Jackie, Oh! by Jackie Regala-Katigbak

RENO, NEVADA, March 15, 2006—In spite of the snow and the chilling '30s temperature, people trekked the trail going to Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino in Reno last weekend to catch the show of Concert King, Martin Nievera.

From the moment you walked through the Nevada airport, a huge portrait of the pop icon greets you along with mainstream artists namely Black Eyed Peas with The Pussycat Dolls, Toni Braxton and Bob Dylan.

The billboard did not stop at Nevada airport. Martin's portrait was posted vaingloriously all over the place - from the garage to the escalator to the main Lobby; to the tent cards at the restaurants and to each hotel room and at the casino itself. And for any avid Filipino concertgoer, it is such a thrill to see their favorite Filipino artist as a headliner being advertised and promoted the way American performers are.

Like I said earlier, the very cold weather did not dampen the spirit of any concert enthusiasts at the Grand Exposition Hall where the concert took place. Instead, Martin turned the heat up that night with a fiery ensemble of seasoned musicians, an exciting array of repertoire and a personality that is truly warm, engaging and spiels that are funny and often witty. These are the very trademarks of a "Martin Nievera show."

For an artist who is quite meticulous as well as very professional, Nievera gathered an international array of musicians led by musical director, Lorrie Illustre (who by the way did a terrific job in arranging the repertoire and leading the band).

The musicians played with gusto starting off with Carlos Perez on percussions and vocals (this talented guy is also a percussionist-cum-vocalist for Ricky Martin); Tom Porello, trumpet (original trumpet player for the late Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley); George Bryant, drums; Rob Cooke, keyboards; Jim Buck, guitar/vocals; Steve Raimundez, bass; Kevin Stout, trombone and Gerald Merra on sax.

The show opened with Michael Buble's "Moondance" and "Tonight" before it segued way to a Sammy Davis Medley of "Who Can I Turn To/ What Kind of Fool "and "For Once in a Lifetime." All the first batch of songs set the tone of what to expect that night. I smiled and nodded with approval as I savored each song because Martin has definitely grown up and matured as a singer.

Gone are the days when he would sing a repertoire that consisted mostly of what his fans want to hear. Martin is now one of the few, full-fledged concert artists who has the luxury of singing the songs he likes and enjoys best performing on stage and still gets his audience's praises and applause.

From what I saw, everyone was entertained as Martin kept going from one song to the next.

What came next were well-loved OPM ditties from "Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin" and "The Way You Look Tonight." Then there were the OPM classics, his own signature songs, "How Can I" and "Be My Lady." And even if we heard him sing these songs several times in the past, Martin made it sound like you heard it for the first time.

A welcome, refreshing add-on to Martin's repertoire is the Stevie Wonder medley of "Sir Duke," "Isn't She Lovely," "You are the Sunshine of My Life," "My Cherie Amour," "Overjoyed" and "Superstition." I hope that Martin and Lorrie would make this medley a staple in their act. This brought in the versatility factor to his ballad-filled repertoire.

Another medley strategically sequenced in between ballads is the Tom Jones Medley. It was "musically delicious!" A real treat to the audience with Martin singing "It's Not Unusual," "Delilah" and "Kiss." And talk about Kiss, Martin was swamped with not just one, but many kisses all throughout the night. He quipped: "Why kiss me in the cheeks where you can always kiss me in the lips." And out came the women from the audience with kisses landing on his lips - from grandmas to mothers to the lovely teens! The very Vegas-ish act reminds you of the scene from a Wayne Newton show.

By the way, Martin, forget about the dancing and the gyrating! Leave that to Gary V.! Your dancing is perfectly fine - it's what makes you lovable and endearing to your fans.

And for a breather, Martin's female guest, Jenevi Bach brought her "Hot Stuff" act to the fore. Martin introduced her as "a weapon of destruction." And out came a voluptuous and alluring lady who commanded presence on stage. Together, Jenevi and Martin performed a slow bossa nova, "Quando Quando!"

Outstanding was Martin's performance of a Josh Groban original, "You Raise Me Up." Obviously he was in his best element. Ditto with "Please Don't Throw My Love Away" and "Say That You Love Me."

Another twist which we found very interesting that night was the Swing arrangement of Lorrie in the Michael Jackson Medley of "Billy Jean," "Beat It," "Bad," and "The Way You make Me Feel " -- another must-have in their forthcoming gig!

For a powerful pick-up song, Martin delivered the Broadway Medley - where the singer's vocal prowess was put to the test. He did justice in songs like "Home," "The Music of the Night," "I Dream the Dream," "Why God?" "Memories," "Somewhere," "There's a Place for Us" to "This is the Moment." This prompted the audience to accord Martin a standing ovation.

As if this was not enough musical journey for us, we were also treated to Nievera's famous rendition of "You are My Song," as a chaser for the night.

Over-all, Martin's performance was awesome and highly entertaining.

He is to us the perfect showcase of a Filipino talent out to show audiences all around the globe that indeed, the Filipino artist can stand at par with any mainstream artist.

During the concert, Martin also mentioned that it is his lifetime dream to be able to perform in another part of the world regularly before the Filipino audiences. And his wish was granted! Martin is set to perform for a year at the soon-to-open Steve Wyrick Theater located at The Passage in Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (this place will be soon be named Planet Hollywood Las Vegas.)

So if you are visiting Las Vegas, catch the Martin Nievera gig starting July 2006 (produced by the enterprising duo -- Ivee Fresnoza and Gene Gamalinda).

This is yet another must-see-show!

Jobelle Salvador: Life after "Bagets"

Even now, 22 years later, people still associate her with "Bagets," the hit coming-of-age film that launched the careers of Aga Muhlach, William Martinez, Herbert Bautista, JC Bonnin, Raymond Lauchengco, Eula Valdez and Yayo Aguila.

Jobelle Salvador, one of the three girls in the movie, was based in the US where she was studying Nuclear Medicine (at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas) but came home for a vacation in December 1983. It so happened that her father, Leroy Salvador, was doing movies for Viva, which was about to start shooting "Bagets." They needed a girl to pair with Herbert, and Mina Aragon asked Jobelle if she was interested.

At first, Jobelle thought it was a joke. "I thought she (Mina) was just joking, so I didn't take the offer seriously. I didn't even know who Herbert was!"

But curiosity got the better of her, and Jobelle finally let herself be persuaded to join the cast. Turns out, she enjoyed herself so much that she never went back to school after that. She tried going back to the US and resuming her studies after the movie was done, but by then, she was hooked. "I never really went back to school after that. I guess nag-enjoy na ako!" laughs Jobelle, who shares with us the many fond memories she has of the "Bagets" days.

One cherished memory was being able to travel all over the Philippines. "I loved the tours," she enthuses. "Naikot yata namin ang buong Philippines that time! Also the TV guestings, since I really loved to dance during my younger days."

That, however, proved to be only the beginning. When she got a call offering her a role in "Hotshots," Jobelle took it as a sign that she was meant to be in show business. So she packed her bags and flew back to the Philippines.

"From then on, nagtuloy-tuloy na ang career ko," recalls Jobelle, who's now busy producing shows. She also works as a marketing consultant for a broadcasting/telecom company based in Japan. She also has a promotions and import-export company in Japan.

Now that Jobelle is starting to become visible again, people are asking if she's planning to stage a showbiz comeback. On the contrary, says Jobelle, she never really quit the business. "I did not retire from showbiz," she clarifies. "I just took a long break. I'm still under Manila Genesis management. I didn't quit either, because I'm still in the same business here in the US, which is producing shows." Jobelle flies to Manila about twice or thrice a year, or more frequently if there are offers she can't resist. Fortunately, Genesis is able to give her some TV projects every time she's in town.

Does she miss acting? The answer comes with absolutely no hesitation. "I miss it a lot," admits Jobelle, adding that she doesn't mind having to move back to Manila if necessary, or if there are good offers.

Jobelle's main preoccupation these days is producing shows, concerts, plays and fashion shows. She's been doing it since 1988. One of the things keeping her busy at the moment is organizing the Las Vegas search of Pinoy Pop Superstar, a talent search hosted by Regine Velasquez on GMA-7. The Las Vegas eliminations were held last month at the Clark County Library Theater.

After that, the winner of the Las Vegas eliminations will compete against the winners of the searches in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Then all the US winners will fly to Los Angeles to compete, and the winner of that will be flown to Manila to join the Grand Finals, which will be held sometime in May this year.

Pretty soon, though, it may be Jobelle you see on television. She's really itching to get back to acting. Whenever she watches Filipino TV programs or movies on TV, she has only one reaction. "It makes me want to go back to Manila and make Angeli (Pangilinan, wife of Gary V and head of Manila Genesis) kulit to find me a good role," she laughs.

Who knows? With the kind of talent she has, there will always be a place for Jobelle Salvador in showbiz.

South Border on the Move in Los Angeles

Meanwhile, concert enthusiasts in Los Angeles are all eager to see the South Border perform their best selling songs and the latest cuts from their album Episode III in May produced by southland's leading concert professionals, KATZ Entertainment.

Fresh from the success of their latest album and their series of promotional concerts and special shows, South Border have once more shown that real talent and quality music still reign supreme over packaging or advertising hype.

Their new album, "Episode III" represents the third chapter in the band's 11-year-old career that saw the entry of two new lead singers, Vince Alaras and Duncan Ramos. With each milestone in their professional existence featuring a different lead vocalist, the present line-up seems to have struck the perfect formula that not only continues to deliver the authentic "tunog-South Border," but has also earned the band a wider, younger and more vibrant fan base.

Episode III turned gold in three weeks and went platinum after three months. It features "Rainbow," one of 2004's biggest OPM hit makers and the album's carrier single. Originally included in the music CD compilation specially made for the Sharon Cuneta top grossing film "Crying Ladies." "Rainbow" reached the No. 1 spot in the radio charts and so did the other singles culled from the album titled "The Show," a sexy, slow danceable number, and the ballad "Wherever You Are." Both projects are a collaboration between Vince and Jay Durias, the band's musical director and arranger.

Another hit song from South Border which developed a cult following for the group is "Ikaw Nga" the theme song from GMA 7's teleserye, "Mulawin."

After holding a highly-acclaimed major concert at the Araneta Coliseum, South Border continues to reap awards for their excellence as musicians and live performers. These include: Favorite Band, Best R & B Group; Best R & B Band; Best Concert Act; and Song of the Year for their hit songs.

South Border is also set to perform in New York's Roxy on April 8 and in Chicago's Pickwick Theater on April 22. By May, they will tour Los Angeles including San Francisco.

KATZ Entertainment proudly presents the most sought-after band in the Philippines today known as South Border. The band is best known for their catchy and popular R&B-jazz-pop music mix with an OPM flavor. SOUTH BORDER in Long Beach, CA Friday, May 19, 2006, 8PM at the Rhythm Lounge, 245 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA 90802 and SOUTH BORDER in Hollywood Saturday, June 3, 2006, 8 PM at Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028. For tickets and more information, you can call KATZ at 562-529-8680 / 562-787-9030. Download video ad!

Famous songs: "Rainbow" (from Sharon Cuneta's Crying Ladies), "The Show," "Wherever You Are," "Ikaw Nga" (from GMA 7's teleserye Mulawin), "Habang Atin ang Gabi," "The Way We Do" and the current hot seller, "Sweet." Their recorded albums include "South Border" (triple platinum), "Bump" (which turned gold), "South Border... Live" (platinum), "Episode III" (platinum/gold).

South Border is composed of Vincent Alaras, lead vocalist; Duncan Ramos, lead vocalist; Jay Durias, musical director and keyboardist; Paul Benitez, percussionist; Rick Junasa, saxophonist and flutist; Tata Balane, bass guitarist; and Butch Victoriano, guitarist.

SOUTH BORDER

(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.)

HOME