Latest news with #A-Team
GMA Network
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Song Joong Ki in Manila: 5 memorable moments from South Korean star's fan meet
Song Joong Ki's first fan meeting in Manila was a blast! The Hallyu icon spent time with Filipino fans for the first time at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, greeting everyone with his charming smiles. If you missed the event, here are five fun moments from the night. 1. Opening acts Good energy filled the SM Mall of Asia Arena right from the start. Sam Concepcion, Lara Maigue, and Kayla Rivera, accompanied by a live band and dance crew A-Team brought the good vibes with performances of songs like "Standing Next to You" by Jungkook of BTS, "Pretty Boy" by M2M, "I'm Always by Your Side" by John Park from "Vincenzo," "The Poem of Destiny" by Ailee from "Arthdal Chronicles," and "Gravity" by Jongho of Ateez from "Reborn Rich." Justin Pinon, dubbed the mental assassin, known to read minds through psychological observations, performed mental tricks with volunteers from the audience. Sam Concepcion, Lara Maigue, Kayla Rivera, accompanied by a live band and dance crew A-Team, open Song Joong Ki's Manila fan meet. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking — Nika Roque (@rqNIKA) May 24, 2025 2. Flower Boy Song Joong Ki is called "flower boy" or "pretty boy" for a reason! The actor charmed Filipino fans with his waves, looks, and smiles sent to every section of the arena. The smallest act, like catching his breath, making finger hearts, or waiting to speak is enough to make fans shriek or scream out terms like "saranghae." 3. Fans love Song Joong Ki said he heard Filipino fans' cheers backstage, but was in shock to see the crowd as soon as he made his grand entrance when the stage opened with smoke and bright green lights. The screams were nonstop, and at one point, Song Joong Ki also told fans, "Don't cry." Pinoy fans also made sure to show Song Joong Ki a good time. Fans from the sections were chosen to play The Mafia Game or "Vincenzo"-themed charades. Ten lucky fans were chosen to join their idol onstage to play Read My Mind, or a variation of This or That. Janice De Belen was the lucky one who received a flower arrangement made by Song Joong Ki himself. Filo and international fans also surprised Song Joong Ki with a special video, and he was touched by it. Janice De Belen recieves flowers from Song Joong Ki ????????????@gmanews @gmanewsbreaking — Nika Roque (@rqNIKA) May 24, 2025 4. Behind-the-scenes tidbits Song Joong Ki shared some moments from his characters. The actor said he thinks "Vincenzo" appealed to Filipinos because he is a bad boy. "I was able to overcome the struggle of being a bad boy. I think I've done a great job naman sa character," he said with the help of a translator. He also shared some of his favorite scenes from the show. "Ang dami kong memorable scenes pero isa mga 'yun ay sa last episode, 'yung kiss scene," he said. "Tapos 'yung sa first episode, sa winery, pagkatapos masunog 'yung winery. S'yempre ang dami pang scenes," Song Joong Ki added. After hearing the opening acts sing songs from "Vincenzo" from backstage, Song Joong Ki said, "I took a video of it tapos nag-send ako sa mga co-artists ko, 'yung artists ng 'Vincenzo' and they said, 'thank you, thank you very much for singing.'" And despite already playing a number of roles across various genres, Song Joong Ki said he wants to play a vampire in a fantasy, "'yung vampire na may Asian color din." Song Joong Ki has also prepared for his next drama series titled "My Youth," where he learned how to make flower arrangements for the role. "'Yung character ko dito ay florist. The story is about a male and a female, talagang [they] fall in love with each other," he said. Song Joong Ki studied flower arrangements for his upcoming series, 'My Youth,' and he is showcasing his skills during his Manila fan meet. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking — Nika Roque (@rqNIKA) May 24, 2025 5. Song Joong Ki gives love back Of course, Song Joong Ki had to give love back to his Filipino fans. He said that he has Filipino friends in South Korea and Italy, "kaya I really wanted to go to Manila para makita ko ang mga Filipino fans ko." The actor said he loves the Filipino language, and made sure to learn words like "mahal na mahal kita," "masarap," and "sumakses." "Sobrang saya 'yung pronunciation nung Tagalog," he said. Before the show ended, Song Joong Ki got closer to fans from the stage to take photos with them. More than that, he also made this promise. After watching the surprise video from fans, Song Joong Ki said he is very touched and said, "Sa tingin ko, babalik ako dito sa Manila." "Maraming-maraming salamat sa inyong suporta, pagmamahal sa akin. And I will give this back to you guys, s'yempre [by being] a good actor, [and have] good works as well. So sa tingin ko, dapat babalik ako dito sa Manila," he added. —MGP, GMA Integrated News
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ed Sheeran given unusual secret code name ahead of Big Weekend surprise set
Only 10 people knew that Ed Sheeran would be performing at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend today - and they used a secret code name when talking about the Shape of You singer Ed Sheeran was given a secret code name ahead of his surprise appearance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend today, we can reveal. The announcement of his performance came just 45 minutes before the Shape of You singer, 34, took to the stage and security had to close the area after it reached capacity. Opening with Castle on the Hill, Ed performed old and new hit Shivers, A-Team, Don't, Old Phone and Photograph. Insiders said the performance had been in the planning for two months - but only 10 people knew about it. And to keep Ed 's appearance secret, they would refer to the singer as John Smith up until today. Radio 1 breakfast show host Greg James was one of the few people that knew about Ed's secret gig from the beginning. "I don't even tell anyone at work," revealed Greg. "I was sworn to secrecy. He wanted to do it as a surprise. He wanted to build that excitement. "I saw him an hour before in his dressing room and he said 'I'm worried because no one knows I'm here, no one's going to turn up and the tent's going to be empty.' I said 'You're Ed Sheehan mate, the tent's not going to be empty.' Big Weekend throws up those surprises. The tent was full, people got turned away." During his performance, Ed told fans he chose to sing on the new music stage as it's the only one he hadn't sang on and wanted to celebrate up and coming musicians. He told the audience at Sefton Park: "I'm glad you turned up. I know this was a secret. "I'm gonna play some songs that hopefully you know; If you don't know, it's gonna be a long hour for you." The singer added that by using his loop station, his set would be unique: "Everything you hear today is completely live. There's no backing track whatsoever. "It's made live on the spot - control of my feet - and at the end it's deleted and it won't be the same at the next show. The way that it works is you press record like this, and when you press play, it plays back and loops, and you can add layers on top of it." During his performance of latest song Azizam, Ed stopped and restarted his loop recording, telling the crowd: "I'm going to have to do this again again. This is how you know it's live. One more time." Ed, who has 14 UK number one singles and eight UK number one albums and headlined the Big Weekend music festival in Coventry in 2022, finished his surprise set with Bad Habits. A source at Big Weekend said: "The BBC knew Ed would draw in a huge crowd on the BBC New Music stage. The crowd were filled with hysteria as the Red head took to the stage. But just minutes after he took to the stage, the crowd was put on lockdown due to unprecedented demand meaning nobody else could get in until after his set." Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, Blossoms, Myles Smith and the Sugababes all took the stage for the second day of the three day event. Haim and JADE are among those performing on Sunday.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Watch Ed Sheeran wow fans with surprise festival gig as security step in
Singer Ed Sheeran has wowed fans as he made a surprise performance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend today, much to the delight of fans. Thousands packed into the new music stage after it was announced he was performing just 45 minutes before his set. Security had to close the area after it reached capacity for the secret performance. Opening with Castle on the Hill, he went on to perform old and new hit Shivers, A-Team, Don't, Old Phone and Photograph. He told fans he chose to perform on the new music stage as it's the only one he hadn't sang on and wanted to celebrate up and coming musicians. A source at Big Weekend said: "The BBC knew Ed would draw in a huge crowd on the BBC New Music stage. The crowd were filled with hysteria as the Red head took to the stage. "But just minutes after he took to the stage, the crowd was put on lockdown due to unprecedented demand meaning nobody else could get in until after his set.' The 34 year old Perfect singer's performance at the Liverpool-based festival was announced a mere moments before he appeared on stage. BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend fans were seen dancing, jumping and singing along with their hands in the air while the music star belted out his hits. Rumours had been swirling that a big name star was set to make an appearance at the festival and it was later announced that the special guest was Ed. BBC Radio 1 made the announcement on their Instagram. In the video announcement, BBC Radio 1 star Greg James says the secret set is "the best surprise we could possibly have done". And it appears festival-goers were also in agreement as the area was so packed during Ed's set that it was locked down. A photo from the festival shows the crowd stretching out way past the tent which Ed is performing in. Ed's performance wowed festival-goers as one wrote on the comments of Radio 1's Instagram announcement: "Absolutely everything Liverpool needed" another added: "The goat is in town". Ed's surprise set comes as the singer is currently on tour.
Extra.ie
30-04-2025
- General
- Extra.ie
Warning to beware the perils of using work WhatsApp group
WhatsApp group chats can 'blur the boundaries' between the professional and private lives of employees, a tribunal in Britain has warned. It pointed out the dangers of colleagues mixing messages about work with social 'chit-chat, jokes and inappropriate language'. A conversation between four female staff at a children's nursery was highlighted as a 'perfect example' of when the divide between people's jobs and personal relationships goes wrong. WhatsApp. Pic: Oasisamuel/Shutterstock The ruling came in the case of a deputy manager, Laura Pagnello, who took action against Barrow Hill Pre-School in London after she was referred to as 'witcheypoo' in the group chat. While her case was dismissed, the tribunal criticised the nursery. Judge Garry Smart expressed 'disappointment' that a 'simple issue' of the nursery briefly breaching its ratio of staff to children had led to a family feud, calls to police, a 'dubious' referral to the local authority, 'childish' comments on WhatsApp and the resignation of every trustee from the facility's board. The hearing was told Ms Pagnello was related by marriage to the nursery's boss, Mandy Rogan, and that she was friends as well as colleagues with childcare practitioners Kelly Shailer and Karen McKenna. The preschool had a WhatsApp group called the 'A-Team' with the four being members. The 'watershed moment' was an incident in June 2023 when, due to a medical emergency, Mrs Rogan had to leave work. This left Ms Pagnello with fewer staff than was required to supervise the children. Pic: Fiordaliso / Getty Images She voiced her concerns to members of the nursery's trustees in front of parents that the ratio was 'in breach of the law'. The tribunal heard that the relations with her fellow staff began to deteriorate. On the last day of term in July, Ms McKenna and Mrs Rogan went for a late 'bottomless prosecco' lunch while Ms Shailer went straight on holiday. Ms Shailer put in the group chat: 'Left witcheypoo mopping coz Mandy said she has to do her work lol'. When Ms Pagnello took exception, Ms Shailer responded: 'Soz p* on the beach.' The following month, Mrs Rogan told Ms Pagnello she was facing disciplinary proceedings over the June incident, alleging she had 'acted in a manner that was disrespectful and unprofessional in front of parents'. Ms Pagnello accused Mrs Rogan of bullying her and then reported the pre-school to Ofsted. Ms Pagnello was signed off with stress and, after a warning, quit in March last year, taking the nursery to the tribunal claiming whistleblower detriments and constructive dismissal. However, the panel found her treatment had not been due to her making protected disclosures, and she had not been sacked.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Why you should beware the perils of using the work WhatsApp group
Whatsapp group chats can 'blur the boundaries' between the professional and private lives of employees, a tribunal has warned. It pointed out the dangers of colleagues mixing messages about work with social 'chit-chat, jokes and inappropriate language'. A conversation between four female staff at a children's nursery was highlighted as a 'perfect example' of when the divide between people's jobs and personal relationships goes wrong. The ruling came in the case of deputy manager Laura Pagnello, who took action against Barrow Hill Pre-School in St John's Wood in north London after she was referred to as 'witcheypoo' in the group chat. While her case was dismissed, the tribunal criticised the nursery. Judge Garry Smart expressed 'disappointment' that a 'simple issue' of the nursery briefly breaching its ratio of staff to children had led to a family feud, calls to police, a 'dubious' referral to the local authority, 'childish' comments on WhatsApp and the resignation of every trustee from the facility's board. The hearing in central London was told Ms Pagnello was related by marriage to the nursery's boss Mandy Rogan and that she was friends as well as colleagues with childcare practitioners Kelly Shailer and Karen McKenna. The pre-school had a WhatsApp group called the 'A-Team' with the four being members. The 'watershed moment' was an incident in June 2023 when – due to a medical emergency – Mrs Rogan had to leave work. This left Ms Pagnello with fewer staff than was required to supervise the children. She voiced her concerns to members of the nursery's trustees in front of parents that the ratio was 'in breach of the law'. The tribunal heard the relations with her fellow staff began to deteriorate. On the last day of term in July, Ms McKenna and Mrs Rogan went for a late 'bottomless prosecco' lunch while Ms Shailer went straight on holiday.
