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'4 Divas' embark on U.S. and Canada Tour
By Jay Fermin (FMG)
March 24, 2009

It is early in the year but everybody can feel that the biggest show for 2009 is indeed here. The four Divas Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, and Regine Velasquez arrived in Los Angeles last March 17th for the biggest and most ambitious concert tour of all entitled "Divas 4 Divas".

Meeting members of the media the next day in Hollywood, Kuh Ledesma confided that it took almost 4 years of planning the project. "I've performed with each one of them before, here and in US concert tours, but this is the first time that we are doing a concert together", she exclaimed.

Zsa Zsa Padilla, Kuh Ledesma, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez

Following a very successful December 6 show at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, the 4 Divas were all praises for each other, and especially for Kuh who is the creative brains behind 'Divas'. Pops described Kuh as 'persistent' in making the dream project of having all four of them on one stage become reality.

However, this did not come without challenges. Concert Director Rowell Santiago resigned only 9 days before the December 6 concert because, as insiders reported, he was having problems getting the four divas to rehearse together due to their very tight schedule.

And if schedule was not the main thing, it would indeed be interesting to see the collaboration of the four divas under the same spotlight, playing their best musical style and bringing on their larger than life stage presence without out-staging each other. Kuh emphasized however that this 'is not a competition.'

'Divas 4 Divas' opened in Houston, New Jersey, and Vancouver, and is scheduled for 16 venues in the U.S. and Canada. However, all eyes are looking forward to the concert at Pasadena Civic Center near Los Angeles on March 28, 2009. Produced by Starmedia's Anna Co-Puno, it is expected that the 3,029 seats will be sold out!

The show continues on to San Jose, Washington D.C., Chicago, Florida, Dallas, San Diego and other cities.

With fabulous fashion of 12 costume changes, impressive production numbers, musical direction by famed composer-arranger Louie Ocampo, and the legendary voice of Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma, Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla, Concert Queen Pops Fernandez, and Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez, 'Divas 4 Divas' promises a totally different concert experience.

Be there when music history happens in your city.

DIVAS4DIVAS 2009 TOUR (More shows to be announced soon!)

MARCH 20

  HOUSTON TEXAS HOUSTON ARENA THEATER

MARCH 21

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY BOARDWALK HALL

MARCH 27

VANCOUVER CANADA QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATER

MARCH 28

LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA PASADENA CIVIC CENTER
APRIL 3 SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA San Jose State University Event Center
APRIL 5 WASHINGTON D.C. GEORGE MASON PATRIOT CENTER
MAY 14 HIGHLAND CALIFORNIA SAN MANUEL CASINO
MAY 16 CHICAGO ARIE CROWN THEATER
MAY 29 DALLAS TEXAS TBAAL (The Black Academy of Arts & Letters), Dallas Convention Center Theatre Complex
MAY 30 SAN DIEGO JENNY CRAIG PAVILION


 

 

Arnel Pineda joins Lani Misalucha U.S. Tour for a Cause

By Jay Fermin (FMG)
Feb. 8, 2009

Anaheim, California: It was the Nightingale teaming up with the Journeyman! Lani Misalucha was joined onstage by Journey's Arnel Pineda. And the house was packed for the Friday Concert at Heritage Forum last January 30, 2009. Excitement was in the air as close to a full house SRO crowd filled the theatre-in-the round as it is popularly referred to - the stage being in the middle of the venue.

Close to near capacity crowd of 2500 slowly took their seats as Season 3 American Idol Finalist Jasmine Trias opened the evening with intimate renditions of pop and R&B favorites at a little past 8 pm.

However, the excitement of the evening was Journeyman Arnel Pineda himself who for the first time joined the multi-awarded nightingale Lani Misalucha on this her 2009 multi-city U.S. Concert Tour.

Arriving at Burbank Airport shortly before noon, just the day after the U.S. tour opening night in San Jose Auditorium, Arnel Pineda took a quick rest at the hotel and proceeded to Heritage Forum for soundcheck. Tonight will be different from the rest of the U.S.Tour. Arnel will be performing in the first part of the concert and catch a flight to Tampa, Florida, where he will join his band Journey to perform on Superbowl Sunday Pre-Game show February 1, 2009.

Lani Misalucha, lovely as ever, opened the show with a couple of fast paced songs, circling the round stage in her white mini skirt to the delight of the packed crowd. However, what brought the house down was when Journeyman Arnel Pineda joined her onstage; the energy of the crowd, especially the ladies, was overpowering, testing the limits of stage security!

Arnel thanked the crowd's overwhelming response by saying "Salamat po sa pag tangap ninyo sa akin!" (Thank you for accepting me!). He opened his set of seven songs with Journey's own 'Faithfully.' The crowd pushed forward as he belted the opening lines "Highway run / into the midnight sun / wheels go round and round / you're on my mind…" echoing with the guitar lead of the popular Journey anthem song.

Lani and Arnel however reminded the crowd before their duet that the greater purpose of their U.S. Tour is ABS-CBN's Bantay Bata 163, a social welfare program which protects children in the Philippines from abuse. Part of the proceeds of the tour will go to the Children's Crisis Center and the Children's Village.

Going back to business, Journeyman Arnel completed his set with classic rock selections and capped his performance with another Journey favorite - "Open Arms." The crowd now are pushing forward to touch Arnel's hand as he rounds the stage singing "Lying beside you / here in the dark/ Feeling your heart beat with mine / Softly you whisper, you're so sincere / How could our love be so blind…." The crowd rendered Arnel a standing ovation as he belted out the last line "So here I am with open arms / Hoping you'll see / What your love means to me / Open arms." He was rushed by security down the circular stage thru the pushing crowd into the safety of backstage. Tonight's reverse format with Arnel singing earlier than their other concert venue of the U.S. Tour, took Lani a few minutes to bring the crowd back to her sweet rendition of heartwarming blend of pop, rock, jazz, soul, R&B, and opera!

The Nightingale again has caught the heart of America with Journeyman himself, with shows in Chicago, New Jersey, San Diego (February 8) and capping the tour in Guam (February 12). As promised, they have delivered something different, a fusion of the Diva and the Rock Star! Just in time before the Rock Star rejoins the band Journey for their 2009 World Tour.


'NAMETS', a film of Life, Love and Food comes to L.A.
By Jay Fermin (FMG)
January 30, 2009

Everyone with a heartbeat has experienced the depth and passion of a good movie. You are not only sitting and watching - but you are intertwined in the story, smiling, with a flood of memories of the place, the culture, the love, and of course the food.

'Namets' (an Ilonggo term which means delicious) is a film by celebrated Director Jay Abello that was shot entirely in Bacolod City in Central Philippines and was one of the finalists at Cinemalaya 2008. He has worked with other directors including Erik Matti, Yam Laranas, Laurice Guillen, and Peque Gallaga (Oro, Plata, Mata) who hails from Bacolod himself. Jay's cinematographic and photography background gave the film the mood and framing needed to seam together the playful snippets of the script into a heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet love story.

Making a movie about a place and its culinary culture is indeed a challenge. The key, Director Jay Abello confides, is in the casting. 'Namets' stars Christian Vasquez and Angel Jacob, two dueling chefs in the heartwarming romantic comedy. The story revolves around the character of Jacko Teves (Christian Vasquez) who tries to save his Italian restaurant from being garnished by Big Boss Dolpo (Peque Gallaga) due to a gambling debt.

The plot thickens when Cassie Labayen (Angel Jacob), another chef, is hired as a consultant to transform Jacko's Italian restaurant into a place where traditional Negrense food is served with a unique twist. The script (written by multi-awarded Ilonggo Vicente Garcia Groyon) follows the adversarial flirting of the two chefs as they try to grasp the vast scope of the Ilonggo culinary sphere and rekindling along the way the love they had lost during their high school years.

The film is amazingly appealing inspite of the challenges of being an independent production. Shot in its entirety in Bacolod, home to all of the characters of the movie, except for Angel Jacob who is from Manila, it showcased the amazing talent that the province has contributed to Philippine Cinema including actor Joel Torre (who plays a small part in the opening scene), Director Peque Gallaga who for a change, has an acting role as Boss Dolpo in the film for a change.

With the dialogue set in 'Hiligaynon', the dialect of Ilonggos, Angel Jacob had to download her lines into her Ipod and listen in; and although at times her punctuations and punch-lines were not true to form, she delivers a believable rendition of the script by her superb acting, creating a building up of love chemistry between her and 'Jacko' (Christian Vasquez).

Through their search for the best culinary delights, and interspaced with snippets of the Ilonggo way of dining, from the simple but world famous 'Inasal' (chicken barbeque) to the complex recipes handed down from generations past, 'Namets' lets you peek into the unique cultural mix that is Bacolod, not only thru its food but also thru its people. The movie is a must see light-hearted but heart warming love comedy which is quite different from most movies. You will not only be watching after all. The movie will swoon you and you will be craving for more…. More love. More laughter. And most of all, you will be craving for Ilonggo food!!

The only U.S. screening will on February 7, 2009 at the historic Rialto Theatre, 1023 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena, California at 6 p.m.. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling the Babes of Bacolod at 818-636-3939 or email at babesofbacolod@aol.com.

(Namets is subtitled in English)

Bon Appetit. See you at the movie.


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