Lookie what I found while I had my old stash of VHS tapes digitized: a clip of Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez when they were still Martin-Pops, the most beloved local show-biz couple there was. Or, for a time at least, in the '80s-90s when they seemed to be the ideal celebrity pair, best friends as well as husband and wife, whose rapport translated to a warm, easygoing intimacy before the TV cameras that legions of fans adored and thrilled to. I'm not sure where this clip is from--Penthouse Live?--but it sure brings back the heyday of those long-ago years. He was one of the two biggest-selling male musical artists in the country (the other being Gary Valenciano), and she, while a middling singer, carved a name for herself as an engaging, classy TV host. Together, they were Martin-Pops, or Pops-Martin, no surnames needed. Here, shaggy hair and all, Martin already has his mannerisms down pat. But Pops--my gulay, how she looked then.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Love Yourself Cafe--it's back!
Join this exclusive, discreet, yet fun event happening in the love month of February! We'll talk about friendship and love among people like us. This is a by-invitation event, so register now so you can be considered in the selection process.
[Today's the last day to register--here.]
If love is a tree--sturdy, beautiful, fruitful, and teeming with rich, energetic life--then friendship is its roots. Where there is love, there is friendship; just as the roots are to the tree, friendship to love is that which sustains, grounds, and strengthens. So in, February, traditionally the month when we celebrate love, we zero in on its fundamental, animating principle: Friendship, specifically among men who like men.
Migs the Manila Gay Guy and the Love Yourself organization thus bring you, once again, the Love Yourself Cafe. It’s a safe place for casual conversations on topics that dare, with people who care to question and share. Our topic for the cafe is:
Friendship & Love Among Men
February 11, 2012, Saturday
6 to 9 PM
While this is a relaxed and fun environment, privacy and confidentiality are taken very seriously. Attendance is strictly by invitation. To ensure privacy of all attendees, venue details shall be sent only to the invited participants.
Travel Time, The Magazine welcomes Year of the Dragon with Dragon Lore issue
The January to March 2012 issue is packed with articles on major and emerging destinations, travel tips, people, and culture. On the cover is Wushu World Champion Mark Robert Rosales carrying a dragon head from the Ling Nam Athletic Federation. This issue features articles from prominent Tsinoys such as Teresita Ang-See, Meah Ang-See and Doreen Yu. It also carries articles from former DOH Secretary Jaime Galvez-Tan and director Floy Quintos.
The cover story is "My Downtown" by Doreen Yu, who takes readers around the streets of Binondo to share favorite places from her childhood.
In "The Sugarland Express" (Detour), Ricky Lopez also talks about his tours of Negros Occidental and finds out that there is so much more to the province than its title as the Sugar Capital of the Philippines. Meanwhile, in "Suroy Suroy Sugbo" (Special Feature), Maridol Ranoa Bismark tours 22 towns in three days and watches the whole of Cebu come alive during the Suroy Suroy Sugbo festivities. Celina Cruz and Lala Dimaano, for their part, enjoy a whole day of eating with only P100 in "A Diliman Food Trip" (Quick and Easy).
Meah Ang-See opens the doors of Bahay Tsinoy and takes us on a tour to see the story of Tsinoy generations in "Scenes from a Tsinoy Past" (Soul). In "The Inconvenient Truth About Water" (Travel Green), Olivia la O’ Castillo of the United Nations Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation shares some points on the conservation of water.
Readers are in for an drenaline rush while reading "My Kayak and Me" (Thrill), written by Buzzy Budlong, who kayaks his way around the Philippine islands in 88 days. Walter Ang, on the other hand, tours Barcelona and discovers the Gaudi beneath the gaudy in the article "Gaudy! Gaudi! Go!" (Letters From Abroad).
And in "From Niño to Nazareno" (Folio), Floy Quintos sees the depth of our devotion to Senyor Santo Niño and the Nazareno in dramatic images captured by various photographers.
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with features such as "Enter the Dragon" (Astral Travel) by Walter Ang, and find out what the Dragon has in store for you in 2012; in "Here, There and Everywhere" (Dossier), Teresita Ang-See shares the journey of Tsinoys in the Philippines.
Learn some tips on how to attract positive energy from Feng Shui expert Francis Gaw in "It’s All About Balance" (Savvy); find out which charms will bring you health and good luck in "Stoned!" (Market). And in "The Best of Traditional Chinese Medicine" (Whole), former DOH Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan ticks off the most effective Chinese treatments, while Jin Perez welcomes the Chinese New Year with some all-time favorites in "Beyond Basic Chinese" (Flavors).
DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. talks about what’s in store for Philippine tourism in 2012 in "A Golden Era Begins" (Memo). Also, let’s celebrate heirloom cuisine in Silay City’s 14th Adobo Festival in "Adobo (r)evolution" (Flavors); read "A Fair Affair" (By Demand) and make Valentine’s Day extra special and extra equitable with the recommended His and Hers activities.
Finally, Tita Susan talks about her Chinese roots in "My Chinese Connection" (Travels With My Aunt).
Susan Calo Medina’s Travel Time, The Magazine, retails for only P125 and is available in Powerbooks, Fully Booked, Wilcon Builder’s Depot, National Bookstore and other major bookstores and magazine outlets nationwide. It is distributed by Emerald Headway Distributors, Inc. Grab your copy now!
For subscriptions, call Louise Lim 0917-5696554. For editorial inquiries, Lala Dimaano 0917-5696315 or Celina Cruz 0917-8480831.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
An open letter to Filipino gays, bisexuals and transgenders
From Jonas Bagas. Please take the time to read. This is important.
A growing HIV epidemic is threatening our community.
I do not intend to pit HIV against other equally legitimate LGBT issues, such as same sex marriage or CBCP’s bigotry. But the epidemic demands our urgent action and our immediate attention . We need to act because no one else will until we do; we need to care because our solidarity and compassion are most needed now.
HIV is largely a hidden epidemic, and its scope will remain invisible until people undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling. But the numbers that we are seeing are enough to give us a picture of what’s happening: more and more Filipino gays, bisexuals, other males who have sex with males (MSM), and transgenders (TGs) are getting infected with HIV. The prevalence has already reached more than 2% for our community, according to a survey that was done early 2011, though it is much higher in NCR, Cebu and Davao. 205 out of the 268 new cases that were reported last December – the highest in history – were due to unprotected male-to-male sex. That’s 7 new HIV cases a day that could be attributed to unprotected male-to-male sex. One could crudely assume that at least 7 MSM and TGs get infected everyday. (Download the December 2011 HIV and AIDS Registry)
Cold facts, but it doesn’t become real until it becomes personal. 2011 for me started with a number of friends getting tested positive. 2012 began with a news that a friend died months earlier, the circumstances pointing to an illness that cannot be named. He was the sixth person that I know who died because of AIDS-related diseases last year, the third in his own barkada. His was yet another case of late diagnosis. Like his other friends, once he started getting sick he simply disappeared and hid in his province. Within the community you’d hear nervous murmurings of friends or friends of friends who succumbed to the illness, their deaths swallowed by stigma and silence.
Yet we know that this shouldn’t be the case. HIV is preventable. There is no cure, but it is not a death sentence. I know that some of us feel uncomfortable talking about it, afraid that this would further discrimination and stigma. But our community is already stigmatized, and silence would only fuel the fear that has made it easy for the epidemic to fester. Silence would neither cure the stigma nor stop the virus.
Our best defense against the epidemic is our own community. We are, in a sense, each other’s family. While the love of our own family is irreplaceable, when love or understanding is difficult to find in our own homes, we find comfort and joy in the company of gay, bisexual, and transgender friends, from people like us, from our lesbian friends, from wonderful women – and men- in our midst. We are fellow travelers, our kinship strengthened by the reality that the journeys that we take are oftentimes not understood by many.
We take pride in our own resilience and strength – how we’ve confronted bullying in schools by striving to excel, how we’ve used our wit and diversity for our unique creations. We are brothers and sisters in this regard. We are known to fight back, to keep our heads high even when we’re deeply wounded, even when we feel alone.
But now we need that strength to care for each other. We actually know how we can stop the virus. We know that most cases are due to unprotected sex, and thus we need to teach ourselves how to practice safer sex. We know that treatment can save lives, and therefore knowing your status is important before it’s too late. We know that when necessary – and it will reach that point – those who have tested positive should get into treatment and other services that they would need for their entire lifetime.
Fear, however, oftentimes trumps evidence. Fear has gripped the lives of those who suddenly found the virus in their midst – there are those who feel that they lost their lust for life after knowing their status, that dark denial of life. I can never approximate how hard and how life-changing it must be to be HIV positive, but I am constantly inspired by stories from poz friends who affirm that life goes on, that life actually gets better, and that there are ways to make it better.
There will always be those who’d peddle fear as the solution to HIV, and we must be one in rejecting their doctrine. They would blame us, point to our ‘lifestyle’, and deny our existence: they would claim that their religion of fear is the only way to stop HIV. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and fear would only create the climate that would make it easy for the epidemic to explode.
Fear undermines our capacity to fight back. It creates an illusion, a source of false comfort for some, that this is a battle between those who are positive and those who are negative when in truth this is between us and the epidemic. We are actually all living with HIV. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we’d discover that with our collective strength, with our imagination and vast capacity for laughter, we shall prevail.
PLUS: Scared to take the test? If it could be of any help--here's how I went through it.
A growing HIV epidemic is threatening our community.
I do not intend to pit HIV against other equally legitimate LGBT issues, such as same sex marriage or CBCP’s bigotry. But the epidemic demands our urgent action and our immediate attention . We need to act because no one else will until we do; we need to care because our solidarity and compassion are most needed now.
HIV is largely a hidden epidemic, and its scope will remain invisible until people undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling. But the numbers that we are seeing are enough to give us a picture of what’s happening: more and more Filipino gays, bisexuals, other males who have sex with males (MSM), and transgenders (TGs) are getting infected with HIV. The prevalence has already reached more than 2% for our community, according to a survey that was done early 2011, though it is much higher in NCR, Cebu and Davao. 205 out of the 268 new cases that were reported last December – the highest in history – were due to unprotected male-to-male sex. That’s 7 new HIV cases a day that could be attributed to unprotected male-to-male sex. One could crudely assume that at least 7 MSM and TGs get infected everyday. (Download the December 2011 HIV and AIDS Registry)
Cold facts, but it doesn’t become real until it becomes personal. 2011 for me started with a number of friends getting tested positive. 2012 began with a news that a friend died months earlier, the circumstances pointing to an illness that cannot be named. He was the sixth person that I know who died because of AIDS-related diseases last year, the third in his own barkada. His was yet another case of late diagnosis. Like his other friends, once he started getting sick he simply disappeared and hid in his province. Within the community you’d hear nervous murmurings of friends or friends of friends who succumbed to the illness, their deaths swallowed by stigma and silence.
Yet we know that this shouldn’t be the case. HIV is preventable. There is no cure, but it is not a death sentence. I know that some of us feel uncomfortable talking about it, afraid that this would further discrimination and stigma. But our community is already stigmatized, and silence would only fuel the fear that has made it easy for the epidemic to fester. Silence would neither cure the stigma nor stop the virus.
Our best defense against the epidemic is our own community. We are, in a sense, each other’s family. While the love of our own family is irreplaceable, when love or understanding is difficult to find in our own homes, we find comfort and joy in the company of gay, bisexual, and transgender friends, from people like us, from our lesbian friends, from wonderful women – and men- in our midst. We are fellow travelers, our kinship strengthened by the reality that the journeys that we take are oftentimes not understood by many.
We take pride in our own resilience and strength – how we’ve confronted bullying in schools by striving to excel, how we’ve used our wit and diversity for our unique creations. We are brothers and sisters in this regard. We are known to fight back, to keep our heads high even when we’re deeply wounded, even when we feel alone.
But now we need that strength to care for each other. We actually know how we can stop the virus. We know that most cases are due to unprotected sex, and thus we need to teach ourselves how to practice safer sex. We know that treatment can save lives, and therefore knowing your status is important before it’s too late. We know that when necessary – and it will reach that point – those who have tested positive should get into treatment and other services that they would need for their entire lifetime.
Fear, however, oftentimes trumps evidence. Fear has gripped the lives of those who suddenly found the virus in their midst – there are those who feel that they lost their lust for life after knowing their status, that dark denial of life. I can never approximate how hard and how life-changing it must be to be HIV positive, but I am constantly inspired by stories from poz friends who affirm that life goes on, that life actually gets better, and that there are ways to make it better.
There will always be those who’d peddle fear as the solution to HIV, and we must be one in rejecting their doctrine. They would blame us, point to our ‘lifestyle’, and deny our existence: they would claim that their religion of fear is the only way to stop HIV. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and fear would only create the climate that would make it easy for the epidemic to explode.
Fear undermines our capacity to fight back. It creates an illusion, a source of false comfort for some, that this is a battle between those who are positive and those who are negative when in truth this is between us and the epidemic. We are actually all living with HIV. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we’d discover that with our collective strength, with our imagination and vast capacity for laughter, we shall prevail.
PLUS: Scared to take the test? If it could be of any help--here's how I went through it.
Friday, January 27, 2012
'If La Sallites can't read, Ateneans can't count'
That's the joke the venerable Larry Henares lobbed at the post-show Q&A of Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle The Musical, the new musical production (music by Ed Gatchalian, lyrics by Joel Trinidad, book and direction by Jaime del Mundo) on the long-standing girian between the two schools that had its press preview last night at the Meralco Theater. (They're now called La Sallians, said Ed Gatchalian, but in 1968, which is the setting of the musical, the guys from Taft were still called La Sallites. And the girls they ran after, in competition with the Ateneans, were usually from Maryknoll, now Miriam College.)
My own first impressions of the show? These two tweets for now: 1) fun and quite inspired, a cause for revelry and good old-fashioned cheering in the theater. Mamma Mia? try the new homegrown musical, RIVALRY. 2) dear god, please keep NOEL TRINIDAD spry, healthy and able to do theater for many, many more years. what a joy he is in it. The bonhomie achieved by the show carried over to the Q&A. Here, a peek at that aftermath:
"Rivalry" runs January 27-March 11 at the Meralco Theater, with 8 p.m. shows every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available from TicketWorld (8919999) or Meralco Theater.
My own first impressions of the show? These two tweets for now: 1) fun and quite inspired, a cause for revelry and good old-fashioned cheering in the theater. Mamma Mia? try the new homegrown musical, RIVALRY. 2) dear god, please keep NOEL TRINIDAD spry, healthy and able to do theater for many, many more years. what a joy he is in it. The bonhomie achieved by the show carried over to the Q&A. Here, a peek at that aftermath:
"Rivalry" runs January 27-March 11 at the Meralco Theater, with 8 p.m. shows every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available from TicketWorld (8919999) or Meralco Theater.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Regine The Kraken 2
New! Light of a Million Mornings--by way of her mind-scrambling, nosebleed-inducing vocal calisthenics. Previous to this, another hurricane number, Go The Distance. Halimaw siya.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Spotlight Artists Centre to revive Katy!, holds auditions Jan. 29
From Oliver Oliveros:
Ryan Cayabyab (music) and Jose Javier Reyes’ (book and lyrics) hugely successful original Filipino musical, “Katy!”, a musical based on the life and times of the “Queen of Philippine Jazz” Katy dela Cruz (1907-2004), is making its way back to the stage this year.
Acclaimed theater and recording artists-cum-performance teachers Isay Alvarez, Robert Seña, and Tricia Amper Jimenez’s Spotlight Artists Centre is reviving the musical, which premiered at the now-defunct Rizal Theater in 1989, and later transferred to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Originally produced by Celeste Legaspi and Girlie Rodis, “Katy!” starred Mitch Valdez, Legaspi, Bernardo Bernardo and Marco Sison, directed by Nestor Torre.
Auditions for major roles, like Katy (25-40 years old); male lead (25-40 years old); and young Katy’s father (45-55 years old) will be held on Sunday, January 29.
Auditionees should prepare a song from the musical like “Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako,” “Sari-Saring Babae,” “Balut,” etc. or a jazz song. Call Yssa at (632)899-8089 or (63)922-8986644 for more information and registration requirements.
Inquirer editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, in 1989 still writing a column for the paper, said of Katy! that its makers had succeeded in creating “the prototype for the Filipino musical.”
Well, 23 years after it had its premiere, the legendary musical will be back this year, thanks to the triumvirate of Robert Sena, Isay Alvarez and Tricia Amper-Jimenez, who last year also revived another landmark Filipino musical, Magsimula Ka. This early, thank you to Robert, Isay and Tricia's Spotlight Artists Centre for the effort to bring back the musical that, among other things, launched Ryan Cayabyab on the hugely consequential musical-theater phase of his career; was the inaugural offering of Celeste Legaspi and Girlie Rodis' now shuttered theater company Musical Theater Philippines (Musicat--a unique undertaking in that it was the only local theater company exclusively dedicated to commissioning and mounting original Filipino musical material); enriched the Pinoy songbook with classics like Minsan ang Minahal Ay Ako; and paid due tribute to Katy dela Cruz and the long-lost bodabil era she embodied.
For a peek at the music, spunk and spirit of Katy! you can check out this fully orchestrated, handsomely mounted excerpt from the Ryan Cayabyab: Music Man at 50 concert, which I had uploaded previously...
Or the video below, debuting on YouTube with this post--a piano-accompanied (by Mr. C himself) medley of three songs from the musical: Pahiram Ng Kanta (performed by Tex Ordonex), Sari-Saring Babae (Isay Alvarez, Pinky Marquez, May Bayot and Roy Rolloda) and Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako (Celeste Legaspi and Mitch Valdes in a rare joint appearance, and the entire cast of Buhay!, the culminating concert of the 2004 National Theater Festival held at the main theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Among the other performers: Robert Sena, Nonie Buencamino, Lou Veloso, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Sam Concepcion, Cathy Azanza-Dy, Noel Rayos, Jon Joven, Eugene Villaluz, and, as part of the ensemble, Melanie Dujunco, Angeli Bayani, Nazer Salcedo, Bong Embile, et al.)
Monday, January 23, 2012
New year, new Fabcast!
All impromptu kuno, from the agreement to meet up on New Year's Day, to the prior invite on Twitter to send in questions or topics for discussion. Lots came in, so this is only part 1. Podcasting? Naman, it's more fun in da Philippines!
Download this fabcast (right click and save)
Music credits:
Firework by Katy Perry
Ask by The Smiths
Music credits:
Firework by Katy Perry
Ask by The Smiths
Hit comedy Leading Ladies is Rep's next offering
Headlining “Leading Ladies” are James Stacey as Leo and Topper Fabregas as Jack. Supporting them are Cris Villonco as Meg, Giannina Ocampo as Audrey, Jamie Wilson as Duncan, Juno Henares as Florence, Hans Eckstein as Butch and Oliver Usison as Doc. Directing the show is Michael Williams.
“Leading Ladies” is about Leo and Jack, two British actors whose careers are so far on the skids that they’re performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. They think their luck might change, however, when they hear about Florence, an old lady in a nearby town who is about to die and leave a considerable legacy to her nephews from England. Leo convinces Jack that they should impersonate the heirs. Their foolproof plan hits a snag, though, when they arrive on the scene and realize the woman’s long-lost relatives are nieces and not nephews.
Playwright Ken Ludwig has won numerous awards and several Tony nominations for his work. His musical “Crazy For You” ran for five years on Broadway and four years in the West End, winning Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Awards as Best Musical of the Year.
“Lend Me A Tenor” (produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber) has proven to be one of the most popular comedies of the past 25 years, winning two Tony Awards. Ludwig's work has also been translated into 16 languages and performed in more than 30 countries.
The artistic and creative team is led by Baby Barredo (artistic director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (associate artistic director), John Batalla (lighting designer) and Denis Lagdameo (set designer).
The production staff includes Gidget Tolentino (production manager), Ayam Barredo (company manager), Dingdong Rosales (stage manager), Pol Roxas (sound technician), Pablito Salvador (lighting technician) and Adul Lasin (set execution and scenic artist). The marketing, sales and publicity group is led by Toots Tolentino (PR & publicity) with Rem Zamora and Oliver Usison (PR & publicity/marketing), Marie Talay and Rose Silva (marketing/sales) and Dave Fabros (photography).
For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines 5716926 or 5714941, or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets are also available at 8919999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.
Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, add “Rep Phils” in Facebook. “Leading Ladies” is presented by special arrangement with the Samuel French Agency.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Regine The Kraken
Singing Go the Distance, at the Ayala Foundation/ABS-CBN concert The Music of Dreams of many moons ago--The Songbird in all her vintage lung-busting glory. What follows this number is an even more insanely stratospheric Light of a Million Mornings--except my digitized copy of the original VHS recording has decided to go all glitchy right on that spot, so I'd have to have the tape transferred again to make sure the concert and that finale number are preserved. Enjoy this for now. Or rather, fasten your seatbelts...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Search this blog or the Web