To be held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, it will be aired on AXN at 8:05 p.m.
Four of the nine finalists are from the Philippines: El Gamma Penumbra, shadow players; Junior New System, dancers; Gerphil Flores, singer; and Gwyneth Dorado, singer.
We have an abundance of talent!
In the 30 or so minutes that I was in the midst of the teeming crowd in Wuri Railway Station in Taichung, Taiwan last Saturday, I gained insights about the Taiwanese and in way, in their relations with mainland China, more than what I have learned in my readings in the past.
Thousands and thousands of people of all ages – babies, children, elderly, even the handicapped, filled every inch of the train station. Organizers said there were 1.5 million visitors that night, a record attendance.
As I flowed with the crowd, I thought of the stampede in Shanghai last New year’s eve where 36 people died and for some fleeting moments, it was scary.
But the amazing thing was,the crowd was moving orderly. There was no pushing or elbowing out each other. It was discipline at its most awesome.
It was one time when I didn’t feel bad when I was told that there were no more tickets available for the film I wanted to watch.
I was so happy seeing the Cultural Center of the Philippines filled with people who love films. It showed that Filipinos yearn for good films. The scene disproved the condescending arguments of producers of silly films that they were just giving the Filipino audience what they want.
Cinemalaya showed that we have an abundant supply of cinema talents.
President Aquino has used every opportunity to justify to the public the billions of pesos that he diverted to finance the Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP, several projects under it were declared by Supreme Court unconstitutional.
The latest was last Wednesday in Batangas during the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the Philippine revolution.
His arguments are warped and many times dishonest.
We expect more of that when he delivers his 5th State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday. It would be another stressful activity for those who have enough of Malacañang’s bewildering arguments for DAP.
President Aquino and his minions should not wave the legal banner about the Chief Executive’s power not to uphold the recommendation of the National Commission on Culture and Arts and the Cultural Center in conferring the National Artist awards to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts.
The issue is: did he use that power judiciously in deleting the name of movie actress Nora Aunor from the list submitted by the NCCA and CCP for the National Artist awards?
Press Secretary Herminio Coloma cited the 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court on a 2009 National Artist controversy (former NCCA Chair Cecile G. Alvarez inserted her name to the list submitted jointly by NCCA and CCP to Malacañang which Gloria Arroyo upheld) which, he said, states that the President does not have to justify his decision.
Coloma should be reminded that Aquino is not a King who reigns without accountability to the people.
The press secretary should also be reminded that Aquino won on the platform of transparency. He has time and again told the people, “Kayo ang Boss ko.” He now feels superior over his “Boss” that he does not have to explain his action?
“Lots of love stories, romantic comedies,” he said adding that “We need that.”
So true. With all the horror stories we are getting from newspapers and television, we need a good laugh.
Last Monday, we watched a romantic comedy “20 ans d’écart” (“It Boy”) about an uptight editor of a fashion magazine and her transformation when she met a refreshing 20-year old student.
We hope to catch up with “Quai d’Orsay,” a fun film on French diplomacy.
The festival screening, at the Greenbelt 3 cinemas in Makati City,started last Monday and will last up to June 15. Tickets are for P100 only.
I learned other meanings of “Indie.”
I have always equated “Indie” films with art films, the kind of movies that are produced by dedicated, passionate film makers like Brillante Mendoza and Aureus Solito. The kind that are shown in Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
After all Indie, comes from the word “Independent” , not controlled by major studios whose primary aim is to make money.
Villareal said as part of their “Matalinong Panood” campaign, he and MTRCB board member Bobby Andrews, went to Sta. Cruz two weeks ago and inspected New Vista, Roben, Dilson, Amigo, and Isetann theaters.
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By VERA Files
Stage actress Monique Wilson is this year’s Hildegarde Lifetime Achievement awardee.
The Hildegarde Awards is administered by St. Scholastica’s College “to celebrate women’s achievements in the mass media and its allied fields.”
The award ceremonies are held during the International Women’s Month.
St. Scholastica’s program said St. Hildegarde, a German Benidictine nun, “was an accomplished artist who translated her visions into artistic forms that included musical compositions, poetry and paintings.”
Wilson’s acceptance speech:
Now we know there is a problem with Malacanang’s communication system. Whether Malacanang knows that is a completely different matter.
Two letters that later on became of national, even international, importance did not reach President Aquino. The first one was a letter from the late Jamalul Kiram III sent in 2010 in the first few months of the Aquino presidency and the other one was just last year from Maria Teresa Martinez, mother of Michael Christian Martinez, the 17-year old who, for the first time, enabled the Philippine flag to fly proudly in the Winter Olympics by making it to the finals of the 2014 Winter Olympics figure skating competition in Sochi, Russia. This, despite lack of financial support from the government.
Gutierrez “Revelry” concert was a repeat of the successful concert he had last year at the Francisco Santiago Auditorium in Makati. With collaborating artist Corazon Pineda Kabayao in the piano, Gutierrez treated music lovers to Ysaye’s Sonata No. 2, Cesar Franck Sonata in A major, Suite Italienne by Stravinsky, Wieniawski’s Polonaise Brilliante in A major, La Deportacion by Dr. Jose Rizal-Kabayao and Tzigane by Ravel.
His rendition of “Bayan Ko” (one of the several encores) was nakakatindig balahibo.
Last Saturday’s concert is probably the last that Gutierrez will be giving before he leaves for Munich on March 3 to finish his Bachelor’s degree program in Violin Performance at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Munchen.