Filippine

  LOS ANGELES -- The Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines, will perform for the first time in the world-famous Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday, August 3, at 7:00 p.m.   FASO, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Fil-Am cultural institution, will have the honor of performing in the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and on the stage where the finest international musicians and artists have held center stage.   The special concert in architect Frank Gehry's gleaming masterpiece of curved stainless steel, a landmark in downtown Los Angeles, marks a milest...

Keep on reading: Fil-Am orchestra to debut at world-famous Walt Disney Concert Hall

  NEW YORK -- Thirty-one Filipino and Filipino American higher education graduates from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island marched down the Philippine Center's Kalayaan Hall for the 7th Philippine Graduation Ceremony on June 8. Thirteen other graduates from Harvard were earlier honored in another ceremony. This year's PGrad batch is composed of many academic achievers, led by two summa cum laude economics graduates Jonathan Coronel from Fordham University and Gabrielle Magallanes from St. John's University; magna cum laude graduates Jason Louie Singson (BA in Education, City College of New York) and Iris Dumaual (BA in English, St. John's Uni...

Keep on reading: Fil-Am grads from northeast U.S. states honored at PH Center in NY

Growing up in the 90s was such a wonderful and exciting time for a kid. It really was a special time because there were so many local bands that were unique, inspirational, awesome, different and exceptional. The list of local bands to listen to, choose, and support was practically endless. Almost everywhere you looked there was a local band either on television, in a radio station being interviewed, and of course, their songs being played everywhere else. How I wish the current young generation now could have experienced those years because whatever excitement they are feeling now with the current crop of indie and mainstream local bands would not even compare to the kinds of ...

Keep on reading: Spotlight on Lei Bautista of Prettier Than Pink

The Trump administration is close to completing one of its biggest rollbacks of environmental rules, replacing a landmark Obama-era effort that sought to wean the nation's electrical grid off coal-fired power plants and their climate-damaging pollution. https://twitter.com/craigtimes/status/1139184535403466753 The final Trump administration replacement rule, expected as soon as this week, instead would give individual states wide discretion to decide whether to require limited efficiency upgrades at individual coal-fired power plants. https://twitter.com/craigtimes/status/1139184535403466753 The Environmental Protection Agency said Administrator Andrew Wheeler would have a ma...

Keep on reading: Trump Administration Close to Monumental Environmental Rollback

  If "Me" left you a little underwhelmed with its appealing but derivative sound, Taylor Swift's latest single "You Need to Calm Down" will win you over with a tune that makes wise use of its catchy vibe to break new thematic ground.   It doesn't take long before you realize the substance lurking under "You Need to Calm Down's" sugar-and-spice froth.   This time, it's a call to arms for people to fight back against cyberbullying and a rallying cry in support of LGBTQ rights and tolerance.   Taylor even sets aside her spiteful revelations against former exes who chose to skip the romantic ride into the sunset with her.   While the so...

Keep on reading: ‘You Need to Calm Down’ and the substance lurking under its sugar-and-spice froth

US authorities said Tuesday they had seized around 16 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of over $1 billion in a historic drug bust aboard a ship at the port of Philadelphia. "This is one of the largest drug seizures in United States history," tweeted William McSwain, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Philadelphia. https://twitter.com/AddBrocke/status/1141157768386228224 "Members of the ship's crew have been arrested and federally charged" following the drug bust at Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal, McSwain's office said on Twitter. The drugs were found in seven containers aboard the MSC Gayane cargo ship, which was leaving for Europe after having pr...

Keep on reading: Drug Bust: One of the Largest Cocaine Drug Busts in US History

Google on Tuesday pledged to commit more than $1 billion to help address the severe housing crisis in the region that includes its headquarters and Silicon Valley. Chief executive Sundar Pichai announced the initiative, saying the internet colossus wants to be "a good neighbor" in the area bursting with technology companies. https://twitter.com/rolandlisf/status/1141027769742086144 The move comes with Silicon Valley firms under pressure over the spike in real estate prices, lack of affordable housing and growing homeless problem in the San Francisco Bay region. The region has attracted thousands of highly paid tech workers that has strained the housing supply and led to an explosio...

Keep on reading: Google Will Pledge $1bn to Address Bay Area Housing Crisis

In a country that nearly always believes bigger is better -- think supersize fries, giant cars and 10-gallon hats -- more and more Americans are downsizing their living quarters. Welcome to the world of tiny homes, most of them less than 400 square feet (less than 40 square meters), which savvy buyers are snapping up for their minimalist appeal and much smaller carbon footprints. https://twitter.com/earthposts/status/1138849252577304578 The tiny homes revolution, which includes those on foundations and those on wheels, began a few decades ago, but the financial crisis of 2008 and the coming-of-age of millennials gave it a new impetus. The proliferation of home improvement shows ...

Keep on reading: Tiny Homes: Trendy Fad or Budget Conscious Solution?

  Acting may not have been Tom Rodriguez's first career choice, but for nearly a decade, he has been jumping at opportunities to portray challenging roles.   Having played the adventurer Aladdin in a stage musical, a closeted gay man in the teleserye "My Husband's Lover," and a beleaguered priest in the horror flick "Maledicto," Tom wishes to push himself further and hone his thespic skills.   And, he has thought about bringing to life one bedazzling character from his acting wish list quite often.   "One day, I dream of being ready enough to portray the character of Lola from 'Kinky Boots,'" Tom recently told the Inquirer.   It wou...

Keep on reading: Why Tom Rodriguez wants to play a drag queen

  The title of Atlantis Theatrical's latest offering, "Beautiful," might as well be the most appropriate word to describe the show itself. Allow me though to add a few more: affecting, grounded, emotionally honest, with the ability to throw fans and older audiences back to the days when Carole King's music became integral parts to the soundtracks of their lives.   Selections from her seminal album "Tapestry" most certainly added themselves to my own, even before I could fully understand what each of those selections, which spoke of joy, hope and heartbreak, meant.   Songs like "It's Too Late," "I Feel the Earth Move" and the most anthemic one of them all...

Keep on reading: ‘Beautiful’ lives up to its title

  After undergoing a successful heart valve replacement surgery in April, rock icon Mick Jagger has assured his supporters that he's now "feeling pretty good."   In a recent interview with the Toronto radio station Q107, the Rolling Stones frontman revealed that he had already returned to rehearsals with the rest of the band.   "Been rehearsing a lot lately in the last few weeks ... This morning [I did] a bit of gym. Nothing crazy," said Mick, who was forced to postpone his world tour due to the said medical procedure.   The 75-year-old musician also related that he and his band mates were planning to play a few deep cuts, when they resume the...

Keep on reading: ‘Feeling pretty good,’ Mick Jagger is back on track

  Portraying the character Clarita had been so difficult for Jodi Sta. Maria that this made her doubt her ability as an actress, confessed director Derick Cabrido.   "She was crying when she approached me while we were doing one scene. She said she doesn't think she would be able to finish it," Cabrido recalled. "I looked at her for a few seconds and said, 'OK, this is what you have to do.' I admit, the character is truly demanding, both physically and emotionally. I said if you get this, everything else will be a breeze for you."   The film is based on the true story of Clarita Villanueva, who was suspected of being a victim of demonic possession in 195...

Keep on reading: How true-to-life story of demonic possession became a showcase for Jodi’s acting skills

ORLANDO, Florida --- Jabbing at the press and poking the eye of the political establishment he ran against in 2016, President Donald Trump officially kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for a second term. Addressing a crowd of thousands at Orlando's Amway Center, Trump complained he had been "under assault from the very first day" of his presidency by a "fake news media" and "illegal witch hunt" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down. And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of "un-American con...

Keep on reading: Trump rehashes gripes, rips ’radical’ Dems in 2020 launch

MANILA, Philippines---Sol Mercado has played for six different PBA teams, most notably with Barangay Ginebra where he won three championships, since joining the league in 2008. But there was one franchise Mercado treated as his first home in Philippine basketball and that's NorthPort. Mercado first played Philippine basketball with the franchise when it was still in the defunct Philippine Basketball League carrying Harbor Center name from 2007 to 2008. And after the trade the Gin Kings shipped him to the Batang Pier on Tuesday, Mercado couldn't help but feel some sort of homecoming. "I've been in this organization before, this was actually the first organization I was wit...

Keep on reading: Trade to NorthPort a homecoming for Sol Mercado