NY tragedy stops Pops from going to Dubai!

Where were you Tuesday (Sept. 11) night when the first word about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon reached the Philippines (and other parts of the stunned world), thanks to CNN?

Anyway, Pops Fernandez was at the NAIA pre-departure lounge Tuesday night, waiting for the last call for her flight to Dubai, when she saw the "breaking news" on TV. Pops was with her mom, Dulce Lukban, and the Side A guys and they were bound for Dubai for a show there.

The first thing that entered their minds was, naturally, to back out of the trip, especially after succeeding "flash" stories mentioned that the suspected terrorists were Arabs. Wasn’t it scary to fly right into the heart of Arab territory at a time like that?

So even if they had checked in already, baggage and all, Pops and company ignored the "last call" to board the aircraft and headed for home. It was force majeure, no doubt about it, and the Dubai show producers, I’m sure, will understand. Travelling is very risky these days, with airports around the world teeming with stranded US-bound passengers and it’s a nightmare to be caught in such a mess and, worse, to be stranded in a foreign land.

It’s not sure yet if Pops will push through with her concert – with Robin Padilla as co-topbiller – in the US scheduled first week of October, which is also the date of Sharon Cuneta’s 10-day concert tour in Japan. Will Pops and/or Sharon postpone or call off those shows abroad? If you ask me, the thousands of dollars they hope to earn from those stints are not worth risking their precious lives for.

Incidentally, Robin has finally gotten his US visa which has been denied him several times in the past because of his record as a former National Penitentiary inmate. It’s a good thing that the US Embassy saw the wisdom – and justice – of giving Robin his "right" to travel to the States not so much for fun but for work. Robin’s trip (that is, if it proceeds as planned) to the States will be his first and isn’t it a pity that, if he goes to New York, he’ll miss (by three weeks) one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks... the now-levelled World Trade Center?

Meanwhile, Sharon and Robin are into the "warm up" stage of shooting their third team-up, Viva Films’ Pagdating ng Panahon (directed by Joyce Bernal from a story/screenplay by Mel del Rosario), in Laguna. Robin plays the same romantic hero (less of "action") he did in his hit starrer with Regine Velasquez, Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw... as a tuba gatherer, with Sharon as a spinster espasol/buko pie hawker.

Asked during the story conference three days before he and Sharon started shooting what role he’d like to do in the near future, Robin said, "A kontrabida role. But I would do it only either with FPJ or Rudy Fernandez as bida. I’ve told Boss Vic (del Rosario of Viva) about it at sana nga matuloy. Payag lang ako mag-kontrabida kung si Da King o si Daboy ang bida."

Showbiz folk in NY

I’ve been in regular contact with my friend Raoul Tidalgo (The Filipino Reporter entertainment editor and columnist) who has been updating me on the situation in New York (and surrounding areas) after the tragic incident last Sept. 11. Since the Empire State Building, several blocks away from the World Trade Center, where The Reporter holds office, has been declared "off limits," Raoul and his co-staffers (publisher Bert Pelayo and News Editor Edmund Silvestre among them) had to close this week’s issue at the Pelayos’ Queens home, transported there – and back home to New Jersey, Raoul’s residence – in a rented van.

"The streets of New York, especially Manhattan, is like a war zone," said Raoul. "The tension is so thick that you could slice it with a knife. Rubble is all over, the sound of sirens (from the police cars and ambulances) echoes in the eerie disaster area, and the smell of burned and decaying flesh fills the air. There are checkpoints almost at every other block. There’s uncertainty all over."

Besides Raoul, other Filipino showbiz folk in New York include direk Gil Portes (with wife Telly and their two sons, living in the Bayside area) who just flew to New York from Toronto where he attended the filmfest where his film Markova, Comfort Gay was shown, Giselle Toengi, Priscilla Almeda (living in New Jersey), Fiel Zabat (production designer turned surgically into a woman), Susan Valdez and her family, Anna Marie Gutierrez and her family, Greg Lozano and his family, Edna Diaz and husband Rene Perez with their two children (living in New Jersey), Baby Delgado, fashion designer Nick Libramonte, hairstylist Boots Babushka (whose shop is located a few blocks from the World Trade Center), Bert Leroy, Jr. and his family, Melvi Pacubas and her family, Lily Gamboa-Boyle and her millionaire husband, Gel Santos-Relos and her family (Jersey City) and Anna Bayle (now divorced from her Swiss husband).

As of this writing, Raoul has no word yet about singer Carmen Pateña who occupied a unit (with husband, Dr. Dolf Ayuyao, and Dolf’s grown-up children from a previous marriage) at a condo very near the ill-fated World Trade Center. Carmen and family are staying on the 22nd floor, with their sala window overlooking Liberty Island. The condo and the WTC twin towers were connected by a walkway which was shown in a CNN telecast twisted like a piece of stick bread.

"I’ve been trying to contact Carmen but there’s no answer," reported Raoul, sounding worried. "I just hope she’s safe."

By the way, if you want to see the World Trade Center in all its majestic glory, still erect, watch Lav Diaz’s forthcoming movie, Batang West Side (topbilled by Yul Servo), which is perhaps the only Filipino movie to ever show that now-gone landmark icon. Several scenes of Batang West Side were filmed in the vicinity of the WTC which the New York-based Lav has grown to love the way Bicolanos feel for the Mayon Volcano. Batang West Side, lasting five hours ("No cuts, please," direk Lav insists), is the opening film of CineManila International Film Festival (put up by Tikoy Aguiluz) sometime in December. Watch for it.

Bravo, Martin!

After all that has been said and written about his "over-extended" Onstage weekend shows, what else can Funfare say about Martin Nievera?

This much:

1. Martin’s lung power is incredibly amazing. For almost three hours, he sings, he adlibs, he tells stories, he cracks jokes and he moves around a lot. And yet, you won’t detect even a slight strain in his voice. My God, where does Martin draw that vocal prowess/power?

2. Martin doesn’t just perform, he doesn’t just sing there and expect the audience to just listen; what he does is entertain to the max, leaving the audience no time to breathe. With such a mesmerizing entertainer/performer, you will forget to breathe, engrossed as you are in that "pure energy" onstage.

3. Martin connects with the audience, especially in that portion (one of my favorites) where he mixes with them, picking some people at random and talking/singing to them, asking them to sing along with him. Martin’s sense of humor and quick wit make his show even more entertaining.

What else can I say?

I’ll leave it to you to find out at Onstage where Martin’s show is on "extended extension" (tonight and on Sept. 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29, at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday), produced by Maxi-Media.

(A footnote: Did Martin know that Jose Mari Chan is not happy with his choice of title – My Souvenirs – for his latest MCA-Universal album? You see, Jose Mari’s last album is also titled Souvenirs, on Universal Records, and his forthcoming one is called A Heart’s Journey. A Funfare DPA also said that Jose Mari was "slighted" when Martin put up a show last Easter at the Aladdin Hotel a day before Jose Mari’s scheduled concert at the nearby Bellagio Hotel, both in Las Vegas. Is Martin literally following in Jose Mari’s footsteps? Just asking.)