Entertainment
Now Playing: Women’s Month Edition
Let’s all celebrate women!
Happy Women’s Month! To celebrate women all over the world, we asked women and allies about movies, shows, music, and podcasts you can watch and listen to, along with books you should read.
This list is also a good pick me up, in case you’re looking for something to empower you as a woman. You may refer to this article — Women’s Month or not! Here’s what’s Now Playing at Her GadgetMatch!
Movies to see
On the Basis of Sex
Carol: A bit late to the party but I can’t believe I didn’t watch this sooner. On the Basis of Sex is the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s struggle to make discrimination based on gender illegal in the United States. Brilliantly poignant with a script teeming with wit, On the Basis of Sex is a movie that should be required for all children to see. A movie that will also give any adult woman a confidence boost when and wherever needed.
Little Women
Leez: If you’ve read the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, this film isn’t the first. It’s the most recent iteration of a film adaptation to the book and before you click away and lose interest, you might want to seriously watch this film. It dabbles in the complexity of family, womanhood, and standing up for one’s self. There’s more to this book and film adaptation than just four sisters. There’s love, sorrow, and growth wrapped up in such a timeless impactful story.
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana
MJ: Miss Americana is a glimpse of Taylor Swift’s personal life. A peek at her vulnerable moments, life-changing opportunities, and chances at redefining herself and the way she sees love and praise. For Swifties (and even most viewers), this documentary allowed people to connect with Swift. It’s so raw, honest, and emotional that it felt like she’s just one of us — fragile, pregnable, and most of all, human.
Shows to binge-watch
Sex Education Season 2
Leez: It’s exhausting to live in a world where sex is shoved aside as too taboo to educate people with. The science? Abstinence is an absolute lip service. Doesn’t work, never have, and never will. Sex Education dives deep into the complexity of sex with a stunning grip of contextual circumstances. It’s a show about getting into the nitty and the gritty of emotions, sexuality, gender, sex of course, and even trauma. How it all pans out is never how we expect it to and this show depicts that perfectly.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Carol: Becoming a comedian in the 1950s was no easy feat, even harder as a woman whose marriage was falling apart. Rachel Brosnahan shines as Midge Maisel, Jewish housewife who realizes that her wit and humor are not out of place in society — she just needed a stage to go with them. Great story and a script written by Gilmore Girls’ Amy Sherman Palladino, you’ll keep re-watching the series while waiting for the next season. Bonus: Mrs. Maisel’s outfits are utterly fabulous, proving that a lady can be smart and funny while being pretty and fashionable.
The Bold Type
MJ: Millennials — who were always mistaken as Gen Z — are now at the forefront of the working force. Live everyone else, millenials have have struggled to find direction. The Bold Type perfectly illustrates this struggle, featuring three young women working in a fictional magazine while navigating modern life and struggle in love, career, and identity. For the most part, the show tackled stories women can relate to, with some themes centralizing on pressing social and cultural issues. This gives The Bold Type that perfect, woke millennial vibe.
Albums/Songs/Podcasts to listen to
Living Out Loud by Sia
MJ: When you feel like the only way is to go up or move forward, this song will be the perfect soundtrack to accompany you. ‘Living out loud’ played when The Bold Type‘s main characters decided to go after what they want in life: Kat Edison realizing there’s more to life than social media and heading out to travel, Sutton Brady enjoying her dream job and taking another chance at love, and Jane Sloan leaving her comfort zone to pursue something that will make her grow. Listen to this song when you want to make the most out of every moment in life.
Listen to The Bold Type‘s playlist.
Butterfly by Loona
Vincenz: LOONA (or known as 이달의 소녀 / idarui sonyeo or Girl of the Month) has been known as an ally of both the LGBT+ community and women for their empowering tracks. Butterfly is meant for all the LOONAs around the world — and the music video storyline proves that you’re beautiful just like a “butterfly” regardless of one’s race and age.
Listen to 12 K-Pop tracks to empower every woman.
Dying for Sex
Chay: Funny, compelling, and heart-warming, Dying for Sex is a podcast about Molly’s life and sexcapades after she was diagnosed terminal with stage IV breast cancer. Her sexual adventures will make you laugh, but her insights on life and relationships are what will resonate more.
Conservative Ako
MJ: ‘Conservative Ako’, translated to ‘I’m Conservative’, is the Philippines’ first-ever podcast about female pleasure and sexuality. Hosted by licensed psychologist and sex & relationships therapist Rica Cruz, ‘Conservative Ako’ breaks barriers by giving voice to questions that Filipinas have been afraid to ask.
Listen to other female-centric podcasts hosted by PumaPodcast.
Women at Work
Chay: Gender bias and discrimination at the workplace is still a problem we face in 2020. Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work talks issues and real life experiences, and poses solutions and advice to help women overcome obstacles that hinder them from having a successful career.
Books to read
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Chay: Reading this will make women (and men) feel both hopeful and helpless at times. If you need convincing why feminism is still necessary in this day and age, look no further.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Suzie: This book is a testament that hard work, determination, and drive never go out of style. Michelle Obama’s journey from the Southside of Chicago to the White House serves as an inspiration for readers to daringly dream and courageously break the status quo.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Leslie: If you want to remind yourself what young love’s like, this is a good choice.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Ali: Yes, Circe, as in the daughter of Helios. The story is about making a place for yourself in a world that doesn’t understand you. A bold and feminist take on Greek mythology.
His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire Series) by Naomi Novik
Geneva: The Napoleonic era fought with dragons! Reading sci-fi fantasy broadens even the most practical of minds, and this strong story by an amazing female writer is a must
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Marian: I cannot stress this enough. It’s one of those few books where I vividly remember how I felt when I finished it. You’ll know that feeling when you read it.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Mik: It’s a simple story of the right person, wrong timing. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.
Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Bonnie: Dear Girls is a series of candid, hilarious letters from Ali Wong to her two daughters about topics from working women to Asian culture to love. I pulled an all-nighter in a hotel room reading this entire book and cackling to myself
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Leez: This is a strikingly quirky collection of comics that dabbles into silly, borderline psychopathic, memories and tendencies Allie Brosh embodies. This book is relatable, hilarious, and shamelessly Allie Brosh that you have to read it.
Check out: 22 must-read books written by women.
Now Playing is the GadgetMatch team’s favorite games, movies, TV shows, and more each month. If you’re curious to know what we’re into at the moment, this is what you should check out. So grab your popcorn, get some drinks, and enjoy what’s now playing!
Entertainment
Box office: Brand New Day set to surpass US$ 2 billion, drives Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 resurgence
Sony Pictures’ fourth Tom Holland feature film sets records
The box office performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been nothing short of spectacular.
Sony Pictures’ fourth feature film featuring Tom Holland as the titular protagonist broke the domestic opening day record.
This feat narrowly beat the previous record set by another Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film in Avengers Endgame.
That strong opening continued in the next few weeks as Brand New Day became became the fastest to reach the US$ 500 million mark, breaching the milestone in just seven days, per LA Times.
The movie is already the highest grossing film of 2026, beating Toy Story 5.
Which such massive success so far, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is on pace to beat Avengers: Infinity War for worldwide total gross.
With over US$ 1.7 billion grossed in just two weeks, the film is projected to surpass any point between the US$ 2.1 billion to US$ 2.3 billion mark.
It will become only the eighth ever film to surpass that mark once it reaches at least US$ 2 billion.
The others are: Avatar (2009), Endgame (2019), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Ne Zha (2025), Titanic (1997), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and Infinity War (2018).
However, Endgame still holds an advantage, thanks to its international launch in major markets. The epic conclusion to the MCU’s Infinity Saga grossed US$ 2.79 billion during its 2019 run. And you will have to adjust that value slightly due to inflation.
In the Philippines, a strong market, Brand New Day has just eclipsed the PhP 1 billion mark, which is roughly about US$ 17.2 billion.
For comparison, it will definitely surpass Infinity War at some point, while Endgame grossed PhP 1.8 billion total or about US$ 34.56 billion at the time.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 experiences resurgence
Moreover, the film’s success also triggered a transmedia halo effect with Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also experiencing a resurgence in sales and player engagement.
Per IGN citing Alinea Analytics, since the film’s release, the game sold over 300,000 more copies across PlayStation 5 and Steam within a two-week span.
This is the equivalent to over US$ 11 million in revenue for Sony and Insomniac Games.
Plus, for the first time since the title’s launch in 2023, it experienced more than one million daily active users.
A combination of movie hype plus some timely discounts contributed to the game’s resurgence, also proving that the Spider-Man franchise has always been one of the biggest and most relevant IPs of all time.
Entertainment
Netflix: Kris Aquino makes on-screen comeback with fictional role
Long-time TV icon named “C.H.I.K.A.” of Netflix
Long-time popular Philippine TV icon Kris Aquino has made her on-screen comeback as Netflix’s fictional C.H.I.K.A., or “Chief Head of Insights and Kontent Analysis.”
Netflix initially teased the campaign through a post mentioning that they were “hiring” for the said position.
The post also contained a bullet list of descriptions that served as clues. Not long after, the streaming giant bared the former presidential daughter and presidential sister has made her comeback.
A teaser has likewise been released. The fun skit features Aquino in this new fictional role, giving her signature witty commentary inside the Netflix editing room to ensure that the production of local entertainment content is of topnotch quality.
Two more episodes will be rolled out on August 14 and 20.
Entertainment
New Yorkers compete in Ted Lasso lookalike contest at Apple Fifth Avenue
Futbol is life!
Apple Fifth Avenue or Nelson Road? New Yorkers gathered at the iconic flagship store as it transformed into a slice of AFC Richmond for a Ted Lasso lookalike contest celebrating the return of the hit Apple TV+ series.
Dozens of fans arrived in Ted’s signature look, complete with mustaches, visors, blue sweaters, and khakis. Inside the store, the AFC Richmond takeover continued with themed photo opportunities and hidden Easter eggs for longtime fans to discover.
The celebration continued across Midtown and Central Park, where brand ambassadors spread kindness with “Believe” signs, complimentary coffee and tea, a tunnel of cheering Teds for runners, and the Goldfish Zone, where visitors symbolically let go of worries by dropping paper fish into a fishbowl.
The takeover marked the return of Ted Lasso, which premiered its fourth season on Apple TV+ on Aug. 5, which arrives more than three years after Season 3 concluded in 2023.
Jason Sudeikis returns as the relentlessly optimistic coach, this time leading AFC Richmond’s newly formed women’s team while reuniting with familiar faces.
-
Automotive2 weeks agoVinFast debuts two-wheeler models, opens 21 e-motorcycle showrooms
-
News1 week agoOnePlus officially leaves the United States and Canada
-
Gaming2 weeks agoCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 clip shows Losing Ground 1st look
-
Gaming2 weeks agoGenshin Impact opens Snezhnaya in Version 7.0 this August 12
-
News1 week agoGoogle will force Android users to use Gemini next month
-
Laptops5 days agoROG STRIX G16 Review: Building for the moment
-
Gaming1 week agoTides of Annihilation opens first public demo at Gamescom 2026
-
Gaming1 week agoStreet Fighter 6 adds first Filipino fighter Yasmine to its roster












