Monday, December 31, 2012

MYMP 5 Disc compilation released by Ivory Music & Video

A true fan of MYMP may already have all of their albums already in their collection, but the newly released MYMP Anthology Collection, released by Ivory Music & Video in celebration of the group's 10th year anniversary in the industry may prove to be too tempting (and very inexpensive) to pass up.


This five CD package includes albums of MYMP at its prime when Juris was still its vocalist namely Soulful Acoustic, Versions, Beyond Acoustic, New Horizon and Now. The holidays may be over and it’s too late to grab a copy of this collection to give as a Christmas gift. But one doesn’t need any special occasion to grab a copy of this definitive MYMP package. The album costs slightly higher than the average foreign release but for five CD’s containing hours of MYMP music, this anthology collection is indeed good value for money.


The MYMP Anthology Collection was one of the CD releases under Ivory Music & Video that was presented during the Astroplus Blog-Connect event.


MYMP Anthology Collection

CD 1 Soulful Acoustic
Tracks:
1. A Little Bit
2. Every Little Thing
3. Tibok ng Puso
4. Could Be Wrong
5. Miss You
6. Sakay
7. Paalam Na
8. Dream Without You
9. Torpe Song #5
10. Waiting in Vain
11. Awit ng Saya

CD 2 Versions
Tracks:
1. True Colors
2. Especially for You
3. No Ordinary Love
4. Constantly
5. The Closer I Get to You
6. Whenever, Wherever, Whatever
7. For All of My Life
8. Eternal Flame
9. Say You Love Me
10. Beauty and Madness
11. Love Moves in Mysterious Ways
12. At Your Best (You are Loved)

CD 3 Beyond Acoustic
Tracks:
1. Get Me
2. Tell Me Where It Hurts
3. Kailan
4. Magical Feeling
5. Sa Kanya
6. Jam (Set Your Spirits Free)
7. When I Dream
8. Would You Be My Girlfriend
9. Talaga Naman
10. Rush
11. Fast Car
12. Ginoo, Walay Sukod

CD 4 New Horizon
Tracks:
1. Without You
2. Only Reminds Me of You
3. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
4. Love Stood Still
5. You Got It All
6. Sa’Yo Lamang
7. Every Breath You Take
8. Last Chance
9. Crazy for You
10. Forever and a Day
11. Ang Pag-Ibig Mo
12. So Perfect
13. Back Home

CD 5 Now
Tracks:
1. Now
2. Missing You
3. Human
4. Baby Don’t You Break My Heart Slow
5. Set Your Free
6. Make It Easy on Me
7. Cherish
8. These Dreams
9. Impulsive
10. When She Cries
11. Rush, Rush
12. Wish List

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Luke Mejares ventures into dance music with Kasayaw

Luke Mejares

During the 25th Awit Awards, one of the performers at the ceremonies was Luke Mejares singing his own rendition of the Randy Santiago classic hit, Babaero. This song marks a new chapter in Luke’s music career as he speeds up the tempo with the dance album Kasayaw his third and latest album released by Ivory Music & Video.

Five years after his last album Pangako, Luke Mejares, a former South Border vocalist and current Sabado Boys member, returns to the music scene ready to ignite the dance floor with his own rendition of dance hits from the past two decades. Aside from Babaero, this album also includes the classic hits like Kasayaw (originally recorded by Archie D.), Macho Gwapito (Rico J. Puno), Magsayawan (VST and Company), and Iyong-Iyo (Ogie Alcasid). Fellow Sabado Boy Jimmy Bondoc appears on the track Macho Gwapito. Bimbo Yance, bassist of the band True Faith is the producer for this concept album.


The album also features a Pop Mix and Minus One versions of Kasayaw as well as a Minus One version of Babaero. Some longtime Luke Mejares fans may be let down by the lack of ballads and his trademark falsetto in this release, but they can be comforted by dancing and singing along to the tunes offered in this concept album. A music video for Babaero has also been released.


Luke Mejares’ Kasayaw was one of the CD releases under Ivory Music & Video that was presented during the Astroplus Blog-Connect event.


Kasayaw

Tracks:
1. Babaero
2. Kasayaw
3. Macho Gwapito (feat. Jimmy Bondoc)
4. Magsayawan
5. Iyong-Iyo
6. Kasayaw (Pop Mix)
Bonus:
7. Babaero (Minus One)
8. Kasayaw (Minus One)

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Martin Nievera celebrates 3 decades of music with 3D Tatlong Dekada

Martin Nievera

A career spanning 30 years clearly calls for a celebration. And Martin Nievera, known in the Philippine music industry as The Concert King, chose to celebrate this milestone by coming out with a new album entitled 3D Tatlong Dekada released by Polyeast Records. While most artists prefer to celebrate similar career milestones by looking back and releasing a best of compilation, Martin achieves both by looking towards the future and acknowledging the past through this new release. 3D Tatlong Dekada is a CD/DVD package featuring 17 CD audio tracks made up of 14 new compositions and just 3 cover versions. The DVD on the other hand is a compilation of 15 music videos that Martin has done in the past.

The cover versions included in the album were all featured in television series: Pangako, written by Ogie Alcasid that was featured in Walang Hanggan, the song Times of Your Life, was featured in Lorenzo’s Time while After All, a duet with Vina Morales, is currently featured in the series A Beautiful Affair. The new material in the album feature songs that Martin co-wrote with the likes of Marvin Querido and Joey Benin. The lead single, Ipadarama, written by Francis Salazar, can be heard on several local radio stations.


It’s been 30 years since Martin’s illustrious career started with the song Be My Lady and the album Martin… Take One. Since then, he has followed it up with over two dozen albums, television shows, movies, and countless concert performances that led him to be dubbed as The Concert King and one of the pillars of OPM. A recent undertaking for Martin was being a mentor/judge at the recently concluded Philippine version of X-Factor. And this has driven him to push for more new material. And the album 3D Tatlong Dekada is certainly going in that direction.

Martin Nievera at Radio Republic’s Muchikahan


I really took the time to drop by Radio Republic when Martin Nievera was the guest at the station’s Muchikahan program hosted by Ryan Cayabyab and Jay Durias. During the show, I was immediately reminded how I used to stay up late just to watch Martin After Dark. Time hasn’t diminished his sense of humor and he was his usual hilarious "MAD man" self at Muchikahan even taking a jab at the Folk Arts Theater that stinks. It made me wonder if anyone else still uses that venue for shows. He also brought along with him two X-Factor contestants over at Radio Republic, Gabriel Maturan (who ended up as runner up) and eventual winner KZ Tandingan who both savored every moment that they’ve had at the studio. Martin also fulfilled the two young singers’ wish when they were able not just to meet but to jam as well with one of their idol Jay Durias.


I also took the opportunity to have Martin write in my notebook as well. He wrote that “music blogged, is music saved. music saved is music loved. music loved is OPM!” Three of Martin's  performances  from Muchikahan can be viewed at the archive section of Radio Republic.

"music loved is OPM!"

3D Tatlong Dekada the CD/DVD package is available at record stores nationwide. Ipadarama and the rest of the CD tracks are available as digital downloads via MyMusicStore Philippines. Thanks once again to Polyeast Records and Radio Republic.


3D Tatlong Dekada

CD Tracks:
1. Magic
2. Ipadarama
3. Wala Nang Magagawa
4. Far Away
5. Only in My Dreams
6. Panaginip
7. After All this Time
8. Carry On
9. Are We Really Praying
10. Pangarap Ko ay Magpakailanman
11. Take Off
12. Ikaw Kailanman
13. On My Own
14. Pangako
15. Pag-Ibig Ko’y Ikaw
16. After All (duet with Vina Morales)
17. Times of Your Life

DVD Tracks:
1. Iisa Pa Lamang
2. You’re All I Need
3. Maybe This Time
4. Pasko na Sinta Ko
5. Hard Habit to Break
6. Right Here Waiting
7. When I Met You
8. Goodbye (duet with Pops Fernandez)
9. Just the Way You Are
10. Times of Your Life
11. Never Say Goodbye
12. Hanggang Ngayon
13. The Promise
14. You are My Song
15. You’re My Everything

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Warner Music Philippines artists spread holiday cheer with My Kind of Christmas

Ebe Dancel

An all star lineup headed by Rico Blanco, Ebe Dancel, Sitti, Never the Strangers, General Luna, Joey G and a whole lot more make Christmas themed music more festive this year with the release of My Kind of Christmas, a compilation album under Warner Music Philippines.


A mix of traditional favorites along with new compositions, this 12 track album includes the tracks Santa Baby by General Luna, The Christmas Song by Rico Blanco, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Ebe Dancel, On Christmas Morning by Joey G, Silent Night by Never The Strangers, I'll Be Home for Christmas by Sitti with the Las Piñas Boys Choir, Give Love on Christmas Day by Side A, An Evening in December by Christian Bautista, Christmas Single by Rocksteddy, Merry Christmas Darling by Kitchie Nadal, Last Christmas by Dice & K9 and This Christmas by Thor. The music video for Ebe Dancel's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has also been released as well.


My Kind of Christmas was one of the CD releases under Warner Music Philippines that was presented during the Astroplus Blog-Connect event.


My Kind of Christmas

Tracks:
1. Santa Baby
2. The Christmas Song
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. On Christmas Morning
5. Silent Night
6. I'll Be Home for Christmas
7. Give Love on Christmas Day
8. An Evening in December
9. Christmas Single
10. Merry Christmas Darling
11. Last Christmas
12. This Christmas

A Christmas Gift

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra with Xian Lim

To celebrate a fruitful year for the newest orchestra in town, the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor Gerard Salonga presented A Christmas Gift concert which was held at the Rockwell Tent. A couple of ABS-CBN talents were the special guests for this concert: singer and theater actress K-La Rivera and singer/actor Xian Lim who might now add pianist/trombonist to his résumé. A Christmas Gift had two performances, a matinee and an evening performance and I was very fortunate to have been invited by the orchestra to watch the latter.

The concert started with A Christmas Festival (Medley) by Leroy Anderson which is made up of popular Christmas tunes like Joy to the World, Good King Wenceslas, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, Jingle Bells and O Come All Ye Faihtful. Another Leroy Anderson composition, the ever so entertaining Sleigh Ride was performed next. Some members of the audience tried to control their laughter as they heard the horse whinny towards the end.

K-La Rivera

Some members of the orchestra were given the spotlight in this concert. The first to be highlighted was trumpeter Robert de Pano playing the solo in the big band version of I’ll be Home for Christmas. Gerard Salonga further explained prior to this number that he specifically reserved the position of principal trumpet for de Pano who was still working on a cruise ship back then. The next members to have their moment were Ralph Taylan and Jonathan Livioco, the concertmaster and assistant concertmaster respectively. The two violinists performed the solo parts of a mash up of Silent Night and Payapang Daigdig.

The orchestra then shifted to the typical orchestral repertoire but still Christmas related music when they performed three short pieces from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker namely The March of the Toy Soldiers, Chocolate (Spanish Dance) and Trepak (Russian Dance). Hearing the orchestra play these pieces made me feel bad for missing Philippine Ballet Theatre’s recent staging of this ballet that had the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra providing live accompaniment. I also learned that for the afternoon show, the orchestra performed a different set of pieces from The Nutcracker that included my favorite Waltz of the Flowers.

Xian Lim

Then it was time for the guest artists to perform. First up was K-La Rivera wearing a red gown that I might say was shining, shimmering and splendid to take a note from her recent stint as Princess Jasmine in the Atlantis Productions’ staging of Disney’s Aladdin The New Stage Musical. She sang Grown Up Christmas List which was very relevant that night owing to the recent tragedies here (the typhoon Pablo) and abroad (the Connecticut school shooting). K-La’s theater experience manifested itself during this performance as she was able to communicate effectively the message of this song. Her musicality also shone through as she was gave me goosebumps when she went into the final chorus utilizing to great effect the crescendo of the orchestra. After her performance, I recalled the first time that I met her and how I hoped that this talented young lady will get good breaks. She did have a good 2012 and she has good momentum going into 2013.

Next to perform after that was probably the most anticipated portion of the whole concert. I admit that I got really intrigued when I learned that Xian Lim would be performing, not as a vocalist but as a trombonist and a pianist as well. He first did the trombone piece performing The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire). He really appeared nervous while playing and he was visibly very relieved once this song was done. But he wasn’t finished yet since after that, he sat on the piano and played Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca (Turkish March). In both pieces, Xian was accompanied by the orchestra who came to the rescue when he encountered a problem during the performance. It was quickly resolved so it was possible that only those with very keen sense of hearing among the audience knew what that minor mistake was. I could just only imagine how nerve wracking it was for Xian to play both instruments along with an orchestra and in front of an audience. But the dedication that Xian showed in preparation for this concert earned him my respect.

Gerard Salonga

The orchestra wrapped up the concert with the piece Carol of the Bells that immediately segued into a jazzy version of Ang Pasko ay Sumapit. It was an odd combination but it's always refreshing to hear different interpretations and versions of tunes that I've heard over and over again throughout the years. This was supposed to be the last piece but the music didn’t stop there as the audience demanded an encore. For the first encore, Gerard gave the audience a sampler of what they usually do whenever they play for students as part of the educational program of the orchestra. During these performances, they ask for volunteers to sit among the musicians and have that experience of being surrounded by sound. And among these volunteers, one gets the chance to conduct the orchestra. A young boy from the audience that night bravely took the challenge, volunteered and led the orchestra for a reprise of Sleigh Ride. This section quickly brought back memories of my experience conducting the orchestra. The next encore was another crowd pleaser as it was a medley of 2012 hits that included Party Rock, Moves Like Jagger, Call Me Maybe, and the ubiquitous Gangnam Style. Gerard tried to lead the audience in shouting “Oppa Gangnam Style!” just like the Mambo in Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances. Lastly, the orchestra asked the audience to sing along for their final encore which was Kumukutikutitap

After the concert, I was able to have a brief chat with Xian, K-La and Gerard. I took that opportunity to congratulate them for their entertaining performances that made me feel better since I’ve been under the weather during that week. ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s A Christmas Gift signaled the end of my orchestral concert viewing for this year. For the past six months, I’ve seen the orchestra in various events like the Icons at the Mall of Asia: Masters of OPM, the Kapamilya Concert and the Magic of John Williams. I also cannot forget The Legends and the Classics concert earlier this year when they were still FILharmoniKA back then. They showed in these performances that they could easily switch from one genre to another with ease. I look forward to seeing more performances from them this coming 2013.

My ticket signed by K-La, Xian and Gerard

A Christmas Gift was presented by ABS-CBN, First Philippine Holdings Corporation and Rockwell Land. Thanks to Gerard Salonga and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra as always for inviting me to watch the group's performances.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

PPO IV: De Leon and Arutiunian

Trumpeter Raymon de Leon

Featuring:
Raymond de Leon, trumpet
Iñaki Etxepare, cello
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Herminigildo Ranera, conductor

Programme:
Bedřich Smetana Die Moldau (Vltava)
Édouard Lalo Cello Concerto in D minor
Alexander Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto in A flat major
Ferde Grofé The Grand Canyon Suite

An evening filled with picturesque music filled the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) when the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra had their latest concert of their 30th Milestones Season entitled De Leon and Arutiunian. The title, referring to guest musician Raymond de Leon and composer Alexander Arutiunian, is a bit misleading since the concert had a lot more than just that. Also featured during that night was another guest musican, Spanish cellist Iñaki Etxepare, and PPO’s associate conductor Herminigildo Ranera who led the orchestra with pieces from Bedřich Smetana, Édouard Lalo and Ferde Grofé.

The concert started with Bedřich Smetana’s Die Moldau (Vltava) that brought the audience to a journey as the river takes is course. The music shifts from tranquil, to majestic, to turbulent and back to calm once again which such clarity that one doesn’t need to know anything about the piece to appreciate it. Then it was cellist Iñaki Etxepare who performed next Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor. Unfortunately, this concerto for the cello is one of those pieces that don’t excite me as much as say, Elgar’s. As much as I want to enjoy Iñaki’s performance, it was difficult because of my bias regarding the piece. But the audience clearly liked the piece since they applauded after every movement of this piece. Personally, I enjoyed his encores a lot more. His first encore was Ricercata Trovadora by Samuel Maynez which was composed specifically for him. Iñaki requested a piece of cello music that he could sing along with. And this singing caught the audience, including myself, by surprise. The second encore he did was Aurtxo Seaskan by Gabriel Olaizola which is a lullaby. This was exactly the same piece he did as an encore when he was here almost three years ago. And I fondly remember him acting like he had fallen asleep by the end of the piece back then. But he didn’t do it this time.

Cellist Iñaki Etxepare

After the interval, it was time for yet another concerto, this one Alexander Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A flat major featuring Raymond de Leon. This was a sprightly piece that showcased the nimbleness of Raymond with the trumpet. And he topped that performance with his first encore which was Carnival of Venice featuring his own set of variations. He showed off impeccable triple tonguing that drove the audience to applaud mid-performance. And for his second encore, he slowed things down with Over the Rainbow composed by Harold Arlen but playing the jazzy trumpet version by Allen Vizzutti. The last piece of the night was The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé which again is another piece that evoked images and this time around, of the popular American attraction which is the Grand Canyon (obviously). Just like the piece by Smetana, this piece went through different moods but there was a movement in the piece that I do find amusing and peculiar for it depicted a journey of a cowboy atop a donkey. Thinking how a donkey ride found its way in a piece portraying the splendor of the canyons always bring a smile on my face and I did smile when the orchestra got to that section. People did smile a lot when it came down to the orchestra’s final encores as Ranera led the audience in singing O Come All Ye Faithful and Joy to the World. I think that nobody expected that they would be participating in a little sing along by the end of the concert.

Iñaki and RAd

This PPO concert, the fourth in their 30th concert season and the last for this calendar year, was definitely an entertaining one. It was nice seeing Iñaki once again after almost three years. I may not be a huge fan of Lalo’s cello concerto but I liked it a lot more compared to the Haydn cello concerto that he played back in 2010. The year 2012 is almost at an end and seasons by various performing companies have wrapped up for now and will resume once 2013 starts rolling. CCP has lined up a lot of promising shows for 2013 and PPO will resume its concert season with no other than Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. Now, that is a great way to start 2013.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Moonstar88 releases This Year

Moonstar88
Paolo Bernaldo, May Chelle Baay, Herbert Hernandez
and Bon Sundiang

The past few years have seen a lot of shakeups in the local band scene. But after the dust settles, there are bands who are left standing and still manage to release new material proving that they are here to stay. One such band is Moonstar88, composed of Bon Sundiang (drums), Paolo Bernaldo (bass), Herbert Hernandez (guitar) and May Chelle Baay (vocals/guitar). The band hasn’t come up with any new material since Todo Combo way back in 2007 but they did not let this year 2012 pass them by as they finally release their newest album, This Year, under Ivory Music & Video.

Led by the single Ligaw, the album also features seven other tracks including an acoustic version of Migraine and a duet version of Ligaw featuring Parokya ni Edgar’s Chito Miranda. A music video for Ligaw has also been released featuring graphics and visuals matching the album’s cover art.


This Year’s initial press will feature a pop up that will be offered for a lower price. This first press is limited only to 500 copies which are individually numbered making the CD a collector’s item as well.


Moonstar88’s This Year was one of the CD releases under Ivory Music & Video that was presented during the Astroplus Blog-Connect event.


This Year

Tracks:
1. Gilid
2. Ligaw
3. Bastusan
4. Boom Ka
5. Erase My Heart
6. Taxi
7. Migraine (Acoustic)
8. Ligaw (featuring Chito Miranda)

The Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 Experience Part 3


The Closing Ceremony

All good things must come to an end and the second edition of Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now had to end as well. As expected, I wasn’t able to return to the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas after the opening of the festival due to a flurry of activities that happened during the week coupled with feeling indisposed. Fortunately, my schedule and health permitted me to catch the Closing Ceremony wherein they announced that Cesare deve morire/Caesar Must Die was the best film of the festival. The winning film was determined by the ballots filled up by the viewers who watched the seven contemporary Italian films featured in the festival. And a few of these lucky viewers won Ray-Ban sunglasses during the raffle. The ceremony also featured speeches by a pleased Dr. Piera Detassis and an emotional Vanessa Gravina who both were very satisfied by the success of the festival. Senator Goffredo Bettini also had a few words and assured the Filipino audience that Moviemov will be back again next year. Ambassador Luca Fornari then led a toast and Madame Silvana Novelli-Fornari led the distribution of the cake in which everyone inside the theater got to enjoy before viewing the film scheduled right after the ceremony.

Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 Best Film
Cesare deve morire/Caesar Must Die


Also present during the ceremonies were Italian actors Andrea Bosca, Alessio Gallo and Davide Iacopini. I found it very interesting that they even managed to visit some depressed areas during their brief stay here. I was able to ask Andrea Bosca if they had planned this visit even before they landed here. And he responded that he came from Los Angeles before arriving in Manila and had no idea whatsoever about the Philippines. And they only decided to visit those places when they got here already.

Andrea Bosca, Alessio Gallo and Davide Iacopini

Anac Ti Pating


The film Anac Ti Pating became part of the festival when it won the National Film Festival, Ikalawang Yugto that happened in Davao a week before Moviemov. This film, written and directed by Martin Masadao is a coming of age story of a young boy named Sixto Mangaoang. The film essentially shows one school year in the life of Sixto, a bright kid who excels in Math and English but is usually bullied because of his poor parents. The film has its shining moments like the brilliant acting of the actor who played Sixto, Deuel Raynon Ladia. Also impressive was Luchie Maranan who portrayed the role of Sixto’s mother, Mayette.

While the film had some great characterization, the plot left me a bit wanting. There were several subplots involving the supporting characters that didn’t get satisfying resolutions and/or were dropped altogether. The script could’ve been a lot tighter in my opinion. But then again, I have to consider that Anac Ti Pating is an independent film that probably didn’t even get a financial grant like those that are screened at the Cinemalaya. And that I should give the film a bit of leeway and not expect a highly polished one.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


The film that officially closed Moviemov was the classic film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly which is part of the festival’s homage to film maker Sergio Leone. The movie, belonging to the genre Spaghetti Western played a huge role in sending Clint Eastwood into the Hollywood A-list. This film also has one of the most memorable movie themes ever courtesy of composer Ennio Morricone. The film starred Clint Eastwood as Blondie (the good), Lee van Cleef as Angel Eyes (the bad) and Eli Wallach (the ugly).

For a movie which is already more than four decades old, it still holds up nicely. The opening sequences were a bit hard to figure out since there wasn’t much dialogue in it. But once I got to know who the characters were and what their motivations are, it was smooth sailing from that point onwards. I marveled at how gorgeous the shots were and I felt the vastness and the desolation of the Wild West. And these wide shots were nicely contrasted and complemented by extreme close ups of the faces of the main characters.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a long film and I was hesitant to see it at first because of its length knowing that the screening would end up late at night. But I am glad that I decided to give it a go and was rewarded with a satisfying film viewing experience.

The Final Word

RAd at Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012

Once again, I wasn’t able to experience fully this year’s Moviemov. Just like last year, I was only able to watch three films: Cesare deve morire/Caesar Must Die (an Italian contemporary film), Anac Ti Pating (a Filipino film), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (a Sergio Leone retrospective film). I also would’ve wanted to have a few words with Salvatore Striano but he had already left the country by the time that I managed to come back at the festival. I wasn’t also able to meet personally Dr. Piera Detassis, Vanessa Gravina and Jennifer Ulrich. I also wish that the Filipino celebrities from Star Magic who were at the opening cocktails took the time to watch the Italian films that were shown during the festival. Overall, despite only managing to watch just three films, I am still glad to have experienced Moviemov for the second year in a row. And since Sen. Bettini already confirmed that there will be third edition next year, it’s a surefire bet that I’ll be there as well. But it will be a bit sad knowing that Ambassador Luca Fornari and his wife Madame Silvana Novelli-Fornari will not be part of it anymore.

Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 was supported by the General Direction for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, organized by the Embassy of Italy, Playtown, the Philippine-Italian AssociationRustan's, The Peninsula Manila and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Kimpoy Feliciano Media Conference

Kimpoy Feliciano

Online celebrity Kimpoy Feliciano becoming a recording artist really took me by surprise. In the first place, becoming a celebrity due to one’s online presence is still a very new concept for me which I am still trying to comprehend. But whether I am ready or not for it, I have nothing left to do but to accept that Kimpoy Feliciano has arrived and has actually released his self titled debut album under Universal Records.

I admit that I attended his media conference at Universal Records not only to know more about Kimpoy and his album, but to grasp this recent phenomenon of the online celebrity. What I find really amazing is that I learned that Kimpoy never really sought out to become famous when he started posting online. And I was only able to find one video of him doing a cover version of a song which was clearly done for fun and not to catch the attention of any record label. Most aspiring singers upload covers regularly hoping to snag a record deal. But Kimpoy only did one such video to my knowledge and yet he has already recorded and released an album.

Kimpoy Feliciano’s self titled debut album has six tracks led by the carrier single Ikaw Lang which was originally recorded by Chad Borja. The album also comes with a DVD featuring corresponding music videos of the tracks found in the CD. Kimpoy also got to sing Ikaw Lang during the media conference. He looked very nervous performing live for an audience as he continually shifted his weight from one foot to another throughout the song. And by the end of the song, he really was very relieved that it was over. I think that it’s this attitude that gained Kimpoy legions of fans online.


Kimpoy and his family have been based in New Zealand for around four years now but he’s currently in the country during his summer break until February. I am glad that he still speaks Filipino without any trace of the Kiwi accent unlike some who suddenly develop a foreign accent even though they’ve been abroad for a shorter amount of time than he is. Despite the fame that he has achieved as an online celebrity, he seems to be grounded and a good sport who doesn’t mind poking fun at himself.


Now, I am curious to see how Kimpoy Feliciano’s record will reach out to more listeners beyond his established fanbase. What he has achieved so far has no precedent in the local entertainment industry so it will be very interesting to see how far he can go.

Kimpoy Feliciano’s media conference was presented by Universal Records, Orion Entertainment, Pinoy Magazine and LionhearTV.


Kimpoy Feliciano

Tracks:
1. Right Next to Me
2. I’ll Be Your Hero
3. Ngiti
4. Una at Huling Mamahalin
5. Alipin
6. Ikaw Lang
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