Curtain-raisers:
• Could it be true that Gabby Lopez is planning to retire next year and Vice Pres. Noli de Castro will replace him as chairman and CEO of ABS-CBN? That was the question in yesterday’s Funfare. “There is no truth to it,” said Bong Osorio, head of the network’s Corporate Communications. Do I hear a collective sigh of relief among the network’s workforce?
• But it’s true that a singer-actor refuses to guest on StarStruck V, all because his manok was eliminated during the auditions. A talent scout likewise doesn’t want to “cooperate” with the same talent search, for the same reason. To paraphrase the show’s blurb, they dreamed, they believed but their bets didn’t survive.
• It’s also true that an actor was given, ehem, “lip service” by a (female) singer with a husky voice. They bumped into each other during the birthday bash of a movie director. The actor must have had one drink too many because he easily gave in to the advances of the singer. Without the other guests knowing it, something happened between the actor and the singer in one of the rooms. Once sober, the actor joked about it, saying that he didn’t know what happened; he was somewhat drunk, remember? The singer must have learned a trick or two from Monica Lewinsky.
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The Filscap Foundation, Inc., has sent out a call for entries to the Filscap Songwriting Competition. The contest aims to provide incentives to established composers, to discover new talents and to provide the deserving works with both a national and international showcase by way of radio, television, print and other media exposure.
There are four categories: Pop, R&B, Rock and Novelty. Entries can be in any Filipino dialect or in English. Contestants can submit only one entry. Entries are being accepted starting last Dec. 1. Deadline is Feb. 15, 2010.
At stake for the winners are: P200,000, grand prize; P50,000, first prize; P30,000 second prize; and P20,000, third prize for every category; P10,000 for each of the 12 finalists; a commemorative album with top singing stars performing the 12 finalists; and a trip to Australia for the grand-prize winner to be part of the Song Summit 2010 Conference in Sydney on June 19-21, 2010, which will feature internationally acclaimed artists and songwriters and panel discussions on topical issues regarding the music industry at large.
The contest is open to Filipino composers and lyricists of all ages except members of the board of the Filscap Foundation, of the Filscap Board of Trustees, of the competition steering committee, employees of Filscap and grand-prize winners of past songwriting competitions.
Entries can be sent via MP3 through the Filscap songwriting website, songwritingcompetition@Filscap.com.ph or sent to the Filscap office at 140 Scout Rallos St. Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City.
The Filscap Foundation is the music nurturing arm of Filscap, The Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. It was established to preserve and make known the music legacy of the Filipinos; to provide incentives for composers and authors to continue making hits; and to discover and nurture the talents of young composers and authors who will provide the hits of tomorrow.
Tapped to promote the contest is multi-awarded songwriter and music producer Nonoy Tan and his son Champ Lui Pio, vocalist of Hale and the immediate ex-boyfriend of Bianca King (who directed Hale’s newest music video). Like Nonoy, Champ also composes songs.
A native of Davao, Nonoy has been an active presence in the local music industry for over 40 years. He started his career as a member of the boy group Wadab for which he composed several hits and later went on to writing and producing for other artists.
He won the grand prize at the Metropop Music Festival in the 4th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival with Kahit La La La Ay Pwede Na performed by the duo of Champoy. Another one of his works, You Made Me Live Again interpreted by Janet Basco, was a finalist in the same contest.
Among his other famous works are Pag Tumatagal Tumitibay by Wadab and My Love Will See You Through by Marco Sison.
He is at present the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Filscap Foundation, Inc.
Nonoy and his wife decided to give Champ that name because he was being conceived during the Metropop 1982 and born a day after Nonoy won. The name was inspired by Champoy pair Subas Herrero and Noel Trinidad who interpreted Nonoy’s winning song.
“Early on,” said Nonoy, “I knew that Champ has musical talent. At age 10, he composed his own song.”
Born Arthur Bernard Dolino Lui Pio on Feb. 8, 1982, Champ took up Human Resource Management at De La Salle University Saint Benilde but chose instead to follow in his father’s footsteps. He made his debut as frontman of Hale five years ago. Among the group’s big hits are Broken Sonnet, The Day You Said Goodnight, Kahit Pa, Kung Wala Ka, Toll Gate, Blue Sky, Waltz and Kundiman.
Update on Pinay supermodels in NY
I was invited to the birthday party for New York-based photographer/producer Cesar Obrero at the penthouse of the posh Hudson Hotel in Manhattan a week after I arrived from my vacation in Manila. Cesar O, as he is fondly called, is a moving force in the fashion scene in New York and in the Philippines and is considered a “guardian” of Filipina models in the US. His passion for Philippine fashion has taken him to all the top fashion haunts worldwide and he hopes that the Philippines will become a fashion capital as well.
Four US-based Filipina models took time off from their busy schedules to be with their “guardian” on that very special day. Charo Ronquillo, Meki Saldana, Gayle Ong and Lucia Santiago were all accomplished supermodels in the Philippines before they came to the US. They have graced the catwalks of major cities in the US and abroad as well. They hope that more kababayan will be offered the opportunity to live their dreams here.
During my conversation with these Filipina achievers, I felt really proud of them because despite their status as supermodels, they still are concerned with what is happening back home and they have retained the good Filipino values despite being exposed to Westerners.
Their advice to Filipina models who want to work in the US? “They should be very professional.”
I also had the pleasure of meeting one of the Philippines’ top fashion designers, known for his creative and daring creations — the Louie Mamengo who has been away from the country for quite sometime. I was flattered to finally meet a person who has dressed so many of our country’s beauty queens (and big stars). He is still active in the fashion scene here in the US and will soon launch a new collection.
TV5 giving ABS-CBN and GMA stiff competition
From way back, even during the time of Edward Tan and then Tonyboy Cojuangco, TV5 has been coming up with innovative shows later “reinvented” by other channels. GMA’s top-rating gag show Bubble Gang started as Tropang Trumpo on TV5 (then known as ABC 5), and so did Eezy Dancing that “inspired” ABS-CBN to put up Keep on Dancing (hosted by Dayanara Torres who was later replaced by Charlene Gonzalez) and is back on TV5 as Shall We Dance? hosted by Lucy Torres.
TV5’s Talentadong Pinoy, hosted by Ryan Agoncillo, seems to have given the two top networks an idea to come up with their own versions, Showtime (ABS-CBN) and It’s Showwwtime (GMA). Even Pinoy Records, also on GMA hosted by Chris Tiu and Manny Pacquiao, has adapted the Talentadong Pinoy format.
“Talentadong Pinoy is an amazing success story,” a TV5 executive told Funfare. “The show started with a rating of two percent. Now, it has an all-time-high rating of 30-plus percent.”
Expect TV5 to be even more competitive next year and the years after that.
It’s interesting times in TV-land, or haven’t you noticed?
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.phac or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)