Holiday Stream Treats from LG: RED ONE on Prime Video

Looks like the holidays will be extra fun as LG announced that Prime subscribers would be able to stream one of the biggest action packed film this year "RED ONE". This would be available on your LG Smart TV if you are in over 200 countries that it's available in. This stars the toughest Dwayne The Rock Johnson, the lovely Lucy Liu, JK Simmons, and everyone's guy Chris Evans. The film is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Seven Bucks Productions, The Detective Agency and Chris Morgan Productions. 

The first peek will be available at LG.com and various digital venues like Piccadilly Circus in London, and at the New York City Times Square. LG also sponsored their premiere at the Lincoln Theater, with state of the art LG TV's that's got Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio. This is the handy work of their director Jake Kasdan. With their OLED Displays, you get to experience immersive viewing like no other. LG believes this is essential, and would warrant more partnerships in the future. Again, this is now on Prime video, go stream it today if you are on Primertme. I'm quite excited for what's about to happen in the future!

Ian Veneracion Goes International with ONE GOOD DAY on Amazon Prime Video

Last night we went to Seda Vertis North for the press conference of One Good Day, a film by Studio Three Sixty to be shown on the Amazon Prime Video platform. This is directed by Lester Pimentel Ong who did Panday, Lastikman, Imortal, La Luna Sangre, Bagani among others. He says "This has been something I have been fortunate to do with Ian Veneracion as he's not just a good looking man, but a martial artist and a real athlete."

 

As mentioned, this is Ian Veneracion's foray to something that will be internationally released. The film is going to be released in 10 countries (maybe even more later on). As this is acquired already by the Prime Video platform it would be accessible to the market they intended this to be shown to. Direk Lester mentioned that there's millions of audiences waiting for a glimpse of what Filipino action films are. There's certainly a lack of it, but if there's someone who would be nice to see out there, Ian Veneracion would be a sight for sore eyes. For those who don't know, he's done a lot of action films in the late 90's and 2000's. He's not new to the genre, and he didn't stay away from doing physical training for it because it's part of his lifestyle to shoot, do martial arts and spar every once in a while. He was excited to do this when news came about this project. Here's part of the interview we had with him last night.

The talk also delved on the latest brouhaha about banning KDrama in the country, here's what he said about the issue.

Ian Veneracion is also celebrating his 40th year in the industry, proof that vampires exist!

 

Other artists that will also be part of this movie include Rabiya Mateo, Andrea Torres, Aljur Abrenica, Kyzer Catillo, Justin Cuyugan, Nicole Cordoves, Pepe Herrera, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and others. This will be shown November 17, 2022 and will be in 6 parts on Thursdays thereafter. These are certainly exciting times for Filipinos to showcase how we do it in our part of the globe. Ian also says "I hope this just opens opportunities not just for me, but the talented Filipino actors that we have in the country." and by the looks of it, it's quite possible to happen soon.

Prime Video Takes Space in the Philippines

Choices, we've got more of that now that Prime Video is starting a lineup of local content and an even better user experience for the country.

For starters, they've announced the first Amazon Original content called Comedy Island: Philippines which they worked on with Base Entertainment (a production studio involved in creative talent in the region) so they could bring them out to the world. This will be launched next year (2023) and this will be exciting times for the viewing public.

This is part of Prime Videos increase in investment to make sure we won't be running out of entertaining content with hits like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Korean dramas like Nothing Serious, Toy Soldiers, and US shows The Good Doctor, Amazon Originals The Boys and The Terminal List plus a whole lot more in their library.

Efforts include local Prime Video marketing to work with our very own Filipino producers and celebrity host and personality Anne Curtis. This is also the same with other Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Indonesia so they too get a dose of Prime Video love in their own language.

They're also offering it at Php 149 a month (introductory price) which would be charged after you consume the free 7 days on Prime Video. With it, you can download and watch it anytime, anywhere you wish and watch on compatible handsets, on Smart TV's so you can watch at the comforts of your home or out on the road to Albuquerque or Kamuning whichever comes first. This would be really interesting to see how a new player comes as Filipinos consume more content online.

Get Ready For #SmartVideoPrime

I have always subscribed to iFlix for the best shows, anime series, KDrama and movies that I could love all over again. I also have watched the latest Kapamilya shows on iWantTV and do it while on transit from one event to the other. I can't miss it because I have to see what's happening in local shows and I love the international movies they have lined up in iFlix (fine I think I said that a lot of times already). I know some of you though have problems saving a buck or two because as you know, streaming videos would make your few Gigabytes be like water, and if you don't have that much to begin with, Smart Communications would want to solve that problem.

If you and I pay for subscription to iFlix and iWantTV, that's always a separate bill right? Smart knows that and they want you to save MORE as you Live More with their services. How? It's with this new thing they call #SmartVideoPrime. In this promo, you can get subscriptions and access to iFlix and iWantTV plus the needed data for streaming. 

If you text the keyword VIDEO99 to 9999, that means you'll get the subscription for iFlix and iWantTV plus 2 GB of data which is valid for 7 days. If you want a bigger deal, just text VIDEO299 to 9999 and you'll get the same subscriptions, but 5GB's of data for streaming valid for 15 days. Now imagine the things you could save off of this promo because in hindsight, the iFlix and iWantTV subscriptions are already in that price point individually. You're basically getting the other things for FREE and you don't even know it LOL.

Are you ready for #SmartVideoPrime? Visit smart.com.ph/videoprime for more details!

The Greatest Love

Crazy but I thought this show was shelved already because they've already done the grand presscon a few weeks back but didn't materialize til now. This September 5, you'll get to see the much awaited "The Greatest Love" starring veteran actress Ms. Sylvia Sanchez who plays Gloria, a mother that only wishes to have a happy family. Sound simple? Not quite, as the story will intertwine with the relationships of her children. Amanda (Dimples Romana), Andrei (Matt Evans), Paeng (Arron Villaflor), Lizelle (Andi Eigenmann) and her grandson Z (Joshua Garcia) will be part of that and the cast is excited about it. 

Ms. Sylvia Sanchez says "Now that I have a show, I felt so thankful because I only know Sharon Cuneta songs, but I also fell in love with the character of Gloria. It's about a mother, the ones that would block a bullet for you, we all can super relate. We just had a scene with Aaron Villaflor where we had to stop him because he did vices, the exact dialogue, the exact moment, it was something that I personally experienced. After 27 years, I honestly just want to play support roles but this was really just given to me by God so I just have to accept."

"Every role I do is a new challenge, even if it's a mother role I have a larger responsibility to Gloria and I had to fix it because it is the mother's story. I am a mother in other projects, but the one that Gloria plays is for the lead and I wasn't able to detach from it because I always took it home. Thank God I was able to learn about that. I loved my Mom even more because of this and it's because I learned a lot. My Mom became a little close to this state and later on I might be in that state too, so I understand even more. We didn't get to show it yet but we were taping already so the pressure was even more. I wanted it to be shown on Mother Mary's birthday."

"These kids are crazy, we all eat together, they are all so nice and it's a happy set that you want to do work everyday. We all know we're actors and we would want to highlight a fellow actor's scene if we need to. I'm glad even my sons promote the show and they're even more excited than me. The story also discusses the fears of a Mom with a gay kid, she accepts him but still have fears and you'll see that. I love gays but I did fear about having a son or daughter that is gay, having them be alone when they grow old, things like that."

Joshua has a lot of promise, he's very willing and eager to learn and that's something good. He connects when we want to, a little shy maybe but I reach out to him a lot because we have a lot of scenes. He now opens up and he's very promising as an actor even if he's so young.

I did gay roles in the past, I was afraid of it because it's heavy drama. They want me to do this and I prepared for it. I still have a lot of work to do. I became more transparent, I was able to become more understanding with my Mom and break down walls. It's different with my family and my problems with my Mom. 

Dimples Romana arrived a bit later. She said "My Mom was very open with us and after being a part of this, I felt different in this show because sometimes we forget that our family is just here waiting for us. It's just a surprise sometimes in our scenes, we don't even know how hard it is until you see them on the set later on in the day. Amanda is even a bit mad, it scares me in a good way and I hope that's exactly how people will feel. I personally don't know if I'd even connect my own experiences but I hope the scenes would touch a lot of people. 

The production said the reason why it was shown this late is because they realize they had to add more revisions in story telling. The goal was to add another feel, a different flavor in story telling that's why we had some delays. It's also management's call to put it in the afternoon slot, but it's a good venue and time to tell a good story. It's the new prime. 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Wish I May Set Visit with Bianca and Miguel

We had the chance to visit the set of GMA Afternoon Primetime's successful show "Wish I May" a few days ago in Quezon City. It's starred by the good looking and super sweet Miguel Tanfelix and the gorgeous Bianca Umali. BiGuel as most of their fans call them is one of the most successful teen pairings the network has ever done and they attribute the success to the throngs of supporters they have before and during the show.

There's going to be more exciting scenes that you should watch out for in the show. The one they did before this interview had a lot of teens gushing because even if it was a little on the sad side, they had to hold hands, look at each other after a long time of not meeting each other.. Can you picture that? Miguel had to run to another location that time and right after he got off the shoot, I positioned my self on the sidelines and started interviewing him. I also asked him a little about their BUM photo shoot and what they wanted to wear during summer. He quipped he was glad to have the grunge look back but still a bit colorful because of the season. Here's the short interview we had with him on video:

Bianca arrived a little bit later and it was sweet to actually see them together. These two have been doing this for years and seeing their dynamics just proves that they really care for each other. Miguel said that he's not doing anything this Holy Week as he's a Bible Christian, whilst Bianca said she's visiting a few relatives together with family. Here's their interview on video:

If you remember, Bianca was wearing this gorgeous purple gown during her prom night. They didn't have stylists and only relied on their own to dress up that evening. I liked the part where Miguel said he also had to do a showdown with some of Bianca's classmates but he was a little shy to do things during that event. Bianca was so happy even if they only had a few hours of preparation for that date as they had work that same day.

Wish I May is still showing on GMA's Afternoon Prime. Make sure you catch it 2:30 PM weekdays on the channel. Thank you so much to Bianca and Miguel who were so accommodating. Thank you also to the staff and crew of the show who made us feel welcomed on the set even if it was so hot that day. Thanks for keeping us cool all throughout the interview!

Thank you also to GMA Social Media for letting us tag along on the set. Can't wait to see the scenes on TV when it gets aired. I'm telling you, there will be tons of surprises on how their characters would turn out on the show.

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

Villa Quintana Shines on GMA Afternoon Prime Block

Meeting some of the stars of GMA's afternoon prime time block was something I was really looking forward to. I do catch some of these shows and I know they've got a pretty big following. The last time I saw Janine Gutierrez was in a Bench show ages ago. She's one remarkable actress now and I've seen her together with heartthrob Elmo Magalona as Lynette and Isagani respectively. I like these two, very humble.

They are doing justice to the old Keempee De Leon and Donna Cruz original which was a hit back in the 90's. As for the love team, I think they are gearing up to maybe even make it a reality because I've seen interviews of Elmo admitting attraction and or planning to court her but it seems to have been shelved somewhere. Anyway, you guys look good together and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't try to be more than friends.Villa Quintana already shows how Lynette and Isagani's real life counterparts look good together. The show also delves into these experiences. The fight of the rich and the poor, the conflict between families and the things that lie in between.

They have fared quite high in their time slot according to the latest Nielsen surveys. Audience share speaks a lot on how successful the show is. Other stars in this series include Raymart Santiago who plays Felix, Sunshine Dizon plays always beaten up and blind Lumen Samonte-Quintana, Paolo Contis as loverboy Robert Quintana, Al Tantay as the influential Don Manolo Quintana, Maricar de Mesa as Stella Mendiola-Quintana a very evil other woman, Marky Lopez as Chito, Kyla Alvarez as Ruby Quintana, Tanya Garcia as Amparing Mangaron, Juancho Trivino as Jace and Rita De Guzman as Patrice. Watch how these guys make Isagani and Lynette's life even more miserable as the story continues. Can't wait to see more twists and turns on this Romeo and Julietesque story turns out.

For more information about their show:

Official GMA Artist Center

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

Upscale and Refined Living at Pontefino Hotel & Residences + Pontefino Prime

Batangas City's premier hotel and real estate destination requires no introduction. This is the legendary and awe strucking PonteFino Hotel and Residences. A place quite near everything else in Batangas City, this sprawling property boasts of the hotel, condominium units, town houses and lone units following a shabby chic neo victorian vibe.

This is also the place where the Ms. Earth 2013 Preliminary Swimsuit and Resort Wear competition will be held. True enough, we were about to see an epic night! Though before that, can we take a look around the Pontefino Hotel, Pontefino Residences and Pontefino Prime first?

 

I know, the hotel made its presence felt even from afar. It's tall, on top of a hill dwarfing even the local SM Batangas which sits almost at the front of it. There's a huge church, few hospitals, 2 International Schools and the local government buildings a few minutes away. Plus, the pool and its design is divine! How can you not live here right?

Case in point are these town houses (which really reminds me of the ones in New York/San Fo) just a few meters from the actual hotel. Pontefino Residences boasts of world class design and amenities that would be the envy of other real estate establishments in the Philippines. Their interiors are one of the most space efficient and aesthetically apt places that I've ever seen.

What's even great is that you can opt to have your place rented by the hotel itself so they can lease it and get you paid both on monthly amortizations and dues. All you have to do is ask. Most of these properties are sold out because of the terms that they presented to owners  giving them the most flexible payment schemes and no nonsense opportunities for the actual project to pay for itself in a certain amount of time. It's one of the most attractive things I've seen that they could offer for OFW's, Expats and investors. The property value also is increasing in this side of the world and I'm sure with the recent opening of more lanes in the StarTEX it'll be one of the busiest "Business Savvy" cities in the south pretty soon (as if it's not already LOL). You'll also have the amenities and access to some style establishments right in front of the hotel. Heck I got a haircut there! =)

Then we proceeded to their exclusive Pontefino Prime property which sits just a few minutes away from the Pontefino Hotel and Residences. This again is on top of a few hills and is going to be one of the few places that's directly accessible from SM Batangas' front property. They have built a private road network that will house a couple more condominium units and these wonderful townhouses reminiscent of still - the Neo Victorian vibe they were trying to exude in the other lot.

We took a short tour inside their model houses and it was like a different place. You just felt rich and mighty owning one of these for sure.

Pontefino Prime presents a more exclusive feel but still has the same amount of accessibility and promising property characteristics as in the other phases of this place. It kinda secures your investment growth, even with the property value alone you'll already be seeing this as a NO LOSS investment right from the get go. There are even some owners pooling money to buy multiple houses because they're already convinced how lucrative this is going to be. Ever had a property like this in Manila? I bet not. So make the short trip down to Batangas City and check the property out if you're still in doubt or talk to a property consultant and see how you can get the ball rolling.

Thanks to this young fine looking man and Property Manager Arman Marquez (on the right) for showing us around the lot. He says there'll be more of these places to be built sooner than you think and they are running out of it too as investors have been hogging this for the past year or so. He also says it might end up to be a little expensive come 2014 so the right time to buy is NOW.

If you're interested in acquiring one or more of these things or visit the city and wish to stay in the hotel, you can check out the rates on their official website

Please visit 

http://www.pontefinohotel.com