Filipino-American Eva Noblezada received her first Best Actress nomination from the Tony Awards on Tuesday.
Noblezada, 21, was recognised for her work in the Broadway revival of the hit musical Miss Saigon, where she plays the lead role of Kim, a Vietnamese bar girl who falls for an American army officer during the Vietnam War.
Nobleza will be competing against more veteran names in the Best Actress category: Denée Benton (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Christine Ebersole (War Paint), Patti LuPone (War Paint) and Bette Midler (Hello, Dolly!).
Miss Saigon also received a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical. It returned to New York's Broadway stage in March, with shows scheduled to run until early next year.
Featured in the cast are several Filipino actors including Rachelle Ann Go, Jon Jon Briones, Billy Bustamante, Catherine Ricafort and Lianah Sta Ana.
Briones, who plays the role of the Engineer, was nominated last week for the Outstanding Actor in a Musical category of this year’s Drama Desk Awards.
“I think it’s special for the Filipino community to see a show that not only represents them, but represents Asian culture,” Noblezada said in an earlier interview. “It’s a good platform for Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who want to pursue acting.”
Miss Saigon debuted in London's West End in 1989, starring Filipino actress Lea Salonga, then 18 years old, as Kim. Salonga will debut at the Dubai Opera on September 22 and 23.
Filipino-British to represent Philippines in next Miss Universe
Rachel Peters, a 25-year-old model born and raised in the central Philippine province of Camarines Sur, will represent the country in the next Miss Universe pageant.
Peters, whose father is British and mother is Filipino, beat 39 other contestants in the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) pageant held in Manila on Sunday.
“I’m representing the Philippines and that’s a huge honour. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would have this opportunity,” Peters told reporters.
“Following Pia (Wurtzbach) and Maxine (Medina), it’s a lot of pressure for me. I want to make the Philippines proud, of course.”
The 2016 Miss Universe pageant was held in Manila on January. Iris Mittenaere from France bagged the crown, succeeding Wurtzbach, who won the pageant in 2015.
Penguin Classics releases new Nick Joaquin collection
Penguin Classics, the canon-focused imprint of Penguin Books, has released a new paperback to commemorate the birth centenary of the esteemed Filipino writer Nick Joaquin.
Joaquin, who died in 2004 at the age of 86, was known for his English-language short stories and novels about the Philippines.
Penguin's new paperback, titled The Woman Who Had Two Navels and Tales of the Tropical Gothic, features a collection of Joaquin's short stories, including May Day Eve and A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. The collection was included in a recent list published by the BBC titled Ten Books to Read in April.
Joaquin is the third Filipino author to be featured by Penguin Classics, following earlier releases of works by Jose Rizal and Jose Garcia Villa.
Philippine islands dominate Travel and Leisure’s ‘friendliest’ list
Four Philippine islands took the top spots in a list of the world’s “friendliest” islands by Travel and Leisure magazine.
Palawan topped the list, followed by Cebu, Luzon and Boracay.
Travel and Leisure’s Jess McHugh wrote, “Some of the more remote islands dominated this year’s list of the world’s friendliest, with spots in the Philippines accounting for all of the top four destinations.
“While the politics of the nation have grown ever-more volatile, the people of the islands remain friendly to visitors exploring their scenic home.”
She added: “For many travellers, it’s especially helpful that English is one of the official languages of the Philippines, and that islanders are so welcoming of tourists.”
Other islands featured on the list include Waiheke in New Zealand, Ischia in Italy, Tasmania in Australia and the Fiji Islands.
Philippine entries win big at New York Festivals for film and television
Four documentary programmes from the Philippines were honoured at this year’s New York Festivals, a competition for international films and television programmes.
The television programmes Front Row, Reel Time and Reporter's Notebook were awarded gold medals for their documentaries on health, poverty and extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.
The documentary Warmer, which focuses on climate change, was awarded a bronze medal.
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