•Miss Saigon alumnus celebrates •Former STAR columnist to wed soon

A show titled Salamat, Salamat New York celebrated the 30th anniversary in theater of Miguel Braganza II, singer-dancer who is an alumnus of Miss Saigon, held on May 2 at the ballroom of the Sheraton La Guardia East Hotel in Flushing, Queens.

“It was a spectacular night of music, dance and fashion,” reported Funfare’s NYC-based “beauty expert” Felix Manuel. “With nearly a hundred participants, it showcased the talents of Miguel’s students and friends in the industry. There was never a dull moment in the five-hour show which included favorite Broadway classics and selected performances from the Asian region.” 

According to Felix, the Mindanao Pinikpikan number choreographed by Rolly Postadan was one of the most applauded numbers. A special fashion show segment which featured Arielle Agasang’s Filipiniana and Barong Tagalog creations made the night more glamorous.

“Miguel’s performances were excellent. His non-stop song-and-dance numbers were a hit. ‘I am over 50,’ he enthused. He couldn’t seem to thank everyone who came and supported him that night and he promised to continue helping more talents to achieve their dreams in theater.”

For the last three years, besides supporting about 40 musical and dance scholars at Julie Borromeo Performing Arts Foundation in Manila, Miguel has also been collaborating with various foundations and non-profit organizations in the Philippines, giving out free arts workshops for Filipino youths. Felix said that Miguel is thrilled that his pilot project Street of Dreams: Library and Arts in the Park for the Youth in Sta. Ana, Manila, will be adopted by more than 10 libraries in the neighborhood.

“I will need everyone’s help to sustain these projects,” said Miguel who is the founder and president of Filipinos in the Arts in America, Inc. (FilinArts) and is the program director-instructor of MB2 New York Musical Theater Lab and is currently working at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

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Former STAR Sports/Lifestyle columnist Jannelle So and her British fiancé Lester John Perkins are getting married on July 20 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Mendocino, California.

This piece of news was relayed to Funfare by Bing Parel, formerly of People Asia, who got it from her friend Ivy Wisco who will be the Maid of Honor.

Perkins, 42, is the vice president and creative director at CBS Eco-Media; used to be a commercial director and worked on big advertising campaigns for brands like Volkswagen, Nissan, InterContinental Hotels, Olay and Cover Girl; worked on The Grammys documentary called Behind the Beauty which finished third place in the Billboard; born and raised in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK; moved to London in his 20s to work for the BBC; holds a first class honors degree in film and media from the University of Gloucestershire; moved to the US in 2007.

Jannelle, 36, is host and producer of America’s first and only locally-produced daily talk show for and about the Filipinos, Kababayan Today (which airs weekdays on LA18 in Southern California and syndicated on Kiku in Hawaii). In the Philippines, she used to cover sports (PBA, PBL, NCAA) and other international sporting events (Asian Games in Bangkok and Korea, international volleyball tourneys); hosted her own weekly sports show; and hosted a culture and travel show commissioned by NCCA. She moved to the States in 2004.

According to Ivy’s e-mailed account, she and Jannelle were in Peru and before New Year’s Eve, she decided to take an afternoon nap, while Jannelle answered Perkins’ e-mail when he reached out to her. He proposed on New Year’s Eve, after 12 months of dating, in Heron Tower — one of the prominent skyscrapers in London — with a ring he designed for her.

It was also Ivy who provided more details about the wedding.

Jannelle’s wedding gown will be designed by Carlyn Calloway, a Fil-Am designer who first made a name for herself when she was commissioned to design the head piece Julia Roberts wore when she married Danny Moder; has designed for Paula Abdul, Debra Messing, Jennifer Hewitt and Hollywood producer Cean Shaffin. It will be a Filipiniana, but made of French Lace, hand-made from Sophie Hallette, the same House of Lace that made the lace for the wedding gown of Princess Kate Middleton.

Perkins’ Barong Tagalog will be made by Reneé Salud. The design of the embroidery on the Barong Tagalog will match the design of the lace.

Wedding ceremony music will be provided by Anna Maria Mendietta, an accomplished harpist who has played in a special concert for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican; and Presidents Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev, and the King and Queen of Spain.

The reception menu was specifically designed to fuse the cultures of the couple – English and Filipino, with a touch of Mendocino. The menu was planned by Chef Clint Nuyda, all the way from Kauai, Hawaii, where he recently won an award for the restaurant he works for.  Cake maker is Margaret Fox, restaurateur, author and an icon in Mendocino.

At the helm of all the planning is Rocio Nuyda, chairman of Fil-Am Arts, a Los-Angeles-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Filipino arts and culture. She is a retired wedding coordinator; but is making an exception for Jannelle’s wedding.

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)