Mark your calendars because Krispy Kreme is celebrating 85 years of happy and magical moments this month. For decades, the Home of the Originals has been serving its Original Glazed® doughnuts and a variety of delightful creations including unique twists to your favorite snacks and drinks. This year, Krispy Kreme is making its birthday celebration extra special with the launch of three New Original treats fit for every celebration!
A fun take for your birthday cake!
What better way to celebrate another year than with Krispy Kreme’s new Chocolate Birthday Drip Cake. A tri-color chocolate cake topped with fun birthday sprinkles, no birthday will be complete without this one-of-a-kind unglazed decadent masterpiece piped with yellow, purple, and blue white chocolate. This sweet treat was made for a delicious, doughnut-filled birthday bash. The Chocolate Birthday Drip Cake is available until July 31 only and can be bought per piece or in half-dozen, dozen, and double dozen boxes. Price starts at Php 55.
Happiness is adding a dash of sprinkles
Krispy Kreme’s Minis, the bite-sized versions of its world-famous doughnuts, is a celebration of the little things that count. So, in honor of 85 magical years, OGs can now enjoy a limited-edition Mini Chocolate Glaze with Birthday Sprinkles – perfect for whether you’re celebrating a birthday solo or with your closest loved ones. Starting at Php 215, Minis are sold in boxes of 16 and also available in Mini Original Glazed® flavor.
Because we love you berry much
Now, Krispy Kreme’s birthday lineup wouldn’t be complete without an indulgent beverage to bring everything together. On July 15, keep your eyes out for the Mixed Berry Birthday Chiller, a two-toned drink made with blended blueberry and strawberry kreme, finished off with whipped cream and birthday sprinkles on top. This 16 oz. mix of berry delight will be available for a limited time only at a sweet introductory price of Php 180.
“For 85 years, Krispy Kreme has spread joy and delight by serving customers new and Original creations featuring our world-famous Original Glazed® doughnuts. This year is no different. We want to thank you, the OGs, for the constant support and being with us from the very start. We look forward to remaining in your happy place for many more years to come,” said Ysabel Cruz, Marketing Manager of Krispy Kreme.
Come join the celebration of 85 years with Krispy Kreme when you order these three New Originals. Visit your nearest branch today, or have it delivered to your doorstep by calling 888-79000 or ordering online through now.krispykreme.com.ph, GrabFood, Foodpanda, Pick.a.Roo, Mangan, OrderMo, and Groover.
All-you-can-eat aficionados can look forward to indulgent weekdays as well as weekends as New World Makati Hotel’s Café 1228 restaurant, extends operations daily starting July 4, 2022. The venue’s buffet stations highlight best-selling dishes from off-the-grill meats and seafood, Asian and local selections, handmade pasta and pizza, decadent desserts, as well as a selection of bread, charcuterie, and cheeses.
The carving station features tender and juicy prime rib or ribeye grilled to perfection with sides of either mashed potato or pumpkin, and roasted vegetables. Other options include porchetta or roasted turkey, beef striploin in herb oil, soy calamansi marinated pork spare ribs, lamb brochette, tanigue, and Hungarian sausage. Sauces paired with each are the black peppercorn, mushroom, and mint jelly.
The freshest seafood comprising prawns, mussels, and crabs also worth the visit, with options to grill or steam and top with various flavorful sauces. These can likewise be enjoyed as a soup dish and with noodles, for that belly-warming treat. On special occasions, plump and juicy lobsters and oysters are also available.
The Japanese section also features some well-known items such as salmon and tuna sashimi, shrimp, fish and vegetables and tempura, seaweed or nori salad, as well as the California maki roll, spicy tuna maki roll, inari sushi, and futomaki. Miso soup and pickled vegetables complete the selections at this station.
In the Western kitchen is a range of appetizers and salads to go nicely with any of the meat and seafood selections, such as cold pasta primavera, vegetable bruschetta, tuna ceviche, and salami antipasto. An array of mains include baked stuffed chicken in truffle mushroom sauce, beef bourguignon, seafood casserole, buttered vegetables, and potato and pumpkin gratin.
The Asian station highlights a mix of the best Asian and Filipino fare. From beef brisket to salted egg fish fillet, stir-fried kailan with garlic, lechon paksiw, and barramundi head in curry sauce, there are also steamed items such as steamed barramundi, spare ribs, and pork buns.
Decadent desserts conclude the hearty feast at Café 1228, which consist of mango cashew sans rival, ube roulade, walnut royale pie, fruit clusters, bread and butter pudding with vanilla sauce, and a crepe station with options of mango or banana paired with chocolate, mango, vanilla or strawberry sauce. Ice cream selections, halo-halo, and mais con yelo are also must-haves for a truly sweet ending.
Café 1228 offers a Book and Buy promo for lunch from Mondays to Fridays at PHP1,288 net per person extended until July 29, 2022. Prepayment is required to confirm the reservation. To reserve, guests can fill out the online form: https://bit.ly/NWCafe1228BookandBuy.
For inquiries on weekday dinner and weekend rates, guests can call +63288116888, e-mail reservations.manila@newworldhotels.com, or book a room package directly via the website https://manila.newworldhotels.com/en/. They can also send a mobile message on Viber or Whatsapp via +639178884194, or check out the hotel’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts for the latest promotions.
Carter is an action film directed by Jung Byung-Gil (The Villainess, Confession of Murder) starring Joo Won.
“Your name is Carter. Please trust me if you want to live.”
Poster from Netflix
Two months into a deadly pandemic originating from the DMZ that has devastated the US and North Korea, “Carter” awakens, with no recollections of his past. In his head is a mysterious device, and in his mouth, a lethal bomb. A strange voice in his ears gives him orders. The bomb may go off at any time — unless he rescues the girl who is the sole antidote to the virus. But the CIA and a North Korean coup are hot on his heels.
Thrown into a mysterious operation, “Carter” must reclaim his identity and successfully complete his mission on time in this one-scene, one-cut action film.
Logline: One-scene, one-cut action film. A man wakes up in a motel room with no recollection of who he is, except for a voice in his ear that calls him “Carter.” Following the voice’s orders, Carter goes on an exhilarating mission to save a kidnapped girl.
In celebration of its 10th year anniversary, Grab Philippines recently held GrabNEXT – an annual merchant conference offering best-in-class learning and networking opportunities to tens of thousands of brands and MSMEs on the Grab platform.
Aptly themed Dare. Dream. Deliver, this year’s GrabNEXT Conference focused on helping more entrepreneurs on the Grab platform scale, succeed, and become Biga10s with the help of various tools, programs, and initiatives – all made accessible to them through the Grab superapp and platform.
The GrabNEXT Conference featured insightful talks with GrabNEXT host Raphael Resus, Let’s Eat Pare’s Mark Del Rosario, media personality Christine Bersola-Babao, culinary artist and TV host Chef Jeremy Favia (left), and Grab Philippines Head for Deliveries Enterprise Martin Luchangco (right)
Ready, get set, dare to take the next step with Grab!
Grab Philippines Head for Deliveries Enterprise Martin Luchangco unveiled several key programs and features to better support the continued growth of Grab merchant-partners.
● Scan to Order – Grab’s latest feature allowing consumers to easily view and place their dine-in orders through the Grab app, help improve operational-efficiency while enhancing consumer dining experience.
● GrabMerchant Community – an exclusive online community where best-practices, tips, and feedback are shared among Grab merchant-partners, encouraging local businesses to empower and support each other.
● Mastercard Business Tool Kit – Grab has teamed up with Mastercard to produce 20 educational videos on financial literacy, digital marketing and business expansion, and will be available to all Grab merchant-partners through the GrabMerchant app this July 2022.
● GrabMerchant Masterclass – exclusive learning opportunitiescarefully designed and tailored to meet the needs of merchant-partners covering courses on business management such as Cashflow and Budgeting, Digital Marketing, and Customer Service, as well as food safety certification courses in partnership with the Food Safety and Hygiene Academy of the Philippines (FoodSHAP)
MSMEs need the right online visibility to help scale their businesses, and critical to this is finding the right mix of advertising and marketing solutions. GrabAds Philippines Client Partner Manager Rina Laurel shared how merchants can better maximize their online presence through several GrabAds solutions that can cater to any goal whether it’s highlighting a specific product with the Banner Ads or gaining insights on brand visibility through Self-Serve Reporting.
Miruku Milk Tea Cafe and Rodolfo Pizzeria are two Biga10 merchant partners who were able to successfully grow their businesses through GrabAds solutions. For Miruku Milk Tea Cafe, GrabAds’ Ad Manager helped grow the sales of their Japan-inspired beverages and light snacks – especially when walk-in sales severely dropped during the lockdowns. Rodolfo Pizzeria improved the online visibility and doubled their sales for their Italian pizzas and pastas with the help of GrabAd’s merchant-friendly Search Ads feature.
Grab Financial Philippines Head of Lending Erwin Yamsuan reinforced Grab’s commitment to the success of merchant partners through Quick Cash – a financial lending program exclusive to Grab Merchant partners. Through Quick Cash, Grab Merchant Partners can access pools of financial support from Grab to help with their daily business needs, and support their long-term growth prospects.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco (left) gave insights on the growing e-commerce landscape while Country Head of Grab Philippines Grace Vera Cruz (right) assured merchant-partners of Grab’s commitment to being their partner in growth for many more years to come.
Turning businesses’ food business dream into reality
GrabNEXT also showcased several thought leaders and industry experts such as culinary artist and TV host Chef Jeremy Favia, Let’s Eat Pare founder Mark del Rosario, and media personality Christine Bersola-Babao – where they shared various insights and best practices on encouraging culinary creativity, and the value of building a community in empowering small and local food businesses.
Grab’s government partners such as the DOST and DTI also shared valuable insights to the merchant partners – from trends in food packaging and processing; as well as the latest tools in the growing e-commerce landscape in the Philippines.
Delivering your products the best way possible
To equip its merchant-partners with fresh and actionable insights, Grab also released its 2022 Food and Mart Trends which includes the shift in consumer trends from 2021 to 2022, analyses of Grab’s most frequent consumers, and the top categories consumers crave for on GrabFood.
“Our merchant-partners play a key role in Grab’s mission and journey in the Philippines, and we are truly grateful for the unwavering trust, support, and loyalty that they have given to Grab throughout these years. Grab has been a growth enabler to many MSMEs during the height of the pandemic, and as we continue to invest our technology, expertise, and platform to help more businesses scale and succeed in the new normal, we are poised that Grab will continue to be every MSMEs partner for growth in the many years to come,” says Grace Vera Cruz, Country Head of Grab Philippines.
Dare, dream, deliver with Grab today! Kickstart your BIGA10 journey by signing up to be a GrabFood merchant and going to https://www.grab.com/ph/merchant/food/, and keep updated on all current activities of Grab Philippines by following their Facebook and Instagram.
As innovation matters, staying in the comforts of your private spaces or getting a voucher for special occasion has never been more delectable and rewarding as Novotel Manila Araneta City presents its first resident hotel services cloud, aptly named My Novotel Manila Boutique.
The first property of Accor in the Philippines and the first Novotel brand in Asia to develop an online ordering platform with a variety of hotel services ranging from dining and accommodation to spa and event services. The Novotel Manila Araneta City online boutique is a fresh new retail concept where hotel guests and dedicated Novo-fans can shop for popular staycations, unique spa treatments, buffet goodies, and a variety of items from the hotel’s famed TakeMeOut menu.
All-time favorites, classics, and new delicacies are all available in one click at My Novotel Manila Boutique. Epicures can sample Indulge Boulangeri’s renowned chocolate chip cookies or pan au chocolat with just a few taps of their fingers. Choose from a variety of nutritious salads, and artisanal sandwiches from Gourmet Bar’s farm to fresh dining concept featuring freshly harvested greens from the hotel’s very own organic farm in El Dorado located in San Mateo, Rizal.
Choose one of Take Me Out’s specialty dishes, Butter Chicken Masala, or the 6th Manila’s premium drink menu. TakeMeOut by Novotel Manila will cater to your culinary demands, whether it’s for a casual lunch, a special occasion, working from home, a romantic supper for two, or simply a quick excellent lunch in the workplace. Guests can also customize an intimate gathering through the hotel’s famed Memorable Moments or a wedding preparation for your loved one through the Social tab. Soon, Novo-fans will also have a chance to order more signature hotel services online such as flower arrangements, chef’s catering at home and more.
“My Novotel Manila Boutique is just the beginning of endless possibilities for us to innovate and our hotel guests to have the liberty to choose according to their lifestyle, through various cuisines from our most-loved kitchens and reimagine Novotel brand experience from our exclusive online room offerings, take-out food menu, events, and buffet offerings at the convenience of this digital space. Sharing a well-thought platform for our guests’ journey” shares Novotel Manila’s Resident Manager Darwin Labayandoy.
Score exclusive, limited-time offers at the hotel’s new digital space as Novotel Manila Araneta City brings the joys of dining and purchasing your exclusive room and spa vouchers online. The online boutique is available 24/7 daily and Take Me Out food and beverage offers are available for ordering between 9AM to 9PM daily, and ordered directly through my.novotelmanilaaranetacity.com.
My Novotel Manila boutique also features Accor’s loyalty program, Accor Live Limitless (ALL). Discover a world of rewards, unique benefits and exceptional events. Experience the extraordinary. Membership is free, visit https://my.novotelmanilaaranetacity.com/all-membership/
Almost a year later since MadEats launched its latest concept, the on-demand online restaurant group has yet again blessed us with another brand: Smooshed!
Their newest addition to their growing concepts offers smash burgers that are big on flavor and with no frills or extenders. They only have four kinds of burgers — Cheeseburger, Four Cheese Burger, Overloaded Cheeseburger, and BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, all of which have double patty versions. You must check out the Four Cheese Burger which features a parmesan crisp that adds flavor and texture to the classic cheeseburger. Each patty is smashed on high-heat griddles which makes for a larger surface area for browning, giving off more flavor. Other than the iconic sandwiches, they have a mean Burger Steak Rice Bowl that’s worth checking out.
Just like your other favorite burger joints, Smooshed! serves classic sides like onion rings and fries that just like their burgers, are customizable by adding more elements to it. Top it off with some chili con carne, their special sauce, cheese sauce, ranch, cheese, or bbq powder. To complete your meal, choose from a selection of Smooshies or milkshakes with flavors ranging from vanilla to ube cheese.
Smooshed! is available on madeats.co for a seamless online ordering experience and can be ordered together with anything and everything else MadEats. They’re open for orders daily from 10:00 AM-8:00 PM.
Get ready to party with Max Original comedy series Rap Sh!t, from Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure). The eight-episode season will debut with two episodes same time as the U.S. on Friday, July 22 on HBO GO, and continues with one episode each week.
Rap Sh!t follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. The series also stars Jonica Booth, Devon Terrell and RJ Cyler.
Rap Sh!t is executive produced by Issa Rae and showrunner Syreeta Singleton, as well as Montrel McKay for HOORAE, Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky for 3 Arts Entertainment, and Deniese Davis. Rae also wrote the premiere episode and co-wrote the finale episode with Singleton.
Hip hop duo Yung Miami and JT of City Girls serve as co-executive producers, along with Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas for Quality Control Films and Sara Rastogi for HOORAE. Rae’s audio content company Raedio handles music supervision for the series.
Stream or download Rap Sh!t from July 22on HBO GO. All five seasons of Issa Rae’s acclaimed series Insecure are also available on HBO GO. Subscribe to HBO GO online at https://www.hbogoasia.ph/ or the mobile app via the App Store or Play Store for as low as ₱99.70/month. Or access HBO GO via Cignal, Globe and Skycable. HBO GO is also available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.
Cinemalaya has finally announced the competing full-length films and shorts for this year’s competition. The Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. will return to holding on-site screenings for the 18th edition of the independent film festival, happening from August 5 to 14, 2022.
The full-length films in the competition were the finalists selected for 2020 and 2021 editions of the film festival, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, they could not finish their filming. Below are the 11 full-length films competing in this year’s Cinemalaya:
12 Weeks by Anna Isabelle Matutina
Angkas by Rain Yamson
Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin? by Real S. Florido
Batsoy by Ronald Espinosa Batallones
Blue Room by Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagńalan
Bula Sa Langit by Sheenly Gener
Ginhawa by Christian Paolo Lat
Kaluskos by Roman S. Perez, Jr.
Kargo by TM Malones
Retirada by Milo Alto Paz and Cynthia Cruz-Paz
The Baseball Player by Carlo Obispo
For the short feature main competition, the 12 finalists are:
Ampangabagat nin Talakba ha Likol by Maria Estela Paiso
Black Rainbow by Zig Dulay
City of Flowers by Xeph Suarez
Dikit by Gabriela Serrano
Distance by Dexter Paul de Jesus
Duwa-Duwa by Nena Jana Achacoso
Kwits by Raz de la Torre
Mata Kang Busay by Nińo B. Maldecir and Cypher John T. Gayorgor
Mga Handum nga Nasulat sa Baras by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico
See You, George! by Mark Moneda
Si Oddie by Maria Kydylee Torato
Roundtrip to Happiness by Claudia Fernando
The competing films will also be screened at select partner cinemas nationwide from August 10 to 17, followed by regional screenings in selected communities from August 22 to 29. The films will also have an online run from October 17 to 31 via the CCP Vimeo account.
The Cinemalaya Awards Night will be held on August 14 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).
A major component of the film festival, the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, considered the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in the ASEAN region, also gathers some of the best films out there which will compete in various categories such as Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary, and Animation. Finalists from the different categories will be screened from August 6 to 8, 2022 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde, with the awarding happening on August 13.
For more updates and information, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites.
After introducing numerous versions of the friendly neighborhood hero Spider-Man through the multiverse, Marvel has now revealed its latest iteration of the web-slinger: Web-Weaver, the first gay Spider-Man who will debut at Edge ofSpider-Verse #5 this September.
According to Comicbook.com, the new character created by Steve Foxe and Kris Anka is a “not-so-mild fashion designer at Van Dyne” who will show us a very different kind of “Spider-Slayer”. While the character’s civilian identity is yet to be revealed, Foxe teased on Twitter that Web-Weaver’s fearlessly femme identity will be a unique step in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.
“Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t–and shouldn’t–represent ALL gay men,” tweeted Foxe. “No single character can. His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY…which you can experience for yourself in September!”
Anka also shared on Twitter her design and inspiration for Web-Weaver:
Web-Weaver my design for the brand new Spider, debuting in Edge of Spider-verse 5 pic.twitter.com/vl2qVUtGVq
Written by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, and more, the new Edge of Spider-Verse limited series is set to begin publishing its first issue this August 3. The series will bring back classic Spider-Man variants such as Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen, as well as introduce a slew of new Spidey variants from the Spider-Verse. The limited series will also set the stage for the new epic, The End of Spider-Verse slated for release later this year. For more details, visit the Marvel website.
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Netflix is making another attempt to adapt the hit manga and anime series Death Note, this time into a live-action TV show!
This comes with the announcement that the Duffer Brothers, creators of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, will be producing more titles through their new production company Upside Down Pictures. Among their slate of projects in active development is the live-action adaptation of the renowned title from Japan.
This will be Netflix’s second attempt at adapting the series following their highly-criticized 2017 film of the same name directed by Adam Wingard. Considering the success of Stranger Things, this will stir excitement from both fandoms.
Created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note follows the story of the high school student Light Yagami, who picks up a notebook that could kill people just by writing their names on its pages. Having a strong sense of righteousness, Light uses it to rid the world of criminals while his identity was kept under the name Kira. He soon captures the attention of the world’s greatest detective, a mysterious figure only known as L, who taunts him into a battle of wits where the winner will be the one to uphold their take on justice.
More details about the new Death Note adaptation are yet to be revealed. Upside Down Pictures’slate of projects also includes an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s The Talisman, a new stage play set within the world and mythology of Stranger Things, and a Stranger Things spin-off series.
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