Let's Do The News! (December 26, 2024)

                                          

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The PH Department of Health advised the public to refrain from using fireworks during the Christmas and New Year celebrations to avoid any accidents or injuries.

- PH VP Sara Duterte maintained that she did not violate any law with the three impeachment complaints filed against her.

- An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people on board has crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, leaving more than 38 dead.

- King Charles delivered his Christmas speech to praise the "selfless" medical staff who cared for him during his cancer treatment.

- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky criticizes Russia for "inhumane" missile and drone attacks on Christmas Day.

- The first part of the Uma Musume Cinderella Gray TV anime will air this April 2025.

- JYP Entertainment clarifies the report on Lee Junho undergoing an intensive tax audit in 2023.

- BBC's Doctor Who TV series casts Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra. The Doctor's new companion will debut in the 2025 season.

TTFN.

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special Episode Review

Six months have passed since The Doctor thwarted world chaos by ending Sutekh's Empire of Death and reuniting Ruby Sunday with her real mother, but what is the "absolute terror" Mrs. Flood warned at the end? No one knows what that is but for now, The Doctor's having a vacation in the Christmas 2024 special where his stay at the Time Hotel and an encounter with a young woman turned deadly.

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special

HOLD IT! Ensure you have already watched the episode before my quick review. Come back here when you have already watched it.

Let's Do The News! (December 25, 2024)

                                         

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- 31 people were injured after a minibus lost control and fell off the side of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in San Fernando, Pampanga, a day before Christmas.

- The NGCP helps SIARELCO resolve the widespread power outage in Siargao Island.

- Parts of the Bicol Region remained flooded due to continuous rainfall.

- Syria citizens protested over a burning Christmas tree, demanding their new Islamist leaders defend minorities.

- All American Airlines flights are grounded, as the company says they are experiencing a technical issue.

- Mazda unveiled the Roadster range's 35th-anniversary special edition featuring an Artisan Red Premium Metallic exterior color with a beige soft-top for the regular Roadster.

2025 Mazda Roadster 35th Anniversary

- TOEI announced the 2025 Super Sentai Series installment; No.1 Sentai Gozyuger. Premiering this February 16, 2025, it celebrates 50 years of the Super Sentai Series and will feature the franchise's No.1 monster enemies and past Red Ranger powers.

- Russian figure skater Aleksandr Korovin is now officially a Filipino citizen.

- Former child star Hopia Legaspi is expecting her second child.

TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (December 24, 2024)

                                        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- PH President Bongbong Marcos said he will sign the 2025 national budget on Rizal Day.

- The Games and Amusements Board revoked John Amores's professional license.

- Over 20 financial institutions responded to the PH Department of Education's call for loan payment deferral.

- The US House Committee released the ethics report into former congressman Matt Gaetz, an ally of President-Elect Donald Trump. The report finds that Gaetz regularly paid for sex and drugs while in office.

- Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month.

- Team Penske inducted Gil de Ferran and Tim Lombardi into its Hall of Fame.

- The NCAA grants waiver to former junior college players while appealing to the Diego Pavia ruling.

- Universal Pictures announced that Christopher Nolan's next movie will be based on Homer's Odyssey. Titled The Odyssey, it will hit theaters in July 2025.

- The 80s sci-fi TV series V returns as a full-cast audio drama series from Big Finish Productions with the first volume releasing this January 2025. Annabel Baldwin, Janie Dee, and Jack Myers will be cast in the audio drama adaptation.

- Actor Garry Chalk is diagnosed with cancer.

TTFN.

Sangoshou no Kioku

Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Kanketsu-hen Chapter 1 is the first chapter of the movie trilogy that serves as the true ending for the girls' adventure. In this movie, the girls are in Okinawa, taking on a new challenge; the School Idol GPX (Grand Prix). Ayumu Uehara, Kasumi Nakasu, Shizuku Osaka, Kanata Konoe, Emma Verde, and Zhong Lanzhu are chosen to take part in the event where school idols across Japan clash to become "the most popular school idol right now".

Sangoshou no Kioku

The original soundtrack for the first chapter of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club movie is now available. This two-disc OST features most of the background music from the film, along with movie-sized versions of the insert songs and solo renditions of the movie’s theme song, "Doko ni Itemo Kimi wa Kimi." 

This OST is a way of expressing gratitude to fans for watching the first chapter of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club movie.

TRACK LISTINGS:

DISC 1:

1. トロピカルプール

2. ENTRY

3. Rise Up High! (MOVIE size)

4. スクールアイドルGPXスタート！

5. ここまで来たよ！

6. ウキウキワクワクストリート

7. Daydream Mermaid (MOVIE size)

8. 天との出会い

9. 絃

10. Chill in...

11. ウキウキワクワクビレッジ

12. Flavors

13. 友情の絡まり

14. Cara Tesoro (MOVIE size)

15. 胸の内に秘めたもの

16. 仲直り

17. 同じ想い

18. SIDE BY SIDE

19. PHOENIX (MOVIE size)～Stellar Stream (MOVIE size)

20. どこにいても君は君

21. そして次回は？

DISC TWO:

1. どこにいても君は君 (桜坂しずく Ver.)

2. どこにいても君は君 (近江彼方 Ver.)

3. どこにいても君は君 (エマ・ヴェルデ Ver.)

4. どこにいても君は君 (中須かすみ Ver.)

5. どこにいても君は君 (鐘 嵐珠 Ver.)

6. どこにいても君は君 (上原歩夢 Ver.)

7. どこにいても君は君 (朝香果林 Ver.)

8. どこにいても君は君 (宮下 愛 Ver.)

9. どこにいても君は君 (優木せつ菜 Ver.)

10. どこにいても君は君 (天王寺璃奈 Ver.)

11. どこにいても君は君 (三船栞子 Ver.)

12. どこにいても君は君 (ミア・テイラー Ver.)

What to see at the 2024 MMFF?

It's Christmas break again, which means no school until the start of the new year. Hooray! As everyone heads out for the long weekend and travels to different places, one thing should be on every vacation playlist: watching movies from the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival.

2024 Metro Manila Film Festival entries

So, what movies are showing in Philippine cinemas during the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival this Christmas Day?

- And the Breadwinner is... - Starring Maris Racal, Vice Ganda, and Eugene Domingo, this family comedy movie saw Vice Ganda as the breadwinner taking care of the family.

- Espantaho - This horror movie stars Judy Ann Santos, Lorna Tolentino, and Eugene Domingo. It centers on a mother and daughter mourning over the death of the family patriarch, only to be caught in a series of terrifying undertones.

- Green Bones - Dennis Trillo, Ruru Madrid, and Iza Calzado star in this emotional drama movie. A soon-to-be-released criminal and a corrections officer grieve over the death of the officer's sister, which complicates the prisoner's release.

- Hold Me Close - Jairus Aquino, Carlo Aquino, and Julia Baretto star in a romantic drama movie about a young man who arrives in Japan and makes a fateful encounter with a young woman who can sense feelings by touching.

- Isang Himala - Aicelle Santos, Bituin Escalante, and David Ezra star in a modern take on the cult classic Filipino movie "Himala." The story is about a young woman from a small village who becomes a beacon of hope and controversy when she is believed to have the power to heal after hearing a divine calling during an eclipse.

- My Future You - Almira Muhlach, Francine Diaz, and Seth Fedelin star in an unconventional rom-com about two lovers who met each other via a dating app, only to discover they're living 15 years apart.

- Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital - It's another horror movie in the MMFF 2024 entry list and this one stars Alexa Miro, Enrique Gil, and Jane De Leon. It features a group of celebrities trapped in the horrors of an abandoned hospital in Taiwan. Don't watch alone. You've been warned.

- The Kingdom - Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual star in an alternate reality drama movie about what happens when the Spaniards don't invade the Philippines.

- TOPAKK - The only action thriller on the list, this movie stars Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, and Sid Lucero. It's about a former special forces security guard on a daring rescue mission to save a woman who was held captive by a corrupt police force working for a drug cartel.

- Uninvited - Nadine Lustre, Aga Mulach, and Vilma Santos star in this revenge drama about a woman seeking revenge on a billionaire who killed her daughter.

The 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival begins on Christmas Day, December 25. During that week, all ten films will be shown in every cinema. Which film are you excited to watch?

Let's Do The News! (December 23, 2024)

                                       

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Pandi, Bulacan Mayor Enrico Roque was released two days before Christmas.

- Congressmen who are members of the Makabayan bloc have asked the House leadership to immediately take action on the impeachment complaints filed against PH Vice President Sara Duterte.

- 15 volcanic earthquakes were recorded around the Kanlaon Volcano, according to PHIVOLCS.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines is tightening its intel monitoring this holiday season.

- Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control. Turkey says there's no room for Kurds in Syria's future.

- Germany promises a thorough investigation into the Magdeburg attack.

- The MF Ghost TV anime will return for its third season soon.

- Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, and Nissan have signed an MOU “to advance discussions among the three companies.”

- JTBC gives a sneak preview of its 2025 drama lineup coming soon on the said channel

- Louise delos Reyes is now engaged to her non-showbiz boyfriend.