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| (Image Source: ESPN) |
ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney and the National Football League (NFL) will present a real-time, animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy and featuring characters from across the Lucasfilm franchise including original 1977 cast member Anthony Daniels returning to voice C-3PO. Extending the Emmy-winning Funday Football brand to America’s biggest game, Star Wars Funday Football will stream live on Disney+ and the ESPN App and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD on February 14, 2027, giving fans of all ages a new way to experience ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl production.
Star Wars Funday Football will be presented alongside the traditional telecast with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge on ESPN, ABC, and Disney+ from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, U.S.A. ESPN’s Spanish-language telecast will be available on Disney+ and ESPN Deportes with a separate Spanish-language presentation on Univision. Star Wars Funday Football will reach fans around the world with expanded live international availability in markets including Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, Canada (TSN+), the Netherlands, sub-Saharan Africa, Japan, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The animated game will also be available on demand on Disney+ shortly after the live telecast in these markets and additional regions including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Korea, and more, bringing total availability to more than 155 markets worldwide. The Star Wars animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI in real time, transforming players on the field into animated avatars, while Star Wars characters sub in during key moments and various Easter eggs appear throughout the game. ESPN will produce Star Wars Funday Football with data visualization technology from Sony’s Beyond Sports which has enabled the animated gameplay of the Funday Football series since its inception. The technology transforms live gameplay into animation in real time by combining player tracking data from the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking.
As Super Bowl LXI approaches, more details about the Star Wars animated presentation will be announced including visual settings, commentators, characters and more. Star Wars Funday Football is the first animated alternate presentation of a Super Bowl and the fourth NFL animated alternate telecast from ESPN, Disney and the NFL. It follows Toy Story Funday Football (October 2023, Falcons-Jaguars) which earned three Sports Emmy Awards, The Simpsons Funday Football (December 2024, Bengals-Cowboys), and Monsters Funday Football (December 2025, Eagles-Chargers). Star Wars Funday Football will coincide with Lucasfilm's 50th year anniversary of Star Wars.
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Third-Wheeling Gets A Soundtrack In Ziv And VVINK’s “Trisikulo”
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| (Image Source: Manila Standard/Sony Music Entertainment Philippines) |
Award-winning producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ziv teams up rising P-pop girl group VVINK for “Trisikulo”, a bona fide bop that turns the familiar third-wheel experience into a euphoric celebration of friendship, longing, and young romance. Released under Sony Music Entertainment, the track follows Ziv’s previous releases, “Kuryente” and “Walkie Talkie”, and expands his solo offerings with indelible pop sensibilities and deceptively simple production.
Built around a Filipino wordplay that links a tricycle’s three wheels to the feeling of being the extra person in someone else’s love story, “Trisikulo” reflects on wanting companionship and watching the people around you find love. According to Ziv, the concept comes from a personal encounter, with his third-wheel status becoming a running joke among friends and family. He shares, “I wanted to write about something that genuinely reflects where I am in life right now. It’s funny because it’s genuinely what’s happening in my life, but at the same time, I realized there aren’t that many songs that talk about the experience of being a third wheel.” Refusing to lean into melancholy, Ziv pokes fun at the situation while churning out vibrant production to match the track’s energetic vibe. Balancing buoyant melodies with a vulnerable narrative ,Ziv brings together the melodic intricacy of J-pop, the raw energy of J-rock, the polished production of K-pop, and the storytelling sensibilities of OPM, creating a sound that reflects his cross-cultural musical identity. The collaboration also highlights VVINK’s versatility as the group continues to establish its presence in the P-pop scene. The all-women group recently won Best Novelty Recording at the 39th Awit Awards for “Baduy”, featuring DJ Love and Pio Balbuena, and Pop Song of the Year at the 2026 Filipino Music Awards for the same track. VVINK is also part of Spotify RADAR 2026.
Talking about the collaboration, VVINK describes the creative process as a natural meeting of distinct personalities and perspectives, stating, “One thing that surprised us was how quickly we clicked. We became comfortable working with each other almost immediately, and everything flowed so smoothly that the creative process felt almost effortless.” Co-written by Ziv alongside Paolo Benjamin Guico of acclaimed Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben and Angelika Samantha Ortiz who is one of the songwriters behind BINI’s hit “Pantropiko”, “Trisikulo” brings together distinct creative perspectives. Ziv also serves as the track’s producer with mixing by Jacques Jenkins and mastering by Luna Tebbs. Bringing the song’s offbeat premise to the screen, stay tuned as Ziv and VVINK release the upcoming official “Trisikulo” music video via their respective YouTube channels.
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Zara Larsson Shines With “Blue Moon” Official Video & Bundle Out Now
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| (Image Source: Starmometer/Sony Music Entertainment) |
As the Midnight Sun sets, the “Blue Moon” rises as GRAMMY®-nominated pop superstar Zara Larsson unveils the highly anticipated music video for “Blue Moon”, an exciting new extension of the Midnight Sun universe and a tribute to the album that has defined a career-changing year for the global pop sensation.
Directed by Charlotte Rutherford, the official video follows Zara as she finds herself alone in a desolate parking lot at dusk. As night falls, she breaks into a show-stopping performance and the ordinary landscape transforms into a vibrant, surreal world filled with fantastical creatures, vivid colors, and dynamic choreography. Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, the video captures the dreamy, escapist spirit of “Blue Moon” while showcasing Zara’s signature performance style. Zara first gave fans a glimpse of the “Blue Moon” music video during the second of her two sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ iconic Greek Theatre last September 2026, leaving fans clamoring for more. She recently offered another tease during an appearance on Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang where she described “Blue Moon” as the “sister” to “Midnight Sun” — further underscoring the connection between the two. The striking visual arrives nearly one year after the release of Midnight Sun. Since the album’s release, Zara Larsson has been on an unstoppable global run. From earning a GRAMMY® nomination for the album’s explosive title track and scoring her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 with PinkPantheress on “Stateside” to taking home two American Music Awards for Breakthrough Album of the Year and Collaboration of the Year and earning five MTV Video Music Award nominations for “Stateside”. Larsson also expanded the Midnight Sun universe with Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, an all-star remix album featuring Kehlani on the “Blue Moon” remix alongside Shakira, Robyn, Tyla, PinkPantheress and more, further cementing her place as a force in today’s global pop scene.
In 2026, Larsson continued her global takeover on the live stage, embarking on her sold-out U.S. headlining tour this spring before bringing the Midnight Sun era to stages across the globe this summer. Her festival run included standout performances at BBC Radio 1 Weekend and Lollapalooza, where she drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend and the largest U.S. crowd of her career. She is currently on the road with her Midnight Sun tour in Australia with stops in Melbourne, Sydney and more before bringing the tour to the Philippines and Thailand. With “Blue Moon,” Zara continues to build on the world of Midnight Sun, celebrating an album that has propelled her career to new heights while offering fans a fresh perspective on the era. A natural evolution of the album’s universe, “Blue Moon” brings the Midnight Sun journey full circle.
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Kabayan Noli De Castro Returns For ABS-CBN News Halloween Special “Kababalaghan 8: Pagkagat Ng Dilim”
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
Kabayan Noli de Castro is back to share more stories of kababalaghan this Halloween through ABS-CBN News’ annual Halloween special, “Kababalaghan 8: Pagkagat Ng Dilim”, featuring three families in Metro Manila who claim to have experienced frightening and unexplained incidents in their homes. Now on its eighth installment, “Kababalaghan” continues its tradition of bringing viewers stories of alleged paranormal encounters, including some caught on camera.
In “Bulong”, Kabayan visits an old house in the southern part of Metro Manila with the family residing there for generations say they have experienced strange occurrences. Among these are mysterious whispers and sightings of bloodied figures inside their home. The second story, “Upuan”, features the Ditablan family in Taguig City whose CCTV camera captured a chair seemingly floating before being thrown to the side. The family suspects that an old tree near their house may have something to do with the unexplained incidents. Meanwhile, “Bahay Ni Tiya” follows Mich’s family who moved up north into a relative’s old house. They initially had no problems staying on the ground floor, but strange things began happening after they converted an upstairs room into a bedroom. Mich then shared videos of their experiences on social media, drawing reactions from netizens.
“Kababalaghan 8: Pagkagat ng Dilim” premieres on October 31 at 6:45 pm on ABS-CBN News’ YouTube channel, followed by its television airing at 10:30 pm on ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Facebook page and ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel. A replay will air on November 1 at 6:00 pm on ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Kapamilya Online Live, as well as ABS-CBN News’ Facebook page. The special will also be available on demand on iWant.
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P-Pop Group Yes My Love Drops Debut Album “Mahal Kita Kasi…”
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
P-Pop boy group Yes My Love explores the many shades of romance on its debut album “Mahal Kita Kasi…”, an eight-track collection celebrating the joys of being in love and the meaningful connections people build with one another, which is now available worldwide on digital music streaming platforms under Star Music. The group consisting of Niko, Joshua, Jeff, Brian, and RZ celebrated the album’s release at SM City Dasmariñas last October 17, 2026 where they received an enthusiastic welcome from their fans.
The group shared on social media, “Grabe kayo magmahal lalo na sa mga 143 na dumayo para lang makisaya at makasama kami para sa aming ‘Mahal Kita Kasi…’ Album Launch. Iba ang saya ang nabigay niyo sa amin dahil sumabay kayo sa aming kakulitan at pag-awit.” The group brings its own romantic flair to the album through a mix of original songs and renditions of beloved OPM tracks. The tracklist includes “Wag Kang Lalayo”, composed by Alfonso M. Bassig and Dennis Mendez; “Mahal Kita Kasi”, written by Christian Martinez and Jeff Cabrera; “Hibang”, penned by Romeo P. Condor III; “Bawal”, written by Cedric Manguerra and Brian Zamora; “Simpleng Tao”, composed by Christian Martinez and Jeff Cabrera; “Don Romantiko” and “Kasama Kang Tumanda”, both penned by Christian Martinez; and “Dial”, composed by Jeff Cabrera. Jeremy G served as the album’s producer.
Last August, the group staged “PULSO: The First Concert” at the SM City North Edsa Skydome before bringing their music to more fans through the “PULSO: Roadshow”. Known as the “Vocal Heartstoppers Of P-Pop”, Yes My Love first caught attention with their pre-debut cover of “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” before officially debuting with the single “Rhythm” in 2023. In 2024, they released their first EP, “You, Me, & Love”, featuring “Laging Naroon Ka” and “Gisinging Ang Puso”.
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The Red Strings Band Tests Out “The Red String Theory” In Debut EP
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
OPM band The Red Strings explores different stories and seasons of love in their debut EP “The Red String Theory”, released while the band was bringing its music to fans across several cities and provinces through the recently concluded “The Live Sessions Tour”. Band members Gello Marquez, Cedryck Guda, Llana Claire Catudio, Nicholas De Rosales, Risen Santos, and Liam Barba wrote all six tracks in the EP which is now available worldwide on digital music streaming platforms.
The collection, which now has almost 5 million all-time Spotify streams, features three new songs — “Alanganin”, “Jupiter”, and “Kalendaryo” — alongside their previously released singles “Nasa Ulap”, “Kupido”, and “Asado”. DNA Music label head Gab Tagadtad served as the EP’s producer. Their first-ever mall tour took them to Valenzuela, Olongapo, Bataan, Telebastagan, Tarlac, Clark, and Baliwag, giving more fans the opportunity to experience the band’s music live. The Red Strings was joined by fellow ABS-CBN Music artists Bryan Chong, BRYN, Cesca, Chie, Erghyll, Jarea, JEL REY, Lala Vinzon, Off To Aurora, Sarvi, Sassa, and Yellow Pad throughout the tour.
Formed through ABS-CBN Entertainment’s reality docu-series “The Next Big Band”, the six-member group takes its name from the red string of fate, a concept that reflects its belief that the members were destined to find one another and make music together. Last March, The Red Strings released “Asado” and “Kupido” with the ladder gaining traction as a soundtrack for fan fiction content on social media and amassing 4 million Spotify streams. The band followed these releases with “Nasa Ulap” which landed on Spotify’s Hot Hits Philippines, Tatak Pinoy, and OPM Rising playlists.
