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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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ON THE night of November 7, 2005, Lea Salonga checked another item on her list of things she dreams of attaining: She just conquered perhaps the most prestigious performing arts venue in the music world – Carnegie Hall.
Of course, included in the list of dreams, that she managed to check throughout the years, were receiving the Tony Award, The Laurence Olivier Award, The Drama Desk Award, The Outer Critics Circle and The Theater World Award, and not to mention starring in major Broadway productions like Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, The Flower Drum Song, and just about any dream that an aspiring theater artist can dream about. Now, as if it weren’t enough, she brought Carnegie Hall to its knees with a standout vocal performance.
I wasn’t that fortunate.
That night, although my tickets were complimentary, I lost $150 to a NYC subway pickpocket so the tickets weren’t free after all. And as if it weren’t enough, before the show, Sheryl, our photographer, stood up to go to the washroom, and left her purse on her seat for me to watch over. But as soon as she left, I felt like going to the “John” myself.
So, I stood up, took her purse, and left. Unluckily, I was stopped by a Carnegie Hall usher, and suspected me of snatching her purse. I had to explain myself at the security officers inside the security office. As a result, I did not get to see the first part of the show when Andrea McArdle was singing with Lea.
The set was a basic concert setup: Lea, backed by an orchestra, without any props or elaborate Broadway-like set. It was as simple as a torch singer’s setup. But, with her chosen repertoire, the set worked well.
Lea sang, among others, Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “A Carpenters’ Medly”, “Sir” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from Jesus Christ Superstar, “I Enjoy Being A Girl”, from The Flower Drum Song, “Tomorrow” from Annie, with Ms. McArdle and “Hahanapin Ko”, by Jose Mari Chan, who was in the audience enjoying the concert.
The first standing ovation of the night happened when She sang with Broadway veteran, and fellow Miss Saigon cast member, Liz Callaway. They performed a goose bump-inducing version of Miss Saigon’s “ I Still Believe”. We were all floored by the powerful performance and we couldn’t help but to stand up. I could hear the people at my back, yelling, “Bring Miss Saigon back to Broadway!”
During intermission, I rose up to get a cold drink at the Carnegie concession stand and I could feel the ushers breathing down my neck. I even winked at the guy who “captured” me, and showed him a digital SLR camera (our photographer’s), and let out a sinister grin. He didn’t buy it.
Then I went to Jose Mari Chan’s seat and talked to him a little bit. I told him how “Christmas In Our Hearts” is kinda ruling my apartment airwaves and iPod playlist recently. He liked what I said and asked our photographer to snap some shots of the two of us just having a good time.
You know what I should have done? I should have asked him to record a greeting for my cell phone voice mail. That would be really cool! It’s like having James Earl Jones make an answering machine greeting in his Darth Vader drone... “ Ted is not available to take your call, please leave a message and may the force be with you.”
The second half of the show was dominated by musical theater materials, which Lea sang to perfection. Her rendition of a special extended version of Mulan’s “Reflections” was much, much better than Christina Aguilera’s overkill of the pop version. Lea also did an emotional take on “On My Own”, from Les Miserables and It was also at this time when she introduced her next guest: Paolo Montalban.
The two of them did “A Little Fall Of Rain”, also from Les Mis.
It was also at this point when a significant dip occurred in the show. Montalban did a solo rendition of Sting’s “My One and Only Love”, which highlighted nothing but his nerves. He sang with almost complete hesitation and uncertainty. He was obviously having a bout with stage freight. He even turned his back on the audience, during an instrumental break. Well, I can’t blame him; it’s Carnegie Hall! But at least, he should have shown he was having a blast doing the spot. I bet his sweat was running all the way down his toes all the time he was there. It wasn’t much about his voice, which is pretty good for musical theater. It was his demeanor onstage that gave him away.
Anyway, Lea sort of salvaged the wreckage with her performances of two songs from the hit musical, ”Wicked”. Her take on “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” generated the second standing ovation on the night.
It was a spectacular rendition. Upbeat and precise; her notes on the rather difficult song “ Defying Gravity” were right on target and very pregnant with tonal clarity. It was, well, WICKED! It was perhaps the most heart-stopping part of the show, the climax.
Being late to arrive, due to the pickpocket incident in the A train, the press office of Carnegie Hall wasn’t able to authorize our photographer to snap at Lea while she’s onstage. So our camera was pretty useless, until the after party. And with the prying eyes of the ushers always resting on my moves, I couldn’t do much either for a snapshot.
But in a rare stroke of luck, in a luckless night, I saw one authorized photographer, who was just clicking and clicking away. I asked him if he had enough shots of Lea onstage and he said yes. So I pleaded him to stick my flash card into his SLR and snap some for me, which he did. The only problem was, his camera battery is starting to fade away. He actually got some shots for me. But most were kind of blurry and filled with ghostly streaks of light. A clear shot at a camera, which is dying due to loss of power. The best shot he got was, Lea walking away from the stage towards the backstage, when it was all over.
Lea geared toward the end of the show with performances of “People” from Funny Girl, and Olivia Newton John’s “ I Honestly Love You”. She was at first hesitant to do “People” because she said she was scared to touch anything that Barbara Streisand owns. But Lea proved that she could give justice to the song in her own right.
The third and last standing ovation happened at the last number of the concert. Surprisingly, the ovation was NOT for Lea but for a guy named Dan Berlin.
Dan Berlin? Yes, Dan Berlin.
Lea opted to do Disney’s “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, which she sang in the movie version and got the Oscar for best song. The problem was, she needed a male singer to do the male part of the duet. So, she called on a volunteer to sing with her. And that volunteer was Dan Berlin.
Berlin did a neat job singing the male vocal of the great song. And Lea was sweet enough to guide him along the way. Fortunately it didn’t turn out to be a mockery because Berlin could actually sing and he knows most of the words too, even the musical counterpoints. Dan sure knows his Disney.
The concert ended with a bang, and so was my bad luck.
I was really feeling the pangs of hunger when the show ended, so I was really looking forward to the after party. The venue for the after party was not far from Carnegie Hall so it was really promising for my appetite.
When I got there, it was already swollen with people, most of whom, were already lining up at the buffet table. When I got my chance to get some edibles, I noticed a wide array of hors d’ oeuvres mostly seafood and cheese based. I immediately dropped my plate headed for some water at the bar. I am a vegetarian.
Overall, the concert was a success. Although, I believe the show wasn’t made for the general viewing public, but for the audience who are well versed in Musical Theater and the American Songbook.
For the audience who are immersed in the two, it has to be a spectacular show.
But for those whose exposure to Broadway musicals goes only as far as the yearly Christmas re-runs of “The Sound Of Music”, it would be a sleeper. And to the audience who were expecting Lea to perform “ Small Voice”, “Mula Noon Hanggang Ngayon”, or the KILM commercial jingle, they must have went home disappointed.
But nobody can deny that Lea Salonga possesses perhaps the best vocal tone in today’s musical world. Her voice is gentle but powerful, dynamic yet clear.
Personally, I enjoyed the show; in spite of the unbelievable stroke of luck I had that night. I was actually constantly checking my hair during the show to find out if it were standing like I got electrocuted, because of the many, many times I got goose-bumps due to the emotional and musical ecstasy that I have achieved in many parts of the show.
So, if Lea and her handlers would think about re-staging the show, it would be a brillant idea.
Rating: 4 Bananas:
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Rating Scheme:
1 Banana
= you are better off eating a banana while watching a Cricket match
2 Bananas
= watch it if it’s free
3 Bananas
= something worth saving for
4 Bananas
= Are you nuts??!! Pawn your wedding ring and watch this!
5 Bananas
= Pawn your spouse and watch this.
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Ted Reyes is a musician, composer, record producer and journalist based in NYC. If you have any comments you can visit his website at www.tedreyes.com or email him at tedreyes@mac.com
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MANILA --- What made Alfred Vargas’ birthday celebration last Monday very special was a text message from actress Diana Zubiri extending her wishes for the actor who turned 24 on that day.
“She was the very first to greet me today kaya masaya ako, kinilig ako,” enthused Alfred while mingling with guests during a party hosted by Walker Underwear, which he endorses.
Alfred and Diana both star on GMA-7’s No. 1 fantaserye “Encantadia” and seeing each other practically every day to tape for the said show has resulted in their special friendship. Alfred is very vocal in expressing his feelings for Diana, stressing certain qualities of the beautiful sexy star that has endeared her to him.
“Eversince Diana and I did ëBikini Open’ for Seiko Films we became close. She’s very malambing and we share the same dreams in life. We both value personal relationships and I believe that is what’s important,” shared Alfred.
Before being linked to Diana, the young actor had been romantically “associated” with other actresses like Rufa Mae Quinto, Jolina Magdangal and Rochelle Pangilinan with whom he had starred in various GMA-7 programs.
Diana, however, is a different story. According to Alfred, she is the kind of girl that any guy could easily fall for. He said he very much welcomes other men who wish to prove their love to her.
“I believe that all is fair in love and war. Sino ba naman ang hindi magkakagusto sa kanya? Among those who were linked to me, siya ang pinakagusto ng mga tao for me kasi bagay daw kami but I welcome rivals,” he claimed.
Alfred added that working together for the same show is not always advantageous because he and Diana still have separate schedules.
“Nagja-jive kami ni Diana sa maraming bagay. Magkaugali kami and we like almost the same things. Schedule lang ang hindi nagja-jive sa amin,” stressed Alfred.
Although he knows that only time and Diana can tell if he’ll ever win her love, Alfred is hoping for the best for the two of them. After all, he thinks getting hitched at 24 is way too early for him. He said, “to be 24 is a crucial age to learn all the things that I need to learn to last in show business.”
“I want to widen my horizon some more. Showbiz has taught me to always put my best foot forward without pretension. I learned that it’s good to be yourself so that people will trust and love you more,” ended Alfred. (MNS)
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MANILA --- Young actor Carlo Aquino has denied he and former girlfriend Angelica Panganiban are back in each other’s arms.
“Nasa process pa lang kami na inaayos yung relationship,” Carlo cleared out. “We’re still patching up things. Hindi pa kami nagkakabalikan.”
Rumors that he and Angelica are an item again surfaced when TV host AJ Dee, who has been openly expressing his intention to court the young actress, reportedly said that he couldn’t proceed with his plans because Angelica and Carlo are seeing each other once more.
When asked by press people how come AJ was given this idea, Carlo firmly replied: “Huwag kasi kayo maniwala sa sabi-sabi ng ibang tao. Sa amin (referring to him and Angelica) kayo mismo maniwala.”
Carlo, who first teamed-up with Angelica in the then youth-oriented TV series “G-mik,” could not deny that the public still hopes he and Angelica will end up with each other again. “Lagi nilang hinahanap si Gelai sa akin!”
Meanwhile, Carlo transferred to Viva management from ABS-CBN because he is hoping to fulfill his dreams of recording for his rock/alternative band. The band, which will churn out all-original compositions from Carlo and his bandmates, is scheduled to record an album to be released probably early next year.
He related, “Early teens pa lang nagsusulat na ako ng kanta. Gusto ko talaga ang tumugtog at magbanda, katulad ng pagkahilig ko sa acting.”
It will be recalled that during his years with ABS-CBN, Carlo was part of an all-teen actors-trio called JCS that made heads turn for quite sometime. Now, the other members of his current and still-unnamed band are all non-showbiz, much in the same vein as that of fellow actor Diether Ocampo doing his bit as vocalist for the rock band Blow.
“My songs talk about love, pagkakaibigan... Our music is alternative with influences from Matchbox 20 and Incubus,” Carlo shared.
Not only can he play the guitar, Carlo is also a left-handed guitarist, a rarity among guitar.
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MANILA --- DO you know that one of Bea Alonzo’s fantasies is to be able to jam with Bamboo, one of the country’s hottest singers? She has also imagined of becoming a fastfood server.
These and more of Bea’s other fantasies are featured in a TV special called “Bea’s Wildest Dreams,” which will be aired on ABS-CBN on Oct. 29, Saturday, right after “Pinoy Big Brother.” No less than Johnny Manahan, the head of Star Magic, the management arm of ABS-CBN which handles Bea’s career, is directing this special project.
“Bea’s Wildest Dreams” shows how Bea wants to mark her 18th birthday. It has always been her dream to do something different on her debut. She considers a grand celebration too trivial. “Besides, parang naka-panghihinayang to spend at least a million for a one-night event,” explains Bea, “E, sa halagang iyon, mas marami kang mapagkakagastahan. Kabilang na ang makapagbigay ng kaligayahan sa less fortunate.”
On her birthday last Oct. 17, Bea entertained less fortunate kids at the Enchanted Kingdom.
I remember meeting Bea four years ago. She was a gawky, plump but fourteen-year-old. Somehow I knew she would be a star.
In an interview, Bea revealed that a talent scout discovered her through a beauty contest. He later brought her to Talent Center, now Star Magic.
One look at her and director Johnny Manahan, Star Magic head, knew he has found a star.
Nonetheless, it was not an easy climb to stardom for Bea. She had to undergo auditions. Then she was asked to attend a workshop.
“I’ll never forget those days na nag-a-audition ako,” relates Bea. “‘Di ba sa Taguig pa kami noon nakatira? Pagkatapos ng school, dadaan muna ako sa simbahan. Then with my mom, we would take the MRT to Kamuning. Sa Kamuning kami kumukuha ng tricycle to bring us to ABS-CBN.”
She was launched as a member of Star Circle Batch 10. Then, she was featured in the teenage series, “K2BU,” which also starred her best friend, Shaina Magdayao. It was when she got included in the cast of “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay” when things started going great for her.
“I was supposed to be just one of those starlets in the series. Kaso, na-notice ng mga viewers ang kakaibang chemistry namin ni John Lloyd (Cruz), who was already a big star then,” she says.
“Hinabaan ang role ko. And I was made to essay the role of a young lawyer. Since then, naka-love team ko na si John Lloyd. And I was given roles older than my age.”
“Kay Tagal ” started the John Lloyd-Bea love team. Then they became a more formidable love team when they were paired in the soap, “It Might Be You.”
They even made a movie together, “My First Romance,” with Heart Evangelista and John Prats. They will be seen next in the movie, “All About Love.”
Currently, she and John Lloyd are in the soap, “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin,” which also stars Claudine Barretto, Diether Ocampo, Shaina Magdayao, Tirso Cruz III, Carmi Martin and Hilda Koronel.
A most in-demand commercial model, Bea is seen endorse the following products: Porsche Jeans, Outland Footwear, Karanina, Cream Silk Conditioner, Talk N Text, Avon Fragrance and SM San Lazaro.
At 18, Bea swears she has never fallen in love. Her mom has allowed Bea to go out on dates with any man she fancies. “Mga prospective suitors. Ganoon,” she laughs.
Isn’t John Lloyd courting her?
“No,” Bea quickly says. “But I consider him as one of my best male friends. At feeling ko, itinuturing niya rin akong isa sa closest friends niyang babae.” (MNS)
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MANILA --- MTV VJ and “Encantadia” star Cindy Kurleto said how she has been having a very difficult time accommodating a love life in her very strenuous schedule at the moment.
“I tape Encantadia from Mondays to Thursdays and have to do MTV almost every day. Add my other commitments to that so in case you find someone or know somebody who can put up with that schedule and still like me at the end of the day, please give me his number,” Cindy said at the press conference of MTV’s “Staying Alive Music Summit” at Red Kimono in Global City.
It has been quite a while since Cindy had a love life. Her romance with Jericho Rosales made a big deal on showbiz headlines for quite a while but Cindy has obviously gone past those days.
She divulged, “and it’s not like love life is not a priority, juggling the schedule just makes it doubly hard,” she noted.
Meanwhile, doing MTV’s “Staying Alive Music Summit” for three years in a row now fills some void in her life, revealed Cindy. “The best part about helping out in spreading the word about HIV/AIDS is that we get to see each year that people actually learn from the Summit. It’s not just the biggest yearly music gathering for a cause but people really learn from it through the concert,” she added.
Fortunately for our country, the Philippines belongs to that bracket of nations with the lowest rate of HIV/AIDS cases, “thanks to much awareness and the country’s moral structure, it feels good to note that the Philippines is picking up as a model country against HIV/AIDS. We hope to keep it up with the concert happening on Dec. 1, the day we celebrate World AIDS Day with a concert for awareness that will feature major local acts like Rivermaya, Bamboo, MYMP, Kitchie Nadal, Sarah Geronimo, Christian Bautista, among many others.”
What makes this year’s “Staying Alive” event more meaningful is that it centers on the youth as research found out that children comprise more than half of the casualties of AIDS in recent accounts. “The figures are alarming,” according to the UNICEF’s Dale Rutstein, “There are 15 million AIDS orphans. Last year alone, 510,000 children died of AIDS and 640,000 were infected with HIV. The Philippines is a champion country in the ‘Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign because it has a great chance to prevent an AIDS epidemic.” (MNS)
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MANILA --- Before having a boyfriend (again?), Diana Zubiri plans to continue with her college studies. She wants to take up business management because she is thinking of putting up her own business soon.
“Baka kasi kailangan ko ito (referring to her degree of choice) balang araw,” she said, smiling.
By the way, Diana is being pursued by Alfred Vargas, her leading man in “Encantadia.” Alfred is an Ateneo graduate. (MNS)
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MANILA --- At the moment, young actor Marvin Agustin has no plans of marrying his girlfriend and mother of his three-month old twins Sebastian and Santiago. The twins were born on Aug. 15 this year in the US.
The twins now serve as Marvin’s inspiration and lucky charm as he has several projects at the moment. Marvin is in the major cast of Canary Films’ “Kutob” which is an entry to the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival. With him in the cast of the horror-suspense movie directed by Joey Javier Reyes are Rica Peralejo, Alessandra de Rossi, Ana Capri and Ryan Agoncillo in his debut movie.
Marvin is also in the cast of a telemovie entitled “Maging Akin Muli,” directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya and produced by the Jesuits in the country.
Aside from his showbiz commitments, Marvin is also busy with his business ventures, like Oyster Boy at Araneta Center in Cubao; and Ricecapades in Makati, Ortigas, Malate, Caltex-North Expressway, EDSA Central and one near UST. On Dec. 4, Marvin will open his Japanese restaurant at the 6th Level of Shangri-La Mall Plaza.
Marvin is happy and proud of the fact that he has honest people working for him. He said they meet once a month to evaluate their business performance and to make plans to further ensure their success.
“I’m on top of everything and I feel really blessed with good and honest people,” Marvin said.
About his relationship with the mother of his twins, Marvin said they are better off with their present situation. They don’t live together but he visits them often.
He said it’s not right or advisable for couples to marry just because they have children. “In our case, we are both happy with our current set-up, we are friends, we have a wonderful relationship, we don’t have any problem, and what’s important is that we both love our children very much.”
Marvin intimated to the press that they are not planning to get married anytime soon as he is concentrated on his showbiz career and business endeavors. (MNS)
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MANILA --- WE thought Regine Velasquez’s problem with the BIR has been cleared after she has settled the amount they said she was not able to pay last year.
It turns out the BIR continues to hound her and threatens to sue her again if she wouldn’t pay another hefty sum. Someone tells us it’s not really Regine’s fault but her accountant who failed to include some of her earnings in her tax book.
“Willing naman si Regine to pay some more, pero sana babaan ‘yung P20 million na gustong bayaran niya in one year,’ says our source.
Meantime, Regine is now busy preparing for her new concert series, “Reflections,” to be held at the Aliw Theater on November 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 and December 9, 10. This will be something different for her as she’d perform with the Wyeth Pro-Gifted Children in celebration of the National Week for the Gifted and Talented. These are violinist Joseph Valdes, 14 (the son of news hen Luchi Cruz-Valdes); saxophonist Jacob Sarreal 17; violinist Paulina Gutierrez, 13; and her cellist brother, Pocholo, 12. Her guest singers are Jonalyn Viray, 15, and Kim Flores, 14.
“Hindi naman ako alangan sa kanila as I’m also a gifted child,” Regine cracks after singing three songs, one of which is Ryan Cayabyab’s enthralling “Araw-Gabi,” a cut from her “Covers” album with Viva.
Presented by Wyeth’s Promil, the show is entitled “Reflections” as it will reflect on her life and career for the past several years. “I will sing songs that mean so much to me and sang by my idols like Barbra Streisand, Sharon Cuneta, Sheena Easton, Kuh Ledesma, Angela Bofill, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. All of them have somehow influenced me. To make sure magagawa ko lahat ng gusto ko sa show, I’ll also direct it and see to it that all stops are pulled to make it an unforgettable night of music for the audience.”
For tickets, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or Aria Productions at 926-7868, 426-7351. (MNS)
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