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Ruffa Talks About Love & Marriage A couple of months ago, international beauty queen and Philippine actress, Ruffa Gutierrez celebrated her first year wedding anniversary with Turkish millionaire, Yilmaz Bektas. The first, as many are wont to say is always memorable as it turns out to be the most meaningful. In here, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, head honcho of Genesis Entertainment who manages Ruffa, aside from many others including Gary Valenciano, shares with us a letter the statuesque actress wrote about love and marriage.
On this day, March 25, 2004, Yilmaz and I are celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary. It has been a roller coaster ride especially with all the intrigues we went through last summer but Thank God, everything has finally fallen into the right place. Things are close to perfect and life is good! I thank God every day for all the blessings He has showered my family and pray to Him to guide us and protect us from the temptations of the world. In fact, our relationship has developed into something far richer than my early romantic view. We have lived through al the intrigues, birth of our lovely first born Lorin, disappointments and sorrows, as well as the all the pleasures of an enduring relationship. We have worked hard to arrive at a place of ease with one another and our circumstances. Last March 25, 2004, Yilmaz and I celebrated a year of married bliss, our first wedding anniversary. We had a romantic dinner at the Tugra restaurant of the Ciragan Palace (former residence of the King of Turkey-Sultan Abdulmecid) which is now part of the Kempinski Hotel. With delicious Ottoman cuisine, we had fabulous views of the European shores of the Bosphorus. In between all this activity we both took the time to reflect on our commitment to ourselves, to each other and to our relationship. We are also now expecting our 2nd baby whom we fondly call “Nemo” till we find out via ultrasound next month if it's a girl or boy. Yilmaz and I are even all too excited about Nemo’s coming! So what exactly is commitment? For us I believe it is dedication to common purposes, a willingness to grow and learn, faith and courage in difficult situations and adaptability. It implies focused attention and hard work. I must admit that the past year has molded and matured me. All enduring relationships go through many phases. Ironically, it is often the most difficult situations that serve to strengthen relationships. In our case my being in show business and all the quirks that go with it has moved us from a hard working couple to a deeper, fuller commitment to each other and our relationship. Happy 1st year my handsome, sweet Prince………….. Looking forward to more years ahead with you if not forever!" And to this, we can only heave a sigh and wish Ruffa and Yilmaz “forever love, bliss and happiness!” Speaking of Genesis Management, one very popular artist under its stable who is truly awesome is no other than Gary Valenciano. And for the third time, he is going back to the prestigious Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in “Gary V Hits Shrine.” The concert is set on June 11, Friday, 8 p.m. with the special guest appearance of R & B singing sensation, Brian McKnight. It is produced by KATZ Entertainment, All Access, Media3Five6 and Luces Production/Johnny’s Pilipino Market & Restaurant. Presentors are Seafood City Supermarket, Goldilocks Bakeshops, Fil-Am Fone Club, Estela Cottle Skin Care and Clinic, JA Financial Services and Floor Station. Sponsors are Classic Design in Glendale Galleria, Bistro Kalesa, Radisson Hotel West Los Angeles, Gandi Skin Care, Countrywide Realty, and Pinoy Goodies. Media sponsors are Asian American People's Journal, Tribune USA, Celebrity Chronicle and Weekend Balita. The tickets for Gary Valenciano are selling like the proverbial hotcakes, so to speak. With a venue that has pitch perfect acouistics, a special guest like Brian McKnight and a Filipino icon as the lead performer – how can one go wrong? Gary V Hits the Shrine has the splendid elements for a fun, highly entertaining concert one should not miss. So, Los Angeles, mark your calendar and have a blast with us – June 11, Friday – Gary V at the Shrine! This is LA’s concert Event of the Year. Los Angeles Awaits Brian’s Stint in Gary V Concert The name Brian McKnight is quite a staple among the Filipino and Filipino-American concertgoers. His songs are on top of the list of favorites among us – who would not want to listen to “Back At One,” “One Last Cry” or even “Love Is” over and over again? Thus, on June 11, it is with extreme pride that the producers of the Gary Valenciano concert at the Shrine Auditorium bring in Brian McKnight in a special guest appearance with the Philippines’ leading concert performer. Expect both to do a production number that is sure to surprise the audience. The concert titled “Gary V Hits… Shrine” is produced by KATZ Entertainment in association with Luces Productions, Media3Five6 and All Access.
McKnight or “B” as fondly called in the music biz is not totally new among the Pinoy music lovers. He has performed several times in the Philippines. His recent stint was a Valentine hit concert with Lani Misalucha and BoyzIIMen. He also wrote a song for Concert King, Martin Nievera. In his biography, “B” has been introduced to us properly. The follwing is lifted from here: Of all the instruments, the voice is the most haunting, the most expressive. The voice is the sound closest to our soul. We remember voices with chilling recall. The voice of a lover echoes in our ear long after the love is gone. Inner voices confuse or soothe, filling our head with hope, disappointment, joy. The voice of the singer is the most memorable of all--the singer who captures the power of raw feelings; the singer who discloses the elusive longing that lingers in our dreams; the singer whose sensitivity touches our heart and excites our imagination. Brian McKnight is such a singer. His gift is enormous. Beyond the sheer marvel of his voice, his brilliance as a writer, musician and producer place him in an exceptional category. His immediate predecessors are Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, two other keyboard-based vocalists whose musical visions are architectural in scope. Like McKnight's, their songs blend structural complexity and emotional simplicity; they're deep but direct, solid but soaring. Most immediately, their voices remain with us through the bright days and dark nights of our lives. Their voices are unique. The extraordinary shape of McKnight's music is formed by his singular history. "At age four, I learned to sing seated on my mother's lap in the alto section of the choir," says Brian. "My mother is a fine singer and good gospel pianist. My grandfather was minister of music. The choir was a cappella, the voices were awesome, and I still hear the harmonies in my head." "The McKnight Brothers were serious singers. The reputation went out: these boys could shout. My big brothers -- Claude, Freddie and Michael -- man, they were my heroes. Each was a leader in his own right. Outside church, they listened to jazz. Church music thrilled me, but jazz stimulated my mind." "My childhood," Brian continues, "was a happy combination of the Platters and Nat Cole, Woody Herman and Gino Vannelli. My brothers loved sophisticated multi-leveled music -- they loved Steely Dan, for example -- and I inherited that appreciation from the get-go. They'd come home with albums by the Four Freshmen and Hi-Los. We'd hear those gorgeous close harmonies and rip them right off the records. I sat down at the piano and taught myself by ear. I was also a sports freak. I worshipped the Philadelphia 76ers and Dr. J; I dug the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Dorset. As a junior running back, I wore Tony's number 33. I had two dreams -- to play professional sports and professional music." "For me, Stevie Wonder is the Michael Jordan of music. A category of his own. His Original Musicquarium changed my life. He drew me deep into the tracks. His vocals are almost athletic. I call him a "hard singer," someone who can sing gently but has the power and range to do whatever he wants. That's what I wanted -- the sound I heard in Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, James Ingram, Michael Sembello, Bobby Caldwell -- guys with power and the ability to compose pop songs based on superbad jazz chords. I loved that combination." Brian McKnight, the debut album, wasn't released until 1992, three years after the signing. The album, a critical and commercial triumph, yielded the smash single "One Last Cry." Brian's production work with Vanessa Williams on her Comfort Zone sessions was widely praised. The McKnight/Williams duet, "Love Is," from the soundtrack to "Beverly Hills 90210," became a Top Five hit. Today, B the studio man is much in demand. His inspired production of "U Will Know" from the film Jason's Lyric was a landmark meeting of a new generation of superb soul singers, many of whom look to McKnight as a leading light. Boyz II Men asked him to produce their Christmas album. And currently Brian is producing Take 6, a satisfying nod of approval from big brother Claude. B was also awarded a spotlight performance on Quincy Jones' new soon-to-be-released record; Q has him singing "Moody's Mood," a touchstone for great jazz singers. In an age when categories like jazz and pop are increasingly blurred, Brian is increasingly comfortable. "The music I write," he says, "and the songs I sing must first move me. The sentiments must be real, the melodies must be magic. I want to create moods everyone can feel. Records don't need to be perfect, but they do need character." Great art is rare. And Brian McKnight is the rarest of artists -- a stunningly accomplished musician whose greatest accomplishment is the natural wonder of his voice. "Poetic romance," he says before flicking off the studio lights and offering you a final word, "will always be the most beautiful music of all."
Gary Valenciano as the Filipino Icon Who doesn’t know Gary Valenciano? At this point in time, any avid concertgoer and Pinoy music lover (be it in Manila or the US, Asia and Europe) has that name etched on top of their fave list of concert performers. So popular and talented is Gary V, that folks from all walks of life have at least one Gary V song they know by heart. It is with Genesis Entertainment's permission that I print one of their promo materials, as such:
At any given time in rice paddies, in plush hotels, on wharves and in the jungle streets of Manila, there’s at least one person who knows a Gary V tune by heart whether he be a farmer or a company executive. If cultural anthropologists were to conduct a study of the last twenty years, further, they’re bound to discover that one boy out of five wants to sing, dance, be like Gary Valenciano. Every occasion, too, is Gary V bailiwick. Given the veritable catalogue of hits from 19 critically and commercially acclaimed albums (and counting), a Gary Valenciano CD would eventually be pulled out and counted on to inspire either feet or tear ducts. To simply say, therefore, that Gary Valenciano is a legend is grossly undermining; he’s the template Filipino musical legend is measured by. Gary crashed into the Filipino consciousness as an awkward and reticent teenager in 1983. Even then, and among seasoned musicians, great things were already expected of the part-Filipino, part-Puerto Rican performer. Gary earned the reputation for igniting crowd fever with the mercurial combination of versatile vocalese and wicked dance routines concert after concert, thus being dubbed “Mr. Pure Energy.” No one in the Philippine Entertainment scene came as Gary did. Check these out: - Over 200 nominations and trophies garnered from various award-winning bodies here and all over Asia; - Maintains the record for holding the biggest pop concert in Philippine History (about 800,000 attendance) at the Luneta Park in 1989; - His album sales are considered shabby if they only earn a Gold Record citation; - His album, “Gary V. Interactive” won a total of 16 trophies in a single Awit Awards night (Philippine equivalent to Grammy’s) - Voted one of the Top Five Favorite Musical Artists in the Philippines; - Landed on the list of Ten Outstanding Young Men for 2001; - First UNICEF Ambassador of Goodwill for the Philippines; - Favorite Endorser of various products because of his exemplary life in and beyond the spotlight. First Filipino artist to have a Seinnheiser mic named after him. Gary earned all these honors by way of conducting his professional and personal life through a Christian’s eye. The fact that Gary achieved all these despite his more than 25-year-battle with juvenile diabetes is not just the point – it’s a testament that life springs hope eternal. An icon, a superstar, that's what Gary Valenciano is. A shooting star blazing steadily across Philippine skies. A nation looks up and is comforted. Catch Gary Valenciano do the extra-ordinary “songs, moves and performance” on July 11, Friday at the prestigious Shrine Auditorium. This is the first time that a Filipino artist will also have a celebrity mainstream artist in the presence of Brian McKnight. The pop-R & B artist is popular with the song “Love Is,” a duet with Vanessa Williams and the monster hit, “One Last Cry” and “Back at One.” Together, they have whipped up a surprise number for all of you out there. “Gary Valenciano Hits... Shrine” is produced by KATZ Entertainment in association with Luces Production, Media3Five6 and All Access. It is also presented by Seafood City Supermarket, Goldilocks Bakeshop & Restaurant, J and A Financial Services, Fil-Am Phone Club and Estela Cottle Skin Care Clinic. Also sponsored by Bistro Kalesa and Pinoy Goodies. (Ed’s note: Jackie Regala-Katigbak has been writing and doing promotions in the entertainment business since the 1980s. The past two decades saw her columns and articles published in the Philippines via the Manila Bulletin, Panorama, Manila Standard and Philippine Times Journal. Currently her articles are published by www.CarouselPinoy.com, the Asian Journal publications and in various newspapers in Southern California. For correspondence, you may send her an email at JackieRegala@verizon.net Thank you.)
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It is also presented
by Seafood City Supermarket, Goldilocks Bakeshop & Restaurant, J.A. Financial
Services, Inc., Fil-Am Phone Club, Johnny’s Pilipino Restaurant &
Market and Estella Cottle Skin Care and Clinic. The concert is also brought
to you by Classic Designs In Glendale Galleria, Bistro Kalesa and Tribune
USA. Sponsors are Asian American People’s Journal, Pinoy Goodies, Gandi
Skin Care Clinic, Radisson Hotel West Los Angeles and Peterson Hair Salon.
Bits-N-Buzz: Giselle
Tongi, considered as one of the most talented and beautiful faces in the
Philippine entertainment scene makes her stage debut in a rock and roll musical
titled “The Days When Cocaine was King” which premiered April 23
at the American Renegade Theater in No. Hollywood. She plays Juanita, a Latin
Salsa dancer who is the love interest of the lead character in the musical.
For more about this musical, you may log onto
In the Philippines, superstar
Gary Valenciano is not only the ethereal criteria by which Filipinos judge
contemporary pop. The singer and his songs are, to the 70 million populace
of the music capital of Asia – a way of life.