Gatofuns

Lin-Manuel Miranda —PHOTO BY MATTHEW MURPHY It’s a fortuitous case of art imitating life. A scene in the Act One finale of “Hamilton” shows rival Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) watching in amazement while Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) gets sent to the Constitutional Convention at age 30 and then writes much of the Federalist Papers. Burr asks Hamilton, “Why do you write like you’re running out of time?” Why, indeed? We asked Lin-Manuel the same question when we spoke to him recently about Disney’s Oscar-bound new animated feature film “Encanto: A Magical World,” which has generated a 92-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie opens in Philippine theaters on Wednesday. In a pandemic-stricken year when a big chunk of Earth’s 7.75 billion population remains stuck at home and is rendered unproductive, Lin has managed to release four films, each of them as acclaimed and well-loved as the next. There’s “In the Heights” (94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), “Vivo” … [Read more...] about Lin-Manuel Miranda on creating music and magic for ‘Encanto’ and putting his 4-in-1 triumph in perspective

Some filmmakers are fussy, while others are eccentric. Seasoned Actor (SA) however feels those types are a lot better than an indecisive one. While SA is known for his chill and laid-back demeanor, his patience was recently tested by Quirky Director’s (QD) inability to articulate her ideas for a scene in a high-profile project. QD would often give instructions that are as vague as the movies in her filmography. But SA lost his cool when QD would instruct one thing and expect another. Confused? Well, so are her actors. Let’s hope QD eventually gets her act together … before she alienates many more actors! TOP OF THE TABLOIDS This week’s top show biz news from the tabloids (and why we are moved, if we are moved): Derek Ramsay • Derek Ramsay nilait ng basher, Ellen Adarna rumesbak: Ayusin mo muna mukha at kilay mo uy, kalahati na lang naiwan.” (Feisty, isn’t she?) • Albie Casiño nawalan ng milyones dahil kay Andi Eigenmann: So, how can I be OK with them? (The guy has a … [Read more...] about Actor blows top over director’s indecisiveness

Demonstrators hold flags and placards as they march to protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions and the mandatory vaccination in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 4, 2021. (REUTERS) VIENNA — More than 40,000 people marched through Vienna on Saturday to protest against a lockdown and a plan to make vaccinations compulsory to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Faced with a surge in infections, the government last month made Austria the first country in Western Europe to reimpose a lockdown and said it would make vaccinations mandatory from February. People carried signs saying: “I will decide for myself,” “Make Austria Great Again,” and “New Elections” — a nod to the political turmoil that has seen three chancellors within two months — as crowds gathered. “I am here because I am against forced vaccinations. I am for human rights, and the violation of human rights should be stopped,” one protester told Reuters Television. “We are protecting our children,” said another. … [Read more...] about More than 40,000 march in Vienna against coronavirus lockdown

NAIROBI (AFP) - More than 20 people drowned on Saturday (Dec 4) when a bus travelling to a wedding in Kenya was swept away by fast-flowing waters as it tried to cross a flooded river. Onlookers screamed as the yellow school bus hired to take a church choir and other revellers to the ceremony in Kitui County keeled over and sank as the driver tried to navigate the surging waters. Some aboard the stricken bus managed to escape before the bus was quickly submerged, and were helped to safety. "We have this terrible, terrible accident that happened here this morning," Kitui governor Charity Ngilu told reporters. "The bodies that have already been retrieved right now are over 23. We have more bodies in the bus," she said, adding that efforts to recover the corpses would resume on Sunday morning. She said 12 people had been rescued, including four children. It remains unclear how many passengers were aboard the bus when it tipped into the Enziu River, about 200km east of … [Read more...] about More than 20 drown as bus crossing flooded river in Kenya is swept away

Natthapol Na Songkhla, Thailand’s Acting Consul General in HCM City said the event will contribute to easing the blood shortage in the city, especially when the wave of COVID-19 outbreaks have resulted in a rising demand for blood from medical facilities. The donation drive would help strengthen not only people-to-people relations but also the strategic partnership between Thailand and Vietnam, he said. The event attracted the participation of 290 people and approximately 418 units of blood were collected. On this occasion, the Thai Consulate-General donated 45 million VND (nearly 2,000 USD) to support the municipal HCM Communist Youth Union committee’s project in helping children orphaned by the pandemic. Since May 2019, the Thai Consulate-General in HCM City and partners have organized four blood donation drives with 647 blood units to help Vietnamese patients. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Blood donation drive launched to mark 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic ties