David A. is a Regine fan

BEVERLY HILLS, California — It’s Saturday here, May 9, and Sunday in Manila, May 10.

First, I’m requesting Funfare readers to say a prayer for Adam Cook, the 36-year-old lawyer-brother of David Cook, who was buried today in their home state. Adam, who died of the brain cancer he fought for over 10 years, was the same brother for whom David shed copious tears throughout last year’s season of American Idol in which David C. emerged the champion and in which another David — Archuleta, that is — was among the Top 3 with yet another Filipina, Ramiele Malubay, competing but not lucky enough to make it to the finals as did the two Filipinas before her, Camille Velasco (semi-finals) and Jasmine Trias (among the Top 3).

As they say, “There’s no business like no business” and the show must go on no matter what, even in the face of tragedy. So David C. is arriving Tuesday morning, May 12, in Manila from the US along with David A. who is coming from the United Kingdom where he just had a solo concert, for their first-ever post-AI concert scheduled on Saturday, May 16, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert Grounds, produced by Fearless Productions which is owned and managed by Jomari Yllana and the Singson brothers Ryan and Ronald, the same company behind the Pops-Martin Missing You reunion concert staged a few weeks ago at the Big Dome.

The casting coup — David & David — is a brainchild of US-based concert organizer Rhiza Pascua who also helped bring to the Philippines such A-list foreign acts as, among others, Chris Brown and Rihanna who had a violent fight when they got back to the US, leading to their break-up and the filing of assault charges against Chris.

“The two Davids have never performed together, not even in the US,” Rhiza told Funfare this afternoon before she left for Manila ahead of the entourage, “so I thought it would be nice to put them together in a concert.”

It was Rhiza who arranged for Funfare the following exclusive phone interview with David A. It was 4 p.m. in the States and, according to David A. “almost midnight” in UK. He was tired, I knew, but he was very charming and engaging nevertheless.

Excerpts:

Your fans in the Philippines are waiting for you.

“Oh, I’m happy to hear that. I can’t wait to go to the Philippines.”

Anyway, David, what have you heard about the Philippines?

“I’ve heard that it’s very hot there.”

Aside from that?

“I’ve heard that there are a lot of amazing singers from the Philippines.”

Like who?

“My favorite is Regine Velasquez. She was actually the one who got me to be an even bigger fan of Mariah Carey because she was singing all those Mariah Carey songs that I’ve never heard before. ‘Wow.’ I said, ‘Regine is so good; she’s amazing’.’”

David, do you remember Ramiele Malubay, the Filipina who was with you and the other David in American Idol?

“Oh yeah, I remember her. Have you talked to her before?”

Yes, I did. That was in October last year in L.A. when I bumped into Ramiele during the concert of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes who are popular stars in the Philippines. Ramiele didn’t perform, she only watched the concert.

“Oh, really?”

 What did Ramiele tell you about the Philippines?

“Oh, not much. Ramiele was always talking to her mom in Tagalog. She taught me a few Tagalog words.”

Did Ramiele make you taste Filipino food?

“No, she didn’t have a chance to do that. We didn’t have enough time to go to a Filipino restaurant.”

Don’t people mistake you for the other David, or vice-versa?

“Not really. Each of us is now into his own thing although not necessarily in different worlds.”

How has American Idol changed your life?

“Oh, very much! I won’t be in London now if not for American Idol. It has changed me in a way that I have never ever imagined. It has changed me so much. I went on an American Idol tour, I’m doing my own solo tour and now I’m doing my first solo album. So much in my life has changed.”

And now, the girls are all over you and the other David.

“I dont’ know. It’s something that I find weird. I just think of that as people who enjoy the music. I don’t think of it as girls being all over me.”

What type of girls do you find attractive?

“I like girls who can get along with people, who care about other people, who are fun and adventurous, who have a strong sense of self and who don’t put themselves down. That’s the kind of girl I am waiting for.”

Oh, you’re still looking for one.

“Not that I’m looking for one. My focus now is on my career, my work, and not on girls. “

David, you have been likened to Paul Anka. How do you feel about that?

“Oh, that’s cool! He’s a big star during his time, an icon up to this day. He has lasted this long and it’s an honor to be likened to him.”

What can we expect from your and the other David’s concert in the Philippines?

“Everybody will have a fun time. It’s our first show together and our first time to perform in the Philippines which has a soft spot in my heart. During the American Idol, I got so much support from Filipinos. They sent me gifts and stuff like that, and I really appreciate that and am very grateful to them for that.”

Do you plan to see other places in Manila?

“Do you have any suggestions?”

Well, you can visit the bars and do some girl-watching. There are a lot of beautiful girls in Manila.

“I talked to Enrique Iglesias yesterday and I couldn’t believe when he told me that he’s half-Filipino. He did tell me about the bars and stuff like that. But I’m not really the kind of person who goes to bars. I like parties but not all the time.”

How do you spend your free time?

“I listen to music. It’s still music for me. I’m a music freak.”

Tickets for David Cook and David Archuleta Live in Manila are available at Ticketnet (tel. no. 911-5555) and Ticketworld (891-9999).

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])