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For the past 21 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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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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The Happy Analogues: 1st Birthday!
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AS I am writing down this column today, Thursday, July 19, my other band, the Happy Analogues are celebrating its first year in the Fil-Am music scene.
It hasn’t been a while since we first came out of our Jersey City rehearsal room and to our first ever gig as a professional band in New York City’s acclaimed Asian-American spot, Teabag in fact, it has been three hundred sixty five days in total.
As far as I can recall, I have met my band mates: Ronnie Lao, Paul Zurita and Rich ‘Jonze’ Saguirre even before we step foot into the FIl-Am scene. We might have played a couple of jams in Jersey City Filipino restaurants performing Eraserheads and Beatle Covers.
Originally, the band was conceived as a jam/cover band, since we belonged to different bands then: Ronnie, Paul and Rich were still with Socket 7, while I was then and still is with Bleud.
I believe there was this Eraserheads tribute night organized by some impresario back in the spring of 2006. And since Bleud plays mostly original materials, and me playing bass back then , I kind of wanted to step out a little bit and grab my original instrument - the guitar.
So, upon hearing the news about the eHeads gig, I contacted Rich, who was one of the directors of Bleud’s debut music video, to find some musicians for this gig only. I didn’t know that he was also in a band with Ronnie and Paul.
We met at Ronnie’s place and rehearsed a lot of Heads materials. It turned out that the gig that we rehearsed for got cancelled. Yet still, I remember that we did some shows at Subic and Dampa in Jersey City. I must say we sounded really great.
A few months later, Paul and I started to bring in some original songs into the band. The earliest of which are: ‘Alaala’ - later released via the Rock in the Box compilation CD, ‘Crazy Girl For You’, ‘The Universe is Mine’, and ‘Beautiful Pain’ - all of which are in the bands debut CD released last Spring of 2007.
One year already?
It feels like we’ve been playing for decades now. For in those 365 days, The Happy Analogues have played California twice, Maryland, once, worked the New York and New Jersey circuits, appeared on national cable TV once, recorded and released seven singles, and one full-length album, and now a music video.
We have so much to thank for so as a gift, the band will be giving away a free EP consisting of three songs and the music video for ‘Beautiful Pain’ directed by Sheryl Garcia-Reyes.
The free downloads will be available today on the band’s website www.thehappyanalogues.com and on www.soulworksrecords.com. So to all those who have been with us for our first year, we thank you all! House VA committee backs equity bill for WWll veterans.
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MANILA -- Ruffa Gutierrez-Bektas may face up to 12 years imprisonment if she fails to appear before Turkish court to answer cases against her.
Ruffa’s husband and Turkish millionaire Yilmaz Bektas said she committed a serious offense in Turkey by not revealing that she was still married to American Richard Daloia when she secured documents as the Yilmaz’s wife.
Yilmaz said a Turkish court is now after his estranged wife for falsifying public documents in order to secure her Turkish passport, national I.D. and driver’s license.
He also said that the Turkish judge in charge of the case already knows about Ruffa’s televised admission that she had a previous marriage in the US in 1999, a fact not specified in documents she filed in Turkey. The couple aired their dirty laundry in public and exchanged angry accusations in the newspapers and when they appeared in separate television interviews in the past two months.
“Legal protector”
Yilmaz has made himself Ruffa’s “legal protector” in Turkey, saying she is deeply concerned about her and the outcome of the four cases being filed by a Turkish court against her.
Yilmaz said Ruffa committed document fraud, a serious crime in the European Union (EU) and Turkey, and that the former Ms. World pageant winner would have to go back to Istanbul to answer the charges against her.
He also warned Ruffa that she may also be blacklisted in the US, making the Philippines her only safe zone.
He said that he is still open to getting back Ruffa and their two daughters who are now staying with her in the Philippines.
Before that can happen however, Yilmaz said he and Ruffa still need to talk face-to-face in order to discuss their children’s future.
Such a meeting seems difficult to arrange, now that as Yilmaz himself admits, he and Ruffa are on a love-hate relationship over the telephone.
Yilmaz said that he and Ruffa are now arguing over her showbiz career, which she has been trying to revive following her separation from Yilmaz.
Apologies, movie?
Yilmaz said that if ever he, Ruffa and their daughters ever get back together again, she would have to admit her mistakes and apologize to him.
He said that he already did his part in apologizing to Ruffa and her mother Annabelle Rama for all the cruel things he said against them during the height of his anger.
He laughed off suggestions that his marital woes would make a good movie, although he said that the idea itself is not objectionable. (MNS)
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JUDY Ann Santos does not hide her disappoint-ment over the fact that ABS-CBN didn’t allow her to promote her new movie, “Ouija,” produced by GMA Films, on Channel 2.
On July 17, she and manager Alfie Lorenzo are having lunch with ABS boss Gabby Lopez and they’ll ask him if the decision about this really came from him. The press preview of “Ouija” is supposed to be held on this day but since Juday will be meeting with ABS bosses, GMA Films postponed the press screening to July 19.
Many writers notice that since she lost weight, Juday now wears more revealing getups. It looks like she, too, is ready to pose sexy for a men’s mag. “Ay, sorry pero hindi ko po talaga kaya,” she says. “Isipin ko lang kung paano ako po-pose ng pa-sexy sa pictorial, hindi ko na makaya, e. May subscription si Ryan (Agoncillo) sa men’s magazines at dyahe sigurong makita niyang naka-pose ng sexy at parang nansi-seduce. Hindi ko talaga makakaya. It’s not that I’m putting down the actresses na nag-pose na ng sexy. I’m just speaking for myself. Kasi, bilib nga ako sa kanila na buo ang loob nila to do that. Ako, hindi ko kaya kasi hindi naman well endowed ang dibdib ko. Supposing nag-pose na nga ako at lumabas na malaki ang chest ko, people will only say na nagparetoke ako computer enchanced lang ‘yun.”
Has she ever thought of augmenting her boobs? “Naisip ko na rin, pero on second thought, huwag na lang. Kuntento na ako sa kung anong binigay sa’kin ng Diyos kahit ganyan lang ‘yan. Nang pumasok naman ako sa showbiz, hindi naman ‘yan ang tinitingnan sa’kin ng tao. So accepted na nila akong ganito, hindi malaki ang boobs.” Because she’s not allowed to promote on ABS, Juday will now do more guestings on GMA-7 shows to plug “Ouija.” For starters, she’s appearing in “SOP”.
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“THIS was an answered prayer,” says Donita Rose of her going back to the Philippines and her acceptance of the morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda” on ABS-CBN.
About two months ago, Donita was feeling down. She was getting tired of traveling from Manila to Singapore. Add to that the frustration that she would only see her husband Erik Villarama three or five times a month. For the first time, after nine years of being in Singapore, something inside Donita broke. She didn’t want to be in Singapore anymore but before that moment, she has always loved Singapore. It was then she decided it’s about time she moves back to the Philippines.
Two or three days after that decision, she got the offer to do “Umagang Kay Ganda.” She was shocked because the reason she wanted to quit showbiz was because her career seemed going nowhere. She was grateful for “Mobile Kusina” and she also did another show titled “U-Turn” which is being aired in a new channel so it didn’t really caught fire.
“I wanted something more but the offers weren’t coming. I didn’t want to just go on but some offers were great but I am not fit for those. I am about inspiring people. I am about informing and entertaining people. When I heard of the concept of ‘Umagang Kay Ganda,’ I was surprised. It seemed everything that we’ve prayed for were answered and were right there before our eyes,” said Donita.
She hopes there could be more offers to do shows so she could earn enough to save and build a house. “Up to now, I still don’t have a house,” says Donita. “That’s my dream, to save for a house, and I think that God is gonna give it to me as long as I work hard and continue to trust in Him for everything.”
Is she and husband Erik planning to have a second baby?
“I want to have one right now but it is important for us to have a house first. Hopefully, within one year, we can build our dream house so that the baby will have a place to stay,” she says. (MNS)
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MANILA -- Martin Nievera’s wife Katrina Ojeda apologized Sunday to Nievera’s sons, Robin and Ram, for allegedly calling them “monkeys” several years ago.
“I’d just like to say that I’ve apologized to Robin and Ram for any words that were said that were taken out of context and Martin knows and the boys know that I would not say anything that would hurt Martin and the boys. I treat them like my own children,” Katrina said.
The “monkey” issue began when columnist Dolly Anne Carvajal wrote about how Katrina supposedly called Robin and Ram “monkeys.”
Martin earlier explained that the issue happened nine years ago after his break-up with first wife, Pops Fernandez. “Nine years ago, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment after I broke up with Pops. The furniture and interiors were done by Katrina’s sister. One day, Robin, who was then 11, and Ram, then eight, were in my apartment, jumping up and down on my bed and broke it in half. I called Katrina, who was in New York, and made kuwento to her and we laughed about it. She, in turn, called her sister and the people who made the bed and told them the story.
“Her story went like this: “Can you believe it,” Katrina was telling them, “Martin’s kids were jumping like monkeys on his bed and broke it in half.” It was just a figure of speech,” said Martin.
Pops, however, denied that Martin already cleared up the matter with her nine years ago. She said that she was “hurting as a mother” because she only learned about the incident recently, when she was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, when she had a show with singer Kuh Ledesma.
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MANILA -- TV host Willie Revillame has been charged with violating RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office represented by Claro Arellano filed the charge on Friday.
Willie was charged based on a criminal complaint filed by his estranged wife, former beauty queen Floralice “Liz” Almoro.
Prosecutor Gibson Araulla, Jr. recommended a P12,000- bail for Willie’s temporary release.
Glen Albanon, Willie’s lawyer, was poised to post bail to preempt the warrant of arrest to be issued by the judge who won the case via raffle. He added that they will opt for Willie’s voluntary appearance or surrender to the court before a warrant is issued.
Results of the court raffle brought the case under Judge Elsa De Guzman of Branch 89. De Guzman is also handling the civil case against the TV host.
Albano clarified to reporters that even if a warrant of arrest is issued against his client, it is not an indication of guilt but only means the prosecutor saw probable cause and the court is taking jurisdiction over the accused TV host.
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MANILA -- Pinoy Big Brother Season 2 ex-housemate Wendy Valdez has admitted that she dated TV host Paolo Bediones several times when she was a contestant for the Binibining Pilipinas pageant but denied rumors that Bediones proposed marriage.
Wendy said that she and the TV host have lost touch since they stopped dating two years ago. She said that they probably went out more than five times.
She also admitted that Bediones once told her that “my bachelor days are probably over.” She said that she did not take the remarks seriously enough to explore further.
“Matagal na yon, 2 years ago, hindi ko na maalala. Friendly date lang kasi we enjoy each other’s company. Mahilig kami mag-usap. The last time we talked feeling niya daw malapit na matapos ang bachelor days niya. I lost my cellular phone. Tama na yon, tagal na nun eh,” she said.
(That was two years ago, I don’t even remember it that well. We only had friendly dates because we enjoy each other’s company. We liked to talk. The last time we talked he said that his bachelor days will soon be over. Then I lost my cellular phone. That’s enough, it all happened a long time ago.) (MNS)
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