Alakim brings the magic back

He picks up a fork. “Look,” he tells us, “tuwid na tuwid, ha.” Then he blows at it and, voila, the four points of the fork are bent. That easy. That simple.

How did he do it?

Allan De Paz, popularly known as Alakim, smiled.

“That’s magic.” Of course, he politely refused to tell us how he did it, or else the thrill of magic would be gone.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Allan wowed studio audience and those at home with his magic tricks on the second season of Pilipinas Got Talent (PGT), losing to Jovit Baldivino by a slim margin. He served as judge of a dance contest on It’s Showtime for one month while guesting on other Kapamilya shows (ASAP, etc.) and doing mall shows, without sacrificing his work as president of the The Magicians Foundation Incorporation (MAGFI), the largest and first professional magicians association in the Philippines since 1990.

Alakim and his group were focused on completing a TV series when they were rudely interrupted. Remember the man accused of parricide? The crime was non-bailable, and Allan stayed at the Marikina Detention Center for three years. Thanks to celebrity lawyer Joji Alonzo (yes, the indie producer), Allan was acquitted (“lack of probable cause”) and was released last August.

Jojo Gabinete and I chanced upon Allan at Victorino’s restaurant last week. We mistook Allan for Rannie Raymundo who, incidentally, is also a noted magician. Jojo and I became curious about Allan’s story.

“Although I sometimes did magic for shows at the detention center,” said Allan, “I keep on practicing now that I am  free again. I have started getting invitation to perform in children’s parties.”

You don’t have to be a child to believe in, and be mesmerized, by magic. But every time I watch a magic show, I feel like a child all over again, even if it’s only on TV like Fool Us (on Universal Channel) which is one of my few favorite shows, featuring magicians who are judged by experts of the art.

“Yes,” said Allan, “magic is an art. The dream of my group (at MAGFI) is to make magic a part of mainstream entertainment. That was what we were working on when I got involved in that case.”

One of Allan’s popular magic is called The Butterfly Routine that works this way: He sets a rose petal on fire and it turns into a butterfly…he throws a card into the air and it goes down turning into a butterfly…he lights a candle, it disappears and it re-appears as a butterfly.

“I studied that magic for more than five years,” admitted Allan. “It’s an original act,” which, I’m sure, if he did on Fool Us he would surely “fool” the expert judges.

Allan said that he started doing magic at age eight, an art that he inherited from his uncle. In school, he studied what he called “science magic” and turned professional after graduation.

His three-year detention didn’t dull his “magical” talent.

“It’s my passion,” said Allan. “It’s my life.”

Libiran with ANTM finalist Nyle DiMarco

Three days into his detention, related Allan, he tried to commit suicide by tying a straw around his neck inside the toilet. The straw broke and Allan hit his head on the toilet bowl. “Huwag mong gagawin uli,” the guard admonished him, “baka matuluyan ka. Patibayan ng loob dito.”

But, continued Allan, “Believe it or not but I cried every night during those three years. Iniisip ko ang mga nawawala sa akin. I asked myself, ‘Anong ginagawa mo dito?’ There were 120 of us in one cell. I was with hardened criminals. What am I doing here? I kept on asking myself.”

If it was magic, Allan could have easily transported himself out of the cell. The bars were real. His Butterfly Routine  wouldn’t apply.

Before Jojo and I bade Allan goodbye…and good luck!...Allan did one more magic act.

“I have two coins,” he shows us, “one 25 cents and the other a peso.” He gives me the 25-cent coin and tells me to keep it inside my closed palm while he does the same with the one-peso coin. Then he signals that we open our palms at the same time. The coins have changed hands!

How did he do it?

“It’s magic!”

Francis Libiran back on America’s Next Top Model

Catch Filipino fashion designer Francis Libiran on the 12th episode of the final season of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) at 8 o’clock tonight on ETC (aired in the US Friday, Nov. 6, on The CW).

According to CG who contributed this item, Supermodel Tyra Banks personally handpicked Libiran to return and appear on the top-rating show and create another unique collection as part of the competition’s latest challenge for its final five hopefuls.

Libiran was first featured on the show’s 18th cycle in 2012 where he showcased his fabulous Hello Kitty couture collection, which he created based on the personal request of Tyra as it is her favorite iconic character of all time. The said collection, which prompted the show’s photo shoot creative director Jay Manuel to describe Francis as an “extremely talented fashion designer,” catapulted Libiran to the mainstream international market, as he is the first and only Filipino fashion designer whose amazing body of work was exhibited at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Libiran’s maiden appearance on ANTM paved the way to his solid relationship with Banks. The international supermodel wore the white and nude gown, which Francis presented on his first appearance on ANTM (which was first worn by Anne Curtis) at the 2012 Flawsome Ball in New York City. Libiran also created the gown that Banks donned at the 4th Annual Blossom Ball, where critics profusely praised her as the best-dressed star who graced the event.

In 2014, Banks proudly sashayed the red carpet of the Flawsome Ball wearing the gown modeled by Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner-up Venus Raj during the Francis Libiran Metrowear Icon fashion gala, which featured his Fall/Holiday 2014 collection.

On tonight’s special episode, the final five contestants will wear a special collection from Libiran’s fall/holiday 2015 collection. Libiran was asked to create a collection that compliments the setting of the episode’s photo shoot challenge. Since the final season is composed of a mixture of male and female aspirants, Libiran, who is described by Yu Tsai as one of the best Filipino fashion designers in the world, came up with the creative theme The Hunters And The Hunted, which depicts male models as huntsmen and female models as enchantresses. The concept and production of each piece were executed in close collaboration between Libiran and Bank’s creative team.  

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