Direk Freddie Santos launches blog--with a party

A noon party. At the posh (though unfinished) club Republiq in Resorts World, beside Marriott Hotel. With McDonalds burgers, chicken nuggets, fries--and champagne. And guests that made you forget your plate so you could run around snapping away: Gary Valenciano, Celeste Legaspi, Menchu Lauchengco Yulo, Audie Gemora, Girlie Rodis, George Yang (the McDo taipan), among others.

And all to launch his own blog (at www.direkfreddie.com).

Well, not an ordinary blog--and no ordinary blogger, either. In a career that now spans four decades, Freddie Santos has directed some 500 shows and nearly 3,000 performances in virtually all areas of local live entertainment--theater, concerts, TV shows, fashion extravaganzas, events, product launches--you name it, he's done it. He's an institution, in short, with the requisite arsenal of to-die-for backstage stories and anecdotes about all the stars, celebrities, big names and wannabes he has worked with through the years to back up his authoritative place in the local entertainment ecosystem.

For example: Want to know what it was like when Regine Velasquez, all of 16, starred in her very first concert at the Music Museum? Ask Direk Freddie. (It didn't work, he said, and Regine knew; as soon as the show ended, she slumped on the floor and wept like a baby.)

What better way to share stories like this than through blogging? And since Direk Freddie's forte is turning events into, well, Events, could you fault him for giving his blog's debut the same treatment? Or as he writes in his blog intro:

“After having been involved in so many performances, mostly directing them, I’ve gathered more memories for one brain to try and remember... and I really don’t want to forget them.

During the 70’s till the early 80’s, it was mostly legitimate theatre. On almost any given weekend, you could catch stage productions done in English, Filipino, Chinese and/or Spanish. There were also a lot of nightclub, folkhouse and lounge acts at this time.

Then, from the mid-80’s through the 90’s, pop and rock concerts dominated the live entertainment scene. These were usually held on a weekend closest to a payday. Name the size, name the artist, name the accent, we had it.

In the 2000’s, live-wise, much work could be found in corporate and social events of every conceivable size and nature. From Shampoos to Software, Energy Drinks to Buildings, Debutantes to Diamond Honourees, these were the new stars of the show.

I, most gratefully, have been active in all these phases, to the point that I have not raised a family, enriched myself with noble causes or enhanced my life with personal relationships by the score, all the time doing my best to share the exhilaration of Live Performance.

In the simplest of terms, my life is Live.”

Hence the name of his blog: Direksions--Life Blogs of a Live Director.


Another big difference between ordinary blogs and Direk Freddie's--he's fully mapped out the topics and stories he plans to blog about, broken into chapters and beginning right from when he entered the business of show (“I arrived from Arvada at the age of 17 brimming over with aspiration and opinion…not always a great combination. I expected to become a star, IMMEDIATELY. I mean, didn’t this country realize how fantastic, how astronomical a star I could be?!”).

In the next few days, months and years, assuming he does not tire of blogging, Direk Freddie will be dishing out on his experiences and associations with the likes of Repertory Philippines, the Metropolitan Theater, Trumpets, the heady concert scene in the '70s and '80s when a new generation of artists came to the fore (Martin Nievera, Gary V., Kuh Ledesma, Zsazsa Padilla and Joey Albert--“all English-speaking,” noted Direk, which made the then-plainspoken Regine Velasquez's rise all the more notable), his forays into foreign stages and productions, the acclaimed musical he wrote (Widows, Orphans and Wildebeests), all the commercials and workshops and talent shows and talents he's husbanded to the spotlight, etc.

It promises to be a feast of precious reminiscences that should have connoisseurs of pop culture, entertainment junkies and the plain curious alike making visits to Direk Freddie's blog a habit.

More, not only will they get to read his blogs, they can also hear him narrate them--all the chapters have embedded audio, with Direk Freddie himself reading the entries he's written. (Since he's also an actor, with a big theatrical voice to boot, hearing him deliver his own lines is quite a treat.) He also promises to post rare, exclusive footage and video clips of his shows and productions from his private archive.

Now, how juicy, detailed and uninhibited would your stories be, I asked Direk, since most of the people you'd be talking about are your friends?

Well, yes, he said with a big laugh. “But some of them are not!”

Here's Direk walking his guests through the contents of his blog. Take note, at 2:24 in the brief video below, he mentions a blogger from whom he got his, uh, inspiration. Hmmm, who could that be?



Post-lunch, I cornered Direk for an on-cam chat. (Money quote, on why he's going online: “Mainstream is no longer where mainstream is!”) But my bitch of a Flip video camera decided it would ruin the moment by conking out midway--though not before I captured something quite remarkable.

George Yang, one of the country's richest men and owner of the Philippine franchise of McDonald's, appeared and approached Direk.

“Oh, you missed it! The whole event, finished na!” exclaimed Direk Freddie.

“Ay! What exactly are you doing?,” asked Mr. Yang.

“It was the whole blog!”

“Ha, what is blog?” asked Mr. Yang.

Then pffft went my camera.

Once a gift, now a prize

How I saw the first week of Virgin Labfest 6 via my daily tweets:

• the first revelation of labfest 6: missy maramara in debbie tan's balunbalunan. what a fierce, brave, generous performance. bravo.

• labfest day 2: three 2-character plays, three generally well-acted and well-staged prods. it's turning out to be a good run...

• makil magnifico! frances makil-ignacio is a must-see in floy quintos' 'suor clara' at the virgin labfest 6.

• labfest pink festival: d. teodosio's 'carmi martin' runs away with the set, and its actors ariel diccion and paul jake paule are GOOD.

• the 'banyaga' part of the labfest is a winning set. the indonesian play, in particular, is brave, vivid and thought-provoking. love it.

• the 3 plays from last year's labfest were my personal top 3 choices as well. tonight's set reconfirmed for me why i rooted for them.

You've got one more week to see the plays--and join the blog contest this corner is holding for the duration of the Labfest. Feel free to disagree with my instant verdicts above; your honest opinion about what you saw is what's important.

Anyway--about that Cory Swatch watch I'm giving away as the second prize in the contest. I didn't buy it. Jaime Zobel de Ayala gave it to me. Look:

Yep, the Don Jaime himself sent me the watch, with a handwritten note to boot: Dear Gibbs, it said, it was such a nice lunch with stories and natural chat--just the way I like it! Thank you so much for your support for our 'Bravo' series. Most sincerely, JZA.

Ah, the graciousness--something that has virtually vanished from our world nowadays.

In truth, until now I'm still not sure I had earned the privilege to receive this gift. A week or so before it arrived in the office we the Lifestyle staff were invited to an exclusive lunch presscon with him and some Ayala executives where they would talk about Mr. Zobel's brainchild, the Bravo Filipino series of performances at the Ayala Malls.

As you may have heard, Bravo Filipino, now on its third year, is a four-month-long annual program that aims to extol the Filipino talent through live performances, art exhibits, lectures and other events at the various Ayala Malls. It was Mr. Zobel's idea that if the malls were now the agora or town plaza of the urban populace, the one place that is sure to gather a big chunk of the community at any one time, then he'd use the family-owned chain of malls as a venue to bring opportunities for art appreciation closer to the everyday shopper or mallgoer. (Exhibit A: Ayala Museum in the center of Greenbelt.)

I had met Mr. Zobel before, when I interviewed him and wrote a story on the reopening of the Ayala Museum in 2004. I didn't think he'd remember me after all these years, and, anyway, during the lunch, it wasn't me who held sway at the long table. Alex, our senior reporter, had been designated to write the piece about Bravo Filipino, so it was he who had to take down notes and ask questions of Mr. Zobel and his executives. I was there, more or less, as a warm body. But it was quite an experience, nonetheless, to be in the same room and share the same oxygen with one of the country's wealthiest and most influential people.

The article came out that same week, I went back to work and forgot about the lunch--and then got the package one afternoon. What a pleasant shock it was to open the nondescript brown envelope with the limited-edition Cory Swatch watch inside it, wrapped in gold foil. Accompanying it was the handwritten note--in which Mr. Zobel addressed me by my first name.

After the euphoria of the moment, the sober realization: But I'm not a watch person. (I'm not even wearing one right now.) Where and when do I wear this? My family isn't into bold, attention-grabbing watches, either. It's definitely a collector's item to cherish. But, like many rare things that come my way, I'd probably end up keeping this timepiece under lock, key and a mound of mothballs, unopened and never to be used for fear of wear and tear.

Or I could give it away as a prize. It was an easy decision to make. Rather than keeping this watch as an heirloom piece in my locker, I'd let someone else have the pleasure of owning it. But he or she has to win it fair and square in a manner that also supports a passion of mine. Hence this contest.

Mr. Zobel and his family are among the staunchest supporters of Philippine arts; while I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this blog, I sure hope he wouldn't mind that I'm now using his gift--which he himself designed!--to help generate more interest in and appreciation for an essential branch of those arts--local theater and the much-deserving artists behind it.

Wanna have this watch? Join the contest--watch the Labfest and blog about it. However, I'm keeping the note.

Repertory Philippines presents Equus

For its midyear offering, Repertory Philippines presents Peter Shaffer’s multi-awarded drama “Equus.”

A recipient of the Tony Award and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, the riveting piece of theater is at once relevant and mesmerizing in its storyline and theme.

Psychiatrist Martin Dysart meets his most challenging case in a boy of 17 named Alan Strang who has been charged with the crime of blinding six horses by gouging out their eyes. As the play unravels, one realizes that beneath the surface of the crime lies another dimension of the human psyche more terrifying than what it seems to be.

Red Concepcion and newcomer Marco Manalac alternate as Alan. At the helm as director is multi-awarded actor Audie Gemora.

This is not the first time Repertory has presented “Equus.” It was first staged in the ’70s with Leo Martinez in the lead role.

Today, it returns with a powerhouse cast of theater stalwarts: Miguel Faustmann, Jaime del Mundo, Dido de la Paz, Roselyn Perez and Tami Monsod.

“Equus” opens on July 9 at 8 p.m. and runs July 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24 also at 8 p.m. Matinees at 3:30 p.m. are on July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25.

Venue is Onstage, 2/F, at Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For ticket inquiries, please call 887-0710 or log on to www.repertory.ph.

Dulaang UP brings back Orosman at Zafira

After its successful staging last 2008 of Francisco Baltazar’s “Orosman at Zafira,” Dulaang UP is bringing back the production on August 11-29 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, U.P. Diliman, to open its 35th theater season.

“Orosman at Zafira” is under the direction and choreography of Dexter Santos, with original music by Carol Bello.

The first run of the play was extended due to popular demand and received nominations for Best Musical Production and Best Director at the 21st Aliw Awards. It also garnered numerous acclaimed from critics and audiences.

Baltazar’s “Orosman at Zafira” tackles the rivalry for power among the mythical tribes of the Marruecos, Duquela and Tedenst. Amidst war and conflict, Orosman and Zafira find love. Santos’ adaptation integrates different ethno-linguistic dances and music to come up with a musical production quite unlike any other seen on the Philippine stage.

Dulaang UP is a semi-professional university-based theatre company that serves as the key venue of U.P. Theatre students’ exposure to the performing arts and related disciplines such as scenery design, technical management and stage and theater management.

The artistic and technical team of “Orosman at Zafira” includes Sir Anril Tiatco and Katte Sabatte (dramaturgy), Tuqx Rutaquio (production design), John Ilao Batalla (lights design), Jojit Lorenzo (photography), Mara Marasigan (assistant director), Via Antonio and Jeff Hernandez (associate choreographers).

“Orosman at Zafira” will run from August 11-29 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, U.P. Diliman, from Wednesdays to Fridays 7 p.m., and during weekends at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

For tickets, call Cherry 0917-7500107 or the Dulaang UP Office 9261349, 9818500 local 2449 or 433-7840.

Blog the Labfest, win a prize! 2010 edition

Okay, here we go again. I had thought I wouldn't be able to hold a blog contest this year since I lacked good prizes--until the universe worked its usual magic and I ended up with a good enough trove at the last minute. Actually, they're way bigger prizes compared to what I had offered in the last three years, so--hey, sali na, will ya?

But first--it's been only a couple of hours since the close of the first day of the Labfest; the inaugural troika of plays we saw (Isagani by Alex Dorola Yasuda, directed by Vince Tanada; Balunbalunan, Bingi-bingihan by Debbie Ann Tan, directed by Issa Lopez; and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas by Carlo Garcia, directed by Riki Benedicto) were all interesting productions, done with energy and commitment if not always with depth or clarifying insight.

I just had to tweet afterwards, because she deserved it: “the first revelation of labfest 6: missy maramara in debbie tan's balunbalunan. what a fierce, brave, generous performance. bravo.” May her standout work be followed by many more in the next few days.

Okay, that out of the way, time for the contest. Near-verbatim, from last year's announcement:

The rules
1. Watch any or all of the plays featured in Virgin Labfest 6 and blog about them--in whatever way you choose. There are 6 main sets. You may write about only one set, or all of them; whether in English or Filipino, I don't particularly mind. No editorial input from me; your honest opinion is what counts. And though I'd be delighted to read one, I'm not expecting a formal review. Don't give us a treatise; your clear and concise thoughts about what your saw would suffice.

2. Once your entry is up, leave a comment/link here or e-mail your entry to gibbs_c@yahoo.com, with “Virgin Labfest 6” as subject. For Multiply users, leave a comment/link in my Multiply site.

3. The entries will be winnowed down to the Top Five. I may ask two other people to help me read all the entries.

4. The contest runs June 22-July 4, or the entire run of the Labfest. Winners will be announced on or before July 7, through e-mail and an entry here.

The prizes

First prize: A festival pass to the 2010 Cinemalaya Film Festival. The people behind Cinemalaya have generously offered a full festival pass as first prize for this contest. The pass will give its bearer free access to all the main film competition screenings, exhibition screenings and other related activities (open forums, congress, meet-and-greet photo ops, awards night) for the duration of the festival. The pass, given only to a select few, will bear the winner's name and is not transferable. Once I announce the winner on July 7, his or her name will be forwarded to the Cinemalaya committee. The festival pass can be picked up at the CCP on Cinemalaya opening day on July 9.

Second prize: One limited-edition Cory Aquino Swatch watch, designed by Jaime Zobel de Ayala. It's brand-new, unopened, still in its plastic case, and comes with a “warranty,” if you will, from its esteemed designer--the little story about how I came to possess one of the few pieces made of these watches, and why I'm now offering it as a prize here. (That story--and pic of the actual watch--next entry, pramis.) Even if you didn't vote for President Noynoy, you'd want to keep this as a special commemorative item.

Third prize: A loot bag of premium men's grooming essentials consisting of three Kerastase hair products (anti-dandruff treatment, anti-oiliness treatment and densifying treatment) and two L'Oreal products (White Activ oil control foam and moisturizing gel cream). If you're a girl, win this for your father, brother, boyfriend or male best friend.

Fourth prize: A gift set from global hair-care brand Schwarzkopf consisting of four products (light cleansing shampoo, texturising mud, extreme hold hairspray and styling cream) housed in special decorative box. Again, if you're not into hair-care products, win this prize for someone close to you who is.

Fifth prize: A notebook set from Filipinas Heritage Library, plus a CD of Highlights from Cats. The notebooks (one big, one small) come in a Maranao-pattern cover. The CD, meanwhile, would be a good introduction to the splashy Lloyd Webber musical that will hit Manila this July, starring Lea Salonga as Grizabella.

Okay, that's it. Please help me inform everyone about Virgin Labfest 6 and this contest by reposting in your blogs and/or mentioning in your Facebook and Twitter. The Labfest show schedules here. See you at the CCP!

[Photo of Cory Swatch watch from AllPhilippines.com]

Nikki Gil invites you to Legally Blonde, The Musical

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? No, really--I've not kept track of how Nikki Gil has fared on TV after her memorable Coke ad years ago. Seeing her up close at the presscon for Atlantis Productions' Legally Blonde, The Musical, I puffed out one thought balloon: ampretty pala niya! And then I talked to her, and out came another: And pretty smart, too! I hope her Elle Woods (starting June 25 at the Meralco Theater) would be as fetching in every way. Watch:



“Legally Blonde, The Musical” runs June 25-July 18 at the Meralco Theater. Also starring Jett Pangan, Nyoy Volante, Cris Villonco, Geneva Cruz, Jinky Llamanzares, Chris Millado and Guji Lorenzana. Music and lyrics by Laurence O’ Keefe, book by Heather Hach, direction by Chari Arespacochaga. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions 8927078.

'A world where books were a common currency of an enlightened citizenry'

“We do not need men like Proust and Joyce; men like this are a luxury, an added fillip that an abundant culture can produce only after the more basic literary need has been filled. This age needs rather men like Shakespeare, or Milton, or Pope; men who are filled with the strength of their cultures and do not transcend the limits of their age, but, working within the times, bring what is peculiar to the moment to glory. We need great artists who are willing to accept restrictions, and who love their environments with such vitality that they can produce an epic out of the Protestant ethic” [--a prescient formulation of what he would later achieve in the Rabbit novels and his Pennsylvania short stories.] “Whatever the many failings of my work, let it stand as a manifesto of my love for the time in which I was born.”

-- John Updike in 1951, in a letter to his parents; he was 19, on the cusp of launching a literary career that would make him one of the greatest writers of his age--“a world where books were a common currency of an enlightened citizenry,” as he later put it

A little fall of rain...

...And you're back in the swamp.

Well, not exactly little--it was an intense 30-minute downpour, but nothing out of the ordinary, really, in this frequently rained-out side of the world. And here's the sight that materializes in an instant before your eyes as the streets go underwater, this one at the corner of Pasay Road and Pasong Tamo beside Waltermart Makati.

In Makati. The prosperous, orderly mini-kingdom that election hype said was such a model for the rest of the country, it should entitle its erstwhile chief to the second highest office in the land. The spin worked, the long-time Hizzoner is now VP, but reality, like this all-too-familiar inundation of a major junction in the city, is the proverbial rain on his parade. Except--guess the only ones who get drenched in the end?

The cinema's primal scream

Alfred Hitchcock's “Psycho” turns 50 this week, but to this day it retains its jagged modernity and jolting terror. Much of its power comes from Bernard Herrmann's music, a score as iconic as the film itself. The shrieking dissonance of “The Murder,” surely the most imitated and instantly recognizable film cue, is the cinema's primal scream. It is deeply embedded in our movie-going subconscious, instantly evoking Norman Bates's stabbing knife and Marion Crane's helpless cries... That Herrmann used only strings, normally a Hollywood marker for schmaltzy romance, is even more startling.

-- “The Sounds of Violence,” in the Wall Street Journal

And--the “moody astringency” of Herrmann's music would change not only Hollywood, but also Broadway, “as the lush idiom of Rodgers and Hammerstein gave way to the dark attenuations of Stephen Sondheim, whose 'Sweeney Todd' is a homage to Herrmann.” Read the rest here.

Festival passes to Virgin Labfest 2010

EXTRA VIRGIN PASS: P1,000 (4 + 2 combo)
-- One seat to all 4 sets (A, B, C, D) of Virgin Labfest plus 1 seat to Banyaga Twinbill and Labfest Revisited

VIRGIN PASS: P 750 (3 + 1 combo)
-- One seat to 3 sets of your choice plus either 1 seat to Banyaga Twinbill or 1 seat to Labfest Revisited

PURE PASS: P500 (2 + 1 combo)
-- One seat to 2 sets of your choice plus one seat to Labfest Revisited

SINGLE TICKET: P250.

EYEBALL Discount of 10 percent--Buy 2 tickets at regular price and get eyeball discount for tickets purchased to any set of plays (applicable for single purchase only)

Tickets available at the CCP Box office or Marketing Department, 8321125 local 1406. Information about the labfest is downloadable at www.virginlabfest.com

Faces and stories at the Cinemalaya 2010 kick-off

The noontime presscon, held at CCP Main Theater lobby. Last year's Cinemalaya attracted the biggest crowd ever, said festival organizer Nestor Jardin--which should augur well for this year's edition. TonyBoy Cojuangco, who birthed Cinemalaya with his annual seed money of P5 million distributed to 10 newbie directors, was on hand to deliver some remarks--a rare moment, it was said, because Mr. Cojuangco hardly gives speeches due to a recurring throat ailment. But this time he spoke clearly and vigorously.

The short-film directors (upper photo) and the feature-length directors, among whom are Cinemalaya second-timers Dennis Marasigan (Siya ang Mayor Ko (Vox Populi))and Francis Pasion (Sampaguita). Only 9 full-length entries will compete in this year's festival; one entry backed out reportedly due to failure to meet grant requirements.

The short-film directors and their entries are (sorry, can't match names to faces for now): Zurich Chan (Boca), Steven Flor (Breakfast With Lolo), Janus Victoria (Dalaw), Borgy Torre (Despedida), Jerrold Tarog (Faculty), Mikhail Red (Harang), Hubert Tibi (Hay Pinhod oh Ya Scooter), Joey Agbayani (Lola), Milo Tolentino (P) and Pam Miras (Wag Kang Titingin).

Aside from Dennis Marasigan and Francis Pasion, the full-length directors include Sheron Dayoc (Halaw), Gutierrez Mangansakan II (Limbunan), Kim Homer Garcia (Magkakapatid), Dan Villegas and Paul Sta. Ana (Mayohan), Danny Añonuevo (Rekrut), Art Katipunan (Si Techie, Si Teknoboy at si JuanaB) and Ian-Dean Loreños (The Leaving).

Emilio Garcia, one of the stars of Danny Añonuevo's movie Rekrut. On the next table are director Mario O'Hara and his leading lady for the movie Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio.

Irma Adlawan and Dennis Marasigan, lead star and director, respectively, of Siya ang Mayor Ko (Vox Populi).

The most star-studded table--the corner of Joel Lamangan's Sigwa, which hosted, among others, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Zsazsa Padilla, Dawn Zulueta, Marvin Agustin, Tirso Cruz III and Lovi Poe. “Kanino pa ba naman ako lalapit kundi sa mga kaibigan ko?,” said Mr. Lamangan in his brief remarks, adding for good measure that these A-list stars agreed to reduced fees for their work in the movie.

Jay Altarejos, director of Pink Halo-Halo, with one of his stars, Mark Xander Fabillar. Mr. Altarejos, the youngest filmmaker in the first-ever “Directors Showcase” category of the festival (featuring works by directors who have released at least three feature-length films--the first batch includes, aside from Mr. Altarejos, Gil Portes, Mark Meily, Joel Lamangan and Mario O'Hara)--counts among his first films the gay cult favorites Ang Lalake sa Parola and Ang Lihim ni Antonio.

Actors Manuel Chua and Joem Bascon (major hottie alert!) star in Rekrut, along with a bunch of other young and good-looking actors--Alwyn Uytingco, Alchris Galura, JM De Guzman and Dominic Roco. Director Danny Añonuevo said he wanted to do an action film since it's the genre he noticed was lacking in previous Cinemalaya editions; the trailer of his film (about a platoon of new Army recruits) showed his actors in the buff running toward the sea, their backsides filling up the two-second frame--and sending the audience into a swoon. “Ay, sige na, panonoorin ko na siya!,” announced the guy beside me.

Maxene Magalona, also part of the cast of Rekrut, was on her way out when a small band of reporters and cameramen swooped down on her. Intrigued, I followed the pack, took some pictures and listened to the questions--something about ampalaya and what sounded like a tiff with a fellow actress. It was only later in the office, when I had strung “Maxene Magalona” and “ampalaya” together on Google, that I found out what all the fuss was about. Ow-kay.

Director Mark Meily and two of the stars of his film Isang Pirasong Buhay, one of them Meryll Soriano, the first Cinemalaya Best Actress awardee (for Roomboy in 2005).

Mr. Lamangan in a photo-op with his bevy of Sigwa stars--Ayen Munji-Laurel, Lovi Poe, Dawn Zulueta, Tirso Cruz III, Marvin Agustin and Mon Confiado. ZsaZsa Padilla had exited by this time.

Gil Portes with the stars--Xian Lim and Tessie Tomas--and producers of his film, Two Funerals. He had nurtured the idea for this movie for two years, said Mr. Portes, until the opportunity to join Cinemalaya came along. But how to raise enough money for it? The first scene of his movie involved a bus crashing down a ravine. He approached a certain singer-actress who owned a fleet of buses, he said, and asked if he could borrow one. The singer-actress said yes--provided she played the mother role. Horrified, Mr. Portes said no, and despaired of finding the right actress until somebody pointed him in Tessie Tomas' direction. Now, with her participation in Two Funerals, Ms. Tomas is on her third major Cinemalaya outing, after Chris Martinez's 100 in 2008 and Milo Sogueco's Sanglaan last year.

The beef contingent, along with a lone lovely rose--(from left) Alchris Galura, Alwyn Uytingco, Dominic Roco, Maxene Magalona, Emilio Garcia, director Danny Añonuevo, JM De Guzman, Manuel Chua and Joem Bascon.

The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival runs July 9-July 18, 2010 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. For more information, call the CCP Arts Division at 8321125 locals 1704-05.

Legally Blonde, The Musical opens June 25 at Meralco Theater

Atlantis Productions’ “Legally Blonde, The Musical” opens in Manila on June 25 at the Meralco Theatre.

Based on the blockbuster film that starred Reese Witherspoon, “Legally Blonde, The Musical” is about sorority star Elle Woods, who doesn't take “no” for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

Jinky Llamanzares, Geneva Cruz, Nikki Gil and Cris Villonco

Leading the cast is TV and recording artist Nikki Gil who plays Elle Woods. She says, “It’s not everyday I get a chance to play the character I always wanted to be in real life. I’m grateful for this role that requires so much discipline and passion.”

Nikki has been preparing for the role for close to a year with extensive voice and dance class.

Joining her in the all-star cast are Nyoy Volante as Emmett Forrest (who thrilled audiences with his singing and dancing in “Hairspray”), Guji Lorenzana as Warner Huntington III, Cris Villonco as Vivienne Kensington, Jinky Llamanzares as Paulette Bonafonte, Jett Pangan as Professor Callahan, Calvin Millado as Dewey/Kyle and and Geneva Cruz as Brooke Wyndham.

Jett Pangan, Nyoy Volante, Calvin Millado and Guji Lorenzana

Simone Genatt, Chairman of Broadway Asia Company who produced “Legally Blonde, The Musical” in New York and licensed the production to Atlantis, says, “Broadway Asia Company is thrilled to be working once again with Atlantis Productions. With the star power of Nikki Gil heading an incredibly talented cast of local performers, we feel very confident that “Legally Blonde” will be very successful in the hands of Atlantis Productions. The Broadway touring production of “Legally Blonde” garnered all the touring Broadway awards this season, including Best New Touring Musical, Best Design and Best Music, and is confirmed to continue touring the United States for another two years of bookings. We look forward to the success of the Manila performances with Atlantis Productions.”

“Legally Blonde, The Musical” opens at the Meralco Theater on June 25 and runs till July 18. With music and lyrics by Laurence O’ Keefe and book by Heather Hach, the show will be directed by Chari Arespacochaga. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions 8927078.

Are fag hags really hags?

Nope, nyet, na-ah.

This study says that, contrary to the “image of an unattractive, overweight, desperate woman who seeks out the company of gay men to compensate for her lack of romantic attention from straight guys,” or “as being notoriously camp, overly emotional, unstable and as craving attention,” most fag hags, in fact, are of sound mind, body and self-image, and do not gravitate toward gay people only because they can't score a better deal with hetero guys.

“There was absolutely no link between a woman’s relationship status, the number of times she’d been on the receiving end of a breakup, or her body esteem and the number of gay male friends in her life,” declares research psychologist Jesse Bering, who teases out the nuances of the findings in his Scientific American column (here).

More--and this one a delicious find--“the more gay male friends that a woman had, the more sexually attractive she found herself.”

However, that attractiveness may not last long: “The longer that a woman has been friends with her closest gay male friend, the lower her perceived sexual attractiveness.”

Go figure!

Some other terms for gay-loving women--not all of them affectionate, mind:

• Fruit fly
• Queen bee
• Queer dear
• Fairy godmother
• Fag shagger
• Queen magnet
• Hag along
• Swish dish
• Faggotina
• Homo honey
• Fairy collector
• Fairy princess
• Fagnet

Ruby, Karla, Tere (wait--does she qualify!?) and the other constants in our parties and friendly circles, you're no mere fags hags in our book, you're fab fag hags--the dowagers among queens, if you will. Hugs, mga mare.

OPM invites new members, sets Board elections June 16

The Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), the country’s biggest organization of professional singers and live performing artists, will be conducting its General Assembly and Board Elections on Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 8:00 p.m. at Annabel’s Café along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.

Mitch Valdes, current OPM president, is calling on professional singers and live performing music artists to register for membership and become eligible for election to the Board of Directors.

“As a 26-year old artists’ organization which started out of the unity of singers and music artists advocating social change during the EDSA Revolution of 1986, OPM is now considered a force to reckon with in the promotion and development of Philippine Music and advocacy for singers’ rights and welfare,” Valdes said.

OPM was conferred the 2007 Dangal ng Haraya Award for Promotion of Philippine Culture by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is is the only artists’ organization in the entire Asia and the Pacific to be recognized by the New York-based United Nations Department of Public Information as an NGO-accredited organization.

A non-stock, non-profit corporation duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, OPM advocates policies for the growth of the music industry; ensures legal support, assistance and professional enhancement for members; promotes patronage of local singers and original Filipino musical compositions; and works for recognition and protection of the Filipino music and singers in the international arena.

OPM’s current Board of Directors includes Mitch Valdes, president; Audie Gemora, vice president; Pnky Marquez, secretary-treasurer; and directors Vicky Salvador, Dyords Javier, Danny Javier and Bo Cerrudo. Past presidents Celeste Legaspi and Jim Paredes and Executive Director Elmar Beltran Ingles also serve as ex officio members..


Among OPM’s recent program initiatives are the “Kaya Natin Ito” Concert held at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds featuring over 60 artists raising funds for the Typhoon Ondoy victims, an ongoing campaign for performers’ intellectual property rights, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Immigration and the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino for Performers’ Equity Program.

It is also responsible for the formation of the only performers’ royalty collecting society in the country, the Performers Rights Society of the Philippines, which counts among its members professional singers, dancers, musicians, theater artists, film and television actors, directors and other performing artists.

Membership details and application forms may be accessed at the OPM website at http://opm.org.ph/membership.html. To become eligible for membership, an annual membership fee of P1,000 should be paid either personally at the OPM office, during the General Assembly on June 10, or through bank deposit.

For further details, please contact the OPM Secretariat at 7231845, 7217229 or 0916-7605447, or through e-mail opmsingers@gmail.com.

Five Cinemalaya 2010 festival passes for five interested bloggers

Like last year, Cinemalaya is inviting, through this blog, five active bloggers to join the Cinemalaya press conference (on Wednesday next week, June 16, 12 noon, at the CCP Main Theater lobby) and then cover the festival in July 2010.

The five lucky bloggers who got their festival passes last year are not eligible to apply this year, to give way to a fresh batch. So how about it, bloggers? Let me repost verbatim my 2009 announcement, since the mechanics remain the same:

Are you interested to blog about the presscon, the Cinemalaya movies, actors, directors, artists and other prime movers--about the festival itself?

There are only two conditions:

1. You should blog about the June 16 presscon, where you're free to interview and take pictures/video of the directors and their cast who will be presented to the press, as well as the festival organizers.

2. You should have the time and interest to watch the film festival in July 2010, consisting of 10 feature-length and 10 short films in the main exhibition--and blog about them, in whatever way you feel like. I will do a regular round-up of Cinemalaya-related entries and reviews on this blog, properly linked to your posts.

What you will get:

1. A pass that gives you free access to all the main film exhibition screenings and other related activities (open forums, congress, meet-and-greet photo ops, awards night) for the duration of the festival. The pass, given only to a select few, will bear your name and is not transferable. Be among the first to watch--and write about--the next breakout Filipino indie film.

2. The opportunity to meet some of the country's most promising directors, actors and other artists, as well as prominent, established ones who are participating in the festival. Meeting celebrities, if that's your thing, isn't farfetched, too. Last year's edition attracted an overflow crowd everyday--mostly young moviegoers, along with big stars and movie industry people, all checking out the buzz on and rooting for their favorite entries. It's an exciting event, and you'll be in the middle of it.

Are you up to the challenge? E-mail me at gibbs_c@yahoo.com to reserve a slot. First-come, first-served. CCP needs the names of the five active bloggers asap, so hit that Send button now. (Include your blog URL and contact details, please.)

A caveat: Reread the conditions--accepting this invite requires time, commitment and effort.

On the other hand, watching movies for free and blogging about them--what could be cooler?

Letting go--just like that

[Nickie, a tough, tattooed woman with a Brooklyn accent and a punk haircut, describes the heavy shopping bag she must carry as representative of all of life's burdens.]

You live without walls for too long. It all runs together like raw scrambled eggs. Each part of you bleeds into the other. Your feelings turn into things, shoved into one goddamn, cheap Woolworth bag. You don't even know what's in the bag after a while and you stop caring. All you know is it's heavy and you've got to take it everywhere you go, cos there's no place that wants it. No place that will let you keep it there. And one night you just say fuck it, fuck the bag, and you leave it. And when you go out, you come back after two days and it's gone. You act like you're really pissed off. Who did it, who took my fucking bag. But deep down, you're relieved cos it's gone, and after that, you're gone too in a way, and it feels better. Kind of.

-- from Ladies by Eve Ensler, excerpted in The Great Monologues from The Women's Project

'Santa na ang lolah mo noh!'

The next new saint--a black hairdresser?

Pierre Toussaint, a freed black slave who died in the 1850s... is perhaps the current leading American candidate for sainthood. At the Vatican body that oversees canonizations, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, there are hundreds of active files, some centuries old, but Toussaint's cause stands a better-than-average chance of success.

[M]ore than anything, Toussaint's high standing at the Vatican owes to his “highly impressive” story, says the Rev. Paolo Molinari, a Jesuit who works in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. In 1787, Toussaint emigrated from Haiti to New York City in the company of his owner, who died not long after. Rather than bolt, Toussaint remained with his owner's widow, supporting her and her children by taking up hairdressing as a trade. Soon, Manhattan society women began seeking him out [boldface mine], and he made a small fortune, which he put into building an orphanage, taking in the homeless, and funding local parishes. “He made a lot of money, but he did not spend his money for anything else but to help the people in need, be they black or white,” said Molinari, who is Toussaint's postulator--the potential saint's chief advocate at the Vatican. “He had love even for the people who treated black people in an awful way.”

-- The Vatican Loves a Good Story, or what it takes to become a saint today

“He made a lot of money, but he did not spend his money for anything else but to help the people in need, be they black or white.” By that token, Ricky Reyes, too, should be a candidate for sainthood half a century from now. Except he's been living openly with another man (more than two decades now, and counting--who's to say that isn't real love, aver?), which would, if ever, send all those sclerotic bishops into spastic frenzy once again.

Of course, not all hairdressers are gay. Jon Peters was a hairdresser before he became a big-shot Hollywood producer--and Barbra Streisand's beau. Warren Beatty played it straight--and sexy--in Shampoo. But precisely because straight hairdressers appear to be more the exception than the rule, the question arises: Was Toussaint straight or gay? His bio is silent on this. He appeared never to have married, but did he have a girlfriend or a figure of romantic interest at any point in his life?

I'm half-wishing he was gay, because think of the instant empowerment that would give parloristas all over the world when someone like them is officially declared a saint--and by the mighty institution yet that even now is using its persuasive might to continue stigmatizing and marginalizing them and people of their kind. They'd have their very own patron saint--and Ricky Reyes could then install flamboyant altars to Pierre Toussaint in all his branches, complete with a recycled tagline: “Santa na ang lolah mo noh!”

Reminds me of this swishy middle-aged priest in our province whom everyone assumed to be gay--but nobody dared confirm, of course. One Sunday, during his sermon, he offered a most interesting take on purgatory--the halfway place where souls supposedly go to for purification before they are admitted into heaven.

“An purgatoryo bagan parlor ina. Kukurungon mun-a kita bag-o kita makakadto sa langit,” he said. Loosely--“Think of purgatory as a beauty parlor, where we'll get our perm first before we go to heaven.”

My priest friends, all of them straight, dubbed it the “Theology of the Beauty Parlor”--the dull equivalent of the kafatids' more colorful verdict: Pasok sa banga! Or, in a word, confeermed.

Formspringing famous writers

Nadine Gordimer, in answer to “You were awarded the Nobel prize in literature by the king of Sweden. Do you look back on that as the best moment in your life?”

Best moment? Reinhold Cassirer and I had just married, and were at a party in London. He had gone to find a friend in an adjoining room. I found myself standing beside a woman I didn't know, both of us amiably drinks in hand. He appeared in the doorway. She turned aside to me and exclaimed excitedly: “Who's that divine man?” I said: “My husband.”

Jeanette Winterson on “Why do you think what you do matters?”

Art and potatoes are pretty similar. Everyone needs slow-release energy and something to stabilise the gut. Art does that--it isn't fast food, but it isn't fancy food either. It's the solid stuff of life. I once had lunch at Heston Blumenthall's Fat Duck at Bray. I was very depressed because I am not a chocolate risotto kind of person. That night I dug up new potatoes from my garden with my hands, steamed them, covered them in olive oil and mint and chives, and ate nothing else. Then I felt better. The same thing happens to me with a book or a painting. It reminds me that life is good and solid, not about money and not about fad.

More Questions that authors are never asked here. Take your pick: William Boyd, Ian Rankin, Chang Rae-Lee, Rose Tremain, Margaret Atwood...

The music of Emir--live

Dulce, Beverly Salviejo, Liesl Batucan, Kalila Aguilos, Melanie Dujunco--familiar voices and faces from local theater--plus Frenchesca Farr, newbie performer who gets the lucky break of headlining Emir, a big-budgeted movie musical (about an OFW nanny who takes care of a young Moroccan prince) directed by Chito Rono and set to open in theaters on June 9.

They all performed during the presscon for the movie, singing three songs from the score that boasts an entire committee of composers and librettists behind it: Gary Granada, Vin and Ebe Dancel, Diwa De Leon, Chino Toledo, Jerry Gracio and Rody Vera.

Frankly, I wasn't taken in by the bit of music I heard, even with the powerful voices of Dulce et al. Then again, it was a noontime presscon, I was still half-dead from lack of sleep, and the set-up simply wasn't ideal to show off the excerpts in the best light. Also, if these songs were really part of a musical score, meaning they were created in service to a larger story and not as individual, stand-alone pieces of music, perhaps judging them outside of context and narrative was premature.

The fair solution, of course, is to see the movie in its entirety and draw my verdict from there. I hope you would, too. In the meantime, let the women of Emir entertain you and pique your interest:

Tanghalang Pilipino holds auditions for Actors' Company scholars

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines is in need of new scholars.

Auditions will be held for its Actors’ Company on Saturday, June 30, 2010, 1-6 p.m., at the CCP Bulwagang Amado Hernandez, Upper Basement, Tanghalang Pambansa, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must have completed a two-year diploma or certificate course or earned a four-year college degree. Submit a resume with two photos (a 2”x2” head shot and a 3”x5” full body shot) and be prepared to perform a three-minute monologue in Filipino from a published foreign or local play, any song in Filipino, and a short movement piece.

Be ready to do an improvised scene. A compact disc player will be provided for those who may need it.

Those who will pass the initial audition will be called back on July 4, 2010. Successful applicants will be TP's scholar for the year 2010-2011. Scholars will attend regular classes in acting, stage movement, voice and script analysis.

Scholars who fit specific roles will also be given the opportunity to participate in Tanghalang Pilipino’s Theater Season productions at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and other performances outside the CCP. Classes will start on July 6, 2010.

Among those who have been members of the TP Actors Company are some of the country's finest actors in theater, movies and television--Fernando Josef, Nonie Buencamino, Connie Chua, Shamaine Centenera Buencamino, Irma Adlawan, John Arcilla, RJ Leyran, Olga Natividad, Allan Paule, Ony de Leon, Gary Lim, George de Jesus III, Roeder Camanag, Joey Paras and Herbie Go.

Intrested parties may call Tanghalang Pilipino at 8323661 or 8321125 locals 1620 or 1621, Tuesdays to Fridays, 9am-5 pm. Or e-mail ccptanghalan@yahoo.com.

Auditions, stage management workshop with Gantimpala Theater

Tony Espejo, artistic director of Gantimpala Theater, announces the forthcoming audition and stage management workshop, signaling the start of the company’s 33rd season.

The audition is on June 14, 2-6 p.m., at the Rehearsal Hall, Open Air Auditorium, in Luneta, Manila. It is open to aspiring and professional actors, male and female, aged 18 years old above. Interested parties must bring two pictures, close-up and whole body, and a resume.

[In photo: Meliza Reyes as Maria Clara and Jao Mapa as Crisostomo Ibarra in “Kanser”]

The line-up of plays for this year are the four classics--“Florante at Laura,” “Kanser,” “Ibong Adarna” and “El Filibusterismo”; a twin bill of English plays, “The Necklace” and “New Yorker in Tondo”; a new children’s musical by J. Dennis Teodosio and Jesse Lucas, “Beauty and the Beast”; and the revival productions of “Bayan-Bayanan,” “Kasalan sa Likod ng Simbahan,” “General Goyo,” “Madilim ang Gabi sa Laot” and “Flor at Gusting.”

The stage management workshop, on the other hand, is set on June 21-July 3, 1-5 p,m., with Ed Murillo as main facilitator. Murillo is considered by theater and special events practitioners as one of the best stage managers in the Philippines today. Tuition is P3,000.

Call 5280603 or text 0921-5286308 or 0926-5516142. Visit www.gantimpalatheater.multiply.com and www.facebook.com/gantimpala.

'No one has the right to spend their life without being offended'

In short, freedom of speech, warts and all.

“No one has the right to live without being shocked. No one has the right to spend their life without being offended. Nobody has to read this book. Nobody has to pick it up. Nobody has to open it. And if they open it and read it, they don't have to like it. And if you read it and you dislike it, you don't have to remain silent about it. You can write to me. You can complain about it. You can write to the publisher. You can write to the papers. You can write your own book. You can do all those things. But there your rights stop. Nobody has to right to stop me writing this book. Nobody has to the right to stop it being published, or sold, or bought, or read.”

-- the author Philip Pullman, on what he thought of the offense his latest novel might cause Christians; the novel's title is The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.

The words are even more compelling on video:



As if on cue, The Onion seconds with this brilliant bit:

WASHINGTON—In a decisive and vulgar 7-2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court once again upheld the constitution's First Amendment this week, calling the freedom of expression among the most “inalienable and important rights that a motherfucker can have.”

“It is the opinion of this court that the right to speak without censorship or fear of intimidation is fundamental to a healthy democracy,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority. “Furthermore, the court finds that the right to say whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want, is not only a founding tenet, but remains essential to the continued success of this nation.”

Added Ginsburg, “In short, freedom of speech means the freedom of fucking speech, you ignorant cocksuckers.”

[Hat tip: The Playgoer]

Editing MGG, the book

Now that Migs has blogged about it, I might as well join the excited talk. Yep, two of my co-Fabcasters, Migs and McVie, will have books coming out this July. A small independent publishing house has gathered the best of their blog entries and collected them into book form.

McVie's, to be called The Wet Book: Stories From the Bathhouse, will be about his escapades in those mysterious, alluring places. Don't be scared by the subject--the encounters he has blogged about actually make for fascinating reading (and imagining), the sex almost always leavened with humor, smarts and common sense. With the witty McVie, it's never going to be merely tawdry or sleazy, I promise you. His book editor is noted screenwriter and producer Raymond Lee.

From McVie's intro to his book:

“This is a collection of blog entries featuring my bathhouses experiences. I blogged about them because the incidents had funny, memorable or out-of-the-ordinary moments that lifted them above the usual hot-steamy-sex-then-forget-about-him-and-go-home experiences one has in such places.

So why this book? This collection has a lot of sex in it, and I think sex should have a lot more humor in it. Or rather, people should have a more relaxed view of sex. Sex can be as sacred or as sleazy as one wants it to be. Let us not put it on a pedestal, nor hide it inside our closets. Let us celebrate. Let us have safe fun. And what’s safer than reading about sex?”

Migs, meanwhile, was asked by Grey Matter, the publisher, to gather the best letters sent to him by his readers for publication in book form. The letters will appear with Migs' replies, plus other readers' comments--many of which spin off into new story threads of their own. Another editor was originally tasked to go over the manuscript, but when he backed out due to scheduling conflicts, I happily stepped in.

It wasn't easy editing the book--not because of Migs, who always wrote with a sincere, steady hand and hardly needed my proverbial red pen. The letter-senders and the comments, which typically ran into the hundreds, especially when the letters offered steamy, provocative or controversial stories, were the big challenge.

Many of the letter-senders dashed off their letters with a combined urgency and casualness that made mincemeat of the usual writing conventions--punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc. I don't blame them--the Internet has made it permissible to write like this (capitalization, for instance, seems to be going the way of the dodo).

But if you could get past the extra-loose writing, there was a big consolation: The stories they shared were heartfelt, illuminating and heart-wrenching. While re-reading the letters, I found myself tearing up a few times--only to laugh heartily when it came to the comments, because readers could be quite blunt and irreverent in their feedback, couching their well-meaning advice in humorous, even snarky terms.

A lot of the comments, usually verbalized off-the-cuff thoughts, would tax the skills of any decent editor. Again, I don't take it against the commenters--this is how conversation is happening online. Though not in every case, mind you; there were more than a few who wrote impressively and consistently well from entry to entry.

Due to space constraints, only a select few letters and comments could make it to the book (really, how could it be possible otherwise with, say, 217 chatty comments for just one entry?). So, aside from tightening the prose, I also had to prune the extensive feedback section based on three criteria: Does the comment say something useful? Does it say it well? And would it be representative of the diverse range of opinions and ideas--even contrary ones--that Migs has always encouraged in his blog?

Those comments that appeared to offer a good thought or two but, unfortunately, were written in an atrocious manner had to give way to others. I didn't want to do any major overhaul of either the letters or the comments--simple tightening for clarity and conciseness would be enough. The moment I rewrote the text extensively, the individual's voice would be lost, and it wouldn't be his (or her--there were a couple of women letter senders!) contribution anymore. So I didn't go there.

Migs will have much more to say in his introduction, which also sketches a backstage view, if you will, of his blockbuster blog. Wait for the book--and do buy a copy, will you?

P.S. I've also been asked to write the introduction to a forthcoming anthology of plays by a major playwright. The book might come out this year, too. Exciting days ahead.