Zia: A chip off the old block

It’s a cliché but it’s true: Zia Quizon is a chip off the old block. Not just one block but two: her mom Zsa Zsa Padilla and her dad Dolphy.

An AB English Literature graduate from La Salle, Zia (who’s turning 20 on Friday, Sept. 23) has just signed up with ABS-CBN and released her debut mini-CD called Simple Girl (on PolyEast Records) which consists of six songs including two remakes (So Much In Love and Smile the Michael Jackson version) and two originals (Dear Lonely by Kiko Salazar and Ako Na Lang by Jungee Marcelo).

If you buy Zia’s CD at any Astroplus and Odyssey outlets in Metro Manila, you get a free ticket to watch her perform live at Teatrino Theater in Greenhills, San Juan City, on Thursday night (Sept. 22, eve of her birthday) starting at 8 o’clock.

“It was my mom who encouraged me to pursue a singing career,” Zia told Funfare. And that nips in the bud any speculation that there might be professional jealousy between mother and daughter, something common among showbiz kin and siblings. “My mom is happy that I have an option in life,” adding in jest, “medyo na-e-excite siya maging stage mom,” which Zsa Zsa has never been to her other daughter Karylle (by Zsa Zsa’s ex-husband Dr. Modesto Tatlonghari).

The youngest among Dolphy’s 18 children (by different women), Zia looks 50% Quizon and 50% Padilla, and she’s 100% Quizon-Padilla talent, a challenge she can’t afford to ignore. (Her other showbiz relatives include Lorna Tolentino and Amy Perez, her aunts; and Robin Padilla, her uncle.)

Any pieces of advice from her parents?

“It’s only my mom and my dad at home,” said Zia, “and they always remind me to put my heart into my work. As far as singing is concerned, my mom tells me to take care of my voice, for me not to drink cold water before a show and to just constantly be singing. At home naman, we are always singing — in the sala, in the shower, in the kitchen, everywhere! Mom wants me to be a better singer than she is. When she was starting in showbiz, she already had my Ate Karylle, so she had a kid to worry about.” (Zsa Zsa got married at 16 after eloping with Tatlonghari; their marriage has been annulled.)

What about boys? Does she get any “reminders” from her dad who’s a legendary lover?

“He’s quiet and reserved,” said Zia. “He doesn’t have to give me reminders because I can take care of myself. I have no time for boys. My career is new and it’s my priority.”

No sibling rivalry with Karylle, assured Zia.

“We’re close and we’re happy to see each other succeed. Personally, I am not competitive, especially not because sa dami ng kapatid ko, magiging competitive pa ba ako?”

While Zsa Zsa is noted for being a birit singer, Zia said that she’s more “understated,” partial to R&B and ballads.

Wouldn’t it be nice to watch mother and daughters, with Dolphy as special guest, together in a concert?

“I’m looking forward to that,” said Zia.

Mark passes acid  test with an ‘A’

Mark Bautista and Cris Villonco in Noli Me Tangere

My Japanese friend told me that when Noli Me Tangere was staged in Japan in 1995, the Japanese audience gave it a 15-minute standing ovation non-stop.

That’s why he got excited when I brought him to the CCP Little Theater last Sunday upon the invitation of Mark Bautista to watch the musical’s last performance. Mark was reprising the role of Crisostomo Ibarra (with Cris Villonco as Maria Clara) played by Audie Gemora (with Monique Wilson as Maria Clara) in that Japan performance, and it was Audie who directed the Little Theater presentation.

My Japanese friend and I joined the SRO crowd (that included Raquel Villavicencio, Gina Alajar, Baby Gil and Eugene Villaluz) in giving the Noli cast also a standing ovation, with Cris shedding tears of joy. I’ve seen Cris in other plays (A Little Night Music, etc.) and I expected her to give another outstanding performance as Maria Clara, and she did.

What surprised me was Mark who was making his theater debut. He gave Crisostomo Ibarra a kind of sexiness not only in the way he sang his lines but also, more so, in the way he danced. With his powerful voice, he ruled the stage, undaunted by it unlike most newcomers, unwavering even if he was onstage all the time.

My Japanese friend and I couldn’t wait to see Mark in other musicals now that he has passed his “baptism” with flying colors.

Keep up the good work, Mark!

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