Let's Do The News! (March 23, 2017)

- Vice President Leni Robredo says that impeachment cases filed against her and President Rodrigo Duterte are just plain nuisances and it distracts the government from doing its job.

- The Committee on Justice and Human Rights approved the proposal that prohibits motorcycles without plates from roaming the streets. Under the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, motorcycles without license plates are not allowed on any street in the country on any given day. The bill was authored by Senator Tito Sotto, and Sen. Richard Gordon.

- A leak of mercury prompted Manila Science High School suspend classes following a teacher rushed to the hospital following the accident in the school's laboratory warehouse.

- British police made several arrests in a raid somewhere in Birmingham following yesterday's attack near the parliament. Five people were killed and about 40 injured when a car ploughed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a police officer close to the British parliament.

- Shi'ite aid convoys linked to paramilitary groups have begun making regular deliveries to Mosul districts recaptured from Islamic State, bringing much-needed relief but also fears that their backers are encroaching into the mostly Sunni city.

- McLaren released a sketch for their upcoming hybrid three-seater hypercar, which claims to be its fastest ever road car

- The first trailer of the Netflix Original Movie, Death Note, based on the cult classic manga franchise, is now appeared. It stars Nat Wolff as Light Turner and Keith Stanfield as L, among many others. It will be available on Netflix this August 25th. CLICK HERE.

- Celebrity couple Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco are proud of their new home in Mindoro.

- A certain report told that a DZRH program hosted by Mocha Uson might get cancelled following harsh attacks against Vice President Robredo.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (March 22, 2017)

- The Duterte administration promised to enforce the fact that the Scarborough Shoal and all the other disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea are part of the country's territory. During a press conference in Bangkok, Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo assured the public that the government is still committed in a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the disputed territories.

- CALABARZON tops "Project Double Barrel Reloaded" among the regional police offices nationwide. According to a PNP Operations Center report, a total of 2,802 have been arrested in their Anti-Drug Police Operations, 569 of these were recorded in CALABARZON based in Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang in Laguna.

- Foreign ministers meet in Washington on Wednesday to agree on the next steps to defeat Islamic State, the first such gathering of the U.S-led military coalition since the election of President Donald Trump in November.

- Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will vote on President Trump's revised Affordable Health Care Act, now called Trumpcare, on Thursday, Most feared that the new bill will kick 24 million people off of Obamacare, which will send their insurance premiums on a drastic rise.

- Cannabis entrepreneurs expressed hopes in Switzerland where business has suddenly taken off in recent months, six years after the country legalized low-potency “marijuana-light.”

- Former Spice Girl Mel B filed for divorce from her husband after nearly a decade of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. 

- Apple unveiled the newer version of the iPad with a brighter screen and other improvements. It's now available to order from Friday and with a $329 starting price that is the lowest ever for a full-sized tablet from Apple. The smaller iPod SE model will be available in 32 and 128 gigabyte (GB) versions, replacing the 16 GB and 64 GB models.

- With Ruby Kurosawa added, looks like the first-years of the Love Live Sunshine Nendoroid range is complete, leaving now to the third-years. Anyway, it's now available to order starting at 3,241 Yen plus tax and shipping and arrives this September.

Nendoroid Ruby Kurosawa

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER Treasure☆

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER Treasure☆

Another CINDERELLA MASTER addition has been unearthed from its buried treasure and this latest addition is worth treasuring on your Cinderella Girls CD collection, get it?

Treasure☆ is the latest addition of THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER CD lineup, inspired by the ever-popular THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls sub-franchise. This song's performed by none other by fan-favorites Uzuki Shimamura, Rin Shibuya, Mio Honda, Mika Jougasaki, and Riina Tada and not only the M@STER VERSION's offered but also two different remixes used on either the Radio Cinderella Girls and the CINDERELLA PARTY! programs.

For an added treat, the special song in collaboration with the Taiko no Tatsujin games, エンジェル ドリーム, was featured as well as solo mixes featuring Chieri Ogata, Rika Jougasaki, and Riina Tada. Fans played this special limited-time song in the latest Taiko no Tatsujin games many times and now, they're going to listen the whole song for themselves for the fun of it.

Be sure to get one for your Cinderella Girls collection if you like!

TRACK LISTINGS:

01) Treasure☆（M@STER VERSION）
02) Treasure☆（M@STER VERSION） for デレラジ☆MIX
03) Treasure☆（M@STER VERSION） for CINDERELLA PARTY! MIX
04) Treasure☆ オリジナル・カラオケ
05) エンジェル ドリーム 〜CINDERELLA GIRLS COLLABORATION MIX〜
06) エンジェル ドリーム　〜緒方智絵里ソロリミックス〜
07) エンジェル ドリーム　〜城ヶ崎莉嘉ソロリミックス〜
08) エンジェル ドリーム　〜多田李衣菜ソロリミックス〜

American version of Top Gear revived and heads to BBC America

*Old American version of Top Gear shown

You may remember last summer that History Channel pulled the plug on the American equivalent of the hit motoring TV show, Top Gear, which was hosted by racing driver Tanner Foust, comedian Adam Ferrera, and racing commentator Rutledge Wood.

Guess what? Great news! The American version of Top Gear is back. given the new name "Top Gear America", and it's heading to its new home BBC America later this year.

The newly revived American equivalent will have nod to UK roots and it will feature three new presenters racing enthusiast and veteran film and television actor William Fichtner, world champion drag racer Antron Brown, and premier British automotive journalist Tom “Wookie” Ford. The Stig is also included as well.

The new series will run in eight hour-long episodes, not only highlighting the most modern sportscars in the world but also cars that define the American car culture through the years. There will be a guest celebrity taking on a lap round Speed Vegas, the new home track for Top Gear America as well as The Stig.

The revived American version of Top Gear airs on BBC America this 2017.

Report: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2017/03/announcing-all-new-car-show-top-gear-america-is-coming-soon

Let's Do The News! (March 21, 2017)

- Tensions ensued between Senate President Koko Pimentel and Senator Francis Pangilinan on the issue of the impeachment complaint filed against President Rodrigo Duterte as well as the same complaint against VP Leni Robredo. The Liberal Party immediately quashed over Pimentel's challenge to condemn the impeachment complaint filed against the President to prove that these "yellow-ists" are not part of a destabilization plot against Duterte.

- The Philippine National Police warns the public to be careful due to the threat of terrorism in Metro Manila following an alleged member of the Maute Terrorist Group was caught in Quezon City.

- Three separate rallies were held in front of the Supreme Court following the continuation of the oral arguments on the drug trafficking case filed against Senator Leila de Lima.

- US President Donald Trump has pledged to strengthen ties with Iraq to fight against the Islamic State. Trump met Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi at the White House on Monday for the first time since taking office.

- At least 23 people were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in retaliation for the government forces' offensive to reclaim Mosul.

- In case you may never know, Lamborghini sparked controversy over their Nurburgring record with their brand-new Huracan Performante supercar. The Italian sportscar company is doubling down on the legitimacy of the car's 6:52.01 lap time record in the wake of the controversy.

- Richard Hammond was involved in a motorcycle accident in Mozambique during a shooting for an episode of The Grand Tour.

TTFN!!!

Third-generation Chevrolet Equinox

The previous Chevrolet Equinox may be a bit fair and nice by the looks of it but being American, it doesn't fare very well against well-established crossovers known the world over, specifically when there are Toyotas, Hondas, VWs, and others around it, the Equinox is becoming too obsolete for Chevrolet's ever-successful crossover lineup. For the third-generation Equinox, things have changed for better and for worse when you think about it.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox

2018 Chevrolet Equinox

The new Equinox is now here and ready to be known the world over no matter the circumstances because by the time it was unveiled, General Motors plans to sell it to approximately 115 additional globally, meaning that this car will replace the Captiva globally, making it Chevrolet's lingua franca for the global crossover market, although while this is an all-new model, it's still a five-seater just like all the other Equinoxes of Chevrolet's past.

While the new Equinox is too early to decide its fate on the world stage, let's observe the design first and while this new design promises a quantum leap of globalization, it feels too fishy to look at considering that this is mainly an American car, the bits of it are what got them noticed. The front face looks awkwardly similar to the Honda Vezel while the side view reminiscent of the Ssangyong Korando Turismo and the rear view looks like the Isuzu...um...Isuzu...eh...you get the point.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox interior

2018 Chevrolet Equinox interior

Of course, this is basically a five-seater, but connectivity is heavily focused for the new Equinox's interior and I know that the new interior is highly reminiscent of today's Chevrolet saloon and this will be the new norm for all Chevy interiors in the future but because the touch screen is now standard for all models, you radio-changing speedo boys better scarper now because the radio's officially irreplaceable. Sorry. Anyway, that touch screen comes with smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and if that wasn't enough, it's got optional 4G LTE Wi-Fi like most Chevrolets offered so you don't have to worry about finding wi-fi while using apps, even the Waze you got on your smartphone.

Did you know that the new Equinox comes with available heated rear seats fit for the cold nights as well as bigger space at the back and the special feature that can open the back door at the lift automatically at the lift of your foot? If so, then the new Equinox is the most convenient crossover ever made not just as a family hauler but for road trips with mates around you. Looks like the Ford Escape might get upset about this.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox

At the start, the new Equinox is powered by a 1.5L turbocharged petrol engine that promised 31MPG highway of fuel efficiency, according to General Motors but by summer, it will be offered by either its first-ever 1.6L diesel engine that promises a GM-estimated 40 MPG highway fuel economy or its high-performance 2.0L turbocharged petrol engine mated to a brand new 9-speed automatic gearbox. With this engine, not only it will be benefited with higher power output of 252 horsepower and 260lb-ft of torque, but also better towing capabilities. For all-wheel drive models, it even comes with a special feature that can switch to either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive depending on driving conditions and when switched to four-wheel drive, it feels so driveable in so many conditions. It feels nice for a crossover and looks like the Ford Escape might get upset over this one because by General Motors rule of thumb, it will succeed against its rivals, although I'm not sure on what these guys are up to with this new model.

The new Equinox has a ton of safety features, some that no rivals got to them. You get this Low Speed Forward Automatic Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Rear Vision Camera, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Park Assist, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Change Alert, IntelliBeam High Beam Assist, Safety Alert Seat, and of course, the Surround Vision monitor on the dashboard. It even comes with the Teen Driver feature that works like the parental controls on your television at home, you know what I'm saying.

Should you buy one? For now, you can have one for 23,580 US Dollars but you better act fast because due to the current political climate in the United States, expect this to be more expensive than it used to and you might not get happy about how American-made cars behave as today's political climate so...unless you got some adaptability to brag about, some might get to unhappy about this one. Still, with all of its improvements, the new Equinox finally got the urge to humiliate the Ford Escape and others. It really is the new standard for crossover.

Available colors: Summit White, Silver Ice Metallic, Orange Burst Metallic, Nightfall Gray Metallic, Mosaic Black Metallic, Cajun Red Tintcoat, Pepperdust Metallic, Satin Steel Metallic, Storm Blue Metallic, Sandy Ridge Metallic, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, and Ivy Metallic. 

Photo: General Motors

Let's Do The News! (March 20, 2017)

- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch ally of the Duterte administration, wants to impeach Vice President Leni Robredo for questioning over their bloody war on drugs. Duterte himself is facing an impeachment motion, with lower house representative Gary Alejano accusing Duterte of offences ranging from conflict of interest and assets concealment to drugs-related extrajudicial killings and operating a “death squad” during the 22 years he was Davao City mayor. VP Robredo issued a strong rebuke of Duterte's war on drugs last week, describing it in a video sent to the UN as an issue of public health that cannot be solved "with bullets alone."

- Former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shalani, the younger sister of former president Fidel V. Ramos, passed away earlier today, March 20, 2017, at the age of 87. Her death was confirmed by her daughter Lila Ramos Shahani, Philippine Commission Secretary General of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, in her Facebook post. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer.

- Senator Bam Aquino told his fellow senators not to be pressured by politics and show that even though threatened, they can do their duties without being influenced, in response to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's threat that he will file an impeachment complaint against VP Leni Robredo.

- US officials began taking fingerprints of asylum seekers in an Australian-run camp on the Pacific island of Nauru on Monday, signalling that vetting of applicants for resettlement in what US President Donald Trump called it a "dumb deal".

- Norway is now named the happiest country in the world according to a report from the World Happiness Report 2017, dethroning Denmark on the top ten happiest countries in the world followed by Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden.

- Actress Vivian Velez joined a rally with a small group demanding the impeachment and resignation of Vice President Leni Robredo.

- Mad Max actor Tom Hardy collaborates with director Ridley Scott once again for a Netflix original movie titled War Party, a US Navy SEAL drama film.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 3: The rare Benz saloon

Looks like I scored myself another rare event car from last weekend's Forzathon event and this one is a real keeper in the eyes of classic car enthusiasts. This right here is the 300SEL 6.3, a luxury premium sedan that was used in touring car races while donning the legendary Rot Sau livery remembered by many.

Now hold on a second, I last encountered this beauty back in Forza Motorsport 4 during the XBOX 360 years and now it's back in the world of Forza as an event car sadly and those who never got the chance to grab one, there is a chance that it may come back in future events so stay tuned. Anyway, this iconic flagship saloon from its era comes with the 6.3L V8 engine derived from the 600 sedan and when mated to a four-speed automatic, it has a top speed of 137mph and it can go 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds. Four decades ago, AMG, back when it was a tuning company, produced special competitive versions of the 300 SEL and had an impressive, albeit short, racing career due to lack of proper tires or rule changes. Those race-spec 300SEL cars are nicknamed "Red Pig" and they finished 2nd place in the 24 hours of Spa in 1971. Five were made, three racers and two test cars. A race driver named Hans Heyer achieved a class victory with his Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 since 1971.

So, now that I got to know about the vintage limousine that became one of the all-time greats in motorsport history, looks like the red pig wants to play rough in the mud against some classic racers down at the timber mill and believe me, this could get VERY rough.

Top Gear S24E03

Top Gear S24E03

The third episode of the 24th series of BBC's Top Gear is an all-out war between two luxury grand tourers on the roads of Montenegro, with a bit of Bond reference injected to this episode.

Matt LeBlanc tries out the new Aston Martin DB11 on the Montenegro roads until he was challenged by Chris Harris in its German rival, the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe. 

Meanwhile, Rory Reid's in the Nurburgring to sample the most potent GTi yet, the new VW Golf GTi Clubsport S and then hands it over to Sabine Schmitz to see if the Clubsport S lives up to be the fastest front-wheel drive car to lap the legendary German racetrack. 

Then, LeBlanc is on a past vs. present comparison by comparing the old Fiat 124 Spider against the new Abarth 124 Spider.

Lastly, Tamsin Grieg from Friday Night Dinner is the episode's Star in a Reasonably Fast Car.

Six Nations 2017 FINALE

Here it is, last Saturday's season finale of the RBS 6 Nations championship sees the rise and fall of Europe's finest rugby teams in history and one is declared the best among the rest.

Highlighting the France vs. Wales fight, the WRU suffered a crushing defeat after the FFR trumped them by two points, giving the score of 20-18. To make things worse, the Damien Chouly's try for the defense of the Welsh has been shattered by the crushing blow by Camille Lopez as well as the combined efforts from the whole FFR, therefore it's safe to say that it's over for the Welsh.

Meanwhile, Scotland left the FIR Italia pointless while leading with 29 points while the IRFU defeated the England Rugby at the score of 13-9.

Highlights from the season ender:

Despite defeat and the end of their long winning streak, the winner of the 2017 RBS 6 Nations Championship is the England Rugby and they are the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams since the FIR Italia joined 17 years ago.

And that concludes this season's RBS 6 Nations.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)

The legendary Disney classic "as old as time" has been reborn as this live-action adaptation promises to be a spectacular feast for the family and you are more than welcome to be...their guest.

The live-action rebirth of Disney's Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films as Belle and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens in his most challenging role yet as The Beast and when we say challenging, it is because he had to deal with the monstrous CGI for his character in the film, among many others including Luke Evans as the villain Gaston.

As any Disney afficcionado would tell, the tale as old as time may seem nothing new to those who've seen the Disney classic over and over again but this live action rebirth adds some twists and some truths in store for the main characters and while we love the new look to those memorable characters in this Disney classic, including favorites like Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip, the CGI is nothing but extraordinary and you can't go wrong with the signature Disney magic sprinkled to this film.

Just by looking at the visuals and the musical numbers in this film, the live-action Beauty and the Beast film is a captivating movie that with touch the hearts of most families and this is by no means, the best Disney film ever made since 2015's Cinderella. It's easier said than done.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Lexus LC

Since the era of the Lexus LFA, the luxury division of Toyota proved that they're more than just making cars for the elder gentlemen who want to hang out at country clubs on their time, and when the time of the LFA has come to an end, Lexus tried to make their cars look sporty enough to appeal to younger gentlemen but despite giving them aggressive faces, none of them feel like the time of the LFA, even their sportiest offering, the RC F, couldn't make the grade, until now...

2018 Lexus LC

Lexus's new flagship sports car, the all-new LC, maybe just the ideal candidate to become the car that can pass the torch from the now legendary LFA. In fact, there are so many questions that need to answer about the latest flagship sports coupe but there's one thing that comes to mind; just what is the Lexus LC?

2018 Lexus LC

2018 Lexus LC interior

Being one of the finer examples of concept cars turned real, with some minor alterations to make it road-legal, the LC draws inspiration from the rakish LF-LC Concept car five years ago and from every angle, this car promises to be a head-turner from all ends of the earth and on the inside, the LFA-styled interior is a clear reminder that it's like one of that mass-produced weaponry styled after the superweapon based upon but accessible to all who want to unleash their fury from within. Now, where did I hear that before? But never mind all that because that design is definitive proof of Lexus's L-Finesse design philosophy continues to evolve into perpetual heights until the word comes into sense that Lexus makes the most aggressive-looking cars in the market, albeit no one's buying on the performance issue.

2018 Lexus LC

Yes, while this is essentially a GT car, the Lexus LC is offered with two distinct powerplants which like one of which is more enjoyable to gargle with and the other one that you wouldn't last for thirty seconds. The first one, the LC 500, is powered by an old-school 2UR-GSE 4.0L V8 engine that has powered many F models in the range since the RC F and the GS F. It produces 477 PS of power and 540Nm of torque while mated to Lexus's first 10-speed Automatic Gearbox, which sounds like too much for an automatic gearbox but speedo boys can take this V8-powered LC any day rather than this unusual variant in the range; the LC 500h. The LC 500h is the first Lexus hybrid to come with the next-generation hybrid system dubbed as "Multi-Stage Hybrid." 

What is Multi-Stage Hybrid? Great question, you may ask because this new system pairs the 8GR-FXS 3.5L V6 engine with two electric motors and, thankfully, a lithium-ion battery, keeps the planetary-type continuously variable transmission from Lexus Hybrid Synergy Drive, and also adds a unique four-speed automatic transmission and that doesn't stop here because when engaging in M mode, the two gearsets act together to provide the effect of 10 gears, which sounds like engaging but regular if you may ask. While the LC 500h's total output provides 359PS of power, fuel efficiency is expected to reach 15.8km/L based on JC08 Mode standards.

Both the LC 500 and the LC 500h are proper sportscars to drive courtesy of their extensive use of high-strength steels, aluminum, and CFRP for the bodywork as well as track-honed dynamics that promises to behave like the legendary LFA but without all the drama involved into making this sort of thing. As a car that puts the Chevrolet Corvette and the Porsche 911 on the crosshairs, the LC struggles to make the grade with that kind of firepower it unleashes but it can be a lot more enjoyable to drive if you got the time and effort to make use of it. The V8-powered LC 500 is a challenge worthy to label a beginner's luck but the LC 500h is not of a bigger deal compared to the Honda NSX, which is by no means one of the most enjoyable hybrid sportscars ever made check the pricing, folks. The LC starts at 13,000,000 Yen, which is more expensive to own than the American rival, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, while the LC 500h's pricing of 13,500,000 Yen makes it less costly to own than the Honda NSX, which sounds like a bargain. So, this is like the lesser of two evils in terms of pricing because the V8-powered LC 500 is more expensive than the Corvette while the LC 500h hybrid is less costly than the Honda NSX. Need I say more, ladies and gentlemen?

2018 Lexus LC

Like all Lexus models, the LC is still a luxury car that is well-mannered and subtle in a civilized world. It still has some safety features like all Lexus models come with, Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist and Vehicle Sway Warning, and an Intelligent High Beam system as well. Summing these cars up is hard because let's be honest, with all that amazing stuff involved in the making of the LC, we really wish we want to drive one of these right now because while some dinosaurs like to walk away from this car much as what they do with modern sportscars, we have our own ways to get involved with the new LC and looks like the jealousy breaks loose when it hits the roads, both real and viral.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation