NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL adapts Bill O’Reilly’s best-selling book on Lincoln assassination

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National Geographic Channel’s first original scripted drama “Killing Lincoln”, based on the best-selling book by controversial political commentator and TV personality Bill O’Reilly, will hit Philippine television on April 14, 2013. Tackling a monumental event in American history, Nat Geos's film  “Killing Lincoln”  portrays the dramatic events that led up to the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and reveals the mysterious motivations of its perpetrator John Wilkes Booth.

“Killing Lincoln” is a film produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions and written by the Emmy Award-winning Erik Jendresen, writer for the acclaimed TV series “Band of Brothers”, who based his script on the book Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever co-written by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. 

“What people never knew, and what both the book and the film capture, is the great tale of action and conspiracy surrounding the manhunt for Booth. It is ultimately a fascinating story, and that’s what makes it the perfect fit for us at Scott Free,” said Scott.

The book was a runaway hit when it was published in 2011, placing No. 2 on The New York Times’ list of best-selling non-fiction and finding a spot among Amazon’s best sellers in November of that year. Millions of readers were captivated by the way O’Reilly and Dugard wove together a compelling narration of the historic circumstances at the close of the American Civil War that led John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Lincoln as well as the thrilling manhunt that ensued to capture a ruthless killer.

Bill O’Reilly is best known as the outspoken anchor of “The O’Reilly Factor,” an opinion-oriented news show on Fox News Channel that has consistently garnered the highest ratings among US cable TV news channels. Previously, he was a correspondent for ABC News before becoming the anchor of “Inside Edition” from 1989 to 1995. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Marist College in New York and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. O’Reilly is widely considered one of the strongest voices in media today.

“Killing Lincoln” is brought to life by a wealth of acting talent, beginning with narration on camera from Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks. Billy Campbell (“The Killing,” “Once and Again”) gives an impressive portrayal of Lincoln, while Jesse Johnson plays John Wilkes Booth in a breakthrough performance. “Killing Lincoln” also stars Geraldine Hughes as Mary Todd Lincoln, the president’s wife, Graham Beckel as Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s secretary of war during the American Civil War, and Shawn Pyfrom as Private John W. Nichols. The two-hour film is directed by Adrian Moat (“Gettysburg”) and produced by Mark Herzog’s Herzog & Co. (“Gettysburg”).

National Geographic Channel’s viewership records were broken when the film premiered on February 17 in the US and recorded 3.4 million viewers. “Killing Lincoln” was hailed by critics as “fascinating,” “heart-pounding” and “constantly illuminating,” and is sure to captivate Asian audiences when it premieres in the region at 9 PM on April 14, Sunday on National Geographic Channel.

Everything's Here at SM Toonfest this Summer!

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Enjoy the wonderful world of SM! Everything's Here at SM Toonfest this Summer!

Expecting a deluge of kids and kids-at-heart with their families at the SM Supermalls this summer, the country’s largest chain of malls is launching the biggest and only gathering of 40 cartoon characters in 44 malls nationwide on April 12.

Dubbed  "SM Toonfest”, the summer-long festival that ends May 31 will feature a never-seen-before number of activities and cartoon-related toys and interesting finds for the whole family and the cartoon-lover to enjoy.

The SM Toonfest will showcase meet and greets with beloved characters such as Spongebob and Patrick, Dora and Boots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Big Bird, Bugs Bunny, Barbie, Green Lantern and many others. Fun activities include face painting, coloring contests, exciting raffle prizes, scrapbook making, cartoon film showings, arts and crafts shows and one-of-a-kind play centers and game areas. Special discounts will be available for toys and other character items on sale.

SM’s Toonfest is supported by Bates/Nickelodeon, Richprime, Pacific Licensing, Honeybarn, Solar, Click Licensing and Astroplus/Magnavision, among others. With all the beloved cartoon characters in the malls this summer, SM can truly say, Everything’s Here.

Watch out for more details on SM Toonfest events and promos at www.facebook.com/smsupermalls.

Electrolux Partners with The Orange Project for the Mobile Kusina Project

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Electrolux, leading makers of kitchen appliances, has teamed up with The Orange Project to address the educational and nutritional needs of underprivileged children.

Electrolux Marketing Manager Andrea Pionilla recently signed an agreement with The Orange Project Executive Director AC Ong to provide a 20-foot food truck to serve 800 poor families in Angono, Rizal. The truck will be equipped with a full Electrolux kitchen to deliver meals to children under The Orange Project’s “Mobile Kusina” project.

Mobile Kusina is the hunger suppression and food distribution program of The Orange Project, symbolising a mother's love for her children through providing nutritious meals.

This contract signing officiates the beginning of a meaningful partnership that will help us reach our goal of providing at least 1,000,000 meals through the STOP HUNGER campaign. You too can be part of this cause.

“The Mobile Kusina is a meals-on-wheels project that complements our “Kids Central Park” initiative, which addresses the educational and developmental needs of children in the poorest communities. We are very proud to partner with Electrolux to serve children and families in a holistic way,” AC Ong said.

“Advocacy is an integral part of the work of Electrolux. We wanted to do something in a sustainable way; we didn’t want one-shot activities. It was initially difficult to find a partnerthat was the correct fit to what Electrolux stands for. This partnership is a real love story,” enthused Andrea Pionilla.

Through the Mobile Kusina, children will be fed nutritious meals for only P25. An in-house chef will prepare food in accordance with a meal guide developed with the help of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The Orange Project relies on individual and corporate donations to sustain their programs.

Angono was chosen as the flagship site because it was identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as having a significant population living in extreme poverty. The town is also vulnerable to typhoon-related disaster. “When flooding occurs in Angono, we also provide immediate relief to families. The Electrolux food truck will definitely be a valuable asset in times of emergency. Beyond that, we hold medical missions, as well as livelihood and disaster preparedness training so that the families of the children are supported in all aspects of childcare,” AC Ong added.

The Orange Project is a non-profit foundation that seeks to address the long-term and short-term needs of hungry, needy and hurting Filipino children. Moblie Kusina aims to reach one million of the poorest children in the next few years through a program of targeted nationwide expansion, which Electrolux will continue to support.

For more details on Electrolux’s Food Preservation appliances, 

visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thelittlewhitebook.

Share more of our thinking at www.electrolux.com.ph, 

and follow us through twitter.com/ElectroluxPH.

"It's not how much you give, but how much LOVE you put in giving" - Mother Teresa

Electrolux is a global leader in household appliances and appliances for professional use, selling more than 40 million products to customers in more than 150 markets every year. The company focuses on innovative solutions that are thoughtfully designed, based on extensive consumer insight, to meet the real needs of consumers and professionals. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, cookers, air-conditioners and small appliances such as vacuum cleaners sold under esteemed brands like Electrolux, AEG, Eureka and Frigidaire. In 2011 Electrolux had sales of SEK 102 billion and 58,000 employees.

Queen of Disco, “GLORIA GAYNOR: I Will Survive” on April 5 & 6 here in the Philippines

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Queen of Disco, Gloria Gaynor visits the Philippines this April!

Gloria Gaynor, American singer and the Queen of disco and soul, is delighted to visit her Filipino fans as ATG Entertainment Productions presents “GLORIA GAYNOR: I Will Survive” on April 5, 2013 at the NBC Tent, Global City Taguig and on April 6, 2013 at the AUF Sports and Cultural, McArthur Highway, Angeles City. 

Popularly known as an icon of the disco era, Gaynor will surely be treating you with some of her most recognized international successes. Known for her Broadway-style overture of her hits including her disco hit “I Will Survive” in 1979, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “I Am What I Am” will surely complete a grand production befitting for a Queen of Disco. 

Gaynor released her several albums under the titles "I Will Survive" (Hot 100 number 1, 1979), "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Hot 100 number 9, 1974), "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (Hot 100 number 42, 1980) and "I Am What I Am" (R&B number 82, 1983). Gaynor has become one of the best-known female disco artists from the '70s due to the ongoing success of her monster 1979 hit and Grammy winning (and subsequent "woman's anthem"), "I Will Survive.” 

The aforementioned hit song remains popular in dance clubs and has appeared on countless movie soundtracks and dance/disco compilations. According to Wikipedia, after almost 30 years of its release, Gaynor continues to ride the success of "I Will Survive", touring the world over and performing her signature song on dozens of TV shows. Said Gaynor of her biggest hit in a 2012 interview "It feels great to have such a song like that because I get kids five and six years old telling me they like the song, and then people seventy-five and eighty. It's quite an honor."

In signature Gaynor fashion, expect a night with variety of sounds-- encompassing upbeat dance-pop and classic-sounding soul-- bringing you to the dancefloor and letting you swing to iconic beats. “GLORIA GAYNOR: I Will Survive” is on April 5, 2013 at the NBC Tent, Global City Taguig and April 6, 2013 at the AUF Sports and Cultural, McArthur Highway, Angeles City presented by ATG Entertainment Productions. 

Ticket Prices:

NBC Tent Concert

VIP – P6,890

Gold – P5,830

Silver – P4,770

Bronze – P3,710 

Angeles Concert

VIP – P4,240

Gold – P3,710

Silver – P3,180

Bronze – P2,650

Celebrate Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday

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Easter Sunday is one of the most festive events among Christians worldwide. It commemorates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death, as written in the Christian bible.

We know about Lenten Season, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and more.

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures." - 1 Corinthians 15:3

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16

I  also always read and learn the meaning of the words as "Easter Sunday." Just want to share I read from  GotQuestions.org Home

The origins of Easter are rooted in European traditions. The name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. A festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by these people to honor her. The goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit, which was also known as a symbol of fertility. Originally, there were some very pagan (and sometimes utterly evil) practices that went along with the celebration. Today, Easter is almost a completely commercialized holiday, with all the focus on Easter eggs and the Easter bunny being remnants of the goddess worship.

There is a lot of confusion regarding what Easter Sunday is all about. For some, Easter Sunday is about the Easter Bunny, colorfully decorated Easter eggs, and Easter egg hunts. Most people understand that Easter Sunday has something to do with the resurrection of Jesus, but are confused as to how the resurrection is related to the Easter eggs and the Easter bunny.

Biblically speaking, there is absolutely no connection between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the common modern traditions related to Easter Sunday. As a background, please read our article on the origins of Easter. Essentially, what occurred is that in order to make Christianity more attractive to non-Christians, the ancient Roman Catholic Church mixed the celebration of Jesus' resurrection with celebrations that involved spring fertility rituals. These spring fertility rituals are the source of the egg and bunny traditions.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week, Sunday (Matthew 28:1;Mark 16:2,9;Luke 24:1;John 20:1,19). Jesus' resurrection is most worthy of being celebrated (see 1 Corinthians 15). While it is appropriate for Jesus' resurrection to be celebrated on a Sunday, the day on which Jesus' resurrection is celebrated should not be referred to as Easter. Easter has nothing to do with Jesus' resurrection on a Sunday.

As a result, many Christians feel strongly that the day on which we celebrate Jesus' resurrection should not be referred to as "Easter Sunday." Rather, something like "Resurrection Sunday" would be far more appropriate and biblical. For the Christian, it is unthinkable that we would allow the silliness of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny to be the focus of the day instead of Jesus' resurrection.

By all means, celebrate Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday. Christ's resurrection is something that should be celebrated every day, not just once a year. At the same time, if we choose to celebrate Easter Sunday, we should not allow the fun and games to distract our attention from what the day should truly be all about—the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and that His resurrection demonstrates that we can indeed be promised an eternal home in Heaven by receiving Jesus as our Savior.

Happy Easter Everyone!