The Manila Times year in Entertainment

As the saying goes, “There’s no business like show business,” and The Manila Times Entertainment section consistently showcased the highs and lows of the industry, while opting to focus more on quality coverage and the most controversial stories.

Amid all the closed roads, traffic rerouting and other inconveniences, Filipinos were agog over the filming of the Hollywood movie Bourne Legacy. As local actors lined up for auditions, so did the residents and crowds of spectators who stalked the film locations hoping to catch a glimpse of lead stars Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton. Tourism officials looked at it as an opportunity to showcase the country as a premiere filming location, and The Manila Times entertainment staff featured regular updates, cast interviews and exclusive photos that even made the newspaper’s front page. Our Bourne Legacy coverage continued until the film’s Asian Red Carpet premiere in August, and we were among the first to put out an unbiased review of the movie.