Super’s A to Z of 2024

A – Alice Guo. Or should we put her under G, for Guo Hua Ping? What an awful start to this alphabet, we know. But the Bamban mayor made headlines this year for her questionable citizenship (Is she a Chinese spy?) and ties to Pogo operations in her municipality. The senate inquiry had us riveted and frustrated. Her evasive answers became internet fodder. While some memes made us laugh, what we’re left with is anger—at Guo, the people behind her, and the failure of a system that made it possible for her to have been created and for them to have gotten away with it for as long as they did.

B – On to a better and brighter subject: Bini, the Nation’s Girl Group. This has definitely been their year. Their huge hits, multitude of brand deals, memorable performances, sold-out concerts, and countless devoted fans are testament to their star power. We can’t wait to see what’s next for and from Gwen, Mikha, Maloi. Jhoanna, Colet, Sheena, Stacey, and Aiah.

C – Chappell Roan has been making music for close to a decade but it was in 2024 that she really made her breakthrough. She went from being a support act at Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” tour to superstardom, thanks to songs like “Pink Pony Club” and “Good Luck, Babe!” Here in the Philippines, at a Sticker Con event in June, “Hot To Go” had everyone stopping what they were doing—whether it was shopping or selling—so they could sing and dance along to the song. That’s the power of your favorite artist’s favorite artist.

D – “Deadpool & Wolverine” hit the cinemas and set records including the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film in the United States and highest grossing R-rated movie of all time.

E – It’s been a great year for the Eraserheads and Eraserheads fans, with the band touring in different parts of the world including the United States, Canada, and the Middle East. (We’re ready for another concert in the Philippines, please?) Buddy Zabala, Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro and Raymund Marasigan were also awarded the Gawad Oblation, the highest distinction from the University of the Philippines, which is their alma mater.

F – “Flowers“ won Miley Cyrus her first Grammy. After eight nominations, she bagged Best Pop Solo Performance—and got the bonus of receiving it from Mariah Carey.

G – Twenty-four years after the movie that made Russell Crowe a star and earned him his Best Actor Oscar, “Gladiator 2” came out. No Crowe this time. The movie, directed by Ridley Scott, featured Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington.

H – “Hello, Love, Again,” the sequel to 2019’s “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” reunited Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards on the big screen and made over P1 billion pesos at the box office. It’s now the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time.

I – “Inside Out 2” was a triumphant sequel. Nine years after the original animated film, Riley returned with her emotions plus a few new ones, bringing joy (Joy!) to theater audiences everywhere and claiming the top spot at the worldwide box office for 2024.

J – “Jujutsu Kaisen,” Gege Akutami’s beloved manga series, ended this year. It’s the end of an era for fans. But a two-hour movie is set for come out in 2025.

K – It was another wonderful year to be a Filipino K-pop fan. The Philippines remains to be a favorite stop for K-pop acts. Enhypen’s “Fate” World Tour was the first concert held at the New Clark City in Pampanga. There were even free carnival rides outside the venue, something that has never been done at any K-pop event in any part of the world. It’s an epic celebration of the septet’s popularity among the young K-pop listeners.

Longtime K-pop fans were spoiled with the lineup of acts that performed in the country this year. Vocal powerhouse BTOB performed as a group after a long time; Shinee members Onew and Taemin came as soloists; EXO made sure that their fans did not miss them for too long—their members also came to the country as solo acts. We got to know Suho, D.O., Chanyeol, and Chen at their events.

Female artists also performed in the country. IU performed and her mom gifted everyone photocards. Itzy’s event was a very fun party and Ive had a memorable show in the country as well.

Fourth generation acts also showed up. Stray Kids returned, as promised, in a bigger venue. They’ve been dreaming about performing in Philippine Arena since they performed there at the Asia Artist Awards last year. The members of Treasure are performance monsters and we got to witness that again. ZeroBaseOne and Riize had their first taste of the Filipino crowd this year.

Byeon Woo-seok, Ji Chang-wook and Kim Soo-hyun spoiled their fans through their successful fan meets.

K-drama fans also had plenty to enjoy this year, with shows like “Queen of Tears,” “Marry My Husband,” “Lovely Runner,” and “Love Next Door.” “When the Phone Rings” is closing out the year strong and will continue to keep fans hooked until January.

L – 2024 was also the year of Labubu, thanks to Blackpink’s Lisa, whose single post showing her plush pendants catapulted the toothy elf and Pop Mart from being favorites in the world of toy collectors to a mainstream obsession. Now, Labubus are everywhere, being freed from blind boxes and dangling from people’s bags. We see the craze continuing into the next year.

M – “Miss Saigon” in Manila. Over 20 years after Manila audiences got to see Lea Salonga play Kim at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, GMG Productions and GWB Entertainment brought “Miss Saigon” back to the Philippines. The Asian tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s “Miss Saigon,” which ran at The Theatre at Solaire from March to May, featured Filipino Australian actor Abigail Adriano as Kim and she did a fantastic job. It was a beautiful production, one that allowed fans to experience an old favorite in a fresh way, and also introduced the show to a new generation of theatergoers.

N – Nineties’ fashion made a comeback in 2024—baggy pants, platform shoes (Mary Janes!), chokers, graphic tees (but are they ever not in style?) crop tops, scrunchies, and more. We should have kept our stuff from decades ago.

O – “One More Chance, The Musical” brought Popoy, Basha, and the Thursday barkada to the Peta (Philippine Educational Theater Association) stage. The iconic and oft-quoted Star Cinema movie starring Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz was transformed into a musical featuring the songs of Ben&Ben. There was so much excitement over it that the show sold out even before rehearsals started—a first for Peta. We loved, loved, loved Sam Concepcion as Popoy.

P – The Paris Olympics gave us plenty to be excited about—and we don’t just mean the actual competitions. A super chill Turkish shooter, a super cool Korean shooter, gooey chocolate muffins, breakdancing, Snoop Dogg, the pole vault (emphasis on pole), marriage proposals—the list goes on. But of course, the thing that got us excited the most was the Philippines’ first double gold, thanks to gymnast Carlos Yulo (see Y on C4).

Q – Filipino drag queens shone in 2024. “Drag Race Philippines Season 3” streamed earlier this year and many fans agree that it’s one of the best seasons from the entire “RuPaul’s Drag Race” universe—just look at the IMDB ratings. Season 3 gave us a new batch of queens to love and root for, including winner Maxie. Season 1 alumni Marina Summers and Eva Le Queen also did us proud by competing internationally in “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World” Season 2 and the first “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars,” respectively.

R – R is for restaurants. Our tummies and taste buds were happy this year, as our country’s vibrant food scene continued to flourish with exciting launches, chef collabs, pop-ups and new restaurant openings like Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill and Morton’s The Steakhouse.

S – Scams and scammers. We hate them so. They thrived and were relentless in 2024—hello, National Telecommunications Commission, what is going on? What was the point of the SIM card registration? And why are we getting scam messages from official SMS alert numbers of telcos and e-wallets? While they sort things out (if they ever will), protect yourself. Be vigilant, do not click on links from unknown numbers and people you don’t trust, and never entertain the job offers from strangers on Whatsapp.

T – Taylor Swift continues to reign. Her epic Eras Tour continued in 2024, ending just earlier this month, she won her fourth Album of the Year Grammy (the first and only artist to have achieved such a feat) for “Midnights,” and her album “Tortured Poets Department” came out in April. She’s winning at life and we’re happy for her and the Swifties.

U – We’re not in the United States and yet it was hard not to keep our eye on the U.S. Elections. The results were surprising (and gave us some flashbacks), with Donald Trump beating Kamala Harris. We can only wait and see what happens when Trump returns to the White House.

V – “Very mindful, very demure” is a gift Tiktoker Jools Lebron gave the world in 2024. Lebron was actually talking about work-appropriate makeup but people have picked up the phrase and used it for all sorts of scenarios. That video has changed Lebron’s life. Of course, some opportunistic jerk tried to copyright the phrase before Lebron could. Not very mindful, not very demure, not very cutesy. We hope Lebron prevails.

W – “Wicked.” Do we really need to say anything about the movie adaptation of the hit musical based on the book by Gregory Maguire? Where do we begin? And how do we stop? It was a total triumph. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo crushed it. Jon M. Chu honored a show loved by so many and his respect and passion for the material showed in the way he created this film. The music, the choreography (“What Is This Feeling?,” “Dancing Through Life”—are you kidding?), the set design (9 million tulips!), we loved all of it. We cannot wait for Part Two and we’re ready to cry over “For Good.” And yeah, we cannot wait for the sing-along version to hit cinemas too.

X – X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter (no thanks to new owner Elon Musk), has been hemorrhaging users. Will we be switching to Bluesky in 2025?

Y – Gymnast Carlos Yulo—or Caloy, as people call him fondly—brought the country great pride at the Paris Olympics, where he won two gold medals. Olympic gold is a huge achievement, multiple gold even more so, and it’s an accomplishment that cannot and should not be marred by family drama. We salute you, Caloy!

Z – One zoo grabbed the attention of the world, thanks to an adorable baby Pygmy hippo. Eyes were on Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo because that’s where Moo Deng was born. The chunky little diva charmed the world with her cuteness, rosy cheeks, and propensity for biting the knees of zoo keepers. In 2025, we hope to be like her: “Unbothered. Moisturized. Happy. In my lane. Focused. Flourishing.”