Entertainment

By Alvin I. Dacanay Another scandal is shaking, rattling and rolling the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). 

The CineFilipino film festival, organized by Unitel Productions in partnership with the MVP Group of Companies, promises to offer from February 2 to 8, 2016 a fresh spin on independent or “indie” films: more moving stories and a wider range of genres.

Story and photos by Alvin I. Dacanay Early this month, a midscale hotel bearing a globally recognized brand formally opened at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales province. This hotel—Best Western Plus Hotel Subic—is the first of its kind in the former United States naval base, and the first in the world to carry the Phoenix, Arizona-headquartered hotel and …

That question—or a variation of it—will be on the minds of beauty pageant-crazy Filipinos on Monday morning (Manila time), when Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach competes with 79 other women from around the world for the title of Miss Universe.

Review by Lindsey Bahr / The Associated Press J.J. Abrams may not elevate the language of Star Wars, but he sure is fluent in it. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is no more and no less than the movie that made us love it in the first place. In fact, it’s basically the same thing. Isn’t that what we all wanted, …

By Daniella Cheslow / The Associated Press Haifa, Israel—Palestinian chef Johnny Goric has cooked for United States President Barack Obama and served as a judge on the Palestinian version of MasterChef, a reality-television cooking show. In July, he put out his first cookbook, but rather than publish in his native Arabic or in English, Goric’s debut recipes are in Hebrew.

The Christmas season is the time to hang your Yuletide ornaments and play your favorite holiday tunes at family reunions and parties with friends. But while you’re making your home more festive and exciting for the holidays, receiving a box of tasty treats is still, perhaps, one of the most anticipated during the season.

In this season of joyous reunions and luxurious feasts, Richmonde Hotel Ortigas’ (RHO) Richmonde Café celebrates three of life’s greatest treasures—family, friends and togetherness—with delicious buffets featuring traditional holiday fare. 

On Tuesday, some in the Philippine theater community will remember one of their own who passed away prematurely on that day, 20 years ago. His name: Carlos “Charley” B. dela Paz Jr. He was a member of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) who wrote and acted in a number of the company’s socially conscious plays in the 1980s and …

Review by Jocelyn Noveck / The Associated Press Admit it. When you heard another Rocky movie was coming out—a seventh—you thought, really? How many Rocky movies do we need?