Events: Sky Cable Hosts Oscar Trivia Night

Talk about putting your Oscars knowledge to the test. Because it is Oscars Week, Sky Cable,  together with HBO and E! hosted its first ever trivia night, with of course the questions coming from this year's Oscar Nominations, past Oscar highlights and a special round for HBO and E! plus a bonus round featuring the much talked about Red Carpet looks. 

We arrived when dinner was well on the way for guests at Ludo Board game Bar and Bistro in Makati. It was a good thing that Paul was on a day off last Thursday. 

Being a movie buff myself I was really excited. I did a little reviewing during my breaks at work but I can say that because of work and well the baby's insatiable need for sleep, I wasn't really able to sit down for a recent review. It doesn't mean that we did bad, I think we did pretty good - considering. Well, I  have to give up to the winners who were really, really good. I mean the answers even to the Best Foreign Language Film categories, even answers like "Il Postino" -well just goes to show that I really have a lot to review, cover, I mean when we talk about the Oscars, that's over 89 years of movie history right there! Its one of Hollywood's most celebrated evenings and well, for the past years, I've always enjoyed staying at home and watching the Oscars on TV, I would usually prepare a little Oscar snack and just sit back and enjoy the show. 

#OscarTriviaNight just made it more enjoyable! Now I know a lot of new Oscar Trivia! :) -like which Actor was the first to be nominated for a posthumous award (Answer: James Dean) and that "La La Land" ties with "Titanic" and "All About Eve" with 14 nominations, for the most nominations for a movie, in Oscar history. Hahahah I know its very geeky of me, but its this kind of trivia that really lights my brain up! 

Congratulations to the winning team who took home P 40,000 in prizes (yes, you read that right) and of course bragging rights! 

Thanks for having us Sky :) We had a blast! 

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS! 

TV NEWS: HBO AND SKY TO FLY TWO LUCKY VIEWERS TO CHINAWOOD AND HOLLYWOOD

HBO and SKY bring lucky viewers to two of the biggest places in show business, the epicenter of everything showbiz, Hollywood, and the largest production lot in the world, Hengdian World Studios or Chinawood.

As the biggest and brightest stars in Hollywood gather for one night to celebrate the art and majesty of filmmaking at the Academy Awards, SKY subscribers who will catch the live airing will have the chance to fly to the 2018 edition of the planet‟s most prestigious entertainment gathering.

The promo is open to all SKY subscribers with One SKY, SKYcable, Destiny Cable, and SKYdirect plans. The subscriber should be at least 21 years of age and should watch the live airing of The Oscars® on HBO on Monday, February 27, 2017 at 8 AM. Look out for the question that will be flashed during the live telecast. Submit your answer via the official promo page, www.mysky.com.ph/oscars. The page will be up from February 27, 2017 to March 19, 2017 and the winner will be drawn on March 31. Check out the promo page for more information.


The winner and a companion will get the chance to win seats at the red carpet of the 2018
Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

The Oscars® is a night of elegance and luxury. It is one of the most prestigious award giving bodies for filmmaking and everything else it entails – from scriptwriting to acting, to musical scoring, production and costume design. The Academy is more than just glamour as it aims to bolster education, innovation, and preservation of materials in the industry.

Another viewer can take a whirlwind tour of China, from the Forbidden City to the Yangtze
River, from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, all in one day as Red by HBO and SKY bring a lucky
viewer and a companion to the Hengdian World Studios in China, the largest film and television production lot in Asia and maybe even the world. Located in the Zhejian Province, „Chinawood,‟ as it is also called, spans 2,500 acres, and is divided into 13 shooting bases.

HBO Asia original movies “Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So” and “Master of the
Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying” were filmed at Hengdian World Studios. Philippines viewers can still catch both movies on RED By HBO in March.

Red by HBO and SKY will bring one lucky SKY subscriber with SKYcable or Destiny Cable
plans and a loved one to the Hengdian World Studios this April! Just fill out an entry form at www.mysky.com.ph/hengdianpromo. There will be 10 consolation winners who will get goodies from Red by HBO. The promo is also open to Destiny Cable subscribers. Contest ends on March 19.

Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive
licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia with six 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax, as well as Red by HBO, internet streaming platform, HBO GO, subscription video on demand service, HBO On Demand, and in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel inthe region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

SKY continues to offer viewers with diverse options to enjoy TV entertainment with its value and premium service offerings. Only SKYcable provides quality home entertainment with the widest range of standard and high definition channels and other top-of-the-line services such as flexible subscription options via SELECT, iRECORD that records, pauses, and rewinds live TV, as well as real-time coverage of live concerts and sporting events via FREE VIEW and PAY-PERVIEW. To subscribe and to know more about SKYcable, log on to www.mysky.com.ph, text APPLY <space> your name to 23662, or call the 24-hour customer service hotlines at 381-0000 for Metro Manila, CAMANAVA, and Rizal; 484-4701 for Cavite; 534-2814 for Calamba and Binan, Laguna; 520-8560 for San Pedro, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite; 693-5877 for Bulacan; 421-1818 for Cebu; 305-5456 for Davao; 442-4841 for Baguio; 432-0051 for Bacolod; 300-1210for Iloilo;533-6244 for GenSan.

Enjoy over 90 channels in clear digital signal for only P550 per month with Destiny Cable. For inquiries about the services and promos of Destiny Cable call 418-0000. You may also contact Destiny Cable via email address, weserve@destinycable.com.ph.

TV Review: Westworld Premiere

Westworld has the potential to be your next favorite show. Read more here. 

A take on the 1973 film of the same name, this one putting in the role reversal with the humanoid robots or "hosts" as they are called starting to ask questions about their existence. With the park created to satisfy the desires of clients from sexual fantasies to violent ones, the hosts have had their fair share of abuses, especially Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) she is after all the oldest host in the park. Can you imagine the horrors she's had to go through?  

Although it's mostly "robot blood" the violence in Westworld is not necessarily like "Game of Thrones" but it's there-head scalping included. I did enjoy the whole blood and milk mixing, that was disturbingly a visual treat for me. 

Set in a rich landscape, there are many stunning shots which just bring out the beauty of the untamed west. Of course, I couldn't expect less from Executive Producer J.J Abrams, along with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Yes, did I mention that J.J. Abrams is one of the minds behind the remake? 

"You're one of them aren't you?"
"You're not real." 

Probably my favorite about the premiere episode is Rachel Evan Wood's Dolores, whom I already mentioned, she was created as you r typical damsel in distress, prairie girl and she looks it but what Woods brings to the screen is more than her face value but her impressive acting. In  one scene in the premiere she goes from a hysterical robot, to a robot with no emotion but with a Western accent to a robot who loses the accent and it is chilling. 

Aside from Wood bringing her A-game, we also have Anthony Hopkins Dr. Robert Ford, who is the creator of "Westworld" and he always has a presence in any scene. 

Ed Harris is the mysterious man in black, whose priorities we don't know yet but he is definitely scary. I wouldn't want to run into him in the street whether it is in Westworld or in the real world. Speaking of the real world we also get a look into what goes behind keeping Westworld running, as the saying goes "it takes a village" and this village is made up of, as mentioned earlier the paternal Dr. Ford (Hopkins), the worried programmer Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) the quick witted Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett) and the kind behavior engineer Elise Hughes (Shannon Woodard) and probably my favorite (just because I am a 'writer') is Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) Westworld's narrative director. There is also some potential drama among the characters who work in keeping Westworld running. There is some interesting science fiction going on in the creation of the hosts and the other elements in Westworld and it is just stunning and chilling at the same time. 

The first episode delivers with strong performances, you will be thinking a lot of the time, which is what Abrams makes you do, the mysteries start pouring in without providing any answers, obviously since we're still in  the first episode but the important thing is, I want to know what's going on. I'm already invested in Dolores and I want to know what happens next. I'll definitely tune in for episode 2 next week! 

Westworld is on HBO on Mondays (Same time as the US) 9:00 AM with an encore replay at 9:00 PM. 

TV: HBO's Next Hit Could Be "Westworld"

I was actually invited to an advanced screening of "Westworld" but  unfortunately had to decline due to schedule and logistics, you know, the whole "night shift" thing. 

BUT I still wanted to write about it (before the premiere episode) because- well I'm looking forward to seeing it! I first heard about the TV series from Paul's Uncle who came home from the US recently. We were talking about "The Magnificent Seven"  and then he mentions "Westworld" and how he wants to see it. THEN just earlier I was with my cousins and my Tito David Hontiveros (-oh you know the Palanca award winning writer) says that he's also looking forward to the series. So with glowing recommendations (from my Uncles-no less) I was also looking forward to the series. 

No, this is not a review of the first episode as I will be seeing it with the rest of the world during it's premiere in a few hours, but more of a piece where I talk about the series and look into its history. 

Based on the 1973 film of the same title, HBO's "Westworld" is produced by J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy takes place in a "Western theme park" occupied by humanoid robots (Cowboys and Indians-the whole shebang) where guests can get to have that "Wild, Wild West experience" because we've all wanted to be a cowboy (or a cowgirl) once in our lives right? 

The original 1973 film, the story takes a more "Jurassic Park" approach with the robots who goes bersek and starts killing guests but with the 2016 Westworld, the trailer seems to point to a reversal of roles with the androids finding themselves trapped in the world, controlled by the cunning Anthony Hopkins. 

Evan Rachel Woos is the beautiful Dolores, blonde, blue eyed, she is the perfect Western lady, yet she has trouble putting a line between what is real and what is not. 

Could this be the networks next hit? 

Let's all find out when "Westworld" premieres on HBO on Monday October 3 at 9:00 AM

with an encore telecast at 9:00 PM! Check out the trailer above! 

Westeros Philippines: 2nd Year Anniversary Fan Gathering

I've been a fan of Game Of Thrones ever since the first season of the HBO adaptation made it's way around social media sites. I saw the first episode then read the books after, got the husband hooked and the rest was history. 

I came across Westeros Philippines on social media and I'm really glad to have been able to attend the 2nd Year Anniversary of Westeros Philippines- Fan Gathering. Until then, I've only been interacting with members online and it's really nice to get to meet them all in person ^_^

Tao ba to? 

It was interesting to meet fans of Game Of Thrones (either from watching the TV series or from reading the books) that come from different walks of life. Some were just in High School, I have to be honest I actually have mixed feelings about 'kids' in High school reading and watching Game Of Thrones but I guess that's better than reading those Wattpad novels. Besides Shakespeare has some pretty dark themes too and we discussed a lot of Shakespeare in English class in High School ^_^ Of course there were also those who like us are already working, we also had some Game Of Thrones Cosplayers in the group :)

The festivities and activities then commenced, first with an introduction of every one in the group, then on to Westerosi Henyo which, as the name suggests is the super fun trivia game with Game Of Thrones questions of course! :p I have to say though that Paul and I didn't do so good and I'm ashamed to say that I did worse in A Quiz Of Thrones too!



I should have done some reviewing before the event :p In my defense it's already been a couple of years since I read the books around 2012 I think so I am pretty rusty. Will definitely do a crash course before the next fan gathering! 

There was also some pretty heated and revealing (spoilers) discussions on favorite fan theories. Sure beats the mundane rumors and grapevines of who's dating who or who is no longer a couple among celebrities. 

I have to say a big thank you to our generous sponsors for the awesome Game Of Thrones goodies that were given away as Prizes! 

Flipgeeks who sponsored a set of A Song Of Fire And Ice books. I'm glad to see that fans who haven't read the books wanted to win the set ^_^ 

Liza Anik Aniks

Planet Geek 

The Dream Shirt 

Fandom Trinkets 

It's just too bad that Paul and I had to leave right away because of work, will definitely look forward to the next Fan Gathering- maybe a screening party of Season 5? :) 

Click HERE for More Photos! 

Don't forget to like the Fecebook Page! PCheng Photography 

Won an iPad mini from Sky Cable! :)

Kids look forward to summer - coz no school. Adults on the other hand equate summer with hitting the beach and showing off their six pack abs and well toned bodies they spent the rest of the year working on. 

But for geeks and Thronies like Paul and myself - Summer means - Winter is Coming - Confusing? Well that's coz Summer means - a brand new season of Game Of Thrones and since they've been renewed for seasons 5 and 6 that means at least 2 more summers enslaving ourselves over the adaptation of George R. R. Martin's addicting A Song of Fire and Ice TV series on HBO. 

I'm a big fan and read all the books and felt all the heartache that tragic scenes like the Red Wedding has brought all fans both old and new. 

Season 4 was extra special for us since we got to watch it through HBO GO! :) 

HBO GO is an exciting app which you can download on your mobile phone, handheld device or laptop and from there you can stream original HBO shows! From their new shows like Game Of Thrones which would be available 12 hours after its US premiere (or even earlier)! 

You can read more on my HBO Go blog post here. :) 

Aside from getting to support Game Of Thrones through HBO Go - Season 4 was also made extra special through a tweet/post contest from Sky Cable. All you had to do was post/tweet with the hashtag #GameOfThronesOnSky and you stand to win an ipad mini as well as Game Of Thrones goodies! 

Well that's exactly what I did - for the whole duration of Season 4 I tweeted, posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram -the whole ten yards and well I guess it was all worth it in the end coz I won an iPad mini! :) 

Here's an example of one of my #GameOfThronesOnSky #HBOGo posts - I had like one for each episode at least! :) 

And here she is :) Sorra - which is the Japanese of well - Sky! :)  

Photo by the husband of course! 

I'm just so happy coz this was the biggest thing that I won - ever and also it will definitely help me with blogging in the future :) 

You guys can be big winners from Sky Cable too! Just make sure you like their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter: @skyserves and on Instagram @skycableph  

Catch Game of Thrones on HBO Go!

In light of recent developments, straight-from-the-US broadcasts have allowed fans of TV series to watch their favorite shows without having to depend on illegal streams and downloads. 

I have prayed to the seven gods that Game of Thrones would be one of those TV shows but HBO is taking it to a whole different level with HBO GO! 

While the rest of the realm is preparing for the upcoming Season 4 premiere with hashtags like #TakeTheThrone and watching recaps of the last three seasons and probably organizing viewing parties for April 7's Season 4 premiere. Sky subscribers can also get in the action through HBO GO  - so just what is HBO GO - well, it's an amazing app that let's you stream amazing HBO original shows (aside from Game of Thrones) like The Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under and so much more! And aside from that with HBO GO installed on your laptop or mobile device you can actually catch Game Of Thrones 12 Hours After it's US release! :)     

To get you more excited check out the video below!  

Aside from simply getting to watch amazing original HBO productions you can also watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and production notes of your favorite TV series! :) 

Now, we all know that some content in HBO TV series can be well - not suitable for the faint hearted and young children well, fear not because there is actually a Parental Control feature which allows you to ensure your children don't watch anything they're not supposed to. So leaving the tablet lying around the house with HBO GO installed is not a sign of bad parenting. 

When the announcement of the new HBO GO came out - I really wanted to try it out - coz aside from being fans of Game Of Thrones (read the whole books and everything) Paul is also a big fan of other HBO Productions like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Band Of Brothers to name a few. (He is currently watching Season 1, Episode 1 of The Sopranos as I am typing this. 

So how do you download HBO GO? 

Well - it's really easy all you have to do is go to http://www.hbogoasia.ph/ to register, you have to be a Sky Subscriber and have HBO :D 

You can also download the app on your smartphones and mobile devices. 

HBO GO was launched last March 10, 2014 - but Sky is letting its subscribers (SkyCable and SkyBroadband who have HBO Asia on their plan) get the HBO GO experience through a FREE trial until May 31, 2014! 

Yup! It read that right! You can enjoy over 1,000 hours of UNCUT and EXCLUSIVE HBO Original programs! Not to mention catch Season 4 of Game Of Thrones 12 hours after its US premiere! :D (Yeah, I know I mentioned that already but.....Game Of Thrones!!!!) 

Check out screenshots of my online registration to HBO GO below! :)