Los
Angeles: The girl from Ipanema or rather the girl from the Philippines Sitti
Navarro, who has been creating waves these past few years with her sultry
and cool rendition of Bossa Nova songs, and with her CDs hitting the charts,
is currently visiting Los Angeles and other US cities for a series of shows.
We sat down for a relaxing
and fun dinner with the young and beautiful Sitti Navarro at the newest Max's
Restaurant in Puente Hills to talk with her about her music, her aspirations,
and just about anything under the sun. She will be singing at the US Philippine
Expo in Fairplex Pomona this weekend of August 9-10, 2008 put together by
R-Page's CEO Ruben Panopio under the direction of Jet and Edith Montelibano.
Taking lounge singing as a
hobby while she was in College, now she is excited that Bossa Nova, a genre
of music which originated in Brazil from samba and made famous by her idol
Astrud Gilberto and brought to the Philippines in the 70's by Bong Penera
(of the Batucada band; I still have the cassette tape somewhere) has turned
into a promising career for her. Singing since the age of 17, the now 23
year old confided that Bossa Nova which was once popular with the 40's crowd
has now been embraced by the younger generation of Filipinos. She added that
it is now common to hear 21 year olds hum the tune "Mas Que Nada," thanks
to the lovely voice of Sitti Navarro and her beautiful face and personality.
Over dinner with Los Angeles
media including Pinoywired's Ver Penaranda, FilAmNation's
Manny Legaspi, and Peryodiko's Val Abelgas just to name a few,
Sitti engaged us in her jovial, relaxed and fun way on a myriad of topics
ranging from serious political stuff, and then back to her unique kind of
music (bossa nova means 'something new' in Portuguese), and to trivial small
talk of her plan of going to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and of course
Hollywood 'just to walk where the stars walk', unknowingly becoming apparent
to us that, indeed we are in the presence of a rising star ourselves!
Sitti Navarro's MySpace page
says it all: "Pretty and talented Katrina "Sitti" Navarro is a former UP
student whose passion is singing. She recently launched Cafe Bossa album
with the following songs: Girl from Ipanema, Tattooed on my Mind, At 17,
Hey Look at the Sun... under Warner Music.
Sitti, whose name means princess
in the Muslim dialect, is truly worthy to be Bossa-Manila's new "IT" girl.
Her relaxed singing style and soothing voice lingers above the complex harmonies
of jazz and samba influenced Brazilian genre, effortlessly gelling lyrics
and music together. Her eyes light up when she talks about Bossa Nova. "What
I really like best about bossa nova is that the lyrics, message and music
is profound. Even if it's melancholic at times, it's still easy on the ears.
She is part of a rare and
unique breed of people who have both the brains and the looks to back her
pleasing personality. Her High School days seem to be a breeze as she was
both the editor-in-chief of her school's paper and Valedictorian winning
of numerous awards most notably the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Award, The Gerry
A. Roxas Leadership Award and the Jose P. Laurel Academic Excellence Award.
This twenty-year-old individual, now proudly holds a BS degree in Business
Economics from the University of the Philippines in Diliman.
Although it is her dream to
be a successful TV host or a News Anchor, she has made her name as one of
Manila's most promising, young singers. She has successfully sung her way
to the audiences' hearts in all of her stints with various Music Lounges
in the metro. Since the age of 16, she has landed gigs at "Harry's Bar at
the Top of the Century", the "Diwata Cocktail Lounge" of the Sulo Hotel,
the "Hyatt Calesa Bar" to name a few. Blessed with a smile that can surely
melt anyone's heart, her Repetoire is as impressive as her talents. People
can't help either sing with her or fall in love during her live performances
There is a growing line of fans and followers as she ia acclaimed for her
sweet and soothing voice.
Her
singing talents have not gone unnoticed. In 2004, MTV Philippines started
the "Supahstar D' Super Search", where the elite and renowned panel of judges
voted her as one of the winners. She has then appeared in the group's Music
Videos, showcasing her unique individual talents.
Daughter of lawyer Augusto
Navarro and the former Lydia Baidin says "God and family are important in
my life. God is the strongest source of unwavering strength and faith. While
the family is the inspiration to live on and to make things happen. Without
them, I can't imagine what my life will be."
Sitti released her CD 'Cafe
Bossa' in 2006 (certified double platinum) and followed it with a re-release
in 2007 coupled with a bonus VCD. Her next CD, 'Sitti Live' which has become
a gold release. 'Sitti in the Mix', a collaboration work with Dense Modesto
was release in 2007 and the CD 'My Bossa Nova came out in the same year.
The latter CD was re-released in 2008 with a bonus VCD of Sitti Live!2 entitled
'My Bossa Nova Live 2.'
If you want to catch her shows,
be there at the US Philippine Expo this weekend August 9-10 at Fairplex Pomona
Building 4.
Other shows sheduled are:
August 15 at Max's Puente
Hills Mall
August 23 at Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles**
August 29 at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula**
August 31 at Cashman Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada
September 5 at Rebel Bar in New York
(**with Joey Albert &
David Pomeranz)
It was refreshing to see the
young and talented Sitti Navarro up close. One cannot stop to wonder how
a petite girl like Sitti can take on bossa nova which has once only belonged
to the legends like Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim,
and of course influences from Ella Fitgerald, and do it with a Filipino twist
(listen to her original song 'Para Sa Akin', one of my favorites) and lure
the younger generation to the music of the early 60s and 70s.
After our pleasant and relaxing
dinner, my head was in bossa nova mode: pleasant memories of waking up to
the smooth sound of the songs 'Fly Me to the Moon, Lady Wants to Know, Samba
Song, With or Without You, One Note Samba, At 17, and Tattooed on My Mind'
came flooding back to memory.
It is no surprise, the Bossa
Nova queen, Sitti Navarro, has brought back the Girl from Ipanema to the
United States.
May 28, 2008: JOURNEY--Neal
Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo
(drums) and new lead singer Arnel Pineda—is hitting the road to promote
REVELATION, the highly anticipated three-disc CD/DVD package set for release
June 3 exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in North America.
They guested at the Ellen
DeGeneres Show which aired May 28, 2008. If you missed the it, here is the
video clip
Journey performed two of their
four hit singles, the first one they played is "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"
with Arnel on lead vocals. This song was the first single that the band did
a music video at a wharf in New Orleans during Steve Perry's time with the
song hitting #8 on the charts. Arnel Pineda gave the song a new heart, depth
& a lot of stage moves. Ellen exclaimed "unbelievable, unbelievable"...
The second cut they did at
Ellen's show is the truly amazing ballad "Faithfully" which I grew up on
(high school days!). During its original release, this song reached #12 on
the Billboard Hot 100 list. This is the power ballad of Journey, and the
second single from their album Frontiers. Although this is not the band's
most successful song, it became the trademark and most recognizable song
ever and has enjoyed continuous popularity.
It describes the relationship
of a "music man" who is always on the road touring and having difficulty
with raising a wife and family. It reveals the deeper feeling of 'rediscovering
her again' and promises "I'm forever yours, faithfully." The lyrics were
written by Journey Keyboard man Jonathan Cain himself. Arnel Pineda squeezed
out some more of this love-lost-rebirth song and threw Ellen's studio audience
in a standing ovation. Neal Schon's ecstatic lead guitar gave the anthem
song a familiar but new and slightly different feel all the way to the extended
reverb.
Journey REVELATION CD/DVD
is coming out at WalMart stores on June 3rd, 2008 with two CDs and one DVD
of the Planet Hollywood Vegas concert last March 08.
European tour starts in June
and the U.S. tour will be in July. For concert schedule, got to
www.JourneyMusic.com
After
a long absence from the stage, Geneva Cruz, The Pop, Soul, and R&B Diva
from Seattle, Washington is currently back on stage and touring the Phiippines
and Korea. Geneva Cruz will be kicking off this series of concert sApril
1, 2008 at Casino Filipino in Tagaytay.
Geneva Mendoza Cruz- Miller,
who is better known by her screen name Geneva Cruz, is a Filipina singer
and actress. Born on April 2, 1976 in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila, she comes
from the legendary Cruz clan (one of Tirso Cruz Sr.'s Great Grand-Daughters)
which include celebrities like Tirso Cruz III, Sunshine Cruz, Sheryl Cruz
and Donna Cruz. She is also the cousin of actor-dancer Rayver Cruz.
Cruz began her career in 1989
as one of the lead singers of the popular group Smokey Mountain. She subsequently
left the group to pursue a solo career. Her first album, "I Like You", went
platinum. The album produced several hit singles, including the title track
and "Anak ng Pasig" (from the movie of the same title) in which Geneva appeared.
"Anak Ng Pasig," was also chosen as Best Pop Song by the 1992 Catholic Mass
Media Awards.
Her scheduled upcoming shows
include the following venues:
Apr 1 2008 8:00P - Casino
Filipino Tagaytay City (Solo show)
Apr 3 2008 5:00P - Mall of Asia Manila ***
Apr 18 2008 7:00P - Davao City
Apr 19 2008 7:00P - Panabo City
Apr 24 2008 7:00P - Butuan City
Apr 25 2008 7:00P - Cagayan de Oro
Apr 26 2008 9:00P - Captain’s Bar Makati City (Solo with her band)
May 2 2008 7:00P - Cebu City
May 10 2008 7:00P - Iloilo City
May 24 2008 7:00P - Bacolod City
May 30 2008 7:00P - Tacloban City
Jun 1 2008 8:00P - Korea, Korea (Show for Globe Telecom)
(Most shows are with Pops
Fernandez 'Divalicious Tour'/ except *** with Rachel Alejandro)
She arrived in the Philippines
recently with the same speculations from the press as when she left in January
2007 for the United States -- with the nasty rumor that she and husband KC
Montero were having marital problems. However, the energetic diva discounts
the rumor as nothing new. She is happily married to MTV VJ KC Montero since
January 2004. She has a twelve year old son- Heaven by her former Husband,
Introvoyz drummer Paco Arespacochaga who is now based in Los Angeles.
Geneva and KC started going
steady in 1999, right after her marriage to Paco was annulled. In 2004, the
two got married in civil rites at the Montero's Seattle home but they kept
their marriage a secret until recently. The rumor seem to have sparked because
she left Seattle without KC nor Heaven, who is celebrating his 12th birthday
on April 17th.
But Geneva is unfazed with
all the rumor and is excited for tonight's kick-off show at Tagaytay. She
plans to stay in the Philippines for the next three months ending her tour
in Korea. An unfinished Album is also in the works. Her last recording came
out in 2002.
Despite the curious tone of
the Philippine media welcome to Geneva and her hectic Philippine comeback
tour, she is so focused on the one dozen shows that are scheduled. Her reply
to my last email before she left for the Philippines was: " hi! i'll let
you know when i get back to manila, my manager has my schedule. thanks ha!
happy valentines!" It looks like the love and the groove is still inside
the girl from Tondo.
Talk show host Ellen Degeneres
on her recent show of the same name was mentioning about the awesome singing
talent from the Philippines and wants to invite multi-platinum Rock Band
Journey new lead singer Arnel Pineda to guest in her show.
Here's a segment of the broadcast
expressing her interest in inviting Arnel Pineda.
Talks are in process to have
Journey's Arnel Pineda, as well as the whole band of JOURNEY--Neal Schon
(guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo
(drums) and Arnel Pineda (vocals), who is originally from the Philippines,
to be on the "Ellen Degeneres Show." It is amazing that Arnel sings so good
(too good to be true)that Ellen quips HE IS NOT lipsinging! Ellen surely
knows great talent when she hears one. Ellen have acknowledged that there
is a lot of singers that are really good from the Philippines and have featured
the Philippine young Filipina singer Charice Pempengco on her show which
drew a lot of viewer attention.
Pineda, on the other hand,
is no overnight success. A 40-year professional singer with quite a reputation
in Manila's clubs, he looked set to join the legion of talented, but relatively
unrewarded, singers who never break into the big-time.
One video posted online of
Pineda performing with his Zoo band in a Makati nightclub changed all that.
More than 7,000 miles away
in California, Neal Schon, founder and guitarist of the
rock band Journey, downloaded a clip of Pineda singing
their hit "Faithfully" on YouTube, and knew his search for a new frontman
had ended.
"After watching the video
over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I
heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true," Schon said in a statement
posted on Journey's Web site.
In two of the latest whirlwind
career turnarounds launched by the video-sharing Web site (www.youtube.com),
Filipino singers Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda have shot from relative
obscurity to levels of success surprising even to them.
Fifteen-year-old Pempengco
thought her music career was doomed when she lost a local singing competition
in 2006.
But YouTube gave her the "cyber
break" of a lifetime, when a clip of her singing Jennifer Holliday's "And
I'm Telling You I am Not Going" caught the attention of TV host Ellen DeGeneres
and Grammy award winning producer David Foster.
News media have reported that
YouTube, the internet video sharing website, have given the Filipinos the
"Cyber Break" they need to be discovered and launched into the world stage.
This is no surprise though: Filipinos do have great talent.
Fresh from a successful year
of topping both the World Music and Traditional
Jazz charts with her sophomore CD, “Flippin’
Out”, FreeHam Records artist Charmaine Clamor is poised yet again to
bring the culture and heritage of the Philippines to the forefront of
contemporary American music with two recording projects. The creator and
purveyor of “jazzipino” will headline at the world famous Catalina
Bar & Grill on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 (an unprecedented
feat considering Catalina does not readily bestow back-to-back headline
performances) where she will debut selections from her upcoming Philippine
“harana” (akin to the western “serenade”) CD.
The “harana” first
gained popularity in the Philippines during the early part of the Spanish
Period with influences from Spanish folk music and Mexican mariachi sounds.
This traditional “courtship” music is still practiced in many parts
of the Philippines with a set of protocols and a specific style of music.
Guitar master Richard Ickard accompanies Clamor on the upcoming CD and will
accompany her for both Catalina performances.
Clamor, who has been interviewed
on NPR (National Public Radio), was named one of the 100 Most Influential
Filipinas in the United States (www.ffwn.org), who was a presenter at the
Inaugural Filipino American Visionary Awards at the Kodak Theatre earlier
this month and who is on constant airplay at radio stations KCRW & KKJZ
– invited Mon David, the winner of the 2006 London International Jazz
Vocalist competition, to sing a duet or two with her on the upcoming release.
David will be Clamor’s special guest artist on the Friday, April 4 show
at Catalina’s. Singer/crooner Michael Konik, the host of “Tasty
Tuesdays” at Catalina Bar & Grill, will guest at the April 5 show.
Lauded by All About Jazz as
“one of the finest singers to come around in a long time”, Charmaine
Clamor uses her notoriety not only to aid other Filipino artists, but to
bring attention to worthy causes. Later this month, she makes her theatrical
debut in the Filipino Women’s Network productions (San Francisco and
New York) of “The Vagina Monologues” where she will not only infuse
the show with her music, but will also get the chance to deliver one of the
more impassioned monologues of the show. The show commemorates the 10th
anniversary of “V-Day”, a worldwide call to stop gender violence.
In addition to the upcoming
“harana” CD, Clamor will be launching yet another CD featuring
“jazzipino”, the fusion of American soul and jazz with the music
and lyrics of traditional Philippine song, which will continue to explore
the genre trail blazed by “Flippin’ Out”. Both CDs are anticipated
to be released simultaneously later this year which will make Charmaine Clamor
the first Filipina artist ever to have 2 independent recordings climb the
charts at the same time.
GENERAL INFORMATION
“JAZZIPINO” COMES
TO HOLLYWOOD
Charmaine Clamor at CATALINA BAR & GRILL
6725 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA. 90028
Friday, April 4, 2008 @ 8:00
pm
(Doors open at 7:00 pm for supper)
With special guest Mon David
All tickets: $20.00
Saturday, April 5, 2008 @8:00
pm
(Doors open at 7:00pm for supper)
With special guest Michael Konik
All tickets: $25.00
Reservations at
www.catalinajazzclub or by calling (323) 466-2210
Special Group Rate Discounts
Available
Reduced Prices for Law Enforcement Personnel and Armed Forces Servicemen
and Servicewomen and Veterans with accompanying I.D.
Half-Off Ticket Prices for Students with Valid I.D.
LOS ANGELES — Charice
Pempengco, the 15-year-old young singing sensation who
recently
wowed the world by guesting at the Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show, is reportedly
in talks with no less than the legendary music producer Clive Davis. Charice
Pempengco arrived in New York recently and is in the processs of inking a
recording deal with star record producer Clive Davis.
Charice is also reportedly
meeting with pianist, producer, composer and arranger David Walter Foster.
Foster's producing credits include songs on such albums as Celine Dion's
Grammy Award-winning "Falling Into You" and the two hit singles, "Because
You Loved Me" and "To Love You More." He also produced Natalie Cole's
"Unforgettable". From 1994-1997, four of his productions - "Unbreak My Heart"
(Toni Braxton), "I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston), "I Swear"
(All-4-One), "Because You Loved Me" (Celine Dion) each reached No.1 on
Billboard's Hot 100 chart for 42 weeks.
Foster's musical talent of
synthesized sounds have made it possible for him to produce a record almost
single-handedly. He plays everything from drums to cellos on his computerized
keyboards, hires a studio singer to sing the vocals and then present the
polished product to recording artists to show them how their song would sound
like. In fact, he did just that with "I Will Always Love You" for Whitney
Houston.
Clive Jay Davis is an American
record producer and a leading music industry executive. From 1967-72 he was
the President of Columbia Records, was the founder and president of Arista
Records in the late 1970s through 2000 until founding J Records. Currently
Davis is the Chairman and CEO of the RCA Music Group (which includes RCA
Records, J Records and Arista Records), Chairman and CEO of J Records, and
Chairman and CEO of BMG North America. Davis is a member of the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer.
He now oversees J Records,
Arista, RCA, and Jive Records and the careers of such artists as Justin
Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie
Underwood, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Daughtry. Arista Records will
be releasing an album by Whitney Houston, whom Davis has called the greatest
singer in the world, in 2008.
Clive Davis is featured in
the February 21, 2008 (1046) issue of Rolling Stone. The article titled "The
Last Record Man" discusses how Davis has helped guide the careers of hit
artists and how even four decades later he still looks for the next hit.
With her great vocals, I won't be surprised if one of new 2008 hit singers
will be Charice Pempengco.
Fil-Am
Ramiele Malubay is aspiring to become the first Asian American Idol. The
4'11" tall Ramiele, a Filipina sushi waitress from Florida, is a big fan
of season 3’s 3rd placer Jasmine Trias. She performed “Natural
Woman” as her audition piece in Miami and got the nods from Randy Jackson
and Paula Abdul. She is going to Hollywood for American Idol.
Every year, leakage on who
will make it to the finals of the no. 1 tv show on Earth, American Idol (of
course), proliferates on the internet from various blogs and message boards
even before the announcement episode airs on television. The accuracy of
this list is very high, about 90 to 100%.
This year is no exception.
There are even photos (with the help of paparazzis) proving that the rumors
are true. Camera crew spotted 16 finalists who are allegedly from the Top
24 video shoot of Ford tv spot.
RAMIELLE MALUBAY also made
it to the top 24 of twelve Boys and twelve Girls so far:
Top 12 girls:
1.) kady malloy
2.) carly hennessy smithson
3.) brooke white
4.) amy davis
5.) amanda overmayer
6.) alex lushington
7.) alania whitaker
8.) RAMIELLE MALUBAY
9.) kristie lee cook
10.) syesha mercado
11.) asiah epperson
12.) joanne borgella
The Press Photographers
Philippines-USA celebrated their 12th Anniversary and Inducted their new
set of officers on January 25, 2008 at Dominguez Hall, Carson, California.
Consul General Mary Jo A. Bernardo Aragon inducted the 2008 Officers. Incoming
PPP Secretary Irwin Jazmines gave the introduction for ConGen Aragon. The
celebration was hosted by GMA TV's Josh Andowitt and singer Ranella Ferrer
and started with an invocation by Philippine Times' Mylah De Leon. Miss Young
Philippines Global 2008 Queenie Rodil and 2nd Runner-up Gerrilyn Perez as
well as Miss Teen Philippines-California Charlene Brandt graced the occasion
with MYPG '08 Queenie Rodil doing a beautiful dance number to the delight
of the packed crowd of members of the media, civic leaders, as well as city
officials led by Carson Mayor Pro Tempore Elito M. Santarina. Department
of Tourism Attache' Ms. Annie Cuevas and DOT Director Manny Ilagan as well
as Manny Ortega (PPCI) and the man behind MyGringos.com Manny Legaspi also
attended the celebration. The corporate community also came out in full force
and was represented by executives from Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
(RCBC) Los Angeles led by CEO/Managing Director Mr. Bobby Cuizon & wife
Baby, COO Egay Bulawan & wife Beverly, West Covina Manager Raymond Rosal,
Carson Manager Vic Benedicto, Los Angeles Manager Sonny Custodio, and Cerritos
Manager Freddie Vitan.
Entertainment was provided
by the Midnight Motion Band of Mr. Willie Manacsa with performances by
Singer/Performers Joseph Gelito followed by Sean Collado. The seamless flow
of the program directed by Henry De Jesus and the sumptuous food and lechon
made the celebration complete. Congratulations to newly elected President
Dan Baltazar, Chairman of the Board Sid Gurerrero, and to all the 2008 PPP-USA
Officers.
Ivory Music & Video
is proud to announce that it has just released the newest addition to its
growing roster of artists and performers. Presenting Olivia in her debut
album entitled “Gentle Jazz”. Set to reintroduce Manila to the
soothing sounds of Jazz, Olivia, who at 19 years of age is already a seasoned
performer of the most luxurious hotels around is ripe and ready for a bigger
stage to showcase her singing prowess.
Practically a
“Best-Of-Pop-Jazz” kind of an album, “Gentle Jazz” is
a 15 track album that includes the songs Oh Lori, All Behind Us Now, The
Real Thing, Sweet Baby, The Way You Look Tonight, Sway, Loving You, My Cherie
Amour, Just The Two Of Us, Say You Love Me and Love Is Answer. Olivia also
roots herself in OPM with a reworking of the songs You and Laging Kapiling
and a sample of her songwriting with Someday We Will Find Love.
Olivia started her career
at the age of fifteen, then as a fledgling band vocalist before her interest
in Jazz deepened and switched as a soloist in the hotel lounge scene. She
was the first ever Filipino awardee at the Astana Song Festival in Kazakhstan
where she took home the award for best performance. She was also the youngest
interpreter at a Metropop competition when she was just sixteen. Coming from
a deeply musical family, the singer is daughter to Brenda Ponce Enrile Tirona,
the other half of the Tirona Sisters that reigned supreme in the lounge scene
of the 70’s. Her grandfather is renowned Filipino baritone, orchestra
conductor Alberto Tirona, and granddaughter to singing celebrity Armida
Siguion-Reyna and politician Juan Ponce Enrile.
Gentle Jazz covers the pop
and jazz spectrum with songs such as Oh Lori, All Behind Us Now and The Real
Thing. It also includes The Way You Look and Sway that just shows Olivia
can go from pop and jazz, to standards and beyond. Olivia also samples some
classic sounding jazz with a reworking of Madonna’s True Blue.
Upcoming singing sensation
"Krista" was scheduled to host an intimate evening of music and dancing Thursday,
January 3, 2008 at Pinoy Bistro Cerritos. "Krista" can entertain the crowd
with her beautiful voice as well as her dances. Other singers were on hand
to render lovely songs onstage on this night of live music and dancing. Krista
is the daughter of Carmen and Dr. Kliener. The crowd had lots of fun with
good food and live music.
Krista is indeed the new talent
to watch out for. This will be her last day to host this Holiday Season.
Indeed this will be a new and different "Krista" which I have seen grown-up
to be an up-coming world-class talent. She will be having her own concert
soon (sometime in March 2008) which will surely captivate the Fil-Am community
with her unique talent and a face that can launch a thousand ships.
We are proud of you Krista,
and so is the Fil-Am community. I can't wait for your launching and upcoming
concert.
Pinoy Bistro Cerritos is at:
11305 183rd Street, CA 90703
A Filipino Family Restaurant with Live Entertainment/Karaoke
Tel no. 562-865-0300/ 562-865-6670
Jay Fermin is a photographer
/ writer based in Pasadena, California. He covers Celebrity and Fil-am events
and his articles and photos are published by Fil-am newspapers in Los Angeles,
California and Las Vegas, Nevada as well as a number of glossy magazines
based in the Philippines and distributed worldwide. He has worked with a
lot of Filipino celebrities in the U.S. as well as in the Philippines. He
also writes for
www.philippinepressclub.com
and www.pinoywired.com
on the internet. For further contact, please email him at:
jayfermin@charter.net
Los
Angeles: The girl from Ipanema or rather the girl from the Philippines Sitti
Navarro, who has been creating waves these past few years with her sultry
and cool rendition of Bossa Nova songs, and with her CDs hitting the charts,
is currently visiting Los Angeles and other US cities for a series of shows.
Manny Legaspi, and Peryodiko's Val Abelgas just to name a few,
Sitti engaged us in her jovial, relaxed and fun way on a myriad of topics
ranging from serious political stuff, and then back to her unique kind of
music (bossa nova means 'something new' in Portuguese), and to trivial small
talk of her plan of going to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and of course
Hollywood 'just to walk where the stars walk', unknowingly becoming apparent
to us that, indeed we are in the presence of a rising star ourselves!
Her
singing talents have not gone unnoticed. In 2004, MTV Philippines started
the "Supahstar D' Super Search", where the elite and renowned panel of judges
voted her as one of the winners. She has then appeared in the group's Music
Videos, showcasing her unique individual talents.
After
a long absence from the stage, Geneva Cruz, The Pop, Soul, and R&B Diva
from Seattle, Washington is currently back on stage and touring the Phiippines
and Korea. Geneva Cruz will be kicking off this series of concert sApril
1, 2008 at Casino Filipino in Tagaytay.
rock band Journey, downloaded a clip of Pineda singing
their hit "Faithfully" on YouTube, and knew his search for a new frontman
had ended.
charts with her sophomore CD, “Flippin’
Out”, FreeHam Records artist Charmaine Clamor is poised yet again to
bring the culture and heritage of the Philippines to the forefront of
contemporary American music with two recording projects. The creator and
purveyor of “jazzipino” will headline at the world famous Catalina
Bar & Grill on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 (an unprecedented
feat considering Catalina does not readily bestow back-to-back headline
performances) where she will debut selections from her upcoming Philippine
“harana” (akin to the western “serenade”) CD.
recently
wowed the world by guesting at the Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show, is reportedly
in talks with no less than the legendary music producer Clive Davis. Charice
Pempengco arrived in New York recently and is in the processs of inking a
recording deal with star record producer Clive Davis.
Fil-Am
Ramiele Malubay is aspiring to become the first Asian American Idol. The
4'11" tall Ramiele, a Filipina sushi waitress from Florida, is a big fan
of season 3’s 3rd placer Jasmine Trias. She performed “Natural
Woman” as her audition piece in Miami and got the nods from Randy Jackson
and Paula Abdul. She is going to Hollywood for American Idol.
The Press Photographers
Philippines-USA celebrated their 12th Anniversary and Inducted their new
set of officers on January 25, 2008 at Dominguez Hall, Carson, California.
Consul General Mary Jo A. Bernardo Aragon inducted the 2008 Officers. Incoming
PPP Secretary Irwin Jazmines gave the introduction for ConGen Aragon. The
celebration was hosted by GMA TV's Josh Andowitt and singer Ranella Ferrer
and started with an invocation by Philippine Times' Mylah De Leon. Miss Young
Philippines Global 2008 Queenie Rodil and 2nd Runner-up Gerrilyn Perez as
well as Miss Teen Philippines-California Charlene Brandt graced the occasion
with MYPG '08 Queenie Rodil doing a beautiful dance number to the delight
of the packed crowd of members of the media, civic leaders, as well as city
officials led by Carson Mayor Pro Tempore Elito M. Santarina. Department
of Tourism Attache' Ms. Annie Cuevas and DOT Director Manny Ilagan as well
as Manny Ortega (PPCI) and the man behind MyGringos.com Manny Legaspi also
attended the celebration. The corporate community also came out in full force
and was represented by executives from Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
(RCBC) Los Angeles led by CEO/Managing Director Mr. Bobby Cuizon & wife
Baby, COO Egay Bulawan & wife Beverly, West Covina Manager Raymond Rosal,
Carson Manager Vic Benedicto, Los Angeles Manager Sonny Custodio, and Cerritos
Manager Freddie Vitan.
Ivory Music & Video
is proud to announce that it has just released the newest addition to its
growing roster of artists and performers. Presenting Olivia in her debut
album entitled “Gentle Jazz”. Set to reintroduce Manila to the
soothing sounds of Jazz, Olivia, who at 19 years of age is already a seasoned
performer of the most luxurious hotels around is ripe and ready for a bigger
stage to showcase her singing prowess.
Upcoming singing sensation
"Krista" was scheduled to host an intimate evening of music and dancing Thursday,
January 3, 2008 at Pinoy Bistro Cerritos. "Krista" can entertain the crowd
with her beautiful voice as well as her dances. Other singers were on hand
to render lovely songs onstage on this night of live music and dancing. Krista
is the daughter of Carmen and Dr. Kliener. The crowd had lots of fun with
good food and live music.