Curtain-raisers:
• Did you know that Willie Nepomuceno was among the many showbiz folk hardest hit by Typhoon Ondoy? He lost his treasured memorabilia (scrapbooks, records, photos with world-famous artists, etc.) in the flood. Despite this misfortune, Willie is asking everybody “to have a break and heal ourselves through laughter.” On Nov. 21, he’s staging Willie Nep @ the Music Museum starting at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are priced P2,000 each. Reserve good seats now by calling 0918-9054580.
• Congratulations to Albert Martinez who has been awarded Most Outstanding Alumni of UST Education High School Batch ’78. Albert plays the mayor in the ABS-CBN inspiring drama show May Bukas Pa. On Nov. 13, he’ll start taping for the new ABS-CBN soap Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo which topbills Kris Aquino, Gerald Madrid, Kim Chiu and Gabby Concepcion (who, I heard, has replaced Robin Padilla).
• Bitoy’s Showwwtime, hosted by Michael V., got a rating of 22.3 percent during its premier telecast last Oct. 17. Showwwtime has four segments — Talbugan, Videokariran, Facemuk and Gaya Nyo ‘Yun? It airs Saturday nights on GMA after Celebrity Duets.
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It has been confirmed by Variety (yes, the “bible” of showbiz) that the long-running (since 1989) megahit musical Miss Saigon will be made into a movie in 2011. Cameron Mackintosh himself will produce the movie with Paula Wagner (Tom Cruise’s producing partner), with Lee Daniels as director.
Now, the big question: Will Leo Valdez be tapped to play The Engineer, the role he has played not only on London’s West End but also in Australia and other countries including the Philippines? Through the years, Leo has beautifully reinvented the role, even playing him with his head clean-shaven. The Engineer was originated on West End by Jonathan Pryce and Kim, the female lead, by Lea Salonga who, in case you have forgotten, won a Best Actress in a Musical grand slam for it.
Oh yes, Lea Salonga. Now a mother, will she still be credible as Kim two years from now? If not Kim, what role would she be considered for — that is, if the producers had a mind about enlisting her for the movie?
Besides Lea, dozens of Filipinas have played Kim in the musical’s staging around the world, including Monique Wilson, Jamie Rivera, Leila Florentino, Joanna Ampil, Janine Desiderio, Ima Castro and Carla Guevarra.
Contacted by Funfare for comment, Leo said that he has heard about the 2011 project but nobody has sent him any “feeler” yet about it. Too early maybe.
“I’ll wait and see,” said Leo who has played The Engineer more than a thousand times, making the character like second skin to him.
These past few weeks, Leo was focused on training for the full marathon held a few days ago at the new SCITEX Expressway from Pampanga to Subic, stretching more than 42 kilometers.
“I trained really hard,” said Leo who joined the preliminary races, “and luckily I didn’t experience the dreaded ‘wall ‘ which happens from the 30th kilometer when the body slows down to a halt and the legs feel like they are wallowing in waist-deep mud.”
About 1,000 runners set off at 4:30 p.m. and reached the finish line at night.
“It was a tough course with 80 percent mostly uphill and downhill. I made sure I didn’t over do my pace anf my breathing relaxed so it was mostly fun along the way. I felt great; my training paid off. I feel like a spring chicken during the run. Hahahaha!”
Perhaps Leo would do some more running preparatory to the demanding shoot of Miss Saigon —- if and when, knock on wood!
• As a star of Raymond Red’s Himpapawid (Manila Skies), John Arcilla made a personal appearance at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), together with actors from the US (the cast of Avatar was present), Chile, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, China and France. Along with the other stars of Himpapawid, John walked on the TIFF Green Carpet (the equivalent of Hollywood’s Red Carpet).
• Kim Chiu made heads turn with her eye-catching gown during the recent FAMAS Awards where she and screen sweetheart Gerald Anderson received the German Moreno Youth Achievement Award.
Designed by Song Medina, Kim’s gown was a multi-toned crumpled organza with cabbage-effect accent; while Gerald’s coat-and-tie, also by Song, was in gun-metal green with geometric design.
It was also Song who designed Kim’s stunning wedding gown in the ABS-CBN soap Tayong Dalawa.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)