Limelight

Pop star Coco Martin and fellow actor Ihman Esturco have gone a long way, indeed. ​Aside from being friends, Coco and Ihman are artists in their own right. Coco is a multimedia director and Ihman is a professional photographer not only in the Philippines but in the US where he is based. ​Martin and Esturco enjoy each other’s company by …

Every piña fiber, abacá, and jusi fabric woven into a barong Filipino carries the struggles of being acknowledged as the Philippine national dress for men. Along with them, the nation’s fight for acceptance and freedom is reflected in patterns drenched in Philippine culture and tradition. “The barong Filipino overcame many obstacles, the biggest of which is the Filipinos’ own colonial mentality,” said cultural advocate and …

There are many ways to share gifts, material or immaterial, on Christmas. Two of them are music and other allied arts. Take for instance, the pre-Christmas recital of the music students of Nika Music School founded by Shey Placer held at the Entertainment Plaza of the Makati Circuit. One of its teachers, musician and fashion designer Erick Valena, thought of …

As early as July 2025 in time for the announcement of the first four official entries to the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the box-office projection of the potential moneymakers were already getting ahead of its story. As one of the selected entries, Star Cinema, IdeaFirst Company and Viva Films’ “Call Me Mother” is a favorite winner not only …

What made 2025 Christmas the most beautiful season in Lovi Poe’s life? It’s her first Christmas spent with her first-born and the third holiday celebration with husband Montgomery Blencowe, a film producer. In her social media posts, Lovi described her feelings of motherhood and wifehood with excitement and amazement. “Our first Christmas as a family,” Poe wrote with a heart …

by Boy Villasanta Charo Santos’ new-found freedom makes her hands more full with creative responsibilities particularly her being a thespian unlike when she was stepping up the ladder in the corporate hierarchy of ABS-CBN management where she was into policy-making and implementing managerial powers. This time, Charo sees to it that she’s not only wearing many hats (read: screen roles) …

as told to Boy Villasanta (Editor’s Note: What’s in store for us in the Philippines and around the globe in 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse as seen through the eyes of one of the most sought-after psychics in the country today, Madam Suzette Arandela? Read on). Generally, the Year of the Fire Horse will bring luck to the …

Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” missed a shortlist foray into the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. ​The Philippines has been a perennial submitter of film to the Oscars but always misses a nomination, much more, a shortlist victory except for the late Gil Portes’ “Mga Munting Tinig” which was reportedly shortlisted in the Top 7 or 8 ranking of about …

Not only one but two among the members of the working entertainment press were appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to sit as Board of Directors of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Nestor G. Cuartero, a veteran journalist and Rose Garcia-Fabregas, an enterprising news hen in the entertainment industry were appointed by BBM to join …

by Boy Villasanta One of the most awaited annual film festivals in the country is on. Officially, the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival will start on December 19 when the Parade of Stars included in the eight official lineup kicks off at the Makati City grounds organized and sponsored by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Makati. Unofficially, though, the …