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For the past 21 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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NEW YORK– “You are never too young to be a whore,” sings Valter Guevarra, the enigmatic front man and chief songwriter of the band Sodapop Suicide in their semi-electronic number Alcohol and Cigarettes from their debut album Nothing Tastes Like.
The line aptly describes the very nature of this New Jersey rock group for they are never too young too be anything and try anything with their music. There are straight rock songs in their initial release like Beauty Queen, Welcome, Superdaimos and Voltes 5, yet there are also bits of electronic, ambient and easy listening music tucked nicely in the record.
Releases like this are refreshing in a music scene dominated by formulaic acts, whose songs are tailor-made to suit a ready market. This trend has become so obscene in a sense that the listener
could no longer differentiate the songs in one album, like it all came from the same sausage factory. Now, this trend has come to a boiling point where one cannot even tell bands from one another. The whole thing has become a movement that doesn’t move any longer.
Sodapop Suicide embody the need for variety in a homogenous music scene. It doesn’t mean that a band should be a “variety” band to make the cut, but rather explore other musical possibilities in their work to offer something new. Guevarra has just the right character to put diversity as the driving force in his music. He is also an accomplished painter/visual artist.
The band worked on their debut album for nearly a year in a half–an ample amount of time to brew a special blend that can be enjoyed for a long time. Guevarra’s songs come to life here with the precise playing of his bandmates, namely: Cho Lopez on lead guitar, Badjick Miranda on bass, and Jowell Rilla on drums. These musicians add just the right amount of accents to make everything work. No need for extravagant parts to make the songs what they are not.
After a very successful launch last August 7 at Wuzzup CafÈ in Bergenfield, NJ, Sodapop Suicide are poised to promote their debut with more gigs, and perhaps music videos. However, knowing the enigmatic nature of the band, they could also decide to just get lost and disappear until a new album is ready to pop. But for the followers of this promising group, they would prefer to see more of these guys and savor the good music that tastes nothing like anything else yet.
Available soon on iTunes and the Souworks Music Store Sodapop SuicideNothing Tastes Like Soulworks 2009 www.soulworksrecords.com
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MANILA -- MARIAN Rivera won't formally admit that she's going steady with Dingdong Dantes, but her action speaks louder than her words. She admits that when she's not working, Dingdong visits her at home and she cooks his favorite dish for him, chicken curry.
"It has a secret ingredient kaya gustung-gusto niya," she says. And what is that? "Love," she screams and laughs.
And she still won't admit that they're on? "The important thing is we enjoy each other's company. But I can sincerely say that he's the most important man in my life now."
Doesn't she feel jealous that Dingdong will have a new leading lady in "Stairway to Heaven", Rhian Ramos? "Okay lang. May bago rin naman akong leading man in 'Darna', si Mark Anthony Fernandez."
The "Darna" costume truly becomes her as it showcases her curvaceous figure to the hilt. Is it true the MTRCB objected to it? "No. Medyo skimpy yung una kaya medyo hinabaan na namin itong pangibaba ko to make sure walang magre-react. The current is really pasado to everyone."
Is it true that her skin got damaged because of her flying scenes? "Yes, nagasgas ang mga singit at hita ko dahil sa higpit ng harness. Dahil sa friction, nai-irritate talaga ang skin ko at mahapdi siya, so nilalagyan ko na lang ng moisturizer after each take. May nilalagay rin akong gamot para hindi siya umitim. Hindi biro ang hirap ko rito pero walang magagawa. It's something na dapat kong gawin sa ikagaganda ng 'Darna'. But I'm really enjoying playing Darna, lalo na yung transformation ko bilang isang babaeng lumpo, si Narda, na magiging kalaban ng kasamaan."
What can she say about her senior co-star Celia Rodriguez praising her to high heavens? Celia said she's really sweet to everyone even if she's already tired with the action scenes she does and it's already the wee hours of the morning, adding that she's the most beautiful Darna ever.
Some folks say she'll be the one to save GMA-7 now that the ratings of its primetime shows are being clobbered by those of ABS. "Ayokong i-pressure ang sarili ko diyan. Basta lahat kami ng cast and staff ng 'Darna', we're leaving no stone unturned to make sure that we will please our viewers. Pagod na nga ako't sugat-sugat sa taping ipe-pressure ko pa bang sarili ko. Pero sana, makatulong nga ito para makabawi ang istasyon."(MNS)
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MANILA -- After a long hiatus, actress Coney Reyes returns to the big screen via drama movie “And I Love You So.” Before her latest film project, the veteran actress admitted that she rejected a lot of movie offers because the timing was not right then.
“They’ve been sending me scripts before pa pero parang wala sa tiyempo. Minsan tinatamad ako,” she laughed.
“Nagkita kami ni Malou Santos (Star Cinema executive) sa party ni Vilma (Santos). It’s an intimate party so she asked me ulit,” revealed Reyes, who made a mark on television when she did the long-running TV series, “Coney Reyes on Camera,” for 14 years.
Directed by Laurenti Dyogi, the Star Cinema movie is top-billed by young actress Bea Alonzo.
“Si Bea, pinapanuod ko pa lang n’ong first [teleserye] pa niya, ‘yong ‘Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay.’ Mukha pa siyang geek noon [pero] bilib na ako. May lalim,” commented Reyes.
She added: “So, siguro magandang timing ngayon [dahil] my son is already in college. Wala naman akong asawa. Okay naman na gumawa ako ng pelikula ulit, so nag-enjoy naman ako.”
One of the factors that also made her accept the movie was she knew some of the cast members personally.
“Si Sam (Milby) kasama din namin sa church, I know his manager also. Si Derek (Ramsay) nakasama ko rin sa ‘Ysabella.’ Si Nikki (Gil), ang first appearance niyan ‘Coney Reyes On Camera,’ kung di n’yo alam. Maliit pa siya noon,” she said.
Reyes also disclosed that she felt excited to be working with a new generation of actors and a younger director.
“I think it would be a nice project to be in and I had to interact also with the young stars. I want to see how it is nowadays. Tsaka napaka-cool ni direk sa set,” she said.
She also said that moviegoers will also see a different Alonzo in this film.
"And I Love You So" will open in theaters on August 12. (MNS)
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MANILA -- Young actor Gerald Anderson does not mind being dubbed as the industry's "primetime action prince." The “Tayong Dalawa"star said it “feels good” to begiven that title because it only means that people appreciate his hard work and dedication.
"Hindi naman ito binigay sa akin, siyempre pinaghirapan ko din ito para umabot sa ganitong kalagayan,” he said.
Anderson is set to embark on a new action role in the first installment of "Agimat: Mga Alamat ni Ramon Revilla” on ABS-CBN. He plays the lead role Santiago Ronquillo, or Tiagong Akyat, who grew up to be the protector of the community.
Some of the cast members of "Tiagong Akyat" are Jason Abalos, Ryan Eigenmann, Jayson Gainza, Danilo Barrios, Joseph Bitangcol, Carlo Guevara, Arron Villaflor, Nova Villa, and Daniel Fernando. Erich Gonzalez is Anderson’s newest on-screen partner.
"Tiagong Akyat" will be shown on August 15 on ABSCBN. (MNS)
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MANILA -- Erik Santos is said to have a new girlfriend, a Fil-Am whom he met when he did a concert in Alaska. So is he now in a long-distance relationship?
"Magkaibigan lang kami," he says. "Nagulat nga ako nang mabasa kong siya raw ang dahilan ng breakup namin with Rufa Mae Quinto when she came after Peachy na. Although we seldom see each other, we always communicate. Pero walang commitment. Mahirap kasi aside from my career, I’m also in school. Gusto kong maka-graduate this March sa BS psychology course ko sa Centro Escolar University. I really want to have a college degree."
His new album, "Erik Santos: The Jim Brickman Songbook," is a wonderful collection of the tunes written by the noted songwriter. "I’m really a Jim Brickman fan. Since high school, when we have presentations, I’d sing his songs and I never imagined I’d be given the chance to collaborate with him someday. Kaya nga when Star Records told me I’d be singing his songs, talagang wala akong paglagyan ng tuwa ko. I was so excited when I met him in person and I started recording our songs. We chose kung anong mga kanta niya ang isasama sa album and the ones we selected are ‘By Heart,’ ‘If I Just Believed,’ ‘The Gift,’ ‘Valentine,’ ‘My Love Is Here,’ ‘Destiny,’ ‘It’a a Sin to Break a Heart,’ ‘Love of My Life,’ ‘Your Love’ and ‘Where’s the Good in Goodbye?’"
Which song will he dedicate to the Fil-Am girl?
"I think it should be ‘Destiny.’ Magandang-maganda talaga ‘yung song and it can refer to us. Kung ‘Destiny’ talaga namin, kahit we’re worlds apart, siguro magiging kami."
Did he really tell Rufa Mae to just buy her own copy of his album?
"Biro lang ‘yun. And she knows that."
His album will have an Asian release this weekend in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hongkong.
"Excited na ako to go to these places to promote my album. Mr. Brickman is also coming here so we can do a concert together." (MNS)
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MANILA -- IWA Moto as Valentina seems totally at ease with the live snakes on her head when she attended the "Darna" launch. "May alaga po talaga akong cobra sa bahay kaya sanay na ako sa ahas," she says. "I even kiss it nga."
One writer joked that she might be referring to the "cobra" of her boyfriend. "No, a real live snake. You can come and visit me at home para makita n'yo."
Why is she so jubilant playing Valentina? "I've played other villain roles before but si Valentina, ibang level siya. Bata pa ko, napanood ko na ang Darna movies. Idol ko si Darna but si Valentina, mas nakakaintriga, di ba? Ibang klase siya. Ngayon, ako na si Valentina, so feeling ko, wow, bongga, ang ganda! E, ako, even as a child, fascinated na ko sa snakes. Maski sa zoo, I love watching snakes. Nagtataka nga yung friends ko sa'kin. Siguro dahil nakatakda pala talagang balang araw, ako ang gumanap na Valentina."
But she's aware that it was Katrina Halili who was first considered to play it? "Yes, pero hindi ko po inahas ang role sa kanya, ha. Siya ang may ayaw, and please, don't compare us na lang. Malayo na ang narating niya at friends kami, kaya huwag na kami intrigahin. “ (MNS
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