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| (Image Source: PPOPCON) |
Get ready for the return of the largest Pinoy pop (PPOP) music celebration – PINOY POP CONVENTION (PPOPCON) MANILA – happening this July at the City of Firsts, Araneta City! After its highly-successful inaugural event last year, PPOPCON is back in its second year to showcase Filipino pop culture and music. It still is the ultimate gathering of fans of the country’s thriving PPOP scene with interactive activities that will bring today’s PPOP idols closer to the fans.
2023 PPOPCON MANILA has been extended from last year’s two-day event to a three-day celebration this year to give attendees more chances to bond with the entire PPOP community. The PPOPCON MANILA convention will happen on July 14-16, 2023 with interactive fan engagement activities, dynamic fan booth exhibitions, fan signing events, and other activities in a new exciting location – the electrifying Quantum Skyview at the newly-opened Gateway Mall 2 – that is open to the public for free. Catch Josh Cullen, 1ST.ONE, ALAMAT, KAIA, and G22 as they take part in the fan signing activity. DIONE, R RULES, DAYDREAM, MONA, VALFER, VER5US, YARA, YES MY LOVE, Z2Z, SMS, BLVCK FLOWERS, ECLIPSE, 6SENSE, and SKOUTS will also deliver energetic performances that PPOP fans can watch for free at the 3-day convention.
The festivities will culminate with the much-awaited PPOPCON MANILA concert on July 16, 2023 starting at 6:00 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The concert will feature some of the country’s biggest local acts today comprising of SB19, BGYO, BINI, MNL48, 1ST.ONE, ALAMAT, JOSH CULLEN, FELIP, SHEKI, KAIA, G22, PRESS HIT PLAY, VXON, PPOPGEN, DIONE, CALISTA, YES MY LOVE, and HORI7ON. They will be delivering electrifying performances on-ground which will also be livestreamed for international fans exclusively on iWantTFC and TFC (The Filipino Channel) IPTV. “Expect the 2023 PPOPCON MANILA convention and concert to be filled with fun activities and breathtaking performances that will elevate the PPOP fan gathering experience. This is one big celebration to enjoy the best P-Pop has to offer this year,” said Irene Jose, Chief Operating Officer of Araneta Group's entertainment unit Uniprom Inc.
To get your convention passes and concert tickets, please visit www.ticketnet.com.ph or https://ppopcon.ph/. You may also like and follow the 2023 PPOPCON MANILA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or subscribe to their YouTube page for more updates.
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Kyla And Jay R Celebrate 20 Years Of A Musical Partnership Through A Reunion Concert
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| (Image Source: Rappler/GNN Entertainment Productions) |
Filipino music royalty KYLA and JAY R are gearing up for their highly anticipated return to the big stage. The Queen and King of Filipino R&B will be teaming up for their reunion concert entitled Back In Time: Kyla and Jay R The Reunion Concert, happening on September 2, 2023 (Saturday) at the New Frontier Theatre in Cubao, Quezon City. Celebrating 20 years of generation-spanning partnership that paved the way for local R&B/soul/hip-hop to flourish in the mainstream music scene in the Philippines, Kyla and Jay R are ready to take listeners on a musical journey that shaped pop culture at large from the early 2000s to the present.
“I’m excited to work with Kyla again. Aside from the undeniable chemistry that we’ve developed through years of working together, this concert means a lot to me for sentimental reasons. There’s magic every time Kyla and I go on stage. We don’t perform just to impress, but also to lift each other up and bring out the best versions of ourselves,” said the acclaimed producer/singer-songwriter Jay R. Meanwhile, the award-winning songstress explained, “Jay R and I have always been soulmates in music. I immediately said yes to this concert because this is my own little way of thanking our fans for being supportive of the creative partnership. We owe it big time to them for protecting this legacy of ours, and for ensuring that it will be preserved for the next generation to cherish.”
The highly anticipated Kyla x Jay R concert is presented and produced by GNN Pop, a subsidiary of the Manila-based events, PR, and multimedia outfit GNN Entertainment Productions. This serves as the local production’s debut offering for 2023, promising its audience of top-notch pop-leaning shows, concerts, and festivals. The event is also co-presented by Cornerstone Entertainment, one of the leading multimedia entertainment agencies in the Philippines. Tickets for Back In Time: Kyla and Jay R The Reunion Concert are available via Ticketnet Online. You may also contact Tel. (02) 8588 – 4000 loc. 4066 for more information.
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GMA Network Names Nessa Valdellon As Senior Vice President For GMA Pictures
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| GMA Network's First Vice President for Public Affairs Nessa Valdellon is now appointed as Senior Vice President for GMA Pictures, effective last July 1, 2023. (Image Source: GMA Network) |
GMA Network announces the appointment of Nessa Valdellon as Senior Vice President for GMA Pictures effective July 1, 2023. Valdellon, who is the Network’s concurrent First Vice President for Public Affairs pivoted a department of documentary and news magazine producers to become creatives and producers of top-rated soaps, romantic comedies, historical dramas, and drama anthologies.
Under her leadership, GMA Public Affairs has broadened its message-making to a wider audience through a diverse lineup of formats and titles including a slate of films under GMA Pictures. Valdellon currently heads the production of the following films: the edgy romance ‘The Cheating Game', the fantasy drama ‘Firefly', the horror movie ‘Penthouse 77’, the science fiction romance ‘Version 2' and the 4K documentary film ‘The Lost Sabungeros'. Prior to venturing into film-making, she was production head for over 30 GMA Public Affairs programs, including the multi-awarded news magazine program ‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho', the blockbuster series ‘Lolong', the George Foster Peabody awardees ‘Reel Time’ and ‘I-Witness' and the New York Fest multi-medalist ‘Reporter's Notebook' among many others.
Valdellon is credited for creating the full programming grid for GMA News TV which was launched in 2011. While running the channel, she also co-wrote and produced award-winning social realist series ‘Bayan Ko’ and ‘Titser.’ In 2018, she won for GMA Network a YouTube innovation grant for the digital newscast ‘Stand For Truth’ – the Network’s pioneering mobile journalism newscast. Valdellon began her career as a producer for The Probe Team and served as long time Probe Team Executive Producer. A Kapuso for 20 years now, she started her work in GMA as Program Manager and pioneered in reality production with programs such as ‘Wish Ko Lang', ‘Extra Challenge', ‘Imbestigador' and ‘Survivor Philippines’ – bringing these to the top of Philippine television ratings. She has served as a New York Festivals grand jury member for five years and running. Valdellon is also in her third year as juror for the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
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CCP Announced 12 New Plays For Virgin LabFest 19
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| (Image Source: ClickTheCity.com/Cultural Center of the Philippines) |
After its successful run for 2023, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) announces the selected one-act plays for the 19th edition of its Virgin LabFest. The 12 new plays which will be staged in 2024 are: Sentenaryo by Herlyn Alegre; Vengeance of the Gods by Hans Pieter Arao; Si Hesus naa sa US by Neil Azcuna; Ningas by Lino Balmes; Ang Munting Liwanag sa Madilim na Sulok ng Isang Serbeserya sa Maynila by Dustin Celestino; The Foxtrot by Chesie Galvez-Cariño; The Divine Family by Dip Mariposque; Love on the Brain by Rick Patriarca; Sa Babaeng Lahat by Elise Santos; Pagkapit sa Hangin by Joshua Lim So; Identité by Jhudiel Clare Sosa; and Abo-Kaykay Ang Ikalawang Yugto by Ara Jenika Vinzon.
The 12 untried, untested and unstaged plays were selected from the 145 submissions received early this year. The selection committee was composed of festival directors Tess Jamias and Marco Viaña, together with VLF founders Writers Bloc Inc.’s Rody Vera and director-playwright Herbie Go. Three plays from the 18th edition will be revisited on its 2024 run, namely Zheg Arban’s Room 209, directed by Delphine Buencamino; Andrew Estacio’s Ang Awit ng Dalagang Marmol, directed by Nazer Degayo Salcedo; and Dingdong Novenario’s Dominador Gonzales, National Artist, directed by George de Jesus III.
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O/C Records Artist mrld Is Spotify PH's Most Streamed Solo Filipina Artist
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| (Image Source: Manila Standard/Spotify Philippines) |
18-year-old Visayan singer-songwriter mrld is now the most streamed solo female Filipino artist on the global music streaming platform Spotify. The O/C Records artist , as of this writing, already has 4,174,152 monthly listeners surpassing Moira dela Torre who has 4,076,396. Recently, during her label’s 5th anniversary kick-off show at 19 East, mrld received two gold record awards for reaching over 50 million streams for her tracks, “An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You” and “Ligaya.” Currently, the songs have over 83 million streams and 74 million streams, respectively.
In an Instagram post, she reminisced about the moment when she auditioned to O/C Records executives Kean Cipriano and Chynna Ortaleza. She wrote, “Still insane to think about the time where it was 1AM, trying my best not to sound loud so my parents wouldn’t wake up, singing to [Kean] and [Chynna] on Zoom and then telling me I sound great. In a blink I was then asked if I wanted to sign and join the O/C Family.” “I have no regrets since they did help me with a lot of things. Thanks for believing in me and my music,” she added. Meanwhile, her single “Ikaw Pa Rin", now with over 36 milion streams, is part of the original soundtrack of the movie ‘Will You Be My Ex?’ starring Julia Barretto and Diego Loyzaga.
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Team YeY Returns With Parent-Approved Educational And Entertainment Programs
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
YeY returns with new playmates and two new exciting bite-sized content under Team YeY Shorts with “Team YeY Vlogs” and “Team YeY Explains", airing every Saturday on Kapamilya Channel, Jeepney TV, and A2Z. Start your day with “Team YeY Vlogs” where kids showcase different ways to have fun and encourage camaraderie through games and challenges while doing different vlogging activities. In “Team YeY Explains,” set to premiere in August, kids will share interesting facts about life, school, and play while promoting a curious mindset for viewers to actively participate in.
Joining the fun are new Team YeY members Althea Ruedas, Isha Adviento, Ivan Bagona, Cloud Ramos, Joseph Manalo, Gabby Nagayama, and Imogen Cantong with a seasoned child actor and former Team YeY member JJ Quilantang, all set to make your day exciting with their boundless energy and fun personalities. Meanwhile, kids and kids-at-heart can catch “YeY Weekday and Weekend” programs on Kapamilya Channel every Monday to Friday at 7:00-9:00 am and Saturday at 6:00-8:10 am, on Jeepney TV from Monday to Sunday at 8:00-10:00 am and on A2Z every Saturday at 8:00-10:00 am and Sunday at 9:00-10:00 am. You can also catch previous Team YeY episodes and online exclusives on YeY's official YouTube channel.
