Latest news with #SM
GMA Network
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Embrace the vibrant you at SM!
Here's your ultimate guide to Pride Month at SM Supermalls SM Supermalls is here to serve all the love and all the fun you deserve this Pride Month! From June 21 to 30, 2025, get ready to strut, slay, and snap your way through dazzling pop-up installations, drag shows, disco nights, and the country's most colorful run yet. So, gather your best Judys and live your loudest, proudest life with this ultimate Pride Month guide only at SM. Glow up at our Pride spots and GOBO light projections Ready for your main character moment? SM malls will glow up with Pride installations made for serving looks and showing off your truest self. And when the sun goes down, the Pride party comes out! Keep your eyes peeled for stunning GOBO light projections at the SM malls—lighting up the night with love and rainbows. Werk the runway at the Pride Run Year 2 SM Seaside – June 22 | SM Mall of Asia – June 29 | SM Lanang – June 29 Get those laces tight and your energy high because the iconic Pride Run is back to snatch trophies and spread rainbow vibes nationwide! Brought to you by SM and RUNRIO, this year's run is going big in Manila, Cebu, and Davao to champion love, equality, and your personal best time. Run, jog, or strut: pick between the 10K, 5K, 3K, or the ultra-cute 1K dog run (yes, fur babies serve looks too with a Pride bandana, of course!). Bag your colorful race kit, cross that finish line, and flex that stunning rainbow medal. And to spice things up, there's a costume contest this year, too! So channel your inner icon and werk the mainstage post-run. May the most extra outfit win! Cheer for your fave Pride Divas June 28–29 The stage is set and the queens are ready to SERVE! The SM malls are hosting glitter-drenched drag shows where fabulous impersonators and Pride performers slay every note and every twirl. Bring your loudest cheers and your biggest applause. You won't want to miss this! Skate and sparkle at Pride on Ice June 28–29 | SM Skating at Megamall & Seaside Put on your skates and get grooving at SM Skating at MOA, Megamall, and Seaside—now decked out with rainbow disco lights and beats to make you spin, dip, and twirl with Pride. March loud, shine proud at the Pride parade June 22–23 Suit up in your fiercest rainbow 'fit and join the Pride Parade! Bring your boldest, brightest, most unapologetically YOU costume and march alongside the LGBTQIA+ fam and allies. Let the world know we're here, we're queer, and we're not toning it down anytime soon! Post it, tag it, and spread the Pride love online Pride doesn't stop when you leave the mall. Follow SM Supermalls on social for fresh content, surprise giveaways, and all the behind-the-scenes tea. Don't forget to flex your best moments with #PrideLoveAtSM and show the world how you slayed this Pride! This June, it's all about celebrating YOU: fierce, fearless, and fabulously free. Visit or follow @SMSupermalls on social media for more Pride Month updates. See you at the mall, bestie! Editor's note: The article above is a sponsored press release from SM Prime Holdings.
NDTV
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Manoj Bajpayee Shuts Down Rumours That He Was First Choice For Aamir Khan's Rang De Basanti: " Matlab Kuch Bhi"
Manoj Bajpayee reacted to the viral rumour that he was the first choice for Aamir Khan's role in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti. Slamming the rumour in a hilarious way, the Family Man actor shared on his X, handle "Matlab kuch bhi (you can say anything)." What's Happening Manoj Bajpayee shared a social media post which read, "Manoj Bajpayee was first choice for Rang De Basanti, not Aamir Khan, says producer after 18 years." Sharing the post, he wrote, "And who is the producer who said this? Naam to bata!! SM pe itne khali lota le ke baithe hai (On social media, people have nothing better things to do)." Sharing the same post, he mentioned in another X post, "Matlab kuch bhi (you can say anything)." The chatter around Manoj Bajpayee being the first choice for the 2006 film started after Kamlesh Pandey(co-writer of the film) said in an interview with Ravya Sarda that Manoj Bajpayee had signed the film before Aamir came on board. "We had been roaming around with the script of the film for 6 years, and no one was ready to make that film. We had signed Manoj for the role that Aamir played finally. We thought we would make a small film; we didn't have a big budget. The moment Aamir heard the script, he told us that he wanted to do the film, and he even got AR Rahman to come on the project. UTV, who had rejected the film twice in the past, immediately said yes to it," he said during the interview. After his interview went viral, several portals put out articles that the Satya star was supposed to play Aamir Khan's role in the film. Matlab kuch bhi 😄 — manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) June 26, 2025 And who is the producer who said this? Naam to bata !! SM pe itne khali lota le ke baithe hai ! 😄😄 — manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) June 26, 2025 About Rang De Basanti The film stars an ensemble cast including Aamir Khan, Siddharth (in his Hindi debut), Atul Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, British actress Alice Patten (in her Hindi debut), Waheeda Rehman, and Soha Ali Khan. The film is a social and political critique of the government in power (back then). The film achieved a cult status in the following years. In A Nutshell Manoj Bajpayee shut down the rumours that he was the first choice for Aamir Khan's role in Rang De Basanti through his tongue-in-cheek X posts.
Elle
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Lorde's Album 'Virgin' Is an Early Contender for Album of the Year
She has risen. Lorde finally returned tonight with Virgin, her first album since 2021, marking one of the most anticipated music releases of the year. No one was likely more excited than these two ELLE editors, who just so happen to be massive fans of the New Zealand alt-pop star. We tried to be as objective as possible, but ultimately, there's no denying the truth: The album is damn good. In the lead-up to this release, Lorde has described this body of work as her rebirth. While it does feel familiar to the synth-heavy music and layered sounds of her Melodrama days, it also feels fresh. As she navigates the rough and murky waters of her late 20s, she expresses it through her music: There are explorations of desire, heartbreak, mother-daughter relationships, gender identity, body image issues, and more. She does it with her unique sound, too, incorporating strings, a cappella arrangements, moments of abrupt silence, and sweeping choral harmonies. For those who wondered what would follow Brat Summer, Charli xcx said it herself: Lorde Summer is next. Sure, with these 11 tracks, there's enough to carry us through our sweat-soaked parties, road trips, and flings, but there's more to it than that. Forget the sound of the summer; Virgin, like most of Lorde's music, is the sound of growing up. Here are our impressions after our first listen of the album all the way through. Samuel Maude, content strategy manager: I know we've heard it before, but it really is such a good opener. Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, culture: I was thinking about that today. On my commute in, I was doing a relisten of Solar Power and then queued up 'Hammer' and the singles she released early, and I thought, if the whole theme of the album is rebirth, this is such a good way to introduce it. She literally says it too [in the lyrics], but even the way it creeps in and then grows and grows, it's like she's opening the door for you. SM: Her gender exploration is also so fascinating to me. 'Some days I'm a woman, some days I'm a man.' I love Solar Power notably, but for fans who were not as thrilled with that album, this feels like a return to form in a new and special way. Of the three singles, this has been my favorite. EG: Banger. SM: It's like a holy text. I think she wrote another coming-of-age song by saying, 'When I was 17.' EG: I think that would be around the time that she released 'Royals' because she was 16 when that song came out. That was when she was becoming famous, so my interpretation of 'What Was That' is: Ever since I've been in the public eye when I was 17, I was kind of making a product for you. Even though it sounds like she's singing to a particular person, it also works in the context of her public image. SM: The imagery in this song is so good. 'MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils out.' The amount of times I've been in a backyard in Brooklyn with friends—not doing MDMA—but smoking a cigarette or something like that. She makes it feel like it's a unique experience. It's such a New York album so far. EG: I've always liked how she's painted imagery in her lyrics. 'I wear smoke like a wedding veil' is so vivid. SM: It's poetry. SM: That was offensive. We're not okay. What was that? EG: How are we supposed to do this 10 more times? That's only the third song on the album. Are you kidding? That was insane. SM: This album's going to change my life. It already has. First of all, I have this playlist on my phone called Kissing Under a Disco Ball. It has two songs on it right now because they embody that feeling, and this track is going to make that list because of the lyric 'I just want to fall.' The strings feel kind of Bridgerton-like too. It just has this starry-eyed, magical feeling that's hard to replicate. EG: She's so singular, because I feel like so many other pop songs that incorporate strings for an uplifting feel end up sounding the same. She just found a way to incorporate orchestral elements without it sounding corny or too earnest. I love that she did that. You could make it sound so basic, but she and her producers made it so cool. SM: I would love to be in the recording studio with them. There've been a few times she's had an unexpected instrument that makes a song, like the trumpets on 'Sober.' EG: I also was trying to, in my state of utter shock, listen to the lyrics. She's saying something like, I've been put on a pedestal. I've been sexualized. And tonight, I just want to let go of all that and do me. Shapeshifting in that context is really interesting, too: I've been the child star. I've been maligned when people didn't like my last album. People have put the pressure on me of being the Next Great Thing in pop. I've been a recluse. It's a little bit of everything. She's like, I've done all of these things, and now I'm falling to my next chapter—again, the rebirth theme. SM: It's such a rich text. Celebrities seem to have a very wonderful life, but they have to be in the public eye and might not get to experience, say, dancing with friends in a club because people are going to notice them… Maybe you just want to fall, or you want someone to fall for you, not because you're Lorde. You want someone to fall for you because you're Ella. EG: How do we move forward from that? Do we just sit here? SM: I need 10 business days to process that. EG: I was like, oh, maybe this will be one of the slower ones. And she was like, no, bitch. SM: As a single, this was the weakest one to me, but here, it works. I know this song is so important to her. I feel like she said so many times that this is a song that she needed to write. It makes sense to me here. EG: After hearing all of the big, big sounds of those first three tracks, it's nice to have something a little more introspective and focused, even though it does get big at the end. SM: She said in an Instagram post that this was the song she's 'proudest of on Virgin.' Gender is such a huge point on this project. The music video was about binding, which is fascinating. EG: NO!!! Not a song about a difficult relationship with your mom! Oh my God. SM: He was too stunned to speak. I am not strong enough. You know when you hear music, and you're like, this is going to have a profound impact upon my life? This is that moment for me. EG: I was not expecting that sound-wise or lyrically. SM: Chasing your parents' approval. EG: So that they can live through your success. 'All of the medals I won for you,' so you could feel like you were a favorite as well. SM: Have her parents heard the song? I know some friends who are going to have a tough time with this song. EG: I'm having a tough time right now! SM: What was so profound about Melodrama is that the album's essentially the ending of a relationship from start to finish, and she's very introspective about it. She distills the problem of that relationship to such a fine point. Here, I feel like she's addressing gender, relationships with parents, at a very deep level in a fucking pop song, which is so cool. EG: That's also what I really liked about Brat last year. A lot of people described it as just a party album, a club album, but no, it's profound because it's a club album that also talks about your difficult relationship with your parents, feeling competitive with other women, thinking about 'Should I start a family now?' And I feel like this is very similar. SM: That's what people are craving, music that has substance. That's why Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams do so well, because their music and lyrics are very relatable and something that's speaking to people. And I think this song will really speak to people. EG: It's packaged in that way where it's very uplifting with an upbeat tempo, so you wouldn't think that it would be so devastating at the same time. SM: That hurt. EG: Yeah, that punched me in the stomach. EG: Whoa. That one made me feel like I was floating. That sample, or whatever it was, in the chorus was crazy. SM: I was really sad. It feels very deep. It's clear this song is deeper and has an incredibly important message for Lorde. I think we'll be analyzing the context of this song for a bit, and I just hope she's okay. EG: She captures that feeling of pretending you're okay when you know you're not. And again, she invokes her mom. I'm not going to be good after this. SM: Do I need to take the rest of the day off? EG: Lots of birthing and mothering. SM: Every song has been unexpected so far. EG: I love an a cappella arrangement. It reminded me a little bit of Imogen Heap's 'Hide and Seek.' SM: The mother is clearly so influential in this. And people kept commenting on the IUD on the album cover. EG: This is also another clear example of her songwriting, how she creates a visual and has you sink into a moment or a memory. SM: I wonder what her label said when she was like, 'I want to write an album about pregnancy and birthing.' That's a risky topic, so to do it in this way is quite incredible. SM: I am really curious about her mom. Also, the song is obviously 'grown woman,' but you don't call it 'GRWM' without also making people think you're saying 'get ready with me.' EG: There's a double entendre of growing up or getting ready to become a woman. SM: I also love how messy Lorde's production is. I felt this way about Melodrama too. It's not clean; it's dirty, it's grimy. I felt that in this song, and it works so well. EG: I felt like I was in a metal box being shaken around. I know we have three more songs left, but I am already seeing myself listening to this whole album, front to back, like I would for Melodrama. SM: Come on, queen. You have three more. Don't fail us now! EG: [Long pause] Just to preface, I am already emotionally exhausted. SM: I have felt like I've lived seven lives through this album. EG: I think this one surprised me the least, as in it didn't have as many unexpected elements as the other songs melodically or even production-wise. SM: I'm thinking of the concept of broken glass, breaking through a glass ceiling, or something like that. What is she breaking through? As someone who has greatly struggled with body image, it's so great to see her really talking about it here. I know it's been a struggle for her as well, and it can be consuming, and something you can never really shake. EG: 'She' could either be herself or her biggest hater. She's talking to critics, but she could be one of them. SM: Which, I am my biggest critic. EG: I also love the way she starts it off like: I'm in the gym. I can lift your body weight. I'm so fucking strong. I can swim waters that bitches would drown in. Say it with your chest! SM: I like the rock elements and the guitar a lot. I like how she uses silence too. I think it's a good example of 'know when to say something, know when to be quiet.' She uses silence very effectively throughout the entire album. EG: It's also interesting seeing her talk about fame a little bit more, thinking back to 'Shapeshifter' and her being put on a pedestal. Here she says, 'You're going to find another starlet, and I'm going to go back to the clay,' to where I came from, back to me. SM: Then I went, is that about her mom again? Is her mom Mama Rose from Gypsy? EG: I can also just see it as her talking to the public, like, you guys wanted so much for me. And then, for example, Solar Power came out, and it didn't please you, and then you found somebody else to become obsessed with—all of the other pop girlies who came up since then or since Melodrama. Honestly, she has inspired so many of them. SM: That was a beautiful song. This is going to be one of those albums that I think about forever. I remember where I was when I listened to Melodrama for the first time. Now, I'm going to remember that we listened to this for the first time together. EG: Wow, I'm crying. That song was really beautifully composed too. She adds some synthy elements to something very choral and peaceful. She's very good at blending contrasting styles and sounds, making something pop but writing about something so heartbreaking. She knows how to work them together. Album of the year. SM: We have the album of the year! This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Manoj Bajpayee SHUTS Down Rumours Of Being First Choice For Rang De Basanti: 'Matlab Kuch Bhi'
Manoj Bajpayee shuts down rumours that he was the original choice for Rang De Basanti, reacting with humour to screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey's recent viral claim. Manoj Bajpayee has finally responded to the viral claim that he was the original pick for the iconic role Aamir Khan played in Rang De Basanti—and he did so with a healthy dose of sarcasm and humour. The chatter started after screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey, who co-wrote Rang De Basanti, said in an interview with Ravya Sarda that Manoj had signed on for the role before Aamir came into the picture. Kamlesh shared, 'We had been roaming around with the script of the film for 6 years, and no one was ready to make that film. We had signed Manoj for the role that Aamir played finally. We thought we would make a small film; we didn't have a big budget. The moment Aamir heard the script, he told us that he wanted to do the film, and he even got AR Rahman to come on the project. UTV, who had rejected the film twice in the past, immediately said yes to it." The quote quickly sparked a flurry of headlines suggesting that Manoj Bajpayee had nearly replaced Aamir in what would become a modern classic. But the Family Man star was quick to shut the door on this version of events. On Thursday, Bajpayee reposted one such report on X (formerly Twitter), simply writing: 'Matlab kuch bhi 😂." A second post followed, with the actor adding: 'And who is the producer who said this? Naam to bata!! SM pe itne khali lota le ke baithe hai." His blunt response not only dismissed the rumours but also poked fun at how quickly misinformation spreads online. Matlab kuch bhi 😄 — manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) June 26, 2025 Released in 2006, Rang De Basanti went on to become one of the most influential films of the decade, blending youth angst, patriotism, and social commentary in a gripping narrative. Aamir Khan's role as DJ remains one of the most celebrated performances of his career. Meanwhile, Manoj Bajpayee is preparing for his much-awaited return as Srikant Tiwari in The Family Man Season 3. Earlier this week, Prime Video confirmed the new season with an Instagram post that read: 'All eyes on our family men #TheFamilyManOnPrime, New Season, Coming Soon." The poster tagged returning cast members including Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, and the show's creators Raj & DK. Also tagged were actors like Sundeep Kishan, Shreya Dhanwantary, Jugal Hansraj, Darshan Kumar, Dalip Tahil, Seema Biswas, Vipin Kumar Sharma, and Harman Singha. Fans were especially thrilled to see Gul Panag—who appeared in Season 1—return to the ensemble. Though a release date hasn't been confirmed yet, the buzz surrounding The Family Man Season 3 is already building. And if Manoj's recent social media responses are any indication, he's not just returning to action—he's doing it with sharp wit fully intact. First Published:
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Customers in Canada Increasingly Turning to Retail Banks for Advice, J.D. Power Finds
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The financial health of bank customers in Canada—who are pressured by inflation, the rising cost of living and growing personal debt—has been worsening during the past few years. Currently, more than 44% of bank customers are considered financially vulnerable, 1 a jump from 36% five years ago. According to the J.D. Power 2025 Canada Retail Banking Advice Satisfaction Study, SM released today, customers are increasingly turning to their banks for advice to help navigate daily financial challenges, with 71% expressing concern about the cost of living and 36% saying they're struggling to manage housing costs such as mortgage and utilities. 'The eroding financial health of customers and their fear that economic conditions may worsen are driving customers—especially younger ones with growing deposits—to seek financial advice from their retail bank at an accelerated pace,' said Jennifer White, senior director for banking and payments intelligence at J.D. Power. 'This combination presents a golden opportunity for retail banks to rise to the challenge and offer services and advice that go beyond the transactional. Customers are shifting their focus from longer-term goals such as investment and retirement planning to more immediate concerns like paying bills, reducing debt and sticking to a budget. Banks that are attuned to their customers' pain points and can provide relevant and frequent financial advice will be positioned to benefit from a loyal customer base.' Below are additional key findings of the 2025 study: Appetite for bank advice is growing: More than one-fourth (26%) of bank customers say they are 'very interested' in receiving bank advice or guidance, up from 19% in 2021. Interest in bank advice is particularly strong among immigrants who have lived in Canada less than two years (47%), as well as among affluent customers (32%) and young mass affluent customers (31%). Shift in advice focus: While investment- and retirement-related advice continue to be the most sought-after topics, the study reveals a shift in customer priorities since 2021. Interest in advice addressing immediate needs such as ways to pay bills on time has increased 4 percentage points and borrowing/credit-related guidance has increased 2 percentage points. In contrast, demand for investment- and retirement-focused advice has declined 7 percentage points and 4 percentage points, respectively. Rising satisfaction with advice: Banks seem prepared to meet demand as customer satisfaction with the financial advice they are getting from their bank has improved from 2024. Overall satisfaction is 579 (on a 1,000-point scale), 13 points higher than a year ago. Key drivers of this improvement include the frequency, quality and relevancy of the advice, as well as the level of concern financial institutions show for their customers' needs. Advice recall stalls: Although 49% of customers say their bank has done a good job of making their interactions memorable, the trend has plateaued this year. This signals a need to find more effective engagement strategies. The study shows that strong marketing communications that affirm and reassure customers that the bank is there for them when needed (on demand) is the preferred approach. Study Ranking RBC ranks highest in customer satisfaction for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 595. CIBC (590) ranks second and Scotiabank (580) ranks third. The Canada Retail Banking Advice Satisfaction Study includes responses of retail bank customers in Canada who received any advice/guidance from their primary bank regarding relevant products and services or other financial needs in the past 12 months. It measures customer satisfaction with retail bank advice/guidance based on performance in five core dimensions on a poor-to-perfect rating scale. Individual dimensions measured are (in order of importance): clarity of advice; concern for customer needs; relevancy; quality; and frequency of advice. This year's study, which includes responses of 2,582 retail bank customers, was fielded from January through March 2025. In addition to bank financial advice ratings, the study also provides financial health support index benchmarking data that evaluates the proficiency of banks and credit card issuers in delivering financial health support to customers and includes such services as helping customers make better financial decisions or helping them meet savings, creditworthiness or budgeting goals. Top-performing banks in the banking financial health support index are (in alphabetical order): CIBC and RBC. Top-performing credit card providers in the credit card financial support index are (in alphabetical order): Desjardins, RBC, Scotiabank and TD. For more information about the Canada Retail Banking Advice Satisfaction Study, visit See the online press release at About J.D. Power J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behaviour, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies. J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit
