The Mega Dream Team behind the Mega Event

It doesn’t just take a village; it takes a Mega Dream Team to create a Mega Event. As Hollywood Diva Barbra Streisand would croon, great art is a collaborative effort: "Putting it together, bit by bit..."

The same holds true for Megastar Sharon Cuneta who relies on a dream team of professionals and personal friends for her every endeavor – like the Mega Event, her 25th anniversary concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Aug. 16 and 17.

Meet the valiant men and women behind the Megastar:

• Sandra Chavez, president of Artist House, Inc., has been behind all of Miss Mega’s concerts – provincial and international. They first met in 1984.

"I first worked with Sharon for the debut concert of Gary Valenciano, Gary A-Live!, at the Araneta Coliseum," Sandra recalls. "Gary was one of our in-house talents then, along with Zsa Zsa Padilla who was also one of our guests. In fact, that was how Zsa Zsa and Sharon met and became good friends - during the rehearsals for Gary’s concert. I really wanted Sharon to also guest in Gary’s first major show. So I talked to Boss Vic and Mina del Rosario of Viva."

Later, Boss Vic asked Sandra to put together Sharon’s Circus! Circus! (a Viva-owned music lounge in SM North Edsa) show in 1987 and later the US Concert Tour in 1988.

Sharon, in fact, calls Sandra "my security blanket." Sandra makes sure that everything – from the marketing to the repertoire – is in tip-top shape.

• Eloisa Matias, former Executive Producer of ABS-CBN’s The Sharon Cuneta Show (TSCS) and the Sharon talk show, is also on board for the Mega Event, a production of Artist House and ABS-CBN.

As the executive producer of the Mega Event, Eloisa, or Wise as she is fondly called by Shawie, is pulling all the stops for the special silver concert. Also, Wise knows Sharon’s music very well because, aside from being the EP of TSCS, she also served as the show’s music researcher for 11 years.

Wise has known Shawie since March 6, 1988 – the very first episode of TSCS on ABS-CBN 2. She is one of the trusted pros (and pals) Sharon relies on every time there is a milestone in her life. It’s because they know Shawie very well. They’ve seen her through good times and bad.

"You could say we’ve seen the person behind the Megastar," Wise reveals. "We’ve seen her laugh, really laugh, totally devoid of glamour. We’ve seen her cry buckets. We’ve seen her eat fishball off a stick. In the studio, we usually catch up on the latest news about each other. Girl talk."

It’s because work is not just work for Miss Mega. It is also time to catch up with friends and spend special bonding moments with each other.

That is precisely why Shawie hit it off with TF (Tita Fanny), known by the public as hair and makeup guru Fanny Serrano – the official Mega-Stylist since 1989. In fact, it was Sharon who christened Fanny "TF", a showbiz monicker that stuck.

"Because she trusts me so," TF elaborates on their friendship, "I make sure that I am able to live up to that big responsibility. I will never reveal all the things that she confides in me."

Shawie describes TF as "very nurturing." He not only makes her look beautiful, he also makes her feel relaxed in the makeup chair. "And I really have so much faith in him as a beauty expert," Sharon intones. "It’s because he doesn’t just stick to one look. He is very versatile and experiments on different styles, which is very important in showbiz." Shawie, in fact, produced TF’s highly-praised Studio 23 lifestyle show, It’s A Fanny Day!

Other friends who work closely with Shawie are Viva’s Sandy Santamaria and Maricar Ong. "I call them my left and right hands," Sharon divulges. Sandy, in particular, makes certain that Shawie’s invariably hectic schedules are in order.

"That’s what they call dedication," Sandy explains her love for Miss Mega. "Even if you lose sleep, even if you are dead tired, if you love the person you are working with, you’d do anything and everything for her."

Come hell or high water.

Working with Miss Mega also offered Maricar a rare chance to observe up close and understand the secret of her buddy’s Mega-Success. "It’s because she enjoys what she’s doing," Maricar simply says.

Rounding up the Mega Team are Director (for "live" and television) Johnny "Mr. M" Manahan and musical director Ryan "Mr. C" Cayabyab.

Mr. M literally (and figuratively) saw the Megastar grow up in the ABS-CBN studios. Mr. C, on the other hand, masterminded her latest BMG CD, All I Ever Want.

Like all great works of art, the Mega Event is a collaboration of Mega-Professionals and Mega-Friends.

The Mega Event is presented by WG&A Superferry, Alaska Milk, Winner Corned Beef, YKL Fujifilm and Mc Donald’s. Minor sponsors are BMG Records, Discovery Suites, Powerhouse Communications, ADTEL (Advanced Telecommunications Inc.), Triworld, L. Carlos Florist Inc., B&D Party Needs, Sari Sari Store, Goodwill Bookstore and Goodrich. Official concert stations are WRR 101.9, 105.1 Crossover, Kool 106, Magic 89.9, Joey 92.3, YES FM 101.1, Love Radio 90.7 and K 91. Food and beverage sponsors are Coca Cola, Cibo, Figaro, Aristocrat, Crystal Clear, Rice Mix, Josiah’s Catering, Center Table Catering, My Angel’s Kitchen, VS&F Classic Food International, Hen Lin, Teriyaki Boy, Rai Rai Ken, Fortune Bakeshop, Basta Hot Pandesal, Country Style, The Swan Catering, CVJ Catering, Beluga Bar, Premier Wines & Spirits, Cheesecake, Etc., Macau Pigeon, New Kamameshi, Gilligan’s Island, President Tea House, Su Shi Ya, BG’s BBQ, Ping Ping Lechon, Vincent’s, Lido Restaurant, Dunkin’ Donuts and Domino’s Pizza. The Mega Event wouldn’t have been possible without their invaluable support.

(Tickets to the concert are now available at all SM Ticketnet outlets, 911-5555. For more information, call Artist House at 817-4660, 816-2496 or 815-1953.)