Edu not running in 2010 but will support MVP

As of 1:05 p.m. yesterday Sept. 16, Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Edu Manzano said that he’s not running (for senator) in 2010 as has been reported, even if he’s getting offers and feelers to do so.

“Magastos!” was how Edu described a senatorial bid these days, estimating that it will make a candidate poorer by P200-M (but, I surmise, far richer than that once he gets elected).

But he’ll definitely support Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) if ever he decides to run for, as Edu put it, “a higher office” (than the Senate).

“The government should be run like a business,” he explained. “We need somebody with economic sense and that’s none other than MVP.”

Asked if he would support Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos if she did a Sarah Palin (John McCain’s running-mate; a former small-town mayor before she became governor, like Vilma), Edu said, “Yes, I would.”

Thus far, however, Vilma said that, despite the “persistent” invitation, she’s not interested in running for vice president. But then, it’s too soon to tell. Many things can happen between now and 2010.

Meanwhile, besides promoting his Edu Manzano: Dancer Of The Universe album (with Papaya Yawza as carrier single, released by Universal Records) and hosting two ABS-CBN shows (Pilipinas, Game Ka Na Ba? and Umagang Kay Ganda in which his girlfriend Pinky Webb is also a host), Edu is preoccupied with running after film/CD pirates and the Anti-Child Abuse and Pornography Foundation which he recently launched and to which he contributed P1-M from his own pocket.

Incidentally, you can help in the anti-piracy campaign by simply texting to 0918-8883777 in case you want to report a pirate.

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Now it can be told:

A month after she was tapped by director Nestor Torre to play the title role in Cory, The Musical (slated at the Meralco Theater on Nov. 29 and 30, and Dec. 1), Isay Alvarez almost backed out.

“I was scared,” said Isay who, together with husband Robert Seña, was discovered by Torre for the musical Magsimula Ka (early ’80s).

“Nestor was one of our facilitators in the acting/scriptwriting workshop Robert and I put up last July. One time, pinagulo niya sa akin ang buhok ko. He looked at me and said, ‘You are it!’ ‘Yon pala, he was looking for an actress to play Cory. Natakot ako! That was my initial reaction, especially when we started rehearsing because Nestor wanted us to be at our performance level kahit sa rehearsal pa lang. One month later, I was so overwhelmed by the Cory persona that I almost quit.”

To prepare for the role, Isay read as many books about former Pres. Cory Aquino as she could and watched films clips.

“I haven’t met Pres. Cory up close so I tried to know how she feels and how she thinks. Nestor told me, ‘Treat Cory as a friend,’ and so I did.”

Asked what she has discovered about Pres. Cory in the course of her study/research, Isay said, “She may look gentle but she’s tough inside. She is strong-willed and I’m like her in that sense. She has never lost her poise and composure, not especially in public...even during the wake for Ninoy, throughout which she kept her dignity...and I learned that she lost only a bit of her coolness when they were in Boston and Ninoy insisted on coming home because she knew that he would be killed upon his arrival at the airport (which has been named after him since then).”

The musical opens with Pres. Cory at 75 (Isay is 47) and flashes back to her early days with Ninoy, covering the highlights of their lives until she became President and the present.

Other members of the main cast are Sherwin Sozon as Ninoy Aquino, Robert Seña as Ferdinand Marcos and Pinky Marquez as Imelda Marcos. Leo Quinito is the musical director, conductor and arranger. Libretto is by Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel, president of Buhay Isang Awit Foundation, who is producing Cory as her seventh musical project.

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Here’s a report on Sitti’s recent show in New York, from Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre:

True to her reputation as the Philippines’ bossa nova queen, Sitti Navarro gave a highly-charged concert on Sept. 5 that had a fullhouse of admirers at Manhattan’s Rebel Club singing and dancing with her.

With a voice so pristine, her style singularly seamless, the oh-so-pretty Sitti flirted with samba songs and ignited the crowd with material from her best-selling albums, particularly her double platinum-selling Cafe Bossa.

With seeming ease, the 23-year-old artist sizzled with sex appeal in every number, as she effortlessly crooned Tattooed On My Mind, Girl From Ipanema, Samba Song, You’re On My Mind, Hey Look At The Sun and Mais Que Nada — all of which are our personal favorites.

“She’s so cool, and her music is very relaxing,” said Nel Castellvi, owner of Perlas ng Silangan in Woodside, Queens, home of the best crispy pata in New York City. “Magaling talaga kahit hindi bumirit.”

“Sitti’s always been one my favorites and I didn’t expect to catch her show in New York City of all places,” said DJ Raymond Agoncillo of New Jersey, cousin of actor Ryan Agoncillo. “She’s very friendly to everyone...very warm and nice.”

What made this AAR Productions show extra special was the presence of the renowned international band of Clyde Bullard, who has played for headliners like Tony Bennett, Sergio Mendes, Gloria Gaynor, Eddie Murphy, and Brazilian superstars.

The band — composed of Sly Scott, Meia Noite, Ian James MacDonald, Gil Olizeira, Ron Jackson and Miho Nobuzane — was the real deal, providing Sitti magnificent accompaniment that fortified her image as a bossa nova queen that enchanting evening.

“This band is extraordinary,” said Baby Lantin, a concert producer for Miracle Entertainment. “You can hear and see the difference.”

Sitti also got solid support from her front act, Dr. Ramon Benito (a.k.a. The Singing Dentist) who gave a flawless performance with his version of Lou Rawl’s You’ll Never Find. The suave Dr. Benito was the perennial concert partner of Carmen Pateña in New York before the Ambassadress of Songs decided to return to Manila for good.

Young upcoming singer Caryl Kristen Dizon was also delightful with her Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse numbers. This Ivy Leaguer has got a first-rate voice and only needs to be sassy on stage to put the crowd under her spell.

A surprise appearance by two Rio Carnival dancers spiced up the evening of Brazilian music with their jaw-dropping gyration on stage for about 10 straight minutes clad in their revealing carnival finery.

Sadly, due to the overflow crowd at Rebel Club, the A/C system conked out even before the show’s first half was over, disconcerting the audience. Otherwise, the Sitti show was pure magic.

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