Tag Archives: Dan Brown

BEST SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL GOES TO … HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

January 30, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

GLENDALE, Arizona (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s Super Bowl time, and next to the actual football match between the Patriots and the Seahawks, the most awaited moments are the 60-minute ads that will be aired during the live telecast to be beamed worldwide.

Companies cough up millions of dollars for an advertising spot during the game, and it has always been a competition on which is the best commercial.

Well, this year, it’s hands down — Hawaiian Airlines tops the competition, airing a commercial promoting its regular flights from the U.S. Mainland to the Philippines.

Many have read novelist Dan Brown’s most recent book, ‘Inferno’ in which he described Manila as the “Gates of Hell.”

Hawaiian Airlines’ commercial hit the bull’s eye with its tag line, “Fly to the Gates of Hell, with a stopover in Paradise.” It is a promotion for its flight from the U.S. Mainland to Manila with a stopover in Hawaii.

Philippine Airlines is reportedly very upset because the Hawaiian Airlines commercial is sure to negatively impact its ticket sales.

Film and TV, International, Tourism

‘INFERNO’ STARTS FILMING IN APRIL; FILM CREW BANNED IN MANILA

August 27, 2014 Pol Pinoy 3 Comments

Hollywood, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s official. Filming for Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’ begins in April next year and is expected to hit the theaters in December, 2015, according to an announcement by Sony Pictures.

Actor Tom Hanks will be reunited with director Ron Howard in this movie version of the fourth installment of Brown’s blockbuster novel. David Koepp has been tapped to pen the script.

Hanks will reprise his role as Professor Robert Langdon, a role he played in the ‘The Da Vinci Code.’

Most of the new film will be shot in Italy, except for a few scenes which, in the book version, happens in Manila where the crowded metropolis was tagged by Brown as “the gates of hell.” He described Manila as a city riddled with poverty, crime and prostitution. And traffic.

But there is a big problem. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has said that it has refused to issue a permit to Sony Films to shoot scenes in Manila or its neighboring cities. “How can anyone expect us to be hospitable to a film crew of a movie that denigrates our reputation,” an MMDA spokesperson said.

MMDA said that it will grant the filming permit only if scriptwriter Koepp will change the line “gates of hell” to “stairway to heaven.”

Sony pictures has not returned calls from The Adobo Chronicles seeking comment on the MMDA statement.

International, Politics, The Media, Travel

OBAMA’S KINDER, GENTLER WORDS FOR MANILA

April 28, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Obama inspecting the honor guard in Manila

Manila, Philippines – Author Dan Brown, in his latest novel ‘Inferno’ called Manila the ‘Gates of Hell,’ but visiting U.S. President Barack Obama has much kinder, gentler words for the Philippine capital.

“I would rather call it the ‘Gates of Purgatory,’ since I just have a couple of days to endure the city’s sweltering heat,” Obama said, soon after he inspected the honor guard during arrival ceremonies at Malacañang, the Philippine presidential palace. Obama reviewed the troops under 93- degree weather, considered mild by Philippine standards.

Catholics believe that purgatory is the half-way or temporary place their souls go to after they die while they wait for St. Peter to open the gates of Heaven. During this interim period, the souls can atone for their sins with the help of prayers by their living relatives.

It remains to be seen whether Obama will still have the same kind words for Manila after he experiences the enormous traffic gridlock that’s part of everyday life in the metropolis.