Mercedes-AMG C43/63 Coupe

2017 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe

2017 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Coupe

The AMG version of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe now comes with two different versions to choose from. For those who wished to have an AMG C Coupe but deserved to be more accessible to get through the most out of it, there's a brand new C43 Coupe 4MATIC that was catered for drivers like them or for the privileged few, there's a new C63 Coupe packed with the same 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine as its other equivalents.

Both of these AMG C Coupes behave differently in terms of performance and driving pleasure car enthusiasts would enjoy as well as the pricing that I'll going to mention it later on. First off, let's focus on the AMG C63 Coupe because this is the one I'm particularly familiar with.

In its base version, the 4.0L V8 engine produces 469HP of power and 479  lb-ft of torque but in the high-end S model, it produces 503HP of power and 516 lb-ft of torque, around four less than the previous limited-edition C63 Edition 507. Both of these variants are mated with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed gearbox but here on the C63 S Coupé, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and top speed electronically limited to 250kph or 290 km/h with the optional AMG Driver's Package. Apart from the engine variations, it comes with the AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers, AMG DYNAMIC SELECT transmission modes, the rear-axle limited-slip differential or the dynamic engine mounts, for better handling compared to the previous C63 AMG coupe. Although lairy to drive at, the new C63 behaves like a matured adolescent ready to man up in the face of anyone at the college grounds.

Of course, it maybe more matured to drive compared to the last one but when compared to the BMW M4, its chief rival, the new C63 means serious business because it has enough power to scrape off the M4, However, when compared against cars like these, it may start finding difficulty to catch up when compared to its more powerful rival, the Cadillac ATS-V Coupe, which remains a jelly in every car enthusiasts' envy. Why can't I get the ATS-V Coupe instead of this? Sure, it maybe more powerful compared to this car, it hasn't arrived in Europe yet, although when it did, the starting price of 77,826 Euros for the C63 would be doomed and it will be eaten alive easily in terms of value.

So, what about the C43? Since the advent of the SLC43 AMG a few months ago, I started to be skeptical when I said that the 43er that will soon cause misery for the AMG fans everywhere and the AMG we all know is gone and went into something hard water rather than faith in science. In general, AMG 43 models will serve as entry-level models to slot below 63ers. This C43 is one of them and you can think of it as...AMG seminar 101.

Forget about seminars because the C43 offers the similar 3.0L V6 twin turbo engine from the SLC43, which produces a more powerful 367PS of power and 520Nm of torque. Yes, it's mated with a 9G-TRONIC gearbox but exclusive on this model, it has a 4MATIC four-wheel drive system, which makes it personal when it feels under the weather. 

It can be fit for a multirole but because this is a four-wheel drive system, its mild handling just spoils its sense of humor and handling one of these in the bends is a risky struggle that requires a lot of painkillers on your glove compartment when it aches upon hard cornering in different regions. Do you consider fun to drive? As a long-distance semi-grand tourer, it should be fun, nice, and easy. You'll spend lots of time getting to know more about this car as you drive along the open roads without all the drama intended for your driving pleasure. The C43 maybe harsh on track days but on open roads, it's not so bad at all, especially its 61,285 Euro introductory price.

With these models, the AMG lineup is becoming a diversity for car enthusiasts at all levels and there's an AMG for every driver that matches to the level of his or her driving pleasure. So, which AMG C-Coupe would you consider? It's going to be a tough choice choosing either one of the two but I'll leave the rest to you.

Photo: Daimler AG

Let's Do The News! (August 1, 2016)

- The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA has lifted the warning signals raised over some areas after it reported that severe tropical storm Carina (Nida) was leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility. The signals were removed 1100 hours local time after PAGASA reported that the storm is no longer in the PAR.

- Despite lifting the unilateral ceasefire days ago, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte hopes to resume talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines. The President lifted the ceasefire last Saturday after the National Democratic Front of the Philippines failed to announce a reciprocal ceasefire within the deadline that he gave.

- Pope Francis encouraged his young devotees at a global gathering Sunday to "believe in a new humanity" that is stronger than evil and refuses to see borders and barriers. The Pope celebrated a Holy Mass on the meadows in Brzegi, Poland, which is the final part of the annual World Youth Day, a global celebration of young Catholics.

- On the race to the White House, Democratic Presidentiable Hillary Clinton says Russian intelligence services are behind a cyber-attack on computers used by the Democratic National Committee. She said she thinks the case raises serious issues about Russian interference in US elections and US democracy. She also criticized Republican Presidentiable Donald Trump for showing a "very troubling willingness" to support the Russian president. Meanwhile, Trump said in a televised interview that he has not met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has no ties to the Kremlin.

- On a seemingly related note, Donald Trump made disparaging comments after belittling the parents of the Muslim US solider who died in Iraq in 2004. Trump made disparaging comments about Khizr and Ghazala Khan following their Democratic National Convention appearance last week. Republican Party Governor John Kasich of Ohio also condemn Trump's latest comments.

- Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, says he will deal with the challenges posed by Russian athletes participating in the Rio Olympics in so little time left. Bach told reporters that the total ban would not be justifiable either morally or legally. He said the IOC has set "a very high bar" for Russian athletes, and that they are not being afforded a presumption of innocence.

- Meanwhile, people demanding the permanent ouster of suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her supporters have taken to the streets of cities across the country, ahead of the opening of the Rio Olympics. Demonstrations took place in at least 10 states on Sunday.

- Chevrolet's brand new Camaro ZL1 is expected to have 650HP of power output from its supercharged V8 engine, about 10 more than the previous power output mentioned during its unveiling.

- Ford Australia rolled off the last Falcon Ute from its assembly line since last weekend., signalling the end of the company's Ute, ahead of Ford's Australian production in October. It signals the end of Ford's Aussie-made Falcon ute that started since February 1961 and includes seven generations and over 467,000 vehicles. With the saloon version ending production this October and the Territory at the end of the year, Ford's 90-year history of Australian production will end.

- Shooting for ABS-CBN's new TV drama, Till I Met You, starring OTWOL sensations James Reid and Nadine Lustre, has commenced. They commenced taping with her and JC Santos, who plays as a "third wheel" between the main characters.

TTFN!!!

Volvo S90 and V90

Continuing on Volvo's path to revitalization and modernization that started it all with the new XC90, with safety is its top-priority, the Scandinavian carmaker continues to revive itself from its dreariness and blandness from its current lineup in a more technological manner with the brand new flagship saloon, the S90.

2017 Volvo S90

The S90 name sounds hardly familiar to any Volvo historians many because that was once used back in 1996 as a minor change version of the 960 saloon. It was known to be the last Volvo in history to be rear-wheel drive, just like its wagon derivative, the V90. Of course, with the S90 and V90 names brought back as the company's flagship, don't expect they'll behave as the ones from the last century, though, because they are basically offered with front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive configurations.

2017 Volvo S90

2017 Volvo V90

What matters about the new S90 and V90 is the technology that serves as the driving force of these new flagship models and sticking true to its "zero casualty" promise that Volvo delivers within the next decade, the new S90 and V90 are packed with autonomous driving technology.

Sure, Tesla has that Autopilot shindig going on with their Model S but for Volvo, Tesla's Autopilot is nothing but a serious wannabe in the autonomous driving stakes so Volvo's kind of autonomous tech is something beyond reach from Tesla's hands. Called Pilot Assist, it is the most advanced standard safety package on the market today, and apart from doing most kinds of stuff that Tesla's Autopilot do most of the time such as making good use of its sensors, camera, front radar, and autonomous emergency braking for collision prevention, this tech comes with large animal detection and run-off road mitigation, something that Tesla should put in the first place, huh?

Autonomous driving can be good news and bad news for us but as a word of warning, drivers who are solely relying on autonomous driving tech should need to be aware on the road at all times because autonomous driving isn't all fun and games or rest and relaxation because having learned from Tesla's mistakes, it's imperative that drivers need to be active on the road, even when they engage the car's autonomous driving features for the benefit of themselves. One more thing though, while these cars are born to be autonomous, they're just semi-autonomous ones and you need to be extra clever to study its merits and demerits while on the road.

2017 Volvo S90 interior

What about design? Having learned from its large crossover derivative, the XC90, the new S90 and V90 features Volvo's new design language packed with "Thor's hammer" headlamps that looks strikingly impressive even after hours. Although squarish to look at from back and front, the sidelines are all dynamically proportioned to deliver that luxury mandarin that you expect from the German saloons. As for the interior, it's surprisingly very nice to be accommodated and very high tech. You could spend hundreds of minutes trying to toy around the inside of the car but once you have it, it means a very serious business proposal for you to get behind the wheel of one of Volvo's most technologically advanced vehicles ever made.

2017 Volvo S90

2017 Volvo V90

If the S90 and V90's main paradigm shift is safety, has they completely forgotten about performance? Not quite because even it its front-wheel drive powertrain, driving one of these can be broadly similar to the Audi A6 but in a very Scandinavian kind of way thanks to its new platform that was used on the XC90 but if you try to opt in for an optional AWD powertrain, it can be a proper multirole that can take on any weather it sees at the cost of being too much grip and prone to understeering when you corner it hard on the bends. Most models do come with different two-litre engine configurations, be it petrol or diesel, but the most powerful is the T8 Twin Engine, which combines this with an electric motor, resulting to 407PS of power and 640Nm of torque. Believe it or not, diesel models now come with a brand new PowerPulse technology that eliminates the turbo lag, which makes it wonderful on the go, and the new i-Art injection system which keeps these engines smooth while running. Depending on the variant, these models can be mated with either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic.

Should you buy it? The new Volvo S90 starts at 364,900 krona while the V90 starts at 374,900 krona so on paper, they're somewhat more costly to own than the Audi A6, in sedan and Avant derivatives, but if you didn't mind about the price differences, the S90 and V90 deserved a lot more respect than the Germans because of its unparalleled tech it offers for the drivers on today. It maybe here today, but these cars are ready for tomorrow thanks to the science that Volvo promises within the next decade.

Photo: Volvo Cars

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Kim's top aide leaves for Rio

Sourced from NHK World:

A close aide of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on his way to Rio de Janeiro to attend the Olympic Games and meet officials from friendly nations.

Choe Ryong Hae, a vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, arrived in Beijing on Saturday. Diplomatic sources say Choe will fly to Brazil for the opening ceremony next Friday.

Choe is one of five members of the Presidium of the ruling party's Central Committee Political Bureau. He has served as Kim's special envoy and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

North Korea watchers say the visit is part of an effort to promote diplomatic activities amid growing international pressure over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Kim also appears to be keen to enhance his country's prestige through success in sporting events.

Faith, hope, and love trumps all in today's Kalyeserye

Photo: Official EB Facebook

In today's Kalyeserye segment of Eat Bulaga, now on its 37th year, following the assassination of Lola Nidora, we all thought that all the hope is lost on her and following the slow response done by the Rogelios and Rogelia, Alden, Maine, and Tinidora try to get their grips on coping with Nidora's critical state upon getting shot by the assassin following death threats received from her after days of playing cat and mouse. Just as we thought that all the hope is lost, a miracle happened and yes, Lola Nidora's alive. With the police reported that the assassin finally brought into justice, Lola Nidora's not ready to give up her life just yet. She wants to see great things for Alden and Maine but what great things do we expect from them?

Keep watching Eat Bulaga every weekdays for more Kalyeserye, and in the meantime, happy 37th anniversary to Eat Bulaga! Having been on air for almost four decades since the end of Martial Law from the Marcos regime and goes on until the edge of eternity for three networks, nine presidents from the Marcos regime to the Duterte administration, even President Rodrigo Roa Duterte congratulates Eat Bulaga for the show's longevity! For over 11,000 days on the air, numerous memorable segments shown, millions of Dabarkads viewed here and across the globe, and its international presence, no other show comes close than the longest-running noontime variety show in the Philippines.

Happy 37th anniversary, Dabarkads, mula Batanes hanggang Jolo, saan mang sulok ng mundo! (From Batanes to Jolo, from all corners of the world!)

#BGGameOfShows

On the July 29, 2016 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Game show gags

- A man with a split personality

- The Pool Senorita gals reached their hot climax

- Hugot lines in theaters

- Wise words from Tata Lino

- Bubble Gang does Payless XTRA BIG by spoofing this commercial as PAINLESS XTRA BIG! Sa akin, it's DOBLE OR NOTHING!

- Another life of a gay is explained with a song

- An office worker makes her excuse to the boys

- BASA-BASA PIK!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Kishida, Ban agree on resolute response to N.Korea

Sourced from NHK World:

Japan's Foreign Minister and the United Nations Secretary-General have agreed that the UN Security Council should resolutely respond to North Korea following its ballistic missile and nuclear tests.

Fumio Kishida and Ban Ki-moon met in New York on Thursday.

Kishida said Japan wants to increase pressure on North Korea by strictly implementing Security Council resolutions and taking a resolute stance.

He said Tokyo wants to continue cooperating with the United Nations to comprehensively resolve the abductions of Japanese nationals by the North, as well as issues arising from Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs.
Kishida referred to the action program to fight violent extremism Ban compiled in January.

Kishida expressed hope that the United Nations will play a central role in immediately putting the program into action with the cooperation of various international organizations.

Let's Do The News! (July 29, 2016)

- Tropical Depression Carina is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains over Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and CARAGA, according to PAGASA. As of 1100 hours local time, the LPA east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar has developed into a tropical depression. It was estimated to be at 195km East of Borongan City, Eastern Sama at 1000 hours. It moves northwest at 11kph with max winds of 45kph near the center.

- The former presidents of the Philippines advised the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to exercise restraint on the West Philippine Sea row following the issuance of an international arbitral court ruling that voided China's expansive territorial claim. President Duterte said he would take the advice of his predecessors and be cautious in handling the issue to avoid risking soldiers' lives.

- DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno yesterday warned all local government units and the public against con men posing as his staff and extort money. Sueno said they received a report that certain individuals approached two mayors and asked for P50,000 as down payment for the purchase of fire trucks for their districts.

- In the dramatic final day of the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton finally accepted her nomination as the party's presidentiable. As she accepted her nomination, she delivered her best speech yet. She urged supporters of her former rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, to support her because they all share a common goal. He main task is to create more jobs with higher wages. She accused the Republican Presidentiable Donald Trump of trying to divide Americans from the rest of the world and from each other.

- Right now, a total of 106 Russian athletes from 7 sports had been banned from participating the Rio Olympic Games over the doping incident. This includes the entire track and field team. Russia had initially planned to send 387 athletes to the Rio Games. Meanwhile, about 70 Russian athletes arrived at an airport in Rio.

- On a related note, protesters have disrupted the Olympic torch relay just over a week before the Games open in Rio. The Games' organizing committee says Wednesday's protest, staged to coincide with the torch relay, forced its route to be changed in a town about 100km southeast of Rio. The step was take after torch bearers complained about their safety.

- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned recent attacks launched by refugees in her country and pledged counter-terrorism measures, including greater monitoring of online communications. At a news conference in Berlin on Thursday, Merkel said the refugees who carried out the attacks had slapped the country that welcomed them in the first place. She stressed that the unforgivable attacks threatened national security and placed a burden on innocent refugees.

- Formula E racers will be given a brand new look in the upcoming 2016-2017 season and apart from the new two-tier front wing, teams can now make changes to their vehicles and the machines are now better and lighter than the previous ones. Although power remains at 200kW (with 20kW increase in the 2017-2018 season and another 30kW for the 2018-2019 season), the regenerative braking level is now bumped to a massive 150kW and lost 8kg of weight.

- Meanwhile, Formula 1 cars will have cockpit protection for the 2018 season to protect drivers. The decision was made to allow more time to develop the technology, instead of rushing it into use.

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga Kalyeserye, with Alden and Maine finally saved and reunited with the lolas, a grave threat is happening on Lola Nidora. While getting out of their "safe zone" for something, someone's going to be assassinated and that someone might be Maine but Lola Nidora took the hit...and did Lola Nidora died? Tune in next time and find out!

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars

THE IDOLM@STER has been one of the most successful titles in Bandai Namco's timeline for over a decade now and even though it faces a much stiffer competition in the world of anime idol genre, everyone should respect that this decade-old franchise is how this kind of competition started in the first place. For 2016, the world of THE IDOLM@STER introduces us a new vision for the loyal fans, for the first time, on the Playstation4 console.

THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars

Here it is, it's called THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars and judging by the franchise's brand new logo, this is totally the next generation of Bandai Namco's hit franchise and while most fans call the move of making this new game a PS4-exclusive a sacrilege while others try to deny it and go drunk with the other sub-brands, mostly the show-stealing Cinderella Girls sub-brand (with a PSVR Viewing Revolution game to follow this autumn), the aim of the new PS4-exclusive Platinum Stars game is to show loyal fans some love to the ever-favorite 765PRO ALL-STARS just as what they did over the past decade and because this is the next generation of the hit IM@S franchise, Platinum Stars sees a bold new turn for the 765PRO ALL-STARS as they're undergoing a training camp and you're in charge of nurturing all 13 idols to its true potential.

Just like One For All two years ago, Platinum Stars allows players to raise their favorite idols such as Haruka Amami, Yayoi Takatsuki, Makoto Kikuchi, Chihaya Kisaragi, Ritsuko Akizuki, Azusa Miura, Yukiho Hagiwara, Iori Minase, Ami and Mami Futami, Miki Hoshii, Takane Shijou, and Hibiki Ganaha. How you'll live it up to your favorites' expectations is all up to you.

Before heading to a live show, be sure to keep them prepared with some lessons ranging from their vocals, dance, style, and everything else. Then, you can outfit them with the proper costumes that are well suited for the live show of your choosing but here in Platinum Stars, there are new ways to keep your idols prepared. There's the new costume combining feature where you can combine two costumes of the same level to create a more powerful costume fit for idols and each costume has its own rarity so you'll never know what sort of costumes you'll get until you get a more powerful one. 

After live shows, you'll get fan presents, which are broadly similar to the lucky boxes from the Tekken games, and fan presents can contain random items. Could be a voucher for your next costume acquisition, cash, fan letters, or any other item you might come across. You can increase your chances of gaining better items by using P-drops, which can also be purchased on the Playstation Store.

While you're not in the middle of the game, Platinum Stars gives players a glimpse on what the girls are up to, especially birthdays which makes us super jealous that fans like us should have the 765PRO gals sing a happy birthday song for us just as what they did to their fellow idols. With the girls look and behave more realistic than ever thanks to the PS4's capabilities, the new Platinum Stars game will surely make fans come back for more and more and more...until they give up their juice.

Thoughts on Platinum Stars? Well, it may sound sacrilege for a PS4-exclusive but with so many fans starting to change sides, I believe that Platinum Stars is Bandai Namco's last-ditch effort to show some love to the 765PRO ALL-STARS, even though blokes are starting to shy away from them in favor of its Cinderella Girls sub-brand, even the longstanding rivalry of the Love Live franchise, and many other idol-related stuff we all know about. Isn't that why these girls brought us the never ending idol wars in the first place? If so, let's hope this is just a friendly competition not just for themselves, but for the devoted fans who can't hardly decide which anime idols are the best. Hope you're happy that the girls are back for more.

LIMITED EDITION: THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars starts at 8,856 Yen (around 4,000 Pesos) but the Limited Edition, priced at 13,392 Yen (somewhat over 6,000 Pesos), features tons of extras such as an ALL-STAR LIVE PAMPHLET, LisAni Live 2016 bonus CD, calendar, bonus photos, a photo frame, a specially-designed box, and a code to unlock a special "Antique Star" costume. The Antique Star costume is a variation of the game's Twinkle Star cover costume but it features the color scheme as the corresponding 765PRO idol (Red for Haruka, Lime Green for Miki, Blue for Chihaya, and so on). 

That's not all, because for a limited time, a copy of Platinum Stars grants you a chance to win tickets to THE IDOLM@STER PRODUCER MEETING 2017 concert, coming this January 2017.

Oh, and for its launch, the first DLC Catalog is now available on the PlaystationStore. The first catalog features the brand new song Miracle Night as well as the brand new Miracle Dance Hall costume, and two additional songs such as I Want and 目が逢う瞬間, among many others. Watch out for the Gothic Punk Queen DL Live, coming this August 4, and you can stand a chance to win a brand new Rouge/Nowaru Q costume with the highest Rank S fit to blitz through your next live performance as well as various Rank A accessories packed with different attributes!

WELCOME TO THE NEW VISION OF IM@S! 

Producer-san! Let's play Platinum Stars! Platinum Stars!

Let's Do The News! (July 28, 2016)

- Onto US Secretary of State John Kerry's Philippine Visit, he expressed the US' agreement with the Philippines on how it responded after the arbitral tribunal based in the Hague delivered a victory for its case against China. In his meeting, Kerry told his Philippine counterpart, Perfecto Yasay Jr., that they appreciate the very responsible and measured way that the Philippine government has responded to the important decision.

- In the midst of the voter registration for the upcoming barangay and SK elections, the Commission of Elections assured the public that safeguards are in place against the repeat of the hacking of the database last March. Comelec chairman Andy Bautista noted that the commission has made sure that data has been secured from those who would try to hack their systems again.

- The third-day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, amid fears that more hacked e-mails from the convention will be uncovered by WikiLeaks over the coming days as well as Republican Presidentiable Donald Trump called on Russia to hunt down Hillary Clinton's deleted e-mails, Senator Tim Kaine accepted his Vice Presidential nomination but the biggest standout in the third day of the convention is the current US President Barack Obama, whose powerful speech devotes everything about what he did ever since he took office, his experience with Hillary Clinton, and why Obama believes that the so-called "Trumpism" won't prevail.

- The ISIS-linked Amaq news agency has posted an online video of two men behind the murder of a Catholic priest in northern France. It shows them pledging allegiance to the terrorist organization. The assailants broke into the church, taking five people hostage and killing a priest. Both were shot dead by the police.

- Over 100 Russian athletes have so far been banned from participating the Rio Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has decided to allow some athletes to participate if they meet certain criteria. Most members of the Russian teams in tennis, archery, equestrian, shooting, triathlon, volleyball, judo, sailing, fencing and table tennis have been approved or will likely be approved to compete in Rio while some international federations are still evaluating.

- Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin accused the Western powers of launching a political campaign against sports. Putin addressed the country's Olympic team at a send-off ceremony in Moscow on Wednesday, told the team that rules which govern international politics are being applied to the world of sports. Putin said international sporting bodies should treat athletes fairly and allow Russian athletes who emerge clean from doping tests to compete in the Games.

- Some say, Jaguar Land Rover will discontinue the legendary supercharged V8 engines and plans to source twin-turbo V8s from BMW for cost-efficient measures.

- After making its appearance in last March's Batman v. Superman film, the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie kicks off since last weekend's SDCC. The film hits theaters this summer 2017 worldwide and Gal Gadot reprises her titular role. VIEW THE TRAILER HERE.

- Today marks the 54th weeksary of AlDub but things don't look so good in Eat Bulaga's Kalyeserye segment. As the lolas starting to drift apart after the big revelation, Maine has escaped from captivity and with the police arrested the kidnappers, she has reunited with Alden. However, Lola Nidora picked up a phone call from someone but who is it? Tune in next time and find out!

TTFN!!!

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond

The Star Trek franchise reaches its 50th anniversary this year and over the past five decades, Trekkies have been part of the 24th-century space exploration and heroism that dates back from the original, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. From the Federation, Vulcan, KCA, Augments, the infamous Klingons, the Romulans, and many other factions fans encountered, the 50-year timeline of the Star Trek franchise never felt so unique, so unique, fans live up to Spock's "Live Long and Prosper" tagline. As Trekkies live long and prosper to the next five decades, the big 50th anniversary birthday present has arrived and it's none other than the third installment of the Star Trek movie series.

Star Trek Beyond features the most dramatic storyline ever told in the history of Star Trek and in this third installment, disaster struck at the USS Enterprise crew on an unknown planet, spiraling them out of control and survival is at stake for the whole crew. This film brings back and introduces a vivid cast of characters from Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. Bones McCoy, Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, including Zoe Saldana as Uhura, John Cho as the fan-favorite Mr. Sulu, Simon Pegg as Scotty, and many others, especially the late Anton Yelchin as Chekov. (Rest in Peace, Yelchin)

In the minds of producer J.J. Abrams, the third installment packs a dramatic tone to the epic cult classic franchise because this movie showcases how separate pairs agree to work towards a common goal about survival on an uncharted territory and how the relationship between different characters affect the entire storyline, in either good or bad kind of way. In every detail, this movie shows some no-nonsense point of view in the eyes of the characters on their long struggle to survive themselves in such a harsh scenario and while the topic of struggle for survival feels priapic and more gut-wrenching as the story progresses, it still has that typical Star Trek mandarin that fans got themselves noticed and while this movie has some loopholes that can do better, Trekkies believed that this film is more than enough to honor the franchise's 50th anniversary in a "live long and prosper" kind of way.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5.

Super GT 2016: Sugo

The fourth round of the Super GT 2016 series in Sugo was commenced smoothly and it was one odd of a schedule ever since the third round of this series was cancelled due to the ongoing earthquakes at the Kumamoto Prefecture, until it was announced the third round will commence on the 12th of November at Twin Ring Motegi, a day before the final round taking place at the same venue, making it a two-parter (a first in Super GT history).

Anyway, in this 81-lap race, held at the Sportsland SUGO, located on the Miyagi Prefecture, wild things happened during the race and such examples is the #24 Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R, driven by Daiki Sasaki and Masataka Yanagida, which came from 9th place and then emerged victorious in the GT500 class, courtesy of their no-tire-change tactic, which sounds like a very risky gamble for the team. Meanwhile, in the GT300-class, the #31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT, driven by Koki Saga and Yuichi Nakayama, scored their first win of the season.

Highlights:

The next race will start at Fuji Speedway on the 7th of August.