All We Want for Christmas is Michael Bublé, coming in Manila on January 31, 2015

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All we want for Christmas is Michael Bublé, and he’s coming to Manila on January 31, 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Michael Bublé, the Canadian 4-time Grammy Award winner, delivers a full-length Christmas album with an old-fashioned taste, done in the best possible way.

The album, entitled “Christmas”, is a beautiful coalescence of swing and contemporary pop that satisfies lovers of music. Regardless of one’s music genre choice, Michael Bublé’s Christmas will surely hype up the holiday cheer. 

With Christmas fast approaching, Bublé’s smooth and flawless vocals will definitely tug the hearts of Yuletide season-embracing Filipinos. Bringing together the most popular Christmas songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “Silent Night”, “Jingle Bells”, and “All I Want for Christmas is You”, this 16-track album perfectly encapsulates the holiday season vibe. An evident standout is his rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” as he injects a pop ballad touch to the Motown-influenced original. A Bublé original, “Cold December Night” is also included in the album. 

Christmas, produced by David Foster, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica, includes guest performances. Fellow Canadian Shania Twain joins the crooner on "White Christmas", The Puppini Sisters add swing on "Jingle Bells", and Latin star Thalia offers a grand closing by joining Bublé in “Feliz Navidad”. 

Bublé commented, "Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year for me and my family, so naturally, it's been a dream of mine to make the 'ultimate' Christmas record. Even though it was summer and 95 degrees in LA, we totally got into the spirit of the holiday.” 

Over the years, Michael Bublé has already made an indelible mark in the international music scene. His phenomenal albums which has spawned chartbusting hits like “Fever”, “Home”, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”, “Sway”, “To Love Somebody” and many more are testaments of his caliber as an artist.

Pinoy Big Band enthusiasts will once again catch a glimpse of his stellar performance as multi-awarded crooner, Michael Bublé graces the Mall of Asia Arena stage. 

Have yourself a very Bublé Christmas. Catch Michael Bublé Live In Manila on 31 January 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Michael Bublé - It's A Beautiful Day [Official Music Video]

Presented by Wilbros Live and Dainty Group

Tickets are now available at www.smtickets.com or call 470-22-22 or 374-22-22.

Here's All I want for Christmas Michael Bublé  with Mariah Carey. 

2014 Christmas Message of Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC

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"This season, as we celebrate community and oneness in the pursuit of being good, may we all find joy in each other’s company and encourage each other to do good, no matter the cost." - - Br. Armin A. Luistro

The Department of Education acknowledged the continuous and effective assistance of its media partners in communicating the Department’s programs and projects. 

The DepEd Media Partners Christmas party with fun and enjoyable activities held at the TGIF (Fridays) in Glorieta 3, Makati City last December 18, 2014.

Thanks to all organizer of a great Christmas Party with DepEd. May you all have a Christmas filled with hope, peace, joy and love. Happy Holidays and looking ahead for more blessed Philippines 2015.

Here's DepEd Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro's Christmas message to everyone.

A Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

This year has not been without its challenges and as I address you this season, I call to mind the many sacrifices we have all had to make to keep our children learning. Whether we are teachers, administrators, school staff, or parents, we have all contributed much by way of our time, dedication, and hard work.

These times have seen direct threats aimed at our students. Violence in schools and the constant possibility of disasters keep us on our toes, firm in our commitment to ensure everyone’s safety within the school community.

This season, rather than recalling what we fear most, I choose to honor the good in all of us.

Christmas is a reminder of the goodness that comes into the world even as it is challenged by the darkness of uncertainty. We have seen examples of this throughout the year in the persons of those within the Department who have given much of themselves so that our work may continue. Our teachers have gone beyond their call to do remarkable things like deflect gunmen and protect their students. Administrators and officials from local offices have been outstanding in shepherding their people, in always being quick to offer a word of care and thanks. Our donors too have been on call, ready to engage us, for what little or big needs we might have. Even our students have been good citizens.

It is very difficult to lose hope in the company of great people.

This Christmas, I wish for all of you to rekindle that goodness inside and magnify it. Remind others, by way of gratefulness, that they too have been beacons of good in your lives. Find peace knowing that in your own little way, you have contributed a great deal of good in a world bereft of it.

This season, as we celebrate community and oneness in the pursuit of being good, may we all find joy in each other’s company and encourage each other to do good, no matter the cost.

Again, may you all have a Christmas filled with goodness, joy, and love. God bless us all!

40th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF 2014) starts on December 25

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The 40th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF 2014) will be held from December 25, 2014 until the first week of January, 2015. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order to showcase locally produced films.

The official eight entries of the films 40th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF 2014):

• Bonifacio, Ang Unang Pangulo

Cast: Robin Padilla, Vina Morales, Daniel Padilla, Eddie Garcia, Jasmine Curtis-Smith

Film Company: Philippians Productions & Events, Inc.

Director: Enzo Williams

• English Only, Please

Cast: Jennylyn Mercado, Derek Ramsay

Film Company: Quantum Films, MJM Productions, Uno Productions

Director: Dab Villegas

• Feng Shui 2

Cast: Kris Aquino, Coco Martin, Cherry Pie Picache, Carmi Martin, Ian Veneracion

Film Company: Star Cinema, Kris Aquino Productions

Director: Chito Roño

• Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2

Cast: Dingdong Dantes, Isabelle Daza, Hannah Ledesma

Film Company: Reality Entertainment, GMA Films, Agostodos Pictures

Director: Erik Matti

• Magnum Muslim .357

Cast: ER Ejercito, Sam Pinto 

Film Company: Scenema Concept International, Viva Films

Director: Jun Posadas

• My Big Bossing

Cast: Ryzza Mae Dizon, Vic Sotto, Marian Rivera, Manilyn Reynes, Nikki Gil, Pauleen Luna, Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros

Film Company: Octoarts, MZET, APT Ent.

Directors: Joyce Bernal, Marlon Rivera, Tony Reyes

• Praybeyt Benjamin 2

Cast: Vice Ganda, Richard Yap, Roderick Paulate, James "Bimby" Aquino-Yap, Alex Gonzaga, Karla Estrada, Negi

Film Company: Star Cinema, VIVA Films

Director: Wenn Deramas

• Shake, Rattle & Roll XV

Cast: Dennis Trillo, Carla Abellana, Matteo Guidicelli, JC De Vera, Erich Gonzales, Lovi Poe

Film Company: Regal Films

Directors: Jerrold Tarog, Dondon Santos, Perci Intalan

AC/DC tops charts around the Globe!

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AC/DC are back to topping charts around the globe with their 15th studio album ‘Rock or Bust.’ Released globally last week, ‘Rock or Bust,’ debuts at #1 on sales charts in 10 Countries so far including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Germany where it’s the fastest selling international album in nearly ten years and sold more in its first week than all other international albums on the chart combined.

In addition ‘Rock or Bust’ debuted in the top five in a total of 25 countries including the U.S., UK, Spain, Poland, New Zealand, Japan, Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, and Hungary. In the U.S the band debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart selling over 174,000 albums in its first week.

‘Rock or Bust,' produced by Brendan O'Brien and mixed by Mike Fraser features 11 new tracks and has critics declaring the album a highpoint of their 41-year history with Rolling Stone noting “AC/DC remain hard rock’s masters.” Entertainment Weekly calls the new album a “high-octane, party-hard collection of monster jams” while Boston Globe says it is the “most head-bangingly, fist-pumpingly enjoyable hard rock ever.” 

And NY Newsday says it “still sounds like rock and roll heaven.”

Million Views Club

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Gone are the days when word on what’s hot in entertainment springs only from what critics have to say. Bankability, after all, roots from the appreciation of the public, and the public has long blasted towards a world where a single “like”, “thumbs up” or “star” can tip the scale. 

With YouTube re-establishing the very purpose of music videos, the artists of Ivory Music & Video gain the champagne life by garnering millions of views, giving a bird’s eye perspective of OPM’s finest today. It’s a highly exquisite circle of new-breed talents.

Leading the pack is rapper Abra with a whopping 40 million+ views on official YouTube channels carrying his name. Possessing unparalleled lyrical flair in early years of age and career, the music video for “Gayuma”, featuring Thyro and Jeriko Aguilar, has steadily surpassed the 30-million mark. “Ilusyon” managed to front on critical and commercial reception as, apart from amassing more than 4 million views, the music video gained recognition at the 27th Awit Awards, winning Best Music Video on top of fully-established contenders such as Yeng Constantino, Sandwich and Gloc-9. And since in the camp of young tongue-twisters he’s tagged as “the wordsmith”, Abra’s lyric videos embraced its fandom views with 5 million for “Abrakadabra” and 3 million for the Chito Miranda-assisted “Diwata”. The rest from Abra’s video catalogue are looking at following suit, too, as only a few months upon YouTube publishing, videos for “Cerebrus”, “Deadma”, and “Midas” are still running on replay. 

Charisma also plays a big part in crunching up the numbers, proven by Maja Salvador on her first recording venture, “Believe”, pieced together by Ivory Music & Video. More than a triple threat (a signed actress, dubbed as the Dance Princess, and vaulted her image on magazine covers), Maja gained bigger following when she stepped into the music limelight: non-fans loved her and fans loved her even more, and when “going for gold” wasn’t enough, the album sky-rocketed to Platinum certification. Be that as it may, it wasn’t much of a surprise, really–to begin with, Maja’s pilot music video “Dahan-dahan” tallied 5,973,100 views as this is being written, and is currently the most popular video on Ivory Music’s channel. Quite impressive for a track that’s only getting its feet wet. Follow-up “Halika Na”, with Abra lending his rapping power, is already checking beyond half a million.

JM De Guzman

JM De Guzman, too, needs no introduction. A pre-established appeal is a card on his stack, but unknown to many is a real vocal talent behind the pretty-boy face which he chose to play. Music is career 2.0 for JM, faring well on YouTube introspection: his cover of John Legend’s “All Of Me” and Itchyworm’s “Akin Ka Na Lang” are beyond 2,000,000 views. The remainder in his video archive never have less than a hundred thousand hits.

Besides these soloists, Silent Sanctuary’s also been making the million cut. The rockestra’s premiere record deal with Ivory Music & Video pitched them to be front-liners for the label. The album “Monodramatic” enjoyed continuous success with a huge part of thanks goes to the reverberation of their online presence. The original version of the music video for “Sa’Yo” garnered more than 2,300,000 views, and “Meron Nang Iba” yielded more than 1,100,000. Even the lyric video for “Bumalik Ka Na Sa Akin” is Ivory Music & Video’s 5th most popular video at 1,134, 011 views and the official clip for the same song is following suit at a close 800,000.

The same goes for Moonstar88 who has perfected the slice-of-Pinoy-life songwriting method. Going for alternative tunes friendly to the airwaves, the band’s accompanying music videos have been easy on the eyes that it’s no different from sneaking a peek on someone’s diary. This vivid retelling of very specific life moments is, perhaps, the reason for “Gilid” and “Ligaw” earning not less than 1,100,000 music video views on YouTube.

If view count is the trend, then Ivory Music & Video’s doing a pretty good job creating trendsetters. Online content reveals real-time bearing on commercial relevance, and at a time when fanhood is crucially a musician’s wealth, it’s safe to lay claim that the label is benefitting from the rich rewards of its knack for developing talent on both sides of the camera, and meeting the wants of the audience, if not redefining it. With the goal of keeping every release perfectly in tune with our times, soul is practically breathed into production.

Critical accolades are still a driving force for success, yes, but the sweeter nod still rests on real audience feedback.

A click (or a tap) will, as they say, make or break.

See the numbers rise higher by subscribing to Ivory Music & Video’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/IvoryMusicVideoPH, and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ivorymusicandvideophilippines for updates on your favourite OPM and international artists!

By: Riley Bardos