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‘The Eras Tour’ serves up Taylor Swift, larger than life
That Taylor Swift is a great songwriter is no longer in question. What’s up for debate is whether she’s a great concert artist as well. By artist we don’t mean a gifted vocalist. The era of the pop concert as a singing showcase and a straightforward live onstage performance of recorded music ended in 1990 with Madonna’s third concert tour. Called Blond Ambition, the highly theatrical show combined music, spectacle and, most crucially, storytelling with a several-act structure based on themes or narrative arcs, deconstructed songs and elaborate sets to redefine the pop concert as performance art. It has since been the template and gold standard by which all concerts, especially those by female superstars, have been measured. Yes, even Madonna’s own subsequent tours have been assessed through the Ambition lens and, arguably, none of them has quite equaled the one that gave the world the cone bra as an icon of female sexuality and woman power. [caption id="attachment_201371" align="aligncenter" width="1987"] LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Taylor Swift attends "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" Concert Movie World Premiere at AMC The Grove 14 on October 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)[/caption] Feast for the eyes Swift’s The Eras Tour, as seen in the filmed concert currently showing in cinemas worldwide, certainly serves up a feast for the eyes. Most of it is courtesy of the massive stage consisting of a backdrop that stands several stories high, a huge main platform and a long runway that juts well into the audience floor and features its own diamond-shaped mini-stage with a “hyperactive” central hydraulic platform consisting of several mobile blocks that rise to various heights throughout the almost three-hour show. It’s not only one of the biggest stages ever built for a pop concert, but is also probably the biggest LED installation ever assembled in and outside the music world. And it’s never not in use, lighting up the cavernous 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (where the movie was filmed over three shows) with eye-popping digital images, pre-recorded videos and live footage from the concert itself. The set is so massive that it makes Swift and her troupe of dancers look like ants. But thanks to the big screens, she literally looks larger than life to the live audience at different points in the show. The film does the opposite, and is the better for it: It brings Swift into the intimate space of the cinema and, thus, closer to the audience. Eras further highlights and celebrates the main thing that has helped the 33-year-old singer-songwriter conquer the pop world, the core attribute that makes Taylor Swift Taylor Swift: relatability. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="201372,201370"] It’s all over her music: a repertoire of mostly slow and mid-tempo ballads that tell about the blush, excitement, joy, ecstasy, frustrations, confusion, sadness, heartbreak, anger and regrets of modern-day romantic relationships, in creative confessional journal prose that listeners of all ages, colors and persuasions find no difficulty accessing and plugging into. It’s all over her wholesome, winsome, non-threatening all-American girl-next-door public persona. This is on fuller display in her performance in Eras than even in her 2020 documentary movie, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, which chronicled mostly the period between her Reputation Tour in 2018 and the release in 2019 of her seventh studio album, Lover. Between the many floral, even pastoral, and fluid graphic images onscreen and the tasteful, immaculate set pieces, between the squarely schematic album-era sectioning and the billowy ball gowns and sparkly and sexy but modest bodysuits, between the Cheshire-Cat grin Swift wears through most of the show, even during moments in some heartbreak songs, and her dorky cheerleader energy, The Eras Tour plays like Little Miss Sunshine & The Hearty Princess. It’s all what anyone would expect from the reigning America’s Sweetheart. Thoroughly entertaining It’s a great Taylor Swift show, for sure — thoroughly entertaining and one that sends stans to Swift heaven. But it stops at being a Taylor Swift show with a faithful rendition of her songs when, for something called Eras, it should be giving audiences, both fans and casuals alike, more to chew on than what they already know and are familiar with — a recast, a reinterpretation, a recontextualization of her music and impact. [caption id="attachment_201373" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her "Eras Tour" at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31, 2023. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP)[/caption] The show is content to be a pop concert about Taylor Swift. Coming almost 20 years into her career, it should’ve reached for the world outside of Taylor Swift, or even just a small part of it: What do Taylor and her songs, for instance, say about the times we are living in? The Eras Tour could have aspired to life and art, or at least something approaching it, and thereby become a truly era-defining experience. The post ‘The Eras Tour’ serves up Taylor Swift, larger than life appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Proud Tina: Tributes pour in for Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll
She clawed her way to superstardom from a poor farming town in Nutbush, Tennessee, and fought through an abusive marriage armed only with exceptional talent and a heart that refused to become a victim. Anna Mae Bullock, better known as Tina Turner — the name given her by discoverer and husband-abuser Ike Turner — passed on Wednesday at 83 in Switzerland where she had bought a $76 million waterfront villa. Throughout that remarkable journey, it’s only fair to assume that Turner didn’t really mean it when she questioned what love’s got to do with it. Because love is what’s she’s reaping, even more in death. Celebrities from show business, politics and even sports led the outpouring of affection for the woman who said: “We don’t need another hero,” because, after all, she already found the “hero” in herself. “She is our forever goddess of rock ‘n’ roll who contained a magnitude of inner strength that grew throughout her life. She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed... She was indeed simply the best,” said Oprah Winfrey on her Instagram. Beyoncé, whose electricity onstage harks to that of Turner during her heyday in the 1980s, offered these words: “My beloved Queen. I love you endlessly. I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion.” Contemporaries like Dionne Warwick expressed both sadness and awe at Turner’s passing. “Another longtime friend has made her transition,” she wrote. “Not only will I miss that eternal ball of energy named Tina Turner but the entire world will also find this void in their lives. My condolences to her husband and other members of her family. Rest in Peace my friend.” “The words legendary, iconic, diva and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more — an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer. To me, she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in Peace, Queen,” wrote Mariah Carey on Twitter. Angela Bassett, who played Tina Turner in the 1993 film What’s Love Got to Do With It and earned an Oscar nomination for her performance, wrote on Instagram: “How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?... I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world.“ Turner, whose massive hits included the 1984 number-one hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” as well as “Private Dancer,” “The Best” and “Proud Mary” (which she did with Ike), transcended the worlds of music and entertainment. Basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s tribute read: “Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock ‘n’ roll Tina Turner. I’ve seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. She always gave you your money‘s worth.” Three United States presidents also applauded the legend who will be remembered for her singular voice as well as her cropped jean jackets, mini skirts, stiletto heels and that shock of hair. “In addition to being a once-in-a-generation talent that changed American music forever, Tina’s personal strength was remarkable. Overcoming adversity, and even abuse, she built a career for the ages and a life and legacy that were entirely hers,” wrote President Joe Biden. Former president Bill Clinton wrote: “I love Tina Turner and will never forget meeting her when she came to Little Rock for a concert after releasing the Private Dancer in 1984. We met again on her 67th birthday in St. Petersburg… She still had it — talent, style, energy and authenticity — a priceless gift to music lovers everywhere.” And for former president Barack Obama: “Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself — speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never fade.” The post Proud Tina: Tributes pour in for Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sinulog Idol Season 15 ends with heartwarming tribute for Coach J
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The finale of Sinulog Idol Season 15 on Jan. 18, 2024 ended with a heartfelt tribute for their ‘Ultimate Voice Coach.’ During the Sinulog Idol Grand Finals at the Fuente Osmeña Circle on Thursday, the production team and alumni of Sinulog Idol seasons 1 to 15 paid a heartwarming song performance.....»»
Bong Go shows full support to Filipino athletes in 19th Asian Games
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sports, articulated his deep sense of pride for Filipino athletes participating in the 19th Asian Games being held in Hangzhou City, China, from 23 September to 8 October. The senator personally traveled to China to show his full support for the Philippine delegation early this week. He also attended live competitions, including the recent match between Gilas Pilipinas and Iran at Zijingang Gymnasium, Zhejiang University on 3 October. “Nakapanood din tayo ng ilang live competitions, gaya na lang ng nakaraang laban ng Gilas Pilipinas kontra sa Iran," he said. “Masarap talaga ang pakiramdam bilang isang Pilipino dahil muling nagwagi ang pambato natin sa basketball na Gilas Pilipinas,” he shared. Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sports, expressed his appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to the athletes, coaches, national sports associations and staff, as well as the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and other agencies who worked hard to support the Philippine delegation. "Bilang chair ng Senate Committee on Sports, taus-puso kong pinupuri at pinasasalamatan ang mga manlalaro nating ibinibigay ang lahat para itaas ang bandera ng Pilipinas sa ginaganap na kumpetisyon," he said. Meanwhile, Go also congratulated Gilas Pilipinas for their historic win over China in the semifinals on October 4, which secured their spot in the gold medal match against Jordan. He praised Justin Brownlee for his clutch performance that led the team to a stunning comeback from a 20-point deficit. The senator also expressed his excitement for the upcoming gold medal match between Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan. He said he will be cheering for the team as they aim to win the country’s first-ever Asian Games gold in basketball. The match is scheduled for 6 October. Go then lauded jiu-jitsu fighter Margarita "Meggie" Ochoa for winning the second gold medal for the Philippines on 5 October. Ochoa defeated Balqees Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates in the final match of the women's –48 kg division. She joined pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena as the country's gold medalists in this edition of the Asian Games. “Samantala, ang boxer na si Eumir Marcial ay pasok na rin sa Asian Games finals matapos niyang ma-knockout ang Syrian boxer na si Ahmad Ghousoon sa men's 80kg weight class nitong October 4. Dahil dito, haharapin ni Eumir sa finals si Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke ng China para sa gold medal. Pasok na rin si Eumir sa 2024 Paris Olympics,” Go also mentioned. As vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go has also been a strong advocate for increased funding for sports programs. He revealed that last year's proposed budget for the Philippine Sports Commission was approximately P200 million. However, he pushed for an additional P1 billion, thereby significantly enhancing the financial support for athletes in international competitions. "Dahil dito, nakapagbigay tayo ng pinansyal na suporta para sa mga atletang lumahok sa mga international competitions," he added. This move paved the way for the provision of financial support for athletes participating in international competitions, including the recent 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia and the ongoing Asian Games in China. Go also emphasized the importance of grassroots sports development, saying, “Tinututukan din natin ang grassroots sports development upang mahubog ang mga kabataan nasaan man sila sa bansa na nagnanais na sumabak sa mga pambansa at pandaigdigang palaro.” In line with this, he highlighted his role as the author and co-sponsor of RA 11470, which established the National Academy of Sports in New Clark City, Tarlac. "Ang NAS ay nagbibigay ng de-kalidad na edukasyon at sports training sa mga batang may potensyal na maging world-class athletes," he added. Additionally, Go filed SBN 423, or the Philippine National Games (PNG) Act, to institutionalize a national platform for athletes, especially the youth, to showcase their talents. "Sa pamamagitan ng PNG, mas maraming talento ang mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na makilala at mapabilang sa ating mga national team," he said. The senator also continues to support the implementation of sports clinics, community leagues, and the provision of sports equipment in rural areas. "Sabi ko nga palagi, ‘get into sports and stay away from drugs!’" he advised. Go called on all Filipinos to continue supporting and praying for all athletes competing in the Asian Games and other competitions. "Ang kanilang tagumpay ay tagumpay ng buong sambayanang Pilipino! Laban, Pilipinas! Ipakita natin ang puso ng Pilipino na lumalaban hanggang dulo!" he exclaimed. "Go, go, go for the gold!" he cheered. As of 5 October, the Philippines has two golds, one silver, and nine bronze medals in the ongoing Asian Games. The post Bong Go shows full support to Filipino athletes in 19th Asian Games appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Senior High’ and ‘Fractured’: Youth is not wasted on these young stars
The shows Euphoria, Elite and 13 Reasons Why offer depictions of the so-called Generation Z that baffle, shock and titillate their audiences. The young people in these shows succumb to the call of their sexual urges, wantonly take prohibited drugs and drink themselves to catatonia. Raging hormones fuel their pursuit of YOLO (you only live once) moments and defiance of authority figures. That same sense of edgy, confused, tension-filled environment of sex and drugs are also in the local shows Senior High and Fractured, which follow the footsteps and narratives of their international counterparts in highlighting the many versions of truths and lies in the lives of their young characters. Central hook In Senior High, the stories of teenagers of different economic backgrounds in a private high school, their struggles with authority figures, and a big tragedy-mystery that needs to be resolved are the central anchor and hook. The made-for-TV campus that is Northford High looks and screams “mahal ang tuition.” Students are all in crispy Ivy League-inspired uniforms, and the typical school cliques are well- represented. What has been presented so far in the show’s 25 episodes are a tragic death, bullying, mental health, video scandals and online gossip accepted as gospel truth, homoeroticism, drugs, sexual predation and anger issues with parental and other authority figures. In the acting department, top-tier performances come from Andrea Brillantes, who plays the roles of twin sisters; JK Labajo, who brings a true rich-boy sophistication to his role; Elijah Canlas and Miggy Jimenez, both lending juicy and saucy touches to their juvenile delinquent characters; Kyle Echarri, exuding a becoming softness and knight-to-the rescue vibe; and Daniela Stranner, a delicious alpha mean girl. Among the authority figures, Angel Aquino, Mon Confiado, Anna Abad Santos and Baron Geisler -- in a career-defining performance – are superb. Senior High scratches the surface of teen troubles. As more episodes come, one hopes the problems of today’s youth get a more thorough dissection an a broader, more compassionate perspective. [caption id="attachment_191711" align="aligncenter" width="525"] The cast of ‘Fractured’[/caption] Trapped vloggers In Fractured, a group of popular, influential vloggers are invited to an is island resort to make content about it. The vloggers get their biggest plot twist when they are all marooned in what seems like a deserted part of the island resort. Aside from the elements, they have to contend with scarce food and water, the uncertainty of rescue and other looming dangers. Three episodes on, what makes Fractured an interesting watch is the deft manner by which the personal lives, problems, insecurities and dark sides of the vlogger characters are revealed. Since tensions among them are at an all-time high, catfights between femme vloggers erupt. Two of the macho vloggers assert alpha status, while a different and groovy kind of love blossoms between two male vloggers. Aside from the writing and glossy look of the show, the acting by Seth Fedelin, Francine Diaz, Kaori Oinuma, Daniela Stranner, Raven Rigor and Sean Tristan are also compelling come-ons. For all the chaos and darkness in Senior High and Fractured, we also witness real friendships forged by the young characters, love at its most romantic or bittersweet, and realizations and redemptions even. Youth is not wasted on the younger ones, after all. The post ‘Senior High’ and ‘Fractured’: Youth is not wasted on these young stars appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
REVIEW: ‘HAMILTON’ — Astonishing stagecraft
“Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap musical about the eponymous Founding Father, has finally landed in Manila — the first stop of a new international tour that replicates the exact production currently running on Broadway and London’s West End. This is, in other words, essentially the same production that’s won every major theater award conceivable in the West, and whose live stage recording released on Disney+ three years ago was a global success among Covid-captive home viewers. You wouldn’t immediately know all that, however, just from watching this production: Even as it brims with dazzling theatricality and refreshing erudition, it also feels surprisingly small, rid of its status as a phenomenon, pared down to human size. It’s a show that’s almost oblivious to its own celebrity, even as entrance applause (erupting to diminishing returns) dotted the first 15 minutes of its 21 September gala performance at The Theatre at Solaire. Instead, it knows when to build up to the big musical moments, which are few and far between, and does so organically and therefore quite satisfyingly. The logical progression of the narrative and individual character drama — the musical’s unassailable structural precision — are rendered very clear; put bluntly, it is a storytelling apologist’s wettest dream. Never mind that the musical itself — evidently a product of modern-day liberalism, the politics of the American Dream made manifest through the eyes of 21st-century immigrants — is by now indivisible from the very valid criticisms it has received from many corners of American scholarly thought. For the uninitiated, Hamilton tells through rap the rise of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, as they built America in the latter half of the 18th century. Admittedly, given what we know now and what we’ve been through since the musical premiered in New York in 2015, it feels weird, to say the least, to be watching a show that hero-worships to varying degrees the likes of Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton — all products of and complicit to the sins of their time. Moreover, the way the musical intentionally casts non-white actors to play these historically white figures (and slavers) can, depending on how one looks at it, come across as a stroke of meta subversion or “revisionist and insulting nonsense,” to quote one critic. Unique brilliance Again — all valid criticisms, which some have suggested are actually part of the musical’s unique brilliance. Watching the musical (through this particular production) in Manila, however, you entertain those thoughts mainly in retrospect. Inside the theater, it’s all those aforementioned merits — and more! — that surround you: a show that’s so technically precise in ways that highlight the material’s inventiveness, a feast of astonishing stagecraft, a display of just how good musical theater can get when given vast resources. [caption id="attachment_187901" align="aligncenter" width="1148"] DeAundre’ Woods as Aaron Burr. | photograph courtesy of IG/dre_woods[/caption] Despite the title, the crux of this production is DeAundre’ Woods’ Aaron Burr (Hamilton’s archrival, if you will). It’s a performance for which the phrase “no notes” seems to have been coined. Whenever Woods disappears from the stage, you look for him. But, more importantly, the genius of Woods’ performance is in how it becomes the anchor through which the musical itself can be better understood: as a story of wanting and longing, a warning against the folly of ambition, a morality tale run parallel to the uncertainty and messiness of nation-building. When Woods sings (and brings down the house with) Burr’s first big solo “Wait for It,” you instantly comprehend the song — and, for that matter, the musical. Arguably, Burr is the central and meatiest role here. Next to Woods’ interpretation, however, the smallness and silliness inherent to the story Hamilton tells become all the more coherent. You grasp how Hamilton and his posse were essentially just kids bumbling their way through a revolution. It’s all very grand on paper, but it’s also a journey chockfull of pettiness and foolishness — and on that stage, a history lesson that revels in its occasionally juvenile, highly accessible nature. [caption id="attachment_187903" align="aligncenter" width="1432"] JASON Arrow as Alexander Hamilton. | photograph courtesy of ig/jason arrow[/caption] Three other male performances stand out in the process: Jason Arrow’s Hamilton, who convincingly pulls off the title character’s transformation from “young, scrappy, and hungry” to world-weary; Darnell Abraham’s Washington giving gospel-preacher-showdown realness; and Brent Hill’s King George literally putting the “mad” to delectably comic effect in his interpretation of the famed mad king. [caption id="attachment_187906" align="aligncenter" width="1512"] DARNELL Abraham as George Washington. | photographs courtesy of ig/darnell abraham[/caption] [caption id="attachment_187900" align="aligncenter" width="1348"] BRENT Hill as King George. | photographs courtesy of ig/darnell abraham[/caption] Dreamcasting Elsewhere, this is a production that’s supplied with all the right parts — but, on a local stage as technologically impressive as the Theatre at Solaire (the best acoustics in Metro Manila, hands down), it also invites “dreamcasting” — permitting you to imagine in real time how certain Filipino theater performers cast in certain roles would, without a doubt, totally slay those parts. No matter: As it is, this Hamilton is one that lives up to the hype surrounding its supposed brilliance — while simultaneously earning that reputation before a live audience night after night. Among others spots of pure artistry, it has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it onstage costume change involving the terrific ensemble early in Act I, a historical battle conjured through frenzied dance, and entire scene changes and moments evoked simply through the deliberate arrangement of performers’ bodies (that climactic bullet scene, anyone?). In lieu of an arduous and expensive trip to New York or London, this production more than does the job. Hamilton runs at the Theatre at Solaire, Pasay City, until 26 November. The post REVIEW: ‘HAMILTON’ — Astonishing stagecraft appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting
The president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Nina Lim-Yuson, grew up in a family and home of Girl Scouts. Her grandmother, Pilar Hidalgo-Lim, was one of the co-founders of the GSP. “It was actually my Lola Pilar who suggested to Josefa Llanes Escoda, the GSP founder, to go to America to learn about girl scouting.” This tidbit of history, Nina shared in an online interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE. Pilar Hidalgo-Lim became GSP president, and so did Nina’s mother, Estefania Aldaba-Lim, who served as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Nina’s sister too, the eminent broadcast journalist, Cheche Lazaro, was a Girl Scout. Coming from a lineage of women achievers, Nina could not have chosen a different path. It was scouting that formally introduced the family to social responsibility, skills development and citizenship. Her brothers were also Boy Scouts. “I started when I was six years old and it was my Lola Pilar who inducted me as a Brownie. It used to be called Brownie because we were still using the American pattern,” she related. She belonged to Troop Number One, the first to be organized by the GSP national headquarters. In high school at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School of the Philippine Women’s University, she became a junior and later a senior Girl Scout. College would briefly end her Girl Scouting as she focused on her studies. Along the way, she also danced with the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company. It was not unexpected that she would return to scouting, her first love, and her first extra-curricular activity. For the last 36 years, she has been active in various organizations and volunteer work. She founded the Museong Pambata. She is a recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and is active in its various social development efforts. What Nina brings to her post is the legacy of leadership that had been passed on to her through generations of women leaders in the family. “My Lola Pilar was my idol. She was such a nice person and I never knew her totally as a president. I knew her more as a loving lola from all the stories she related when we rode up to Baguio. “My mother, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was very career-minded. I learned naman from her a lot of things, like being thrifty and having a list of things to do. In terms of organization, she was like that. Because she was in government. And, you know, when we started Museo, while it was actually my concept, I learned a lot from her. She would call me up at 5 o’clock in the morning and she would rattle off what needed to be done, like ‘number one, number two and so on.’ That was her. And I’m glad that I worked with her for six years in Museo. She was the president and I was the executive director for six years. I took over in 2000 as president and chief executive officer. And then, I stepped down in 2017.” Girl Scouts who read and tell stories Nina was elected president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines for the term 2021-2024 during its 2021 national convention. From day one, she shared, “My purpose was to reach out to the community-based troops because we have always been school-based. Many young women now have social problems so we need to reach out to the communities through our community-based troops.” Also on top of her priorities is literacy development, a cause that she addressed even in the Museo Pambata. She explained, “My advocacy has always been education. So, I was very concerned because the Asian Development Bank reported in 2022 that the World Bank found out that our Filipino children at ages 9 and 10 cannot read. So, I felt that because girl scouting is all over the country, with 96 local councils, the organization could serve as a vehicle for improving literacy in our country. “We started the Girl Scout Storyteller project because storytelling affects the heart first before the mind. When young people start with storytelling, they will love the stories and then the written word. They would then want to read. “We now have storytelling in economically challenged communities and we have partners. We sent out 2,500 books throughout the country with the help of our partner couriers.” Initially, she sought the help of her family foundation “to give a donation. I also sought the help of Ging Montinola, who is into literacy development. Together, we founded the literacy program. We are building this fund to cover the cost of buying children’s books. We will have a storytelling contest next year.” Raising funds for Camp Escoda Nina then shifted the conversation to another major endeavor that she is spearheading as GSP president — fundraising for the 27-hectare Camp Josefa Llanes Escoda in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, which was donated by the provincial government during the term of Governor Amado Aleta, the father of consul and civic leader Fortune Ledesma. “Palayan is beautiful because it has rolling hills, but it doesn’t have electrical and water facilities and roadworks. It doesn’t have a swimming pool, and it’s so hot in Nueva Ecija. It also does not have a conference hall. This is a big one-time fundraising project because it’s for the future of the girls who are going to the camp. Because as of now, if you go camping there, you have to walk up the hills to get your drinking water. You have to make buhos to take a bath.” She recalled, “In my time as a young Girl Scout, which was of another era, we had to walk in the dark to fetch water to fill up two drums. I was so scared because there were tuko in Los Baños. That taught me to be courageous. Camps really build up your lifetime skills and attitude. Camping is very integral in girl scouting and boy scouting. So, this camp will serve a purpose. It just needs various basic facilities to make it world-class and convenient with the proper amenities, but the girls will continue to learn all those survival techniques and appreciate nature right on the camp.” She praised architect Pippo Carunungan, “who is an environmental planner. He surveyed the site and drew up everything. It will be a beautiful camp, he said, because it’s a gift of nature.” First Lady as Chief Girl Scout Nina recently led the Girl Scouts in a fundraising ball attended by the “First Lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos, who is our Chief Girl Scout. It’s mandated in the GSP constitution that whoever is the female president of the country or the First Lady is the Chief Girl Scout. In the past, we had Imelda Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. All the first ladies were all Chief Girl Scouts. “Mrs. Liza Marcos spoke before us and she promised to help. She said, ‘We will make it the best campsite.’ Everyone was excited to see her and she obliged everyone who asked to have selfie with her. She is very friendly. She is really a Girl Scout.” Nina shared, “A generous couple is sponsoring the swimming pool at P6 million, while a gentleman entrepreneur is sponsoring the perimeter fence at P1.5 million. Many other businessmen and leaders have pledged to help build this dream GSP project. “We really need to raise about 50 million to have a very good camp. But when the First Lady heard about it, she said, ‘It has to be P250 million.’ But, really, when we have the funds, we can have deep toilets that have running water instead of tabo-tabo. Since we have a little Pampanga river that runs across the camp, we can build a bridge that crosses it and then the girls can have white-water rafting there in the Pampanga river. “Camp Escoda will be a very important and significant venue for our Girl Scouts to gather, bond, learn new skills and develop as morally upright citizens of the country and the world. It is especially so because camping is integral in any Girl Scout’s life. If you don’t have camping, it’s like half of your scouting life is missing. Every Girl Scout remembers that time of her youth. And being the national camp, it will welcome Girl Scouts representing the 96 councils from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who will participate in various events and trainings.” Girl Scouts of all ages As GSP president, Nina travels to various parts of the country. “We have regional conferences aside from the meeting of the Central Board when regional heads and executives come to Manila. “I had just come from Baguio where I stayed for two-and-a-half days. I met our young Girl Scout representatives from ages 14 to 18. I enjoyed listening to them and exchanging ideas with them. I am so happy that we have a wealth of intelligent girls who want to serve the country. They are the ones who are going to take over. “It’s amazing that GSP is no longer limited to old people on the board. We finally have young ones on the board. Our Escoda committee is headed by Jade Delgado from Iloilo. Then we have Justine Bautista. She’s a psychometrician. She heads the Program Committee, which is a big committee because when we were in Baguio, we had 86 girls from all the councils throughout the country. Many of them are running for SK. “So, in my 70s now, which I don’t feel at all, I don’t take any medicines or something like that. Being with young people is what inspires me. Because at 15, 16 or 17, they already know that they have some kind of a mission.” Nina proudly shared that the venue of the Baguio conference, 'Ating Tahanan' on the South Drive was bought during the tenure of my Lola Pilar. We have four buildings there, including the houses of Senator and actor Rogelio de la Rosa and Carlos Valdes, the accountant. Lola Pilar, according to Carlos Valdes, twisted his arm to get a low price. I’m so thankful for all those who preceded me because they bought these places. It’s on South Drive which is so valuable. We even have a reserved forest behind us.” As she looks forward to the next camping and gets even busier raising funds for Camp Escoda, Nina feels elated that “every one of us in the Girl Scouts has been together in our various undertakings. The nice thing is we are now intergenerational because we try to bring in the old with experience, institutional memory and their wisdom born of their long life, and the young who are full of enthusiasm, energy and new ideas.” A star scout for a granddaughter While Nina does her part for the bright future of girl scouting in the country, her personal family too has not stopped contributing to the roster of members to this worldwide organization. Today, a granddaughter of hers, seven-year-old Rocio Yuson de Guzman, is a Star Scout. She is the daughter of Nina’s daughter, Nicky. No grandmother could have been prouder. Nina said, “Rufio loves being a star scout. When I arrived from the recent world conference in Cyprus, I came back with some badges and I gave some to Rufio who is very proud of the little badges that I got for her.” For sure, Nina will pass on not just the badges to Rufio. More importantly, she will give her granddaughter the once-in-one’s-childhood experience of being a Girl Scout and learning “the values that are identified in the Girl Scout Promise and Laws. I think that while there is so much to enjoy and learn, it is the inculcation of these values that would mold her into a well-rounded human being. As we all know, a Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted. A Girl Scout is loyal, thrifty, courteous… and so on. It’s like a mantra -- the values that one lives by. “I have reached that point when it is not about success or what one accumulates in life, whether awards or accomplishments or material things. It is more about what I can share and scouting gives me that honor and privilege — to do my part in helping mold our young girls and making them aware even at an early age that they have a mission and worthy purpose in life. It is not just about being good and outstanding on your own but it is also about helping others to become better in what they’re doing and live better lives. “And I need not look far. As a grandmother, I dote on my Star Scout granddaughter, Rufio. There’s a world out there for her to discover and in which she has a role to play and use the skills and values she will learn from scouting.” The post Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘All Star’ Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56
Steve Harwell, the former lead vocalist of the American rock band Smash Mouth, has passed away at age 56. His manager, Robert Hayes, announced in a statement that Harwell died “peacefully and comfortably” at his home in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by his family and friends. He died of acute liver failure on 4 September. A day before his death, it was announced that Harwell was receiving hospice care for final-stage chronic liver failure and only had a few days to live. Harwell’s musical career began when he played in a rap group called F.O.S (Freedom of Speech). Later on, Smash Mouth was formed along with drummer Kevin Coleman, whom he met in 1990, guitarist Greg Camp and bassist Paul De Lisle. Rock music While largely performing rock music during their earlier years, record labels saw the group’s potential after a demo of their song “Nervous in the Alley” was played at a local radio station. After signing with Interscope Records, they released their debut album, Fush Yu Mang, in 1997. A ska, reggae, pup-punk album that includes their first major hit, “Walkin’ on the Sun,” which has a distinctive, psychedelic soul and soul-funk music style. Their sophomore album, Astro Lounge, became a global success and one of their most critically acclaimed albums. It included the band’s biggest single, “All Star,” which was frequently featured in films like Inspector Gadget (1999), Mystery Men (1999), Digimon: The Movie (200), Rat Race (2001) and Shrek (2001). “All Star” also earned its first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The Grammy-nominated rock band released five more studio albums in the following years: Smash Mouth (2001), Get the Picture? (2003), The Gift of Rock (2005), Summer Girl (2006) and Magic (2012). Amid his band’s skyrocketing popularity, Harwell’s son, Presley, died in 2001 from acute lymphocytic leukemia. His son was only six months old. Health issues The former rock singer had been battling numerous health issues. In 2013, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that can lead to heart failure; and acute Wernicke encephalopathy, a neurological disease that impairs speech, memory and muscle coordination. The “All Star” singer also struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life. Harwell announced his retirement from the band in 2021 over ongoing physical and mental health issues. With the band’s iconic ‘90s legacy and Harwell’s unique music influence, the rock singer lived a “100-percent full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out,” said Hayes. Smash Mouth’s official Instagram account paid tribute to Harwell: “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger-than-life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.” The post ‘All Star’ Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MTRCB suspends ‘It’s Showtime’ for 12 airing days — but no mention of Vice-Ion
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board issued today, 4 September, its decision to suspend the noontime program It’s Showtime for 12 airing days. In a statement released to the media, the government agency said it has received “multiple complaints” from viewers concerning the show’s episode last 25 July, in which unspecified hosts “allegedly acted in an indecent manner” during the “Isip Bata” segment. Based on those complaints, the MTRCB made a case against It’s Showtime. The case was referred to its Hearing and Adjudication Committee, which then summoned the people behind the show as respondents as part of the procedural process. The respondents may file one Motion of Reconsideration within 15 days after receipt of the decision, in accordance with the Presidential Decree No. 1986 (MTRCB Charter). If the MR gets an unfavorable decision from the agency’s Board, the show may appeal to the Office of the President within 15 days from the receipt of the decision on the MR. “Isip Bata” is a game played with 20 adult contestants guessing the recorded answers of 50 kids to a particular question, until only one remains to advance to the jackpot round for a chance to win P50,000. At one point during the 25 July episode, host Ion Perez playfully swiped icing off a cake he was holding. His cohost and spouse Vice Ganda (they were married in the U.S. city of Las Vegas in 2022) played along, swiping some icing off Ion’s finger then licking it. That act triggered complaints against the show filed at the MTRCB. But the MTRCB neither specified that incident nor mentioned any names in its statement announcing It’s Showtime’s suspension. However, it described two other cases that it said elicited additional warnings for the noontime show. The first case involved hosts Jhong Hilario and Vince Ganda’s “inappropriate utterance” of the word “G Spot” in the 24 January 2023 episode, deemed in violation of Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree No. 1986. The second case referred to host Vhong Navarro’s “inappropriate utterance” of the word “Tinggil” in the 3 June 2023 episode, also deemed in violation of Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986. Both cases are now under review by the agency’s Board. Prior to this suspension, the MTRCB pointed out in its statement that it had imposed back in 2010 a 20-day preventive suspension on ABS-CBN’s noontime show then called Showtime. Here is MTRCB’s full statement: The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) issued today, 04 September 2023, its decision to suspend the live noontime program “It’s Showtime!” for twelve (12) airing days. Viewers have lodged multiple complaints before the MTRCB concerning the show’s 25 July 2023 episode wherein the program’s hosts allegedly acted in an indecent manner during one of its segments, “Isip Bata.” The said case was referred to the MTRCB’s Hearing and Adjudication Committee which heard the case and required the respondents to submit their position papers, following a procedural process. In accordance with the Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1986 (MTRCB Charter), the respondents may file one Motion for Reconsideration (MR) within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the decision. Should the Board’s Decision be adverse to the respondent’s MR, they may appeal to the Office of the President within fifteen (15) days from the receipt of the decision on the MR. This is not the first time that a preventive suspension order was imposed on It’s Showtime. In 2010, the MTRCB imposed a 20-day preventive suspension on ABS-CBN’s daily variety program then called “Showtime.” In 2023 alone, the MTRCB has received multiple complaints which the Board has given due course. Most recently, the Board issued two (2) additional warnings to the noontime show concerning the following cases: Case no. 1: Inappropriate utterance of the word “G Spot” by hosts Jhong Hilario and Vice Ganda, during the 24 January 2023 episode of “It’s Showtime!” in violation of Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1986. Decision: The Board found the Respondents (ABS-CBN Corporation Broadcasting Network [ABS-CBN], ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. [ZBNI] and TV 5 Network, Inc.) remiss in the performance of their respective functions and duties required under the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of P.D. No. 1986, specifically Section 2 (B) Chapter IV thereof, and are admonished to refrain from making any utterances of similar nature for the same will be dealt more severely. Case no. 2: Inappropriate utterance of the word “Tinggil” by host Vhong Navarro, during the 03 June 2023 episode of “It’s Showtime!” in violation of Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986. Decision: Derelict in the performance of their respective functions and duties under the IRR of P.D. No. 1986, Respondents (ABS-CBN and ZBNI) were sternly warned by the Board that a similar utterance will be dealt with more severely. At present, the noontime show has duly submitted their MRs for the above-mentioned cases which are currently pending with the MTRCB’s Adjudication Committee. Prior Warnings It may also be recalled that the noontime show received prior warnings from the Board in relation to the utterance of the word “Pek Pek Shorts” in the 09 January 2023 episode of the show and the indecent attire and performance of Kim Duenas in the “Girl on Fire” segment aired on 14 February 2023, in both cases, the Respondents were admonished that similar violations shall be dealt with more severely. Dismissed Complaints over lack of Merit Apart from these, the MTRCB has received multiple complaints regarding the noontime show, which the Board dismissed in the spirit of fairness and equity, such as (1) Complaints regarding the “Rampanalo” segment money game where hosts were paired together to catch play money using their lips; (2) Complaints regarding the allegedly suggestive “macho” dancing in one of the show’s segments; (3) Complaints regarding the wardrobe malfunctions or “nip slips” of one of the performers, to which MTRCB issued a memorandum urging stakeholders to exercise prudence in securing their talents’ clothing during performances; and (4) Complaints of alleged inappropriate wearing of the Barong Tagalog of one of the Hosts, to name a few. The MTRCB only adjudicates cases which, to the Board’s judgment, have basis in law and its mandate, P.D. No. 1986. The post MTRCB suspends ‘It’s Showtime’ for 12 airing days — but no mention of Vice-Ion appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
How ‘Here Lies Love’ co-producer found his mark on Broadway
When Here Lies Love, the hit musical about former First Lady Imelda Marcos, made history by debuting on Broadway debut with an all-Filipino last July, one of its co-producers, Don Michael H. Mendoza, also reached a career milestone. His goal of putting his name on a Broadway show before turning 40 came true now that he’s 34. [caption id="attachment_172743" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Don Michael Mendoza with Daily Tribune’s (from left) Dinah Ventura, Jojo G. Silvestre, Gigie Arcilla, Vangie Reyes, Marc Reyes, Raffy Ayeng, Gibbs Cadiz and Nick Giongco.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_172742" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘Always ask for what you want because the worst that can come back is a no.’ | Photographs Courtesy of Daily Tribune.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_172741" align="aligncenter" width="525"] DON Mike Mendoza with Daily Tribune’s Jojo G. Silvestre and Dinah Ventura.[/caption] It happened, and it’s not just any show. It’s the first Filipino musical on Broadway,” he tells Daily Tribune’s Dinah Ventura and Jojo Silvestre in an interview on their online show Pairfect. “It’s very important to me because a lot of my career is based on the idea of D,E & I — diversity, equity and inclusion — especially in a country like America that’s a melting pot. “It’s very important to make sure that unrepresented voices and communities are brought to the front. To be part of that, for me personally, is an incredible honor because it’s exactly aligned with how I live my professional life every day, every year.” “For the Fil-Am community,” he adds, “I think it’s important for people to see themselves in that arena, whether be as a producer, an actor, or a stagehand, or on the creative team as an assistant director. You know, it says a lot when someone tries to reach that can see themselves in a role that they want to achieve. “Because for a long time, my role models were very few. They’re mostly Americans, they’re white people. And I wanted to be an actor and my only acting influences in the media was Paolo Montalban. He was in Cinderella, American Adobo… He’s now a friend — which is amazing! But I didn’t really have many role models. So, to our community, both Filipino and Fil-Am, they can now look at this production and say, whatever they feel is their career path, ‘I can do it, too.’ So, it’s very powerful.” Beginnings Don Michael Hodreal Mendoza, nicknamed Don Mike, was born in Washington D.C., the capital city of the United States, to immigrant parents. His father Donald Mendoza’s family hails from Cavite and is involved in local politics. His mother Maria Leonila Hodreal has families in Marinduque (maternal side) and Bicol (paternal side). His grandfather Querubin Hodreal created what is now known as the Easy Rock Manila radio station. “My mom, who’s part of that legacy, says even though we’re in the States I somehow ended up doing what our family does, in entertainment and media,” he says, beaming. From Washington D.C., Mendoza’s nuclear family moved to the city of Pittsburgh in the Pennsylvania state, where he grew up. “But I was also raised here in Manila, in Ayala Alabang, for a couple of years,” he points out. He was then between the ages of six and eight, also starting his education at Montessori Manila in BF Homes. “We’re lucky we’re able to come home a lot, so even though I grew up on majority in America, we’d come home every other year.” That explains why he also has exposure and gets inspiration from Filipino movies and entertainment. Mendoza started performing in school plays and high school musicals “for fun.” For college, though, he “needed to study that wasn’t the arts because immigrant families want you to do something that makes money in their eyes.” So he took up broadcast journalism and political science at the American University in D.C. But he didn’t like political science, so he dropped it and added musical theater to his studies without telling his parents until he got into the program. After graduation, he was torn between two goals: becoming a Broadway actor like Jose Llana, who currently plays the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Here Lies Love, and becoming the “Filipino Anderson Cooper.” He ended up staying in D.C with a job in marketing, which eventually became his master’s degree. Mendoza started auditioning and trying to get into shows. “But I wasn’t getting cast the way I wanted to,” he recalls, “because it’s very hard for a Filipino, an Asian male actor to get parts, unless you decided to be in Miss Saigon, which was one of the only very few shows that hire Asian people. So, I kinda fell into producing.” That was when he met a fellow Fil-Am, Regie Cabico, who’s 20 years older than him and became his mentor. He remembers Cabico telling him, “The way to be successful for someone like us in the arts is to start your own opportunities.” Thus, the birth, in 2012, of their company, La Ti Do, which is into production of cabarets and concerts. “I met so many people and worked with so many actors and performers without knowing it’s producing,” he says, smiling at the memory. “I just realized producing means organizing. It means you’re in charge, you’re putting things together and hire people. In those 10 years, I was able to produce small musicals and concerts and special events.” He then put up his own DMH Mendoza Productions, which has La Ti Do as its cabaret-concert arm, to allow him to “produce bigger and more incredible things.” For starters, he produced the off-Broadway play Hazing U that tackles violence in fraternities. Around that time, February 2023, he heard about Here Lies Love being restaged, this time on Broadway. The musical created by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim originally premiered off-Broadway in 2013 at The Public Theater in New York City. A year later, it moved to the Royal National Theater in London, England, and then was restaged at Seattle Repertory Theater in the US in 2017. Mendoza admits with regret that he missed seeing Here Lies Love’s off-Broadway premiere and thought he’d never see it ever again “just because Filipino things don’t usually last very long in America.” So when he heard it was coming to Broadway, he basically called everybody he knew who’s involved in the production to ask how he could help. “I wasn’t really looking for a producer stature,” he says. “I said to many people I’m willing to sell t-shirts in the lobby just to support this show.” It turned out his good friend Lora Nicolas Olaes, who he stayed with in New York, was in the first workshop of the show in 2011, and she personally knows one of the lead producers, Clint Ramos. Olaes then connected Mendoza and Ramos via email, which led to Mendoza joining the Here Lies Love production team. “I’m still having trouble today saying I’m a co-producer. I’m so used to just doing rather than labeling,” he says. “It’s been a wild ride from then till now. I don’t regret any of it. It’s been the best experience so far.” He then shares that having an all-Filipino cast and a predominantly Filipino production team is very important for the lead producers. Two of the five are Filipino: Clint Ramos, a Tony award-winning costume designer, and Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. This extends to other producers, such as Hal Luftig, Diana DiMenna and Patrick Catullo, as well as to musical writers David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. “They wanted to reach beyond the cast and make sure that the show is escorted into Broadway by Filipinos because it’s a Filipino story,” Mendoza points out. Aside from Llana, the main cast is made up of Arielle Jacobs (as Imelda) and Conrad Ricamora as (Ninoy Aquino), with Lea Salonga (as Ninoy’s mother Aurora) in a limited run until 19 August. “It’s beyond the cast. So our creative team, our production team, our stagehands, everybody. Even our house staff, some of them are Filipinos. We really wanted to make a mark on Broadway. That’s how it came about. So that was an early decision. Because the off-Broadway production was mixed. It was not all-Filipino. It had Ruthie Ann Miles as Imelda. She’s not Filipino. It was hard to move from her and bring in Arielle Jacobs, who is just as amazing, but, you know, it was very important for the team to be culturally accurate. Because it’s our story.” “It’s our show,” he reiterates. “Let’s bring it to the world. Our people are playing themselves. I’ve said this in an interview: The general public is trained to love Filipino as other ethnicities. This is the first time we’re training them to love us, Filipinos, as ourselves.” Musical textbook Mendoza’s fellow co-producers include Salonga and Fil-Am celebrities like comedian Jo Koy, musical artist H.E.R. and rapper Apl.de.ap. “Our show is a musical textbook,” he explains. “It’s a musical built around facts, what happened historically during her lifetime. Our whole goal for the show is to present to you what happened with, of course, entertainment attached to it. There’s a misconception that it’s a documentary. It is not. It’s musical theater. It’s supposed to be fun. You see what happened. “We empower our audience to make their own decision. We don’t tell them, ‘This was a bad person. This was a good person.’ Here’s what this person did in their life and how she was affected by her surroundings, and go home and do the research. You figure it out. We liken it to giving someone a Zip file of Philippine history in the 21th century and you go home and unzip the Zip file to get into the details. “But we give you an overview. It’s really up to the audience when they leave the show. I know it’s the goal of our writers and directors to not impose an opinion. We’re just here to entertain and make you learn. When you leave, it’s up to you.” Mendoza happily reports that Here Lies Love is being received “very well.” He adds, “The critics have come and said really wonderful about the show, especially the ones we’re nervous about, like the New York Times, or The Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal. It trickles down to everyone who’s seen the show. I think we’re so proud and excited that it’s well-received. Audience members love it, they keep coming back.” He also notes that audiences are “pretty diverse. You see Filipinos, you see Americans, you see visitors. It’s really a big hodge-podge of different people. We’re happy about that, too. It’s not biased to just one community.” Indeed, Mendoza is living his dream and he has this piece of audience for the younger generation who also hopes to break into theater or arts in general: “Always ask for what you want because the worst that can come back is a no.” He then shares what she’s picked up from Kris Jenner: “If somebody says no to you, you’re asking the wrong person. Keeping asking for what you want. Not just manifesting, but really it’s just speaking up. Nobody can read your mind. Nobody can see what’s happening in your mind and in your heart. So if you express it, you ask and you’ll get there. It may not happen in the timing that you want, but it will happen if you keep pushing.” The post How ‘Here Lies Love’ co-producer found his mark on Broadway appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Katya Angara – The journey of a woman and artist
The promising artist that Katya is today is the latest phase in a lifelong journey that began at an early age when she began drawing characters from cartoon comics. All the while she was growing up in a home that nurtured her interest in the arts, as much as it prepared her for rigorous academic training. She read early in life, in a house filled with books. In this second part of our interview, Katya shares with us how she made a number of choices that would lead to where she is today. But once upon a time, for all that had been given to her on a silver platter, she was in a quandary as to what to do with her life. But when she finally decided on what she wanted, there was no stopping the talented and smart girl who, it turned out, possessed an intellectual prowess not unlike those of her parents, the lawyer, and senator Edgardo Angara, whose affinity for the land had been impressed on his daughter, and the lady educator Gloria Manalang Angara, who opened up her daughter’s eyes and minds to the wonders of world literature and the other arts. And it was in art that the young girl did not only find solace but also healing. Here is the final part of our interview: DT: After high school, did you immediately leave for London? KA: To be honest, and I don’t want filters here, I had mental health issues at that time. I was severely depressed. Before I went to London, I went through a tumultuous period of deciding where to go with my education. So, after Poveda, I went to Woldingham (boarding school). then I did half of my BA Psychology degree at UP Diliman from late 2000 to 2002. I loved my time at Diliman but it was a tumultuous transitional period for me, so I decided to revisit pursuing university in London. Central Saint Martins, to be precise, is one of the most prestigious and distinguished art and design schools in the world DT: Around what time was this? KA: It was in 2002. I was bouncing around like I couldn’t anchor myself to one thing. Like, okay, I’m here in London already. And then, okay I’m going to study Psychology in UP. So, what’s with the leap, the sudden jump, the sudden shift? I couldn’t make up my mind. And I think that frustrated my parents for the longest time. I was also being hard on myself because I ended up causing a lot of frustration for myself. And I think that depressed me. So, you know, I’ve been diagnosed with different things. I’m bipolar. And then, I had the hallmarks of ADHD. Let’s just say that my brain works differently DT: Well, one can never be sure about oneself. KA: No, you can never be sure about yourself. And I was questioning myself. For the longest time, all those years I thought, what’s wrong with me? Why am I making all these strange decisions? Why am I behaving this way? Why do I react to people this way?”. You know, parang I shouldn’t be talking or reacting to people like this in this kind of situation. And I’m not just saying with family or what. But with my classmates in school. What drew me to art was it being a place that has its own language e. It’s a place where I can express myself. Art is also a way of healing your own wounds. It’s also a way of revealing those aspects of yourself that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. It really was a way of healing for me. And I didn’t even know that I needed it. Because again, I was a very quiet and introverted kid. I don’t know why. I couldn’t rely on people, talk to people the way I thought, or maybe people thought I should. So, you know, I kept to myself. I’d hide away in the library every recess or lunch. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. So, that carried on until my university years. Daily Tribune (DT): What did you finally take up in college? Katya Angara: Well, first I just wanted to do a purely art course. So, my foundation course to get me a degree was an Art and Design course. My first choice for this was Central Saint Martins, which continues to be ranked as one of the best art and design schools in the world. I was over the moon when I made it in. DT: What did you have to show to qualify? KA: I needed to show my work. I had some already since I was drawing a lot in my childhood and teenage years. DT: Your works are not the usual ones that use oil, watercolor, acrylic, and all that. KA: I was drawing mostly. And for some reason, I have always been more of a draftsman eh. I’m always more into drawing. I have more illustrating tendencies. DT: Like pen and paper? KA: Yes, pen and paper. Pencil, charcoal. I’ve always had a thing for dry media and pen and ink. It’s more about the control and the precision. That’s my personality. DT: That’s not easy ah. KA: It’s not easy. But you have an affinity for it. And your hands have to be steady. Which is unlikely for someone with pasmado hands like me. But that’s where I find my control eh. That’s why I like it so much. DT: So, what was it like when you showed your drawings at Central Saint Martin? KA: So, I showed my drawings because that was required during the interview. And so I went through the ropes. They asked questions like, "why do you want to do this course here?" DT: Your work must have been good to get you accepted. KA: They were fine. I think it was good enough. But there was a lot I had to improve on. I only knew that once I got into the school. Then, you told yourself, Ah, oo nga pala. There was so much I had to learn. That I could be taught. DT: How was your learning experience? KA: From the beginning, as a child, I always copied from cartoons. And they didn’t like that. They didn’t want to see any cartoons or anything like that. They wanted to see me. They wanted to see my work. My drawing from life. DT: So, how did you do that? It must have been challenging KA: So, I gave them the best of my life drawings. But when I showed them my other works, they weren’t happy with them. So, I learned from that. Being young, you got a bit crushed. But then, you realize it’s a different way of thinking. It’s a different way of doing things. Okay, there’s still so much to learn in terms of art. And it’s not the be-all and end of it all. And then, they said, “This is where you should be learning from.” And they showed me art books. They said, “Go to this gallery or this museum.” DT: How was it like living abroad? Back home, you were the daughter of a senator. KA: Which means nothing when you’re abroad. It meant nothing. Which I actually loved. It was something that I was looking for. Because I lived in a bubble back home. To my parents’ credit naman there’s a reason for that. I was very protected. They wanted to keep me safe and secure given my father’s position. So, I’d always lived in a bubble. I’d always have bodyguards and drivers and all that. And it just felt at times a little restrictive. DT: So, it was a welcome thing? KA: It was a welcome thing. Really, I felt different. I felt normal na parang my family name didn’t mean a thing. And that was refreshing. I could be anything I wanted to be. I could experiment and nobody would judge. Because in schools like that and abroad, especially in Europe, they’re so open-minded. They’re so liberal. DT: How were the teachers? KA: Oh, wonderful. Of course, you always have your favorites, right? Very varied. Depending also on what course you were taking up, whether industrial design or sculpture which I was horrible at when I tried it. I didn’t really get close to my tutors until I moved on to my actual degree. Funny enough, instead of ending up in a practical course. Which would have been like Fine Arts, Graphic Design, or even Illustration because I love drawing. You would think that I would end up in a more practical course like Fine Arts, Graphic Design, or even Illustration, I did a complete shift and I did a theoretical course. I did Curation, Art Criticism, and Art History. So, my training is as a curator and an art critic. DT: Wow, that was very intellectual. It’s good that you always read a lot. KA: Yes, I think that helped because you have to read a lot. You have to love reading. You have to like doing the research. And that served me well. Who would have known, right? But if you think about it, as long as you follow what you want to do in life, it just opens up even if you don’t intentionally seek it. Somehow it just finds you It just fell into place for me in that sense. This is not what I initially set out to do. But I think you have to allow yourself to change your mind. Parang whatever happens at the time, you change with it. You adjust to it. And it worked out beautifully for me. DT: So, were the teachers terrors? KA: Mabait naman sila. But they have very different personalities. My course leader was a lovely older lady who was really into Victorian arts and culture. As in, Victoriana lahat. She would tell you everything about English Victorian history. And she was very passionate about it. And you know, it involved a lot of writing and research. But my favorite tutor was someone who was writing about comic books. Comic books and Pop culture. So, for me, that was a revelation because I didn’t think you could take comics books and put them in the academe. You know, academic level like intellectual. Pwede pala e. Because he showed me a way. He took me under his wing and he showed me his work and from there I learned to write. And because I love comic books. I’m actually a huge geek. I’m a nerd, I’m a dork. DT: What was your thesis? [caption id="attachment_165427" align="aligncenter" width="463"] Roger Sabin was Katya's pop culture mentor at Central Saint Martins in London.[/caption] KA: Because I wanted Roger Sabin, my pop culture tutor, as my professor for my thesis, it was about a 1990s Japanese animated film called Ghost in the Shell 101. It was an animated film based on a very heavy graphic novel, a manga or Japanese comics, by Masamune Shirow. And for me, his work is revelatory. It wasn’t just the style of the Ghost in the Shell. And to think just one man could draw like this. I mean it was a very thick graphic novel. He could draw like that. And he wrote the story too. And to think you had the mental stamina to be able to write something like that and to draw. DT: You must enjoy doing comics. KA: Since I was a kid, I’ve made my own comic books. You know, I would sell my own comic books and people would actually buy them. I taught myself to draw in the comic book style. I learned them all. You know, there’s like Stan Lee of Marvel. DT: You really had it in you. KA: I had it in me. My love for comic books started by reading the ones my brother had collected over the years. He had a stash of them, so, I just devoured them. It was all very amazing to me. Kasi the drawings, the stories, these are worlds written by someone else. So, you have Marvel comics, DC comics, Dark Horse comics. [caption id="attachment_165417" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] With brother, Senator Sonny Angara, whose comic books she devoured for their cartoon figures.[/caption] Q: You didn’t idolize anybody? A: Well, I wasn’t particularly huge on the American comics. I think it was until I stumbled upon the Japanese comics or manga. That really piqued my interest to a degree I never felt before. Kasi it wasn’t just the style, which at first for me was very girly. I mean, I love the romantic comics. But I also felt myself leaning toward the darker stuff. DT: What did you like about Ghost in the Shell? KA: It’s a cyberpunk graphic novel. So, ang galing, ang ganda ng style. It was like, wow. You know, the sheer amount of detail that he puts into the drawings. I said I want to draw like this. I want to tell a story like this. But I don’t know if I was capable of telling if I had the stamina to tell something so intricate and complex. DT: When did you graduate? KA: In 2008. The BA in the UK is only three years. That’s why you take a foundation course. There’s a BA in Curation, and Communication, and criticism in Arts and Design. DT: I am told that you graduated at the top of your class. But you’re not telling me. KA: It sounds so funny kasi eh. Anyway, I graduated with first-class honors for my degree. So, basically, I was Suma Cum Laude in my batch in my year. So, that was what sealed the deal for me and my dad. Kasi for the longest time, I was kind of meandering. I was kind of flip-flopping. My mom knows this eh She goes, “You know Katya you have a tendency to be whimsical.” I am an artist eh, what can I do? Besides, I was young and I wasn’t sure. I knew what I wanted to do, which was to be in the arts but not where I wanted to go. I was asking myself if I had the stamina, the commitment, the fortitude to see it through. [caption id="attachment_165415" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Katya and mom Gloria Angara, who first ignited her interest in the arts.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_165419" align="aligncenter" width="854"] Katya with her dad, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara from whom she learned to apply the principles of nature to her art[/caption] DT: College made you really bloom. KA: Yes. It was the environment. it was the people I was with. Because I was able to go into something I really enjoyed. I wasn’t just doing homework because I was told to do homework. I loved what I was doing. I was invested in it. DT: What did you do after you graduated? KA: Apart from community work, I also worked for some small galleries. I did some work for the Victoria and Albert Museum. I tried to have experiences in bigger institutions, bigger museums, and small independent galleries. I thought that experience would hone me and make me well-rounded. With the smaller galleries, I was able to practice my curatorial background. I was able to help a lot of young artists. They don’t know how to talk about their work or they’re not confident enough to do so. So anyhow, apart from helping them put together shows, I help them speak about their work. Or offer them a perspective they have never seen or thought about. And I feel that that was helping them and I think that’s where I have been able to engage with them. It was fulfilling to help them find their voice as an artist. DT: All the while, you were all alone in London? KA: I was married actually. To a Filipino who was born in the UK, in London. He’s an Englishman, for all purposes. It didn’t work out. We have a daughter. I had a beautiful little girl with him. She lives in London with her father. She’s been here. She lived here in her early years. After she was born in 2010, I decided to move back here. Then, after four years, we went back to London because it was what my husband wanted. He and my dad had a falling out. DT: When was your first exhibit? KA: Last year. Earlier, I did a group show at the Lethaby Gallery at Central Saint Martins. So, I did it with other emerging artists. My next group show was at The Crucible. But it was for a book that Sari Ortiga had commissioned me to do. He wanted to do a series of children’s books about Philippine artists. I did mine. Mine was about Anita Magsaysay-Ho. I did the illustration. It wasn’t new to me because I had been making my own books. I would staple them myself. Although up until that point I didn’t know how to really do it professionally. I found out it could be lucrative and fulfilling. This was in 2008 when I didn’t have a daughter yet. DT: Tell me about your forthcoming show. (The current show had yet to be opened). What paintings are you showing? KA: They’re not paintings, they’re not just drawings. They’re an amalgamation. They’re what you call a compendium of everything I’ve ever done as an artist. The book illustration, and then I dabbled a bit in black-and-white photography. I like the look of black and white photography. So, I do it with my phone or a simple camera. It’s also good for taking reference photos for my work. Because if you can’t sit in the park drawing people or objects, or subjects, the next best thing is you take pictures. And you can draw from those pictures. Kaya maganda siya for reference. So, my work is that, actually. DT: So, what about your subjects? KA: Well, I’m a very central person. We live in a very conservative culture. And I have subjects that would make people say ay, you know, you shouldn’t talk about that. So, there’s no filter, it’s very raw, very natural. In London, I was able to talk to people about things like BDSM or Bondage Sado-Masochism. And you know, that can get a bad rap. Because if you do it wrong, it would look strange to anyone who is not familiar with it. Among the Japanese, there is a subculture that does that. DT: Do they consider BDSM an art form? KA: There’s a particular Japanese artist whose work I used to admire. He’s a photographer. And his subject is BDSM. There were pictures of women tied up and then there were flowers and reptiles. So it was very sexual. I found myself drawn to that because there’s the element of the dark side. Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, talked about how we have to make our unconscious conscious. The darkness in us is unconscious. And if you don’t make your darkness conscious, it’s going to come out in other ways at some point. Meaning to say, you shouldn’t repress those sides of you. I think it is a side that’s intertwined with the creative side of me. I can’t be an artist without being sensual. Without that aspect, all that would be macabre. Which brings me to my mom again. She used to chide me for reading Stephen King when I was a kid. I’m a huge Stephen King fan. She was like, “It’s so macabre, so dark.” And I’m like, “I like it, I like his work.” He’s such a skilled writer. And I like how he could take something so mundane and make it terrifying and frightening on all levels. Stephen King said that he writes two thousand words every morning. I’m not sure if I can do that. I wanted to write na rin eh because the natural partner of my art is my writing. Because as a curator, I didn’t just read. I had to write a lot. And that’s where I honed my skills. Kasi siyempre, it’s a sword that you have to sharpen every now and then. So, for the show. I did a lot of writing. I did my own writing. DT: While we're on the talk of artists, what about the Filipino artists? Who among them do you admire? Do you have any mentors and idols? KA: Among Philippine artists, Junyee is my second father and my first artistic mentor. He is my OG sage and shaman of Philippine art, the Father of Philippine Installation Art. I'm actively lobbying for him to become National Artist soon, as no one deserves it more than he does, with his magnificent oeuvre. I'll always remember how, in a fleeing moment of impostor syndrome, he consoled me by saying that making art for myself always comes first. Love the process and the rest follows. The maverick attitude is very Junyee! And yet, he lives a modest life in the forest-like setting of his home in Los Banos, echoing the nature-loving ethos of our favorite Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki, creator of Toroto, Nausicaa, Spirited Away, among many other magical films. Since I was a child, Junyee saw my potential and continued to push me to have my own gallery shows, as did his longtime friend and one of my other mentors, Sari Ortiga. Sari's daughter Yasmin is a good friend and batchmate of mine from Poveda. Sari owns and runs the distinguished Crucible Gallery, and he hired me to illustrate one of the children's books for his series "Growing up with Philippine art" in 2009. It's thanks to Sari that I pushed myself to evolve as an artist, to grow outside of my comfort zone. The acclaimed visual artist and sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso is something of a bad boy du jour of the Philippine art scene, and his dissident attitude is something I can identify with. I love the unorthodox, the sensual, the macabre, the dark stuff that delves deep into the psyche. I'm so bored of the "covers" or "riffs" of the countless Amorsolo, Basquiat, Picasso, or Rothko-type artworks that I see so much of in the local art scene. As wtih Junyee and Sari, Jinggoy has taught me how to navigate the perilous seas of art and life, echoing Junyee's advice to remain myself, in a world that often pushes us to be someone else. My three mentors, by example, taught me how to be original. DT: How many are you exhibiting? How many works? KA: Now, I have 9 complete pieces. I’d like to add another one. Honestly, medyo cramming ito because I only had two months to do the show. Normally for this kind of work - especially with the big piece I am doing - it’s a seven-foot piece. I would need, preferably to be comfortable, at least four to six months to do all this work. Kasi, there is so much nicer when you give it time to compost. To come together, to become fertile. DT: Is there enough time for one more work? A: Yes. I have one more work that I want. Because I feel that it rounds it up eh. If I do ten, I love the work that I’ve already done. Again, it’s not a painting, it’s a collage. So, I’d call it a photographic collage with paper cuttings on canvas. I wanted to treat canvas in a way that is not painting DT: Shouldn’t someone curate for you? KA: For now, I’m happy to have to do it myself. Because I feel that I’m the only one who can portray myself in a way that I feel I should be portrayed. Kasi it’s art eh. You’re trying not so much to explain yourself as you’re trying to convey who you are to somebody without being obvious. That’s art. DT: Where does Stephen, your partner, come in? [caption id="attachment_165418" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] With her partner and anchor, Stephen Lu.[/caption] KA: Stephen is somewhat of an anchor for me. So, I feel comfortable, I feel more confident when he’s around. But I guess I’m okay. DT: Now, as we wind up, let’s talk about how you are like your parents and not like them. You said that your interest in the arts came from the exposure that you received from your mother, and of course, the presence of books at home. Tell me more about your father’s role in your becoming the person that you are. KA: One of my fondest memories of my father was his love of nature, gardening, and farming, which I learned from him. He was at his best and calmest when he was at his farm in Nasugbu and Baler. Whilst my father was a “man of the soil”, I learned to be an “artist of the soil”, a gardener who applies the principles of nature to my art. Hence the overlying themes of nature in my oeuvre of artwork. And the most resonant themes of philosophy (which my father also studied and applied in his life) are the themes relating to lessons learned from nature: patience, fortitude, temperance. From this I’ve become more acutely aware of life’s transience, making our time all the more precious, being grateful for small and simple pleasures, and the opportunities that come my way. The naïveté of my younger years meant that I didn’t have a complete grasp of the opportunities presented to me by my father, I took much for granted. Now I see why he did what he did, he gave me the tools to be able to achieve my full potential. Only now that I’m embracing that fire and heading in a direction that makes the most of my talents. I had impostor syndrome for the longest time. Always questioning and doubting myself. Now I can fully embrace who I am and it is cathartic. DT: In what way are you like them? KA: I have the different strengths of my parents. I’ve inherited their academic minds and cultured tastes, with an eye for detail and beauty. I have many mannerisms and behavious in common with my mum, in terms of poise and self-possession. But, she is like Audrey Hepburn and I am infinitely more of a Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn was also a very private person and something of a poet and writer. I guess it’s no surprise that I am drawn to art and writing; I am highly introspective, painfully self-aware and attuned to my moods and to the moods of others; like my Dad, I’m intuitive and know how to read people. DT: My last question is, how has art influenced you in your direction in life? And where are you going from here? KA: Being an introvert, I don’t always translate into easy social interactions with most people. So I channel it all into my art. It’s a language that best expresses my psyche, thoughts, and emotions. Working with my hands is healing and consolation for the isolation, depression, and anxiety attacks that grip me on bad days. That’s why as an artist of the soil, gardening and art go hand in hand. In the future, I can see myself tending to the land and becoming a farmer as my father was. It’s like coming home. The post Katya Angara – The journey of a woman and artist appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame
A question of freedom of expression or outright blasphemy? Social media and its ardent followers recently engaged in animated commentary, some amusing, others vitriolic, when drag queen Pura Luka Vega, dressed up to imitate Jesus Christ, performed before a noisy and possibly inebriated audience that sang along with the “star,” a pop version of the church hymn “Ama Namin” in a crowded venue that appeared to be a bar. The engagement drew a flurry of protests, principally from the country’s Catholic faithful. But what did Vega expect? The Philippines is, after all, a country with about 78.8 percent of the population identifying themselves as Roman Catholics based on the 2020 census. While some sectors proclaiming themselves as vanguards of the arts expressed their support for Vega, a participant in a contest featuring drag queens, the majority of the comments, some of them from those who are not even Catholic or “religious,” condemned the act and demanded an apology from the person at the center of the controversy. Many said what he did was “blasphemous, offensive, disrespectful.” Several senators openly denounced his act, with one saying the performer could face criminal charges. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code punishes “those who offend any race or religion in the performance of obscene or indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, or any other place.” The law imposes a jail term and/or a fine on violators. “As a woman of faith, I admit I find this regrettable. However, I also caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros. said For his part, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said Vega “should think of some other way to make himself known and not resort to gimmickry.” On the other hand, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, the first Filipino transgender lawmaker, warned Vega not to use the gender card in his defense. “Do we really need this kind of provocation? What is the contribution of this to LGBT rights?” Roman said. She added that invoking the performance as a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression is not absolute. She even dared the artist to do what he did to other religions with less tolerant views to see how far he could go. Pope Francis, the first pope, has criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust” and advised Catholic priests to welcome LGBTQ people into the Church. My take on the gender issue is probably not as magnanimous as that of the pope. I am a conservative Catholic, meaning I am quite rigid in interpreting/differentiating the male from the female. For me, there are no “in-betweens.” But it does not mean that I do not respect our fellowmen who identify themselves with a gender that is not what they were born with. I respect them so much and would protect them as I would protect my children. But mind you, respect is a two-way street, so let us leave it at that. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said it was not inclined to press charges against the artist, adding that it was enough that he got the message that what he did was wrong. Although Vega said he apologized “to those who were offended by his performance,” it didn’t sound like he meant it because he added that he would not stop expressing his art, and it was his way of practicing his faith as a Catholic, and it was a form of worship anyway. In a bar before people obviously having a good time? At the same time, he said it was some healing process for him for having experienced exclusion from the Church because he is gay. Huh? The logic escapes me. Vega’s imitation of Christ also drew the ire of local government officials in Gen. Santos City, who recently declared him “persona non grata,” meaning there’s no welcome mat waiting for him in the city. Plucked from obscurity, Vega has become an instant celebrity of sorts and apparently basks in the spotlight. A concept introduced by the late American visual artist Andy Warhol who said, “Everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” it implied the fleeting nature of being a “celebrity.” We see this phenomenon now with the surge of bloggers and vloggers flooding all social media platforms, from taho vendors to movie stars to various hangers-on, retired police officers, etc. All one needs is a cellphone with a decent camera. Soon enough, your video becomes viral. Meanwhile, let Vega enjoy his 15 minutes of fame while he can. The post An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96
Tony Bennett, the last in a generation of classic American crooners whose ceaselessly cheery spirit bridged generations to make him a hitmaker across seven decades, died Friday in New York. He was 96. Raised in an era when big bands defined US pop music, Bennett achieved an improbable second act when he started winning over young audiences in the 1990s -- not by reinventing himself but by demonstrating his sheer joy in belting out the standards. And then at age 88, Bennett, in 2014 became the oldest person ever to reach number one on the US album sales chart through a collection of duets with Lady Gaga -- who became his friend and touring companion but only one of a long list of younger stars who rushed to work with the singing great. Bennett's publicist, Sylvia Weiner, announced his death. Likened since the start of his career to Frank Sinatra, Bennett first tried to distance himself but eventually followed much of the same path as other crooners of yore -- singing in nightclubs, on television, and for movies, although his attempts to act ended quickly. His gift proved to be his stage presence. With a welcoming smile and dapper suit, he sang with gusto and a smooth vibrato in a strong, clearly enunciated voice, which he kept in shape through training from the operatic Bel Canto tradition. Starting with his recording of the film song "Because of You" in 1951, Bennett sang dozens of hits including "Rags to Riches," "Stranger in Paradise" and, in what would become his signature tune, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," which landed him two of his career's 19 Grammy Awards. But the British Invasion led by The Beatles initially took a toll on the singer, whose music suddenly sounded quaint and antiquated. He nearly died of a cocaine overdose in 1979 before sobering up and eventually reviving his career. "When rap came along, or disco, whatever the new fashion was at the moment, I didn't try to find something that would fit whatever the style was of the whole music scene," Bennett told the British culture magazine Clash. "I just stayed myself and sang sincerely and tried to just stay honest with myself -- never compromising, just doing the best songs that I could think of for the public. "And luckily it just paid off." Singing as hardscrabble youth Tony Bennett -- his stage name came after advice from showbiz A-lister Bob Hope -- was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in the Astoria neighborhood of New York's Queens borough. His father was a struggling grocer who immigrated from southern Italy's Calabria region, to which his mother also traced her ancestry. He showed early promise as an entertainer, singing at age nine next to legendary New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia when he ceremonially opened the city's Triborough Bridge, now known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. But his father's death at age 10, at a time when the United States was still struggling to exit the Great Depression, led him to leave school and earn money through jobs including singing at Italian restaurants and caricature painting, which remained a lifelong side career. During World War II, Bennett was drafted into the 63rd Infantry Division and was sent to France and Germany. But he was demoted after cursing out an officer from the South who objected to Bennett dining with an African American friend in the then racially segregated army. As punishment, Bennett spent his tour of duty digging out bodies and shipping them. But after the Allied victory, Bennett found an unexpected break into music as he waited with fellow troops in Wiesbaden, Germany to return home. With the city's opera house still intact, a US Army band performed a weekly show to be broadcast on military radio across Germany. Taken on as the band's librarian, Bennett was quickly impressed with his voice and was made one of four vocalists. "During this period in the army, I enjoyed the most musical freedom I've ever had in my life," Bennett later wrote in his autobiography, "The Good Life." "I could sing whatever I wanted, and there was no one around to tell me any different," he wrote. Outspoken against racism and war When he returned to the United States, he took formal singing lessons through the GI Bill, which covered educational expenses for returning troops. His experiences made Bennett a lifelong liberal. He became especially enraged in the 1950s when he played in Miami with jazz pioneer Duke Ellington, who was not allowed to attend a press party due to segregation at the hotel. In a then risky move for a popular entertainer, he accepted an invitation from singer Harry Belafonte to join civil rights icon Martin Luther King in the 1965 march from Selma, Alabama in support of equal voting rights for African Americans. He later wrote in his memoir that the hostility of the white state troopers reminded him of Nazi Germany. He was also an outspoken opponent of war, at times raising controversy. "The first time I saw a dead German, that's when I became a pacifist," he told popular radio host Howard Stern days after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Late in life, still cool Bennett was married three times and had four children including Antonia Bennett, who has followed his path as a singer of pop and jazz standards. But his son Danny Bennett was most instrumental in his father's career, aggressively courting MTV and other players in the pop world as a manager for his father. By the early 1990s, Bennett -- his style and look little changed from the 1960s, except for more gray hair -- was appearing in music videos on MTV and singing warm-up at concerts by alternative rock giants such as Smashing Pumpkins and Porno for Pyros. Proof that Bennett was back came in 1993 when he presented a prize at the MTV Video Music Awards alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who hailed his cool factor and playfully sang part of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." His career only kept building and a decade later, he released three successful albums of duets. On one of them, "Body and Soul," he sang with Amy Winehouse in her last recording before she died in 2011 at age 27. He marked his 90th birthday with a star-studded concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, which was turned into a television special and album. The title was taken from a song popularized by Bennett: "The Best Is Yet to Come." Bennett toured the United States and Europe into his final decade, playing his last public performance before the coronavirus pandemic halted touring in New Jersey on 11 March 2020. Soon after, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. He had kept his condition quiet for years. Upon turning 95, Bennett played two more birthday concerts, again at Radio City Music Hall, with Lady Gaga -- shows billed as his farewell to New York. He then canceled the remainder of his 2021 tour dates on "doctors' orders." "And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing / And I will stay younger than spring," he crooned during the first of his farewell shows, in a rendition of his ballad "This Is All I Ask." "You've been a good audience," Bennett said prior to his encore. "I love this audience." The post Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cool, Chic and Comfortable Fashion
By Jocelyn Valle and Ann Jenireene Gomez Ralph Lauren is easily one of the most mispronounced designer labels around. For the record, this American icon of fashion is pronounced this way: “Ralf LO-ren,” according to Martin Elmer Santos, the manager of Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand boutique at Greenbelt 5. That’s right, not the French-sounding “Ralf Lo-Rahn.” [caption id="attachment_160185" align="aligncenter" width="853"] AUBREY Miles and Troy Montero.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_160186" align="aligncenter" width="1703"] Kieza Garra and Jeanette Ong.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_160188" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] (FROM left) SSI Group Inc. president Anton Huang, Maricel and Donny Pangilinan, Nikki Huang, Ella and Anthony Pangilinan.PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren[/caption] Santos spoke to Daily Tribune at the store’s recent opening. “We have the different collections here,” he said. Aside from its signature Polo Shirt, which has been around since 1972, Polo Ralph Lauren Men’s line presents several collections to check out in Spring/Summer 2023. There’s the timeless collection called Heritage Icons, as inspired by The Hamptons’ preppy fashion. Another one, The Curator, is a refined sportswear merged with Manhattan’s Gallery tastemakers’ sophisticated gallery look. The Summit collection reinvigorates the Active line with archival styles and technical performance, while the Key West line displays a relaxed island lifestyle. Lastly, a diverse collection of vibrant seasonal fashion is showcased in the South America range. It suits perfectly in warm weather and blends well with exotic adventure vibes. Polo Ralph Lauren Women’s line, on the other hand, has a Spring/Summer 2023 collection that covers Mediterranean, California Modern and Laurel Canyon themes of undeniably timeless and classic style. Likewise not to be missed is the Polo ID collection, which showcases handbags, footwear and other leather goods that embody elegance and comfort. Star-studded affair The opening of the Greenbelt branch (the first at Shangri-La mall and soon at Rustan’s Makati and Solaire), was attended by some of the notable celebrities in the fields of fashion, beauty pageants and show business. They looked cool, chic and comfortable in Polo Ralph Lauren fashion pieces. Actor Maricel Laxa turned up with her husband Anthony Pangilinan, a media practitioner and management consultant, along with their daughter Ella Pangilinan and, later on, with their son, matinee idol Donny Pangilinan. “I want something comfortable and easy to carry. I don’t want anything elaborate. I’m a little bit stylish now because I have kids who are more exposed to fashion.” Aubrey Miles, also an actress and entrepreneur, came at the event with her husband and fellow celebrity Troy Montero. She had this to say on dressing up: “As long as it looks good on me and it flatters my body, I go for that. I’m more stylish when I go out alone. When I’m with Troy, I’m more on the sexy side. With our kids, just a long dress with pockets or with a sling bag.” For his part, Montero said, “I just always want to be comfortable. I think my fashion sense changed over the years. I’m definitely more into comfort than anything else. Once you feel good and comfortable, you can be confident walking around. Nothing makes you more uncomfortable and less confident if it’s not fitted. I like to keep up with the trends and things like that. Like today, I’m wearing this Polo shirt, and I kinda went for the one with a little bit non-traditional.” More actors talked to us about their fashion sense. Max Collins described her fashion sense as “laidback chic.” She explained, “I always wear something that I can move in, but at the same time it’s classic and simple. I love neutral colors as well.” Sofia Andres said she goes for “classic, simple and chic at the same time,” even when she's with her three-year-old daughter. “I only wear pants, shirts, sometimes a coat, blazer, that’s it. That looks amazing.” Young star Kyline Alcantara admitted letting her moods dictate her fashion choices. “Sometimes I’m into street style. Sometimes I’m into classy, simple. It really depends on my mood. I feel that’s what fashion is. It’s art also, how you describe yourself, what makes you feel confident.” Celeste Cortesi, who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines in 2022, declared, “I like wearing anything, depends on where I go. I just want to be comfortable and chic at the same time.” Fashion model-turned-actress and host Phoemela Baranda noted that having a baby (her second in 20 years) has changed her body type and she works around that. “I try to look whatever suits my body type now and I’m comfortable with. So, I’m comfortable with long dresses. But of course a little updated naman. I update with accessories or a body.” Myrza Sison, former top model and now a speaker, host, journalist and certified executive coach had this to say about her fashion sense: “Minimal effort for maximum impact. “So I believe in style, rather than fashion, and I think the more you know yourself, the more you can have personal style. Otherwise, you’re just gonna try every trend and you won’t really present a strong image to the world.” The post Cool, Chic and Comfortable Fashion appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Great Brown Hope
The entire nation erupted in celebration when Kai Sotto finally made his debut in the National Basketball Association Summer League. It was such a memorable performance. The 7-foot-3 Filipino posted six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and an assist in the Orlando Magic’s 88-71 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from washing away the bitterness from being benched in their first three matches against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks, Sotto’s breakout performance could pave the way for him to land a two-way contract in the NBA. We, however, have to manage our expectations. The Filipinos’ road to the NBA is littered with tears, frustrations, and a lot of heartbreaks. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese, Iranians, and Koreans, no full-blooded Filipino has ever penetrated the NBA since its founding in 1946. Johnny Abarrientos came very close when he caught the attention of the Charlotte Hornets following Alaska’s grand slam season in 1996. In fact, the Hornets sent its international scout, Joe Bettancourt, to the country to watch the 5-foot-7 Abarrientos live and in action. Bettancourt was on the sidelines when Alaska battled Purefoods, hoping to give Abarrientos a 10-day contract that would have him replacing the injured Muggsy Bogues, the 5-foot-3 court general who ran the offense for Hornets coach Dave Cowens. Abarrientos, Bettancourt, and Alaska coach Tim Cone even had a “secret meeting” at the Manila Peninsula in 1997 to discuss the terms of Abarrientos’ contract and the possibility of him becoming the first Asian to play in the NBA. But it never happened. Cowens eventually pulled the plug on Bogues and sent him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for BJ Armstrong, a 6-foot-2 playmaker who was part of the great Chicago Bulls squad that won three straight NBA titles. With Bogues gone, Abarrientos’s chance of making it to the NBA also vanished. Japeth Aguilar tried to revive the Filipinos’ NBA dream a decade later. After seeing action for Ateneo de Manila University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines league, Aguilar moved to the United States to enroll at Western Kentucky University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program that produced NBA players like Courtney Lee, Mitchell Robinson, and Jeremy Evans. But the 6-foot-9 Aguilar failed to adjust to the speed and physicality of American basketball that had him struggling in his two years with the Hilltoppers. Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the New Orleans Hornets but their scout, Don Sellers, said that he remained a “work in progress” and was not yet ready for the NBA. Then, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League but his run also didn’t last long as he was eventually relegated to being a practice player until he was waived. Aguilar’s Gilas Pilipinas teammates — Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena — also tried their luck with the NBA but their journeys only brought them as far as the NBA D-League. Veteran international campaigner Jojo Lastimosa was spot on with his observation: In this time and age, making it to the NBA is harder than it used to be. It’s no longer height that matters, but the mentality, work ethic, international exposure, and overall skill set that are the most important. For Sotto to make it to the NBA, he has to develop a reliable outside shot and quicker feet that will make him deadly in pick-and-roll attacks and enable him to switch to smaller, faster players at the defensive end. He also has to spend a lot of time getting exposed to American basketball, where giants like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic are shooting, running, attacking, and dribbling like skilled playmakers. Sotto is a generational talent. He is our only hope to break the solid walls of the NBA, where only 450 roster spots are available. If he doesn’t make it, maybe — just maybe — it’s time for us to abandon our NBA dream. The post Great Brown Hope appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
TVJ sues TAPE, GMA for copyright infringement
The battle of noontime shows is far from over. The veteran comedic trio and original Eat Bulaga main hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon have filed charges against production company Television and Production Exponents Inc., or TAPE Inc., and media giant GMA Network for alleged copyright infringement and unfair competition. The complaint was filed last 30 June when TAPE and GMA aired and replayed Eat Bulaga episodes without their consent. On 12 July, it was reported that both TAPE and GMA received summons from a Marikina Court. The complaint cites TAPE and GMA’s continued airing of original Eat Bulaga episodes, whether in portions or in their entirety, as well as the use of the show’s name, logo and musical and artistic elements without TVJ’s consent. Noontime television viewers were saddened when TVJ announced their departure from TAPE in an emotional video released on 31 May. The trio disclosed that they were not allowed to air a live show that day by the management, immediately leading to the mass resignation and departure of TVJ and their other co-hosts from the show. On 5 June, five days after TVJ and the Dabarkads’ departure, Eat Bulaga went live on GMA with a new set of hosts. Meanwhile, TVJ and the Dabarkads moved to a new home network, TV5, with a new noontime show called E.A.T, which premiered last 1 July. Eat Bulaga, the longest-running variety show in the Philippines with over 13,000 episodes, will celebrate its 44th anniversary on 30 July. The post TVJ sues TAPE, GMA for copyright infringement appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
KaladKaren’s historic feat: First transwoman anchor in local TV news
ABS-CBN takes pride in being the manager of transwoman star KaladKaren, who has been making waves in the TV industry. She is now the first transwoman news anchor in the Philippines, as co-host of TV 5’s Frontline Pilipinas evening newscast. She joined Gretchen Ho, Jes delos Santos, Justin Quirino and Mikee Reyes as news presenters on 12 June. There are gays and transwomen who are hosts of talk shows and variety shows on TV, such as Boy Abunda, Vice Ganda and Allan K, but KaladKaren is really the first to read out showbiz, lifestyle and cultural reports on a straight news program. In April, she emerged as the first transwoman to win best supporting actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival, specifically at the first-ever summer edition of the festival. She won for her hilarious turn in the film Here Comes the Groom. As an anchorwoman, she is billed as KaladKaren, a made-up name close to the Tagalog word “kaladkarin,” which refers to someone who is easy to drag along for any decent or indecent occasion. She started using “KaladKaren” as a performer in UP Mass Communication productions on campus. Her real name is Jervi Li. [caption id="attachment_151722" align="aligncenter" width="446"] PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF IG/KALaDKAREN | JERVI Li aka KaladKaren.[/caption] At her contract-signing recently at ABS-CBN, the celebrity impersonator was asked by a tabloid editor how exactly her name should be spelled and pronounced. The graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman stressed that her professional showbiz name should be spelled as one word, with the second “K” capitalized and the last syllable spelled with an “e”, not “i”, to emphasize “Karen,” the first name of the woman she famously impersonates: ABS-CBN broadcast journo Karen Davila. Corporate and news executives of TV 5 obviously find the pedestrian name “KaladKaren” good enough for a news presenter. On camera, her colleagues address her simply as “Karen.” KaladKaren is directly managed by Star Magic, the division for talent recruitment and development headed by Laurenti Dyogi, who is also ABS-CBN head of Television. Dyogi was present at the contract signing along with other Star Magic executives. KaladKaren said she will also be part of an upcoming series, a reality show and a movie. The country is actually late in giving transwomen a shot at news anchoring. The US and other countries have been doing so as far back as 2015. In February 2015, reporter and former TV news helicopter pilot Zoey Tur joined US television program Inside Edition as a special correspondent, becoming America’s first transgender TV reporter. Tur, formerly known as “Chopper Bob,” rose to fame for the live helicopter coverage of the 1994 police chase on Los Angeles freeways of fugitive American football star O.J. Simpson, who was charged with the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. In March 2018, Marvia Malik became Pakistan’s first transgender news presenter at Kohenoor TV. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Malik said she had to work hard to break taboos and finally be accepted by a society that discriminates against transgender people. In February this year, Malik survived a gun attack outside her residence in Lahore. According to NDTV, Malik was returning from a pharmacy when two gunmen opened fire on her. Bangladeshi activist Tashnuva Anan likewise broke barriers by becoming the first transgender news anchor in her home country in 2021. Anan moved to New York from Bangladesh about a year and a half ago to pursue her acting career. She made her off-Broadway debut in Public Obscenities at SoHo Rep in May 2023. India Willoughby is the first transgender TV news reporter in the United Kingdom. In 2017, she joined 5News on Channel 5, where she read the lunchtime and evening updates. She was a familiar face to millions of viewers in her former life as Jonathon, a contestant in Celebrity Big Brother. Nora Reichardt, who has worked at Local News 5 in Des Moines since July 2021, said she gradually came into her identity as a transgender woman over the course of several years and began a medical transition process. And Diana Zurco, 40, recalled her youthful rebellion ahead of her debut as the country’s first transgender newscaster in Argentina’s public TV station, a milestone for an excluded community that is often the target of violence and has a life expectancy roughly half that of the rest of the population. The post KaladKaren’s historic feat: First transwoman anchor in local TV news appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Two Friends, Loud Luxury in Powerhouse Collab ‘If Only I’ With Bebe Rexha
Acclaimed producer/DJ duo Two Friends and diamond and multi-platinum selling dance music duo Loud Luxury release their latest single, “If Only I”, with award-winning pop singer Bebe Rexha on Helix Records/Armada Music. Two Friends’ massive 30-plus date Planet Two Friends North American headline tour is currently underway, stopping at iconic venues such as Forest Hills Stadium in New York. Electro-pop queen Bebe Rexha’s smooth vocals paired with the carefully-crafted beats of Two Friends and Loud Luxury make for a dance music fan’s dream: a true powerhouse collaboration. The candy-colored music video captures the feel-good essence of the track as the collaborators take on the California coast with special guest influencer Hannah Stocking. In April, Two Friends delighted Coachella fans with the first live performance of “If Only I,” bringing out collaborator Rexha for a special appearance. Loud Luxury also gave it a similar, special pre-release treatment, closing out their set at the EDC Las Vegas mainstage with a fireworks-filled high tempo rendition. The new single follows Two Friends’ recent collaboration with multi-platinum country singer Russell Dickerson in “More Than Yesterday.” Slowly beginning with Dickerson’s rich vocals over acoustic plucking, the song steadily progresses, building instrumental and electronic beats and culminating in a powerful, danceable chorus featuring drums, synths and a catchy trumpet hook. Two Friends earned a coveted Vegas residency at the Wynn’s XS & Encore this summer, and the second annual edition of their very own festival, Big Bootie Land, recently took place in Chicago. The official Planet Two Friends headline tour continues through July, concluding at New York City’s Forest Hills Stadium on 8 July. Two Friends will return to their hometown later this summer to play LA Historic State Park with The Chainsmokers, ARMNHMR and NOTD. The post Two Friends, Loud Luxury in Powerhouse Collab ‘If Only I’ With Bebe Rexha appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Leopoldstadt’, ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ top Tony Awards
Tom Stoppard's play "Leopoldstadt," a look at how one Jewish family confronts anti-Semitism and loss, and intimate tragicomic musical "Kimberly Akimbo" earned the top prizes Sunday at the Tony Awards, the highest honors in American theater. Inclusion and identity were key themes on a night at which history was made -- J. Harrison Ghee in "Some Like It Hot" and Alex Newell in "Shucked" became the first openly nonbinary actors to win trophies for their work on Broadway. Winners, performers and presenters alike at the United Palace theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood also offered their full support to striking writers in Hollywood. The 85-year-old Stoppard, who won his fifth Tony for best play with "Leopoldstadt," a work inspired in part by his own family history, called out artificial intelligence, saying he was "teeming with emotions a chat box wouldn't begin to understand." In the 55 years since his first Tony for best play for "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," Stoppard said, "I have witnessed the theater writer getting progressively devalued in the food chain. It's just something I thought I'd mention." The play won four awards overall, including best director and best featured actor. "Kimberly Akimbo" -- about a high school student suffering from a genetic disorder that causes her to age prematurely -- won five Tonys including best musical and best lead actress for Victoria Clark. Ghee and Newell gave emotional speeches, with Ghee telling the audience: "For every trans, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming human who ever was told... you couldn't be seen, this is for you." Britain's Jodie Comer, known to TV fans as the assassin Villanelle on "Killing Eve," won for best actress in a play for her searing one-woman show "Prima Facie," about a lawyer who defends men accused of sexual assault, until she herself is attacked. Sean Hayes, who starred on TV's "Will and Grace," won for best actor in a play for "Good Night, Oscar." Industry woes The Tonys almost didn't happen, as a strike by the Writers Guild of America, which began in early May, called into question how to produce the live nationally televised event. Eventually, the union said it would not picket the ceremony, after Tonys organizers made some concessions about the show's format -- the show was unscripted, a fact made clear by host Ariana DeBose, who opened the show by looking at blank pages. "Our siblings over at the WGA are currently on strike in pursuit of a fair deal," she said after an elaborate opening dance number. "I'm live and unscripted... buckle up." Staging the Tonys gala was seen as key for Broadway productions. The event serves as an annual showcase for American theater -- and a live ad to encourage tourists to buy tickets. Broadway took a serious hit during the Covid-19 lockdown, which shuttered theaters and left travelers skittish about returning to crowded venues. But the Broadway League, the industry's national trade association, released data last month indicating that theatergoers were coming back to Manhattan. During the 2022-23 season, the first full one since the pandemic, 88.4 percent of seats were filled - "comparable to pre-pandemic levels," the league said in a statement. Total attendance was at more than 12.2 million. But the season was not without its victims, including some of the shows up for awards on Sunday. In addition, "Phantom of the Opera," the longest-running show in Broadway history, closed in April after 35 years, in part because it struggled to rebound from Broadway's 18-month closure. The post ‘Leopoldstadt’, ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ top Tony Awards appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Unveiling AI products, Nvidia chief says tech at ‘tipping point’
Nvidia chief Jensen Huang said the world was at "the tipping point of a new computer era" as he unveiled a raft of AI-related products Monday in his first public speech in four years at a Taiwan tech trade show. The US firm, which specializes in chips coveted in the artificial intelligence boom, saw its value surge to nearly $1 trillion last week, after the company's quarterly earnings report blew past expectations. Nvidia is known for creating graphics chips long coveted by gamers but which have become engines for the kind of complex processes involved in artificial intelligence, known as accelerated computing. Its chips are a central ingredient to the generative AI revolution, capable of delivering the computing heft needed to churn out complex content in just seconds from data centers around the world. In Taipei on Monday, the Taiwanese-American CEO expressed excitement to be back at the Computex forum, one of the largest trade shows for the sector. "Our first live event in almost four years! I haven't given a public speech in four years -- wish me luck!" he said. Huang's two-hour presentation introduced a dizzying host of new products -- including an AI supercomputer platform called DGX GH200, which he said is now "in full production". “We're so excited that Google Cloud, Meta and Microsoft will be the first companies in the world to have access," he added. "They will be doing be doing exploratory research on the pioneering front, the boundaries of artificial intelligence, with us." The new supercomputer will -- in theory -- help the tech industry as it seeks to create more AI-related products, which require more complex computing tasks. "This is really one of the first major times in history a new computing model has been developed and created," he said, referring to accelerated computing. "We have now reached the tipping point of a new computing era." Founded 30 years ago by Huang, Nvidia was initially a star in the video game world. The Silicon Valley-based company has since built its reputation on making graphics processing units, which ramp up image quality and vanquish response lag time for gamers. Its shares soared more than 25 percent Wednesday after an earnings report showed the AI trend is fueling demand for its sophisticated chips. The post Unveiling AI products, Nvidia chief says tech at ‘tipping point’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»