Going home to Christmas with Jose Mari Chan

You know that Christmas is just around the corner when the “ber” months start rolling in, when nights are heralded by a gentle cool breeze, and the deejays begin to dust off their Christmas CDs and drown out the noises that pass off as music and, this early, wish everyone to have a merry little Christmas.

It’s also the time of year when record bars nationwide start reminding us that Jose Mari Chan’s new Christmas album, Going Home To Christmas, is on sale again. It is his second Christmas album after Christmas In Our Hearts which is the best-selling local Christmas album of all time with a Double Diamond Record award.

Released middle of 2012, 23 years after the first one, Going Home To Christmas is another collector’s item carrying 23 songs (18 of them original). Let’s play some of them:

• Christmas Anyway, lyrics by Joel Trinidad and music by JMC, sung by Hanna Flores, daughter of Homer Flores who arranged the song the catchy style with which he did the classic Christmas In Our Hearts.

• Pinoy Na Krismas, sung by The CompanY, lyrics by Ogie Alcasid, music by JMC and arranged by Ria Villena. “Your singing of this song,” said Joe Mari, addressing the group, “is quite catchy. I’m glad our combination was magical.”

• Song Of The Firefly, a duet by JMC and granddaughter Ramona Isabel Buñag-Chan. Listen closely and you will realize from whom Ramona inherited her singing talent.

• That Time Of Year, sung by Shiela Valderrama, lyrics by Loren Steele and music by JMC. “One of the most exciting guest singers,” said Joe Mari of Shiela.

• December 25, sung by Cris Villonco, words and music by JMC. “Cris is another exciting singer,” said Joe Mari. “Very talented.”

For more of the songs, please do the playing once you get a copy of Going Home To Christmas.

Oliver Tolentino dresses two Emmys nominees

Philippine-born and now Los Angeles-based fashion designer Oliver Tolentino continues to do well on the Hollywood fashion scene.

During the recent Emmy Awards, Oliver dressed up two nominees — Mayim Bialik (best known as the young Bette Midler in Beaches and as the title role in Blossom when she started in the ’80s) who was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for The Big Bang Theory; and Allison Holker, nominated for Outstanding Choreography (with Derek Hough) for a segment they did for Dancing With The Stars.

Two stars were also in Oliver Tolentino for the pre-Emmy parties — fashionista/actress Jamie Chung (Hangover I and II) who wore an electric blue French lace cocktail dress to the Entertainment Weekly party and Brooke Burke (co-host of Dancing With The Stars) who wore a red mini lace cocktail dress to the CAA party.

Any day now, Oliver is coming home. He has always considered Bataan and Manila as his home even if he has been staying in the States these past four years in pursuit of his dreams. While here, he will meet with his prominent clientele here at his Makati boutique which turns two years old in its newest location on C. Palanca St. in Legaspi Village, a few steps from Greenbelt 1.

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