Curtain-raisers:
â–ºSome inspiring text messages...
• From Sander Andan, GMA 7 stylist:
Every day, choose to heal, not hurt; to forgive, not despise; to persevere, not quit; to smile, not frown; and to love, not hate.
• From Ali Sotto (Arnold Clavio’s co-host on dzBB’s Double A sa Double B):
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. — FRANK OUTLAW
• From Ethel Ramos:
Let us pray before we start our day...Dear Lord, we ask for Your protection and care over our loved ones and ourselves. Send Your guardian angels to protect us and lead us away from danger. Lord, help us to recognize Your intervention in our lives so we will never take You for granted, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Did you know that Lea Salonga, now playing Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway, once thought of quitting showbiz?
This untold story about Lea is revealed in the cover story by Julie L. Rattey, titled This is the career God has chosen for me, in the latest issue of the Catholic Digest.
Here’s an excerpt from Rattey’s story:
It’s clear to Salonga today that her job as a singer and actress is indeed a blessing and a calling from God. But there was a time when she wasn’t so sure. As a talented but relatively untrained 18-year-old singer, Salonga began to struggle to sustain the eight-show week required during the London run of Miss Saigon. She was frequently sick, and her voice was beginning to fail. Her own Catholic faith, and her mom (Ligaya Salonga’s) prayers, were helping her stay strong and handle the pressure, but Salonga, who had been a pre-med student at the time she auditioned for the show, was beginning to wonder if the end of the run ought to be the end of her stage career.
“I thought, OK, maybe this is God’s way of swaying me away from this,” she recalls. “Maybe after I finish my run here, I’ll go home, be a doctor, whatever. I don’t know. I’m just tired. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Salonga was carrying these thoughts when she and her mother attended Mass as usual one Sunday in London on Salonga’s day off. The Gospel was Matthew 25, about the master who distributes the talents and the servants who either use or bury them. Salonga didn’t reflect particularly on the reading until the sermon came.
“The priest was really concise,” she recalls. She sits up a little straighter in her chair as she imitates the priest. “All of us has a gift,” she says in a masculine voice, tilting her head with a wise, priestly air. “All of us are given gifts by God. Use those gifts.”
The priest promptly sat down. Salonga and her mother stared at each other, dumbfounded. God has spoken, Salonga told herself. You are meant to be doing this for the rest of your life!
“And that was a billion years ago,” Salonga says, “and I’m loving it. I think I grow to love it the more and more that I do this.”
Somewhere in her story, Rattey mentioned that when Lea feels “something heavy,” she prays the Rosary and when she wants to find a missing item, she prays to St. Anthony. Her mom’s favorite saint is St. Gerard (for whom Ligaya must have named Lea’s brother Gerard). Lea said that her mom gave her a little laminated prayer card when she was heavy with Nicole Beverly, her first child by husband Robert Chien, to pray to St. Gerard for a safe delivery.
(Note: For the full inspiring story about Lea Salonga’s faith, get a copy of the Catholic Digest July 2007 issue.)
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Now, did you know that the Apo Hiking Society (APO — Buboy Garovillo, Danny Javier and Jim Paredes who writes a Sunday column for The STAR’s Life Section — almost disbanded in 1973, only several months after the group was formed at the Ateneo where the three members were studying?
Anyway, in 1973, the APO staged a “farewell” concert at the Meralco Theater because it was going to disband after two of its members decided to leave the field of amateur music to either study abroad or join the coporate world.
What happened was that the concert was such a huge hit despite the stormy weather that the trio decided to stick it out. The rest is interesting history.
Buboy, Danny and Jim have survived the tests of time and trends, the influx of new talents, for 38 years and, after that “farewell” concert more than three decades ago, are set to mount a major concert at the PICC Plenary Hall on Aug. 10, 8 p.m.
Entitled Mga Kuwento Ng APO & 38 Years of Music and Friendship, the musical event will pay tribute to the achievements of three talented and versatile male singers whose bond of friendship and common love for music made it one of the most acclaimed vocal groups during a meteoric career that spans nearly four decades.
As the group’s first major concert in Metro Manila in almost two years, it is expected to attract a huge turnout of fans of all generations, classes and ages, especially with the anticipated release of the second volume of its 2006 hit album, Kami nAPO Muna.
It has been acclaimed as the most creative and innovative group in local entertainment, both collectively and individually, for having successfully ventured in all other aspects of the business, including record production, talent management and organizing artists through the hit songs it has composed.
As musical innovators and trend-setters, it was at the forefront of the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) phenomenon, achieving success in writing and recording a series of pop hits with distinctly Filipino mood and outlook, such as Mahirap Magmahal ng Syota Ng Iba, Pumapatak Na Naman Ang Ulan, Nakapagtataka, Salawikain and Doobidoo.
As hosts and performers in several top-rating TV shows, it reached tens of millions of Filipino homes, especially through its own noontime Sunday variety program, Sa Linggo nAPO Sila, which ultimately evolved into a hit noontime daily show, ’Sang Linggo nAPO Sila.
In recognition of its outstanding musical achievements, the APO received numerous awards and prizes, including the first Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino in 1994 from Awit Awards, the Filipino equivalent of the Grammy Awards.
Widely considered as a main factor in the success of the APO is the universal appeal of its music that caters to a cross-section of fans who are constantly captivated by its catchy and vibrant tunes, exquisite style and fresh and bright sentiments.
The timeless themes of love and humor that pervade its music and concert materials — consisting mostly of indigenous Filipino songs — never fail to delight audiences everywhere and contribute in making the APO truly one of the most enduring musical icons in contemporary Philippine entertainment.
Tickets to Mga Kuwento ng Apo & 38 Years of Music and Friendship are priced at P3,000, P2,000, P1,200 and P500 and are available at selected major National Book Store branches, selected major Robinsons Department Stores, Music One (Makati/Alabang), Ayala Malls (Greenbelt 1/Glorietta 1), Ticketworld office and Ticketworld website at: www.ticketworld.com.ph. For reservations and inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891-9999.
So who are RP’s finest actors?
I didn’t expect Funfare’s story about the country’s Top 15 Best Actors Of All Time (actually a play-up of a survey done by S magazine), published two Fridays ago, to stir a hornet’s nest. The board of judges was entitled to its own opinion and, like Funfare readers, I didn’t agree with S magazine’s choices. Each of us has his/her own list.
I must thank the readers who e-mailed their reactions and their own lists, including Nikki Mateo, Myrna Pascual, Bea Lyne Tiongco, Maybelle Darius, Ma. Luisa Caballero, Isabel Rosario, Helena de Guia, Celso Caparas, “MTA”, Nonie Dolor, Mark Polines, Renato Alano, Jasmine Gonzales, Nhowell Martinez and Rommel Vicencio.
Reader Charie May Carlos of Bagumbayan, Quezon City, sends her list of The 50 Best Actors (not necessarily “of all time” and at random) and I quite agree with the choices, including:
1. FPJ... 2. Eddie Garcia... 3. Christopher de Leon... 4. Vic Silayan... 5. Phillip Salvador... 6. Leopoldo Salcedo... 7. Cesar Montano... 8. Joel Torre... 9. Tony Santos Sr.... 10. Dindo Fernando... 11. Van de Leon... 12. Dolphy... 13. Jose Padilla Jr.... 14. Mark Gil... 15. Michael de Mesa... 16. Robert Arevalo... 17. Albert Martinez... 18. Aga Muhlach... 19. Rogelio dela Rosa... 20. Ronnie Lazaro... 21. Pen Medina... 22. Tirso Cruz III... 23. Berting Labra... 24. Richard Gomez... 25. Piolo Pascual... 26. Dennis Trillo... 27. Jiro Manio... 28. Patrick Garcia... 29. John Lloyd Cruz... 30. Carlo Aquino... 31. Mark Anthony Fernandez... 32. Yul Servo... 33. Marvin Agustin... 34. Jericho Rosales... 35. Ping Medina... 36. Jeffrey Quizon... 37. Eric Quizon... 38. Mario O’Hara... 39. Gabby Concepcion... 40. Noni Buencamino... 41. Ronaldo Valdez... 42. Tommy Abuel... 43. Johnny Delgado... 44. Roderick Paulate... 45. Gil de Leon... 46. Rudy Fernandez... 47. Leopoldo Salcedo... 48. Nash Aguas... 49. Edu Manzano... and 50. Joseph Estrada
Briefly noted
• Kris and Vicki still friends —Glad to know that even if they have separated business-wise, Kris Aquino and Dr. Vicki Belo have remained friends. And even if she’s now with Marie France, Kris acknowledges the good service she got from Vicki’s clinic. In fact, after the recent presscon for her and bosom buddy Boy Abunda’s new show Boy & Kris, Kris texted Vicki this message: I hope it reached you that when I was asked about Belo, I said that it was easy to lose pregnancy weight because the lipo you did for me was very good. And I said that since it’s only body procedures I will do; am so happy with the body shaping you did.
• RP bet in 2007 Miss Tourism Queen International — From Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib —
Annemarie Rose Santos Jebb, Miss Philippines-Earth 2007 semi-finalist, was appointed by Carousel Productions to represent the country in the 2007 Miss Tourism Queen International end of this month in Zhengzhou, China, with an expected 100 entrants from all over the world.
The 5’8” half-Filipina, half-British beauty measures 36-24-35 and is currently a Business Management student at the Asia Pacific College. She is this year’s recipient of the Sorciage Wacoal special award. She was born and raised in The Netherlands and spent some years in England.
Lorraine Schuck, EVP of Carousel Productions, explained that they chose Annemarie to represent the country because she exudes the qualities that will make her stand out in the international pageant scene.
• Rico Hizon’s new BBC show — BBC World has launched its very first global news business program broadcast from Asia. World Business Report highlights the latest business, financial and market news from around the world produced out of Asia.
Rico Hizon, the 2006 TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men) Awardee for Broadcast Journalism and the one and only Pinoy news anchor on the global news network, anchors the brand-new business program from the BBC News’ Studio in Singapore.
A BBC World executive says World Business Report will be broadcast in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe, and will be available in about 300 million homes.
Broadcast times for World Business Report Asia are: 10:30 a.m. Singapore/Manila Time; 10:30 p.m. New York time and 7:30 p.m. L.A. Time; 3:30 a.m. London Time; and 4:30 a.m. Frankfurt/Paris Time.
“There is so much demand for Asian business and financial news, because the region is booming and people all over the world want to know what makes Asia tick and what are the opportunities in the region,” said Rico.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@phil-star.net.ph)