Melanie: Don't judge Janina she not a book!

The whole country’s post-pageant excitement and interest on the annual Bb. Pilipinas search has reached a new high, thanks to Candidate No. 15 Janina San Miguel, at 17 the youngest of the batch of 24, who was so overcome by nervousness during the grand finals last Saturday that, well, you know what happened (it’s all over the YouTube). Her “classic” answer (or lack of it) during the Q&A portion has become part of Manila’s pop culture.

But being unquestionably the most statuesque (awarded Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown) among the aspirants, Janina won the judges’ nod anyway (80 percent on beauty of face and figure, according to the criteria) and went home with the Bb. Pilipinas-World crown which qualifies her to represent the country in the 2008 Miss World contest scheduled later this year in Ukraine.

Have the heckling at the Big Dome and the ensuing put-down comments disheartened the UE Broadcast freshman?

Hardly.

In fact, Janina is taking everything with a grain of salt, laughing at herself along with everybody else. She’s likened to Melanie Marquez whose “I love my long-legged” answer to the final question didn’t stop the judges from declaring her Bb. Pilipinas-International in the 1979 pageant, saying “Beh!” to her critics and detractors by proceeding to bag that year’s Miss International title (the third Filipina to do so, after Gemma Cruz in 1964 and Aurora Pijuan in 1970, followed by Precious Lara Quigaman in 2005).

“I may not be good in English,” Melanie would joke again and again. “But look, what I have (And a Supermodel first runner-up trophy to boot. — RFL). Magaling nga ‘yung ibang mag-English pero may international beauty title ba sila?” Well said. Beh!

Contacted by Funfare for comment, Miss Malaprop herself naturally came to Janina’s defense.

Is Melanie (whose compilation of her quotable quotes is taking time off the launching pad) offended being compared to Janina?

“Not at all. I can only sympathize with Janina. She’s 17, baguhan sa beauty contest. I was only 15 when I joined the Binibini. Siempre, natural na ma-nerbiyos si Janina.”

The public shouldn’t be hard on Janina, according to Melanie who said, paraphrasing her own quotable quote, “Don’t judge Janina; she’s not a book!”

Melanie’s sisterly advice to Janina?

“Sige lang. Don’t be discouraged. You have seven months to improve and prepare before the Miss World contest. Take crash courses in speech; you can overcome your weak points. Remember, what counts most is your bearing and your total look. If your morality and breeding are okay, then wala kang dapat ikahiya o ikatakot.”

Scholarships for Binibini beauties

FLASH: Vivienne Tan, the judge who asked Janina San Miguel the crucial question “What role did your family play for you as candidate to Bb. Pilipinas?,” is offering the three Bb. Pilipinas winners — Janina for Miss World, Jennifer Barrientos for Miss Universe in Vietnam and Patricia Fernandez for Miss International in Japan —  scholarships at her Entrepreneur School of Asia (in Libis, Quezon City). The offer is also good for the Top 3 losers in the pageant if they pass the school test. Vivienne is also offering Janina a special crash course in English.

The certificates will be handed over to Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta, head of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc., at a simple lunch ceremony tomorrow, March 14.

Incidentally, for more on the three Binibinis, watch for Conversations with Ricky Lo this Sunday, March 16.

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More foreign acts coming soon

• James Blunt at the Araneta Coliseum on May 19, starting at 8 p.m.; by Viva Concerts & Events, Inc. (For ticket inquiries, call landline 687-6181 locals 620 and 745.)

Blunt (born James Hillier Blount on Feb. 22, 1974 at a military hospital in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England) is an English singer-songwriter whose debut album, Back to Bedlam, and single releases — especially the No. 1 hit You’re Beautiful — brought him to fame in 2005. His style is a mix of pop and folk rock. Along with vocals, Blunt performs on the piano and guitar. He is signed to Linda Perry’s American label Custard Records. Blunt won two BRIT Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, and was nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2006. He subsequently released his second album, All the Lost Souls, in 2007 which was certified gold within its first week of release.

Prior to embarking on a career in music, Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards unit of the British Army, and served as a member of the NATO peace-keeping force in Kosovo. While posted in Kosovo, he was introduced to the work of Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders), a humanitarian aid group best known for its emergency medical care in conflict-torn regions.

During his musical career, Blunt has supported MSF by holding meet-and-greet auctions at many of his concerts. While he has spent most of his life studying and living in England, his primary residence is now on the Spanish island of Ibiza where he wrote many of the songs on his second album.

• The Click Five at the Araneta Coliseum, May 30. (For ticket inquiries, call the Ticketnet outlets at 911-5555. Ticket prices are P3,500, P2,800, P1,800, P1,200, P800 and P400.)

After a hugely successful Asian promo tour last year, America’s best power pop band The Click Five is going back to Asia for its biggest performances just yet.

With back-to-back hits, from its two albums — Catch Your Wave, Just the Girl, Jenny, Happy Birthday and the latest single Empty — fans simply can’t get enough of Joe, Ethan, Ben, Joey and Kyle.

Riding high on the success of their album Modern Minds and Pastimes, the boys are all set for another Asian Invasion Tour dubbed as Modern Minds and Great Times. 

The Click Five’s three-day pocket promo tour last October was a landslide success, having more than 3,000 singing and screaming fans in attendance at each venue. Jenny, the band’s first single off the album, was an instant hit when it first came out late last year and easily became the most popular song on our local radio and music channels for many consecutive weeks.

Produced by Mike Denneen (Fountains of Wayne, Aimee Mann) and mixed by Mike Shipley (The Cars, Cheap Trick, Green Day), Modern Minds and Pastimes is undeniably a pop rock masterpiece from the talented band.

New vocalist Kyle Patrick adds a different dimension to the band. The 21-year-old singer/guitarist is a graduate of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music just like his bandmates. He does not only deliver, but also delivers it with style. Known to be snappy dressers, The Click Five makes sure it sounds good as well as looks good.

Modern Minds and Great Times: The Click Five Live in Manila! is a Warner Music Philippines production.

• Steve Tyrell at the PICC Plenary Hall on May 30, produced by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions. (For ticket inquiries, call Ticketnet outlets at 911-5555.)

Grammy Award-winning vocalist extraordinaire Steve Tyrell is truly a renaissance man. In his four decades in the music business, he has achieved great success as an artist, producer, songwriter, music supervisor,  performer and is a two-time Emmy nominee.

With his breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride, Steve Tyrell reinvented and re-popularized classic pop standards for a modern-day audience.  With the grit and soul of a lifetime, producing hits for artists ranging from Dionne Warwick to last year’s Grammy-winner Rod Stewart, Steve himself has sold hundreds of thousands of albums and gained a passionate following all over the world. His hits The Way You Look Tonight, A Kiss To Build A Dream On and The Sunny Side of The Street have launched thousands of weddings and millions of romances. He’s held top positions at Standards, Swing, and Big Band outlets with a devoted following at key Adult Contemporary Radio.

With sold-out shows across America and raves from around the globe as a result of his recent sold-out world tour, his following increases day by day. At the request of the Sinatra family, Steve was the featured performer at the Hollywood Bowl season opening concert at which Frank Sinatra was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. It was a signature event and a major success. With the encouragement of music legend Quincy Jones and the Sinatra family, plans were hatched for an album of Frank’s material. This is one of the few times the Sinatra family has reached into the vault of original Sinatra arrangements to share with another artist. With some of the greatest musicians in the world playing some of the greatest songs of all time on this recording, Songs of Sinatra by Steve Tyrell will be an album that audiences will want to hear again and again and again.

His work in the studio has included collaborations with such diverse and legendary artists as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, LL Cool J, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler and Stevie Wonder just to name a few.

As an artist, all five of his American Standards albums have achieved Top 5 status on Billboard’s jazz charts and his first album A New Standard was amongst the best-selling jazz albums for over five years.

His songs have been recorded by such revered artists as Ray Charles, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and Elvis Presley and his song How Do You Talk To An Angel, written and produced for Aaron Spelling’s Fox television series The Heights, was a No. 1 pop hit in 1992 and earned Tyrell one of his two Emmy nominations.