation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift among highest paid entertainers of 2022 — Forbes
The combined earnings of the Top 10 highest paid entertainers of 2022 amounted to $1.35 billion (P74.6 billion), which is only half as much as the earnings of last year's top earners......»»
Claudine Barretto remembers ex-boyfriend Rico Yan on 22nd death anniversary
Actress Claudine Barretto paid tribute to late ex-boyfriend Rico Yan in time for his 22nd death anniversary. .....»»
Revisiting Uniteam (Last of 2 parts)
THE Uniteam coalition of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, described by many political analysts as the "dream team", had come a long way since sweeping the 2022 elections......»»
2 ex-James Bond actors approve of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as next 007
Former James Bond actors George Lazenby and Pierce Brosnan have stated their approval for Aaron Taylor-Johnson should the latter be the next individual to carry the Agent 007 mantle......»»
Yogi Ruiz: Salaries, incentives for City Hall employees must be paid on time
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Job order (JO) employees at the Cebu City Hall have not been paid their salaries from January to March 2024. They have not also received their share of the Charter Day incentive amounting to P5, 000 each. Councilors Noel Wenceslao and Nestro Archival have raised a concern on the delay in.....»»
Philippines among top e-waste producers in SEA
Electronic waste in the Philippines increased after the country generated 4.7 kilos per capita in 2022 from 3.9 kilos per capita in 2019, according to environmental group BAN Toxics......»»
Decline in exploitation cases; advocacy efforts strengthened
AN OFFICIAL from the Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) reported two cases of online exploitation of women and children in the region in 2022......»»
PUBG Mobile continues steady rise in Philippines
PUBG: Mobile has been a steady shooting game that Filipinos have been playing since its release back in 2018. Since then, the game has had Filipino-centric initiatives in 2022......»»
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga sets world premiere date at Cannes
The fifth film in the series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa, a character played by Charlize Theron in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road," which also premiered at Cannes in 2015......»»
Shell Pilipinas profit tumbles to P1.2 billion in 2023
The earnings of Shell Pilipinas Corp. plunged by 70.7 percent to P1.2 billion in 2023 from P4.1 billion in 2022 on the back of declining global fuel prices and elevated interest rates......»»
Balik-Tanaw | The dissident love of Jesus
The readings for Palm Sunday begin with narrating the triumphant entry of Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem. According to the story, Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread is coming in two days’ time and a lot of Jews will go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast. As observant Jews, Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem in observance of the feast that will take place (John 12: 12-16; Mark 14:1-15). When they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus instructed his two disciples to go to a village where they will find an ass and to bring it to him. Jesus rode on the ass when he entered Jerusalem. The people accompanied him and they held palm branches while crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our Father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!’ (Mark 11:1-10). The post Balik-Tanaw | The dissident love of Jesus appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Save the date: 7 MMFF 2023 movies na babandera sa Netflix
SINO sa inyo ang mga hindi pa nakakanood ng mga pelikula na official entries ng Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2023? Nako, pwedeng-pwede pa kayo humabol! Pitong pelikula ang ipapalabas ulit simula ngayong buwan hanggang sa darating na Hunyo at ito ay libre lang na masisilayan sa Netflix. Kabilang na riyan, siyempre, ang highest-grossing Filipino.....»»
BDO funds 28 green projects from P52.7 billion bond proceeds
Around 28 green projects benefitted from the first ASEAN sustainability bond issuance of BDO Unibank Inc. in January 2022, bolstering the bank’s sustainability commitment......»»
Philippines rises 23 spots in World Happiness Report
The Philippines rose 23 spots to land 53rd in the in the 2024 World Happiness Report. The Philippines was 76th in the World Happiness Report in 2023 and 60th in the 2022 report. The country also ranks as the 2nd happiest country in Southeast Asia, next to Singapore, which placed 30th. READ MORE: What makes Cebuano.....»»
Median age for marriage among PH women is 28, says PSA
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The median age for marriage in the Philippines falls between ages 28 to 30, according to the latest data posted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The PSA said, as per Vital Statistics, that the median age for marriage in the Philippines among women in 2022 was 28 years old. For.....»»
Salt imports decline as local output improves
The country’s salt imports decreased to 84 percent of total requirements last year from 90 percent in 2022 as local production improved, a ranking official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said......»»