Martin's 'Las Vegas experience'

A few issues ago, Funfare reported on Martin Nievera's "triumphant" performance on Easter Sunday at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, with his own father, Bert Nievera, and Ara Mina as co-performers. Funfare's Big Apple DPA (who was in the audience during Martin's show, along with Sen. Loren Legarda and husband Tony Leviste and their children, and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza with his wife and son, Manila Councilor Kim Atienza) has a follow-up to that Funfare item -- a sad story, I must say.

"The show was successful, all right," according to the DPA, "and, you're right, it was a full house. Among those in the audience were Americans who were terribly impressed by Martin's performance and showmanship. In fact, Martin and his dad Bert were such good performers that the SRO crowd was asking for more, more, more!"

And now, the sad story...

"But you know what happened?," continued the DPA. "There must have been some confusion somewhere as far as logistics were concerned because instead of being paid in big bills (you know, $100, etc.), Martin was paid in barya -- literally! The payment was taken from the box-office receipts that night, some in $1 bills, some in $5 bills, some in $10 bills and, would you believe, some in coins (dimes)! He was paid, no doubt about it, but in such a sorry manner."

Later, Martin told his mom, Conchita Razon, how humiliating the experience was. "I've never been so humilitated in my whole life," the DPA quoted Martin as saying.

Oh, well, at least he was paid (and, presumably, his dad and others involved in the show). In some cases, Filipino performers "imported" into the USA would wake up empty-handed, with the producer nowhere to be found.

Take a bow, Martin! You're better off than some of your colleagues. That bow is also for a job well done which, I'm sure, you'll duplicate on your HBO concert (with Zsa Zsa Padilla, Jaya and the Side A Band) on Saturday, May 13, at the Folk Arts Theater. This time, I'm sure Martin will be paid in cold cash (big bills, count 'em!), if not in manager's check (cash it, quick!).

I bet you haven't heard about a movie called Batang West Side which has reportedly caused (an irreparable?) rift between the Regal Matriarch Mother Lily and her long-trusted "think tank" Joey Gosiengfiao.

Batang West Side, according to Funfare's local sources, was originally a Regal project. Now, did Joey pass it on to another producer without duly informing Mother Lily? Foul, isn't' it?

To tell you frankly, Funfare has to hear the latest about this "cold war" (first time it's being mentioned in print) from my Big Apple DPA (same one who relayed the news about Martin's "Las Vegas experience"). It's understandable because, without our knowing it, Batang West Side has already started shooting in New York, with Lav Diaz as director and Joel Torre leading the cast which also includes Yul Servo and Elizabeth Oropesa.

In the story, Yul plays a Fil-Am boy arrested for drug abuse by a fellow Pinoy (Joel), an honest cop torn between US laws and feelings for a kababayan.

"Joey is here in New York," said the DPA, "supervising the shooting."

Oh, well, as they say, in showbiz there are no permanent friends (or business partners) nor enemies (or business rivals), only permanent interests.

Some good news, for a change...

Nick Deocampo's proposal for a new feature-length film, "K", attracted more than a dozen world-class producers, sales agents, financiers and distributors in the first ever Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum held in Hong Kong last month. Hosted by Jackie Chan as honorary president, the event was designed to arrive at new opportunities for Asian filmmakers to access themselves to the world's topnotch film financiers and power brokers.

Deocampo's coming-of-age story set during the turbulent years of martial law had international agents vying for rights to produce his film. Among them are United Artists Int'l. for world sales, Hong Kong based producer Applause Int'l., two Japanese distributors, two German funding agencies, one French and Korean financing companies, three US distributors and even one Singaporean agency which extended an invitation for the Filipino director to meg English-language films in Singapore. The Dutch group, Hubert Bals Fund, which earlier gave a grant of $10,000 for Deocampo's script for another project, again offered financial assistance to develop his forthcoming script that he hopes to write with Ricky Lee.

Prospects are indeed high for Asian filmmakers as 200 world-reknowned financiers, bankers, sales agents, distributors and festival programmers scrambled to secure first-option rights to films by Asian talents as diverse as Taiwan's Venice Festival winner, Tsai Ming-Liang, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Thailand's box-office top-grosser director, Nonzee Nimibutr, Vietnam's Dang Nhat Minh and even first time producers like Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh (the James Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies).