Christian Bautista considers First Class his most important album

Diamond Asiansation Christian Bautista ushers in 2012 with the release of his highly-anticipated First Class: Outbound Expanded Edition album. The album, which has a limited edition coffee table book, marks his 10^th anniversary in showbiz. It includes nine new tracks, five hits from the original Outbound, and new recording of his earlier hits Hands To Heaven and The Way You Look At Me.

“I can really say that this is my best album yet- from the songs, to the packaging, to the guest artists. I am really proud of this album,” says Christian. “Plus, this is also very important because this marks my comeback into releasing new songs.”

Christian hopes that the fans will support his new songs from the album. The carrier single from the album Beautiful To Me is currently the top downloaded song in www.mymusicstore.com.ph.

“We’ve worked hard to get the perfect original songs to be included in this album,” states Christian. “I am extremely happy also that I was given this chance to re-record two of my biggest hits- Hands To Heaven and The Way You Look At Me. Recording those tracks brought so many memories.”

Christian also expressed excitement over the chance to work with some of the most promising artists of this generation Angeline Quinto for In Love With You, originally recorded by Regine Velasquez and Asian superstar Jacky Cheung, and KC Concepcion for We Could Be In Love, first interpreted by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane.

Famed band Neocolours reunites to collaborate with Christian on the original Sasabihin.

As part of his celebration of 10 years in the business, Christian goes full circle by having a duet with Sam Concepcion for Rescue You, composed by Singapore-based Tat Tong. Christian and Sam were launched into showbiz via The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe almost a decade ago.

Japanese Pop singer Baby M also has a duet with Christian in the album – In My Arms.

The album includes impressive original tracks like Love You This Much, Let Go, and Whole. The theme of A Special Symphony, I’m Already King, is also included with Outbound tracks All That’s Left, Faith, What Can I Do, Unphotographable.

“This is a very important album, so I am really hoping everyone can support me,” admits Christian. “We have worked hard to make this album a fitting tribute to my 10 years in showbiz.”

The Limited Edition Coffee Table Book with CD is available in all National Bookstore outlets and other bookstores and record stores nationwide.

TRACK LIST:

1. Beautiful To Me
2. In Love With You with Angeline Quinto
3. Love You This Much
4. We Could Be In Love with Kc Concepcion
5. Let Go
6. Rescue You with Sam Concepcion
7. Whole
8. I'm Already King
9. In My Arms with Baby M
10. Sasabihin with Neocolours
11. What Can I Do
12. Faith
13. Unphotographable
14. All That’s Left
15. Love Moves In Mysterious Ways
16. Hands To Heaven featuring Zia Quizon
17. The Way You Look At Me

FREE Christian Bautista "Beautiful To Me" RINGBACK TONE. GLOBE users text UD497 send to 2332. SMART users text FTME send to 2728.



Christian Bautista "Beautiful To Me" RINGBACK TONE for SUN users. P15 for 15 days: Text GetSong 6152015 to 2728.



DOWNLOAD the full song here: http://www.mymusicstore.com.ph/music/440531/Beautiful-To-Me.html





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Twitter: https://twitter.com/xtianbautista

Caltex rolls out online game for charity

Caltex, one of the world’s leading energy brands and marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), is helping three charity organizations generate awareness and funding by recently launching an online game called “Captain Bubbly’s Enjoyable Journey” 

The game features a hot air balloon which players keep afloat until they reach their destination while dodging obstacles along the way. Obstacles that hit the balloon slow it down and drain the life bar. Game ends when life bar hits zero.

The game which can be accessed after “liking” the Caltex Philippines Facebook page, has four stages or destinations: Ilocos to Manila, Manila to Bicol, Bicol to Bohol, Bohol to Zamboanga. Player earns P10 by reaching their target destination.  Player has the option to donate earnings to one of three charities or continue playing. Caltex will convert game earnings to cash donations for charities selected by player. 

The three recipient non-profits are Project Seahorse Foundation (PSF) for environment, Smokey Mountain Team for sports and Hospicio de San Jose (HSJ) for education. 

 

CPI Caltex Brand Manager Veronica Pangilinan said, “Caltex has always been active in partnership with non-profit groups that positively impact people’s lives. These disadvantaged groups of people are also host communities of Caltex, living next or near our terminals and facilities. We created this simple online game so that these partner non-profits of Caltex will be able to draw upon a global network of like-minded people.

To create the game and facility for donations Caltex partnered with Ammado, a global funding network for non-profits. Ammado connects non-profits, socially responsible companies and engaged individuals in a unique, interactive environment. It harnesses the power of the Internet to accelerate communication, awareness and fundraising.

PYROMUSICAL @ SM BY THE BAY AT MALL OF ASIA (EVERY SATURDAY/FEBRUARY 25, MARCH 3, 10 & 17, 2012 @ 7PM)

3RD PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL PYROMUSICAL COMPETITION 

As the 3^rd International Pyromusical Competition run on its 2^nd week, with the country of Spain and the United Kingdom competing with each other for supremacy in the field of pyrotechnics, the competition just keeps on getting Bigger and Brighter as the weeks gone by.

With United Kingdom’s SM Art Pyro Ltd. with offices in U K and Australia and using Europe’s latest technology, U K delivered a spectacular fireworks display that the viewers cheered and applauded upon. On the other hand, Spain’s Turis Fireworks Inc. with a stage name of Pyrotechnics Turis, who won the grand prize of the 2009-2010 Global Fest Fireworks competition held in Calgary Canada, made the skies as if it’s a drawing board and painted it with fireworks of art.  

 With four (4) more weeks to go, with the following schedule…. Finland and Portugal on February 25, China and the Netherlands on March 3, Australia and Canada on March 10 and on March 17, Italy and our very own country the Philippines will showcase a phenomenal fireworks that will be handle by Platinum Fireworks, Inc., which  received an award as the “Favorite Pyromusical Performance” held recently at the GlobalFest 2011 in Calgary, Canada.

It is such an eye-catching event that you and your families and friends shouldn’t miss! You can be at the SM by the Bay or simply seated comfortably at the various restaurants at the veranda of the mall watching this grandiose event in the skies.

 

For reservation and ticket inquiries you may contact Ticket Net at 911-5555, Ticket World at 891-9999, SM Tickets at 470-2222 or visit wwwpyrophilippines.com      

CIRQUE MOTHER AFRICATO PERFORM AT RESORTS WORLD MANILA (APRIL 19-22, 2012)

For the first time in Manila, the world-renowned Cirque Mother Africa (created by professional acrobat Winston Ruddle) will dazzle and mesmerize local audiences with wild African music, dance and performance in a two-hour showcase.

The series of performances will start from April 19 to 22 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila.

Having performed insold out shows staged in Germany, Italy, Romania, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Spain - CirqueMother Africa will tantalize audiences in Manilawith a unique African-themed spectacle.

Dancers, percussionists, singers, acrobats and contortionists energetically take to the stage in a celebration of the culture of the traditional and modern African arts & culture.

The heartbeat of Africa pulsates throughout the jaw-dropping show as the musicians and artistes articulate their passion and love for their homeland including Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Guinea.

The innovative show combines the talents from nine African countries to provide the wonder, suspense and joy of Cirque Mother Africa.

The show is a delight for the senses with items spun through the air, bodies contorted into mind-boggling shapes, and performers balance on other performers, percussionists beat up a storm of sound and traditional dancers tell their own stories.  The audience will be overwhelmed by the complexity and versatility of these world-class acts.

Masks, drums, beads, and amazing costumes all bring forth the feel of authentic African traditions.

Cirque Mother Africa is not just a traditional African show. It also has a take on the modern, fresh and dynamic culture of the new Africa. Young acrobats perform feats that belong in any world-class circus, and energetic young performers compete in tap-dancing that is a toe-tapping delight. This is a fresh and fantastic show that evokes passion and demands a response. Audiences are encouraged, prodded and charmed to actively respond rather than to simply watch a breath-taking spectacle.

Cirque Mother Africa 2012 can be seen from April 19 to 22 at Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila. Tickets are available at selected National Book Stores, Robinsons Department Stores, Cinema Lobby – Greenbelt 1 and Trinoma. You may also inquire atTicketWorld Office www.ticketworld.com.ph call 891-9999 for bookings &reservations.

EXCLUSIVE! Enjoy a 15% discount from February 7-20 by calling the following hotlines 0916-3403919 or 0921-5642108

3000 LANGUAGES NEARING EXTINCTION

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned against the alarming rate at which languages have become extinct in recent years. Among the 6,000 spoken languages and dialects of the world, 50 per cent are at risk of dying out, along with the cultural and intellectual heritage that are associated with these.

For example, the Bashkarik dialect, spoken by only 40, 000 people in Pakistan is considered to be an “endangered” language. Although there are enough people to keep the language alive, it is threatened due to the use of other more widespread languages that majority of the Pakistan youth uses. The Arta dialect, which had been in use in the Northern Luzon region in the Philippines until the late 1980s, is now considered to be “extinct”. (PRESS RELEASE)

For more information, please visit

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news

NEW! SERIES THE FIRM – SEE IT FIRST ON AXN ASIA

It’s a TV Extravaganza this February on AXN

NEW! Series The Firm – See it first on AXN Asia

Mark our words, February is going to be epic on AXN as modern legal thriller The Firm will be simulcast across Sony Pictures Television’s global network of channels including AXN in Asia!  

The First AXN Original Series - The Firm

AXN viewers in Asia will be able to enjoy the two-hour premiere of The Firm on February 19 (Sunday) at 9.50PM, on the same day it airs across 126 million households on SPT channels globally in Asia, Latin America, Central Europe, Iberia, Italy, Africa, Russia and the Baltics.

An AXN original series based on John Grisham’s bestselling novel, the TV reincarnation picks up ten years after the movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise. Hot shot lawyer, Mitch McDeere, brought down a Memphis law firm fronting the Chicago mob. Mitch and his family attempt to reclaim their lives by moving to Washington DC to start their own firm after leaving the Federal Witness Protection Program. However, the past has a way of catching up with them.

The stellar cast includes Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). Lucas is cast as Mitch McDeere, the role originally made famous by Cruise, with Lewis playing McDeere’s receptionist, Tammy Hemphill (previously played by Holly Hunter in the film). Canadian cast members include Molly Parker (Deadwood) as McDeere’s wife, Abby, and Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica) as his brother, Ray, and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Alex Clark, the firm’s managing partner.

Showrunner Lukas Reiter, a former prosecutor who has worked on The Practice and Boston Legal, was the one who first sought out John Grisham in the hopes of scripting a sequel and eventually got him on board as executive producer. On what to expect from the new Mitch, Reiter teased, “What made Mitch Mcdeere so special is his ability to find the hidden solution long after the average person believes there is no way out…There’s a great amount of fun to be had watching Josh Lucas find those solutions.”

Shot on location in Canada, The Firm will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and fans of Grisham can anticipate the same kinds of drama and thriller feel that made the book and the 1993 film adaptation so original!

The Firm premieres on Feb 19, 2012

Sundays at 9.55pm (PH) 

All photos are courtesy of "Sony Pictures Television/Frank Ockenfels"

Catch the repeat timings of The Firm's Pilot Episode on Feb 23 at 10:55pm & Feb 26 at 10:20am

New episode every Sunday at 9.55pm  

First and Exclusively on AXN

Wikileaks and the future of journalism debated at UNESCO

The “Media World After WikiLeaks and News of the World” conference at UNESCO on 16 – 17 February explored how new media institutions are responding to the deepening digital era.

Although there has not been a flood of leaks since Wikileaks release of confidential diplomatic cables, newsrooms are still facing increases in the velocity and volume of data, including a mass of information sent in by the public.  In recognising this, conference speakers highlighted the need to maintain verification standards and continue to carefully assess public interest when publishing sensitive information. 

Participants also highlighted the necessity to protect sources, including whistleblowers, and the dangers that electronic communications could expose identities. 

In the wake of the News of the World scandal, self-regulation was scrutinized, with the point being made that forthcoming decisions in the UK and South Africa could have substantial influence in other areas. Participants stressed the benefits of journalistic self-regulation, including in the online arena. It was argued that where there was state intervention, it should be by judicial, rather than executive, means. 

The conference heard that although the internet is still less restricted than traditional media around the world, governments in 40 countries now have restricting measures in place – up from two countries in 2002. Speakers stressed that restrictions which targeted online child pornography or legitimate national security should not be used as excuses for wider censorship, and needed to operate within international standards for freedom of expression.

Delegates further emphasised that the news media should increasingly take note of changes in legal regimes around the world, as well as the actions of “intermediary” bodies like search engines, web-site hosts and online social networks. 

There was strong acknowledgement of a complementary relationship between citizen contributors and professional journalists as something that could strengthen press freedom and improve the quality of journalism. 

See: www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/calendar-of-events/events-websites/the-media-world-after-wikileaks-and-news-of-the-world/

South-East Asian Nations call for greater investment in disaster risk reduction to protect economic growth

Bangkok l 20 February -- The 2011 floods that caused unprecedented devastation across South-East Asia have highlighted the need for stepped up investment in disaster risk reduction to protect social and economic assets, top government officials from the subregion agreed at a United Nations forum here today.

Representatives of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Thailand and Viet Nam met at the one-day South-East Asia Flood Risk Reduction Forum organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), to discuss the lessons from the 2011 flooding in South-East Asia and ways to make their nations more resilient to future flood risks.

Opening the Forum, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, called for faster implementation of regional and national disaster risk reduction frameworks. She highlighted the relationship between disasters and development, saying: “Hazards become disasters in the absence of development and with inadequate investment in risk reduction. This knowledge-sharing meeting presents us with the opportunity to address gaps in regional and national disaster preparedness, management and response.”

The key message emerging from Forum presentations and discussions was that the 2011 South-East Asia floods were a “wake-up call to policymakers, governments, private sector and civil society that there is a gap between rapid economic growth and investment in disaster risk reduction”.

More investment is needed to fill this gap in order to protect social and economic assets from floods and other disasters in the region, in particular for those areas with rapid economic growth.

Read more...

NIDO FORTIFIED SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER PRESENTS PHILIPPINE ASTRONOMY WEEK (FEBRUARY 18-25, 2012)

OUTER SPACE PHOTO EXHIBIT LAUNCHING. In photo: (l-r) Mr. Arturo Carballo Jr., Senior Operations Manager of Nido Fortified Discovery Science Center and Mr. Ronald Sese, Professor from University of the Philippines in Los Banos Laguna.

Nido Fortified Science Center together with Philippine Astronomical Society presents the National Astronomy Week-2012 with a theme of “The Universe Survives” and it will be on February 18-25, 2012 that will take place also in Nido Fortified Science Center in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. 

With a whole week of celebration, Nido Fortified Science Center and its partner lined up a series of activities and seminars where the public is encourage to participate.

Both local and international speakers are expected to grace the event and they will discuss different aspects of Astronomy.... Dr. Reinabelle Reyes from University of Chicago will discuss the topic "The birth and death of the Milky Way Galaxy". While, Mr. George Martin, who is from the International Planetarium Society will discuss an out-of-the-world topic – “A Little Black Dot: The Transit of Venus.” And the last speaker will be Dr. Ronald Sese of University of Philippines Los Banos who will be talking about the aspect of education and research about Astronomy in the Philippines.

Aside from the seminars that the center is offering to the public, there will be also a film showing that will display the complexities of our universe, a photo exhibit of different pictures of what is there beyond our planet. Last, but not the least, there will be a stargazing activity where one can actually see through their naked eye the wonders of God’s magnificent and wonderful creation by using their huge telescope.

Astronomy Week: Astro-Con – 2012: The Universe Survives will be held at Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center in Mall of Asia in Pasay City with the following schedule.

Seminar Schedule:
February 18, 2012  4:30 pm -8:30  pm Symposium and 9:00 pm-10:30 pm Star Gazing  

        February 24, 2012  6:00 pm -8:30  pm Symposium and 9:00 pm-
        10:30 pm Star Gazing

        February 25, 2012  4:00 pm -8:30  pm Symposium

For more information regarding this symposium inclusive of planetarium shows and access to the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center galleries, you may contact 
      556-2153.