MANILA, Philippines - It goes without saying that Julie Anne San Jose and Elmo Magalona are both very talented performers. Ever since Elmo debuted at the NU Rock Awards (the year his father rap royalty FrancisM passed away) onstage alongside rock god Ely Buendia, you knew right then and there that a star was born. Julie Anne San Jose, on the other hand, bloomed right in front of our TV sets, singing song after song, and nailing it with a precision so ahead of her tender age.
It was director Rico Gutierrez who christened the tandem via his ongoing “stage musical on TV” segment in Party Pilipinas. Entitled Wazak the Musical, Direk Rico, alongside his collaborators, put together hits of the Apo Hiking Society, Eraserheads and Gloc 9 and weaved it into a Romeo and Juliet love story, casting Elmo as the Pinoy Romeo and Julie Anne as the Pinay Juliet. Needless to say, the fans loved it.
New Heights
From then on, week after week, Julie Anne and Elmo, these twitter trending personalities, continue to soar to new heights. Julie Anne San Jose is on top of iTunes Philippines, the only local artist to continue to dominate the charts while Elmo Magalona is top-of-mind endorser for his age bracket, launching new products and services and bridging them to the youth market.
Their fans, the JuliElmos, are a force to reckon with. Diehard is an understatement as they make sure their idols are given their rightful real estate in the cyber world. Their online efforts have paid off though, as organically online as can be, both their careers blossomed into a whole slew of other TV shows, collaborations, and endorsements. And now, just as their fans requested, a movie — Just One Summer.
I saw the movie during its premiere earlier this week, and I must say, Julie Anne and Elmo deliver fine performances. How did they fare opposite some of the country’s foremost screen veterans? They did well — nope, actually they did very well! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love with Nyel and Beto and you’ll sing along some parts, too. I am not a movie reviewer so I won’t attempt to do a critique, all I know is that I really, really liked the film. It reminded me of classic Sharon and Gabby films from the 80s — glossy, funny and with characters that a whole generation and beyond can empathize with. Great scenes, powerhouse support cast, and a couple of cows (you’ll know what I’m saying when you see the film) involved, too.
Watch Just One Summer and watch Julie Anne and Elmo grow on you.
* * *
Follow me at www.twitter.com/officialTIMYAP and on Instagram, at officialtimyap.