TGIF Feature: Filipino American's sci-fi 'Geostorm' releases this weekend

Dean Devlin

DEAN DEVLIN is the latest Asian/American director/producer to helm a Hollywood blockbuster costing millions of dollars and tons of special effects.

Dean Devlin, who usually is the behind-the-scenes producer of movies like Independence Day or Gonzilla, has taken the director's chair for his latest effort Geostorm, which hits the screens Friday (Oct. 20).

In the last few years, a few AAPI directors have earned the opportunity to create havoc onscreen in big-budget films, including: Thor: Ragnorok, which will be released next month, was helmed by Taika Waititi of New Zealand; Justin Lin directed the well-received Star Trek Beyond; and Gemini Man, directed by Ang Lee was released earlier this month.

Geostorm is set in the near future where scientists have developed space stations that can manually control the weather, The hero, played by Gerard Butler is tasked with saving the day when the satellites go haywire, causing all kinds of natural disasters to be unleashed, creating a horrendously demolished planet.

Eath ends up resembling a three-vehicle pile-up of Devlin's other blockbusters San Andreas, The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day. While not all critically acclaimed, Devlin's productions are wildly entertaining and end up making tons of money, which is why his latest venture reportedly cost $100 million.

Devlin started shooting in 2014, and it took two years to wrap filming. Responses of the test audiences were horrible so extensive script rewrites and additional scenes were shot to try and salvage the production.

Oct. 20 was picked as the release date prior to the natural disasters caused by Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey.

As reported by Mashable, the Geostorm tagline seems slightly distasteful in light of the hundreds of people killed by natural disasters of late, leading Warner Bros to release the following statement: “We want to be sensitive to everyone who are being [sic] and have been affected by the horrible storms, including families that may live in unaffected areas."

“I don’t think these weather conditions are going to get better on their own,” Devlin noted to Variety. “We used to call them the storm of the century but now we’re seeing what happens if we don’t act fast enough — and real human beings are suffering because of that. This is a popcorn movie but I do think the underlying message has never been more relevant.”

It is not all special effects and worldwide calamities for the Filipino/American director/producer. Devlin’s Electric Entertainment has acquired all North American rights for director Rob Reiner’s “LBJ,” starring Woody Harrelson as President Lyndon Johnson, which is set for general release Nov. 10.

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It took a while, but 'Pretty Little Liars'' Shay Mitchell embraces her Filipina heritage

Shay Mitchell loves 'You,' her new TV seeries.

SELF-HATRED is a common malady for people of color who grow up in a white environment.

Even someone who seems to have everything,  seemingly in control, like actress Shay Mitchell, has fallen into that trap as she admits in her Youtube channel.

Her mother is a Filipina and her father is Irish. Growing up in Canada, she felt the pressure to fit in to the extent of bleaching her hair blonde at one point in your life.

Mitchell, who just wound up a seven-year stint as Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars is keeping herself busy with projects lined up.

The 30-year-old actress is hard at work on her upcoming Lifetime series, You, and she exclusively dished all about the psychological thriller to ET.

“It’s juicy… It still has all those elements that PLL had with it being sort of a mystery, there’s a romance part to it and it’s just exciting,” Mitchell explains. “It’s definitely going to have those elements. I think it’s a little bit more mature… It deals with a lot of crazy things like PLL did, but it’s a different storyline. If you loved PLL, you’re going to absolutely love You."

RELATED: 'Pretty Little Liars' actress' tearful farewell 

Ýou is based on Caroline Kepnes’ best-selling novel of the same name, and Mitchell says following up her seven-season run on Freeform with another show based on a book is a major plus.

“I’ve had good luck with that in the past, and it’s just a show that I would be so excited to watch, whether I was on it or not,” she says. “It’s gonna stay fairly close (to the book) I'd say, the same way that we did with PLL. There’s a common thread from the book that goes into the show and I think the same is true for You.”
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Tonight on PBS: Bruno Mars interviewed by Charlie Rose

YOU DON'T often think of putting "Charlie Rose" and "Bruno Mars" in the same sentence, but here they are.

The serious Rose, one of the best interviewers in the news business, usually tackles politicians, movers and shakers in the business world and once in a while, cultural icons.

Tonight (Oct. 10), his guest is the Filipino/American pop singer Bruno Mars.

"It felt like nobody knew what to do with me," said the Hawaii-born Mars. "I want the freedom to do whatever I want."

Check local listings for the PBS program for the exact time.

Below, he does an acoustic version (non-electric) version of his current hit "That's What I Like."

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The Voice 2017: FilAm teen rules the stage

 WaCalifornia teenager Anatalia Villaranda survives the 'Knockout Round' on The Voice.

FILIPINA/AMERICAN belter Anatalia Villaranda survived another round on The Voice reality competition.

“Anatalia, you surprised me again with this song choice. I think that’s great that you want to keep evolving and showing all sides of who you are,” her mentor Alicia Keys told the teenager.

Anatolia chose Carrie Underwood's "Two Black Cadillacs" to sing in the Knockout Round. She went up against fellow teen Dawson Coyle, who chose to perform "Demons" by Imagine Dragons.

RELATED: Watch Anatolia Villaranda's Blind Audition

Coaches Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton agreed with Keys, noting Villaranda's commanding stage presence during her performance.

“Anatalia, you have so much confidence and power. You were ruling the room. Wow,” said  Stefani.

After they both performed, Stefani said Coyle sounded like he was recording an album while Villaranda “ruled” the stage.

In the end, Anatolia's stage presence, which included shutting left and right, fist clenched to emphasize a lyric, gave her the edge.

Jo Koy: Journey of a FilAm comedian leads to Netflix special

FILIPINO/AMERICAN COMEDIANS are a rare breed. One comedian is breaking the stereotypes of AAPI men as shy or not out-going with his laugh-filled performances, often focusing on his mixed racial heritage.

BE SURE to tune in to Netflix beginning March 28 to watch Filipino/American comedian Jo Koy's special.

The Tacoma,Washington standup comedian credits his Filipino mother for his comedic and acting talents. She encouraged him to take part in school talent shows and like many Filipino children, do impromptu performances for family and friends.

The comedian is known for mining his Filipino/American heritage for his material, telling stories about his colorful stage mother and updating audiences on his son. He's got the Filipino accent down pat. 

This is the third TV special for the comedian. He did two highly acclaimed specials for Comedy Central.

He was selling women's shoes for Nordstroms to supplement his career as a comedian, when he got the break that changed his life - an appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight show.

From there, he was able to quit that job and pick up gigs across the country, including Las Vegas.

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