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For the past 17 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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Album review
Album: Beautiful Machines
Artist: Pupil
Sony BMG Philippines 2005
LIKE dogs waiting for crumbs falling from the master’s dining table, fans of disbanded super groups are left to pick up the pieces of what once was.
Often, these pieces hardly resemble the glory days of these bands that used to rule the airwaves, and commanded astronomical talent fees for their shows. But for their staunch supporters, these are better than nothing at all.
The Eraserheads is perhaps the best example.
Since their disintegration in 2001, Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Raimund Marasigan, and Buddy Zabala – the Fab Four of Pinoy rock, have tried other things that they hoped would continue, or even surpass the ‘greatest circus in Pinoy music history’.
After Ely left, the three remaining members tried to go on with Kris Gorra, the female singer and guitarist of Fatal Posporos, but the ominous signs of a sinking ship began to unravel. When Marcus left for the Northern Philippines to pursue a ‘surfing career’, the Eraserheads were no more.
Drummer Raimund started several bands; most successful of them is Sandwich, who managed to generate a hype that resulted in a multitude of followers. Respected and loved as Sandwich had become, it never got close to his former band.
Buddy Zabala, joined some underground acts like ‘Twisted Halo’, but his most noteworthy move was when he joined legendary group ‘The Dawn’ a couple of years ago.
Ely Buendia, the eHeads’ front man and chief tunesmith, formed ‘The Mongols’ and even released an album, which sadly, stalled and was proclaimed D.O.A.
When things did not work out with ‘The Mongols’, the music landscape has changed dramatically. Bands are back in style, and major labels signed rock groups left and right to catch up with the increasing demand.
In this scenario, Ely formed ‘Pupil’.
Sony BMG, the Eraserheads’ home record company, patched things up with their prodigal son and signed the group for some albums. And after months of production, Ely Buendia, Yan Yuzon, Dok Sergio and Boks Jugo debut record came out: ‘Beautiful Machines.’
As I juiced up my iPod to listen to the songs, I could not help but wonder why Ely hasn’t come up with any significant material since the eHeads album ‘Sticker Happy’. Has he really lost the gift? I am not in any way asking for Ehead-like material from Ely, just great tunes from a composer, who everyone knows can do much better.
His songs with the Mongols, were quite forgettable and self-indulgent to tell you the truth, but I can’t help but ask, will it be the same for this ‘Pupil’ debut? I guess there’s only one way to find out. Hence, after repeated playbacks, here’s my take: 14 tracks. Good album, but nothing out of this world, yet.
Beautiful Machines could be Carbon Monoxide volume three, with The Mongols album as its second installment.
It is undeniable that there are moments in Beautiful Machines that give the listeners a peek at Ely’s genius. But come on now, we have seen the full view years ago, haven’t we? Mere peeks won’t be acceptable anymore.
‘Different Worlds’ perhaps is the best track here, followed by ‘Blow Your House Down’ and the ‘Smashing Pumpkinesque’ – ‘She Talks to Trees’.
The Filipino tracks did not quite take off. They were more like the band’s ‘other English songs translated to Tagalog for mass appeal.’ Except maybe for the Rivermaya-like ‘Dulo ng Dila’, which will probably be embraced by the general listening public. But aside from that, even the carrier single, ‘Nasan Ka Na’, fell short considering Ely’s knack for writing sticky material.
It is really tough for ex-members of super bands to rise up from the shadows of the past. Paul McCartney made ‘Wings’ take off, but this feat is more of the exception than the general rule.
Moreover, it is tremendously hard for the new band mates of these ex-members of super groups, like Ely, to avoid being compared to his old pals. And to write material for an album with probably one of the most successful songwriters in recent OPM history is yet another wall to climb.
Five years after the Eraserhead cookie crumbled, we are still licking the crumbs scattered under the master’s table.
So far, the best tasting crumb yet is the one that turned out to be a ‘Sandwich’.
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Ted Reyes is a musician, composer, record producer and journalist based in NYC. If you have any comments you can visit his website at www.tedreyes.com or email him at tedreyes@mac.com
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MANILA --- ASSUNTA de Rossi plans to get pregnant this year. She wants to give birth in 2007. By then, she would be 24, she explains.
It has been almost three years since she married former Negros Occidental Congressman Jules Ledesma. During their married life, she plays step mom to Jules’ two children, Cristina (13) and Carlo (9), by his late wife. The three of them treat each other as friends.
Lately, she has not been as busy in showbiz. She no longer appears in the sitcom, “Bora” nor is she busy with any film assignments.
She still keeps her slim figure though. (MNS)
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MANILA --- Gardo Verzosa and Ramon Christopher (Monching) were both part of GMA-7’s “Sugo” which ended two weeks ago. The two said that although they are not close, they treat each other as friends.
Gardo is being linked with Lotlot de Leon, former wife of Monching.
“I’ve already told Monching the score between me and Lotlot. I told him the two of us are just friends. And I do think he believes me naman,” explains Gardo.
Monching and Lotlot got married when they were both in their teens. They seemed to be happy with their relationship at first. They are blessed with four children.
When their romance went sour, they kept their silence for a time. They want to remain friends for their children’s sake.
Although the kids are under the custody of Monching, Lotlot is allowed to visit them and even invite them to stay in her house as often as possible. Janice, their eldest, is already in her teens.
Gardo, on the other hand, swears that after her break up with Jean Garcia, he wants to take her time before falling in love again. (MNS)
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MANILA --- No, it is not true that the singer Jessa Zaragoza is terminally ill with cancer. In fact, she is radiant with her ever-flawless skin, and bears her shapely figure, as well as her sunny disposition, to prove the speculations wrong. Not to mention a busy concert month ahead.
The wife of former Quezon City councilor and singer Dingdong Avanzado met with the press to refute the negative rumors about her health, that she was pregnant and had a miscarriage and, worse, that she has cancer. She arrived at a Tomas Morato restaurant in a simple outfit; a black baby tee and jeans, which all the more emphasized her healthy glow and form.
“I’m fine and well now. It’s true that I got sick but it’s not cancer,” the mother of a two-year-old girl, Jayda, clarified. Added Dingdong, who was right by her side, “People might have thought it was cancer because she had to take a biopsy. But the result was negative.”
News about Jessa’s ill health sparked when the couple canceled their first concert together, dubbed “That Thing Called Love,” which was slated for February 14. This was because Jessa was taken to the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital a week earlier for intense chest and stomach pains.
“I couldn’t eat or drink, and I had this heavy feeling in my chest since my birthday in January,” shared the semiretired chanteuse, who churned out the hits “Bakit Pa,” “Ibigay Mo Na” and “Siya ba ang Dahilan” in the nineties. “Tiniis ko [I tried to bear it], thinking it would pass. I never thought it was serious.”
Doctors had to run several tests on the 27-year-old singer, including an endoscopy, in which a fiber-optic device surveyed her body cavity, and a biopsy that examined her tissue sample under a microscope.
According to the diagnosis, Jessa suffered esophagititis, or severe inflammation of the esophagus, caused by an internal bleeding of her stomach and esophagus. She was also diagnosed with a mild ulcer. For two days Jessa stayed in the hospital and thereafter was advised to rest at home. The turn of events left the couple with no choice but to postpone the concert.
“It was a difficult time for us, but the experience has given birth to wisdom,” Dingdong continued, recalling how the press hounded him for tough questions at the time when doctors were still unsure of his wife’s condition. “We thank all our friends who went out of their way to call, visit and pray for us.”
Except for the doctor’s orders not to take in too much acidic food and drinks, Jessa is now in the pink of health. She has completely recovered and is all set for “That Thing Called Love,” which is definitely pushing ahead on March 3 at the Music Museum.
“We can’t wait,” a glowing Jessa said. “It’s our first time to be together onstage.”
Conceptualized by Dingdong with the musical direction of Elmer Blancaflor, the concert chronicles the couple’s love story through their favorite love songs and selected hit singles. Included in their repertoire are such songs as “As Sure as I’m Standing Here” (which is dedicated to their child), “Basta’t Kasama Kita” and “Laging Ikaw.”
After the show, Dingdong and baby Jayda will accompany Jessa to the United States for the month-long tour of “Soul Sisters,” a concert that she top-bills with fellow performers Ara Mina and Marissa Sanchez. It’s also where the couple will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, which falls on March 18. Dingdong has already thought of how they will celebrate the occasion.
“I’ll take her to a live NBA game,” he said, to which Jessa playfully protested: “I don’t know anything about basketball!”
“Well, now that you know,” Dingdong lovingly addressed his wife, “I’ll probably change the plan. It’s going to be a surprise.” (MNS)
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MANILA --- Rachel Alejandro is in love again. For the first time, she’s in love with someone who is not from showbiz.
But she had known the guy for about six years. Yes, when she still had a relationship with actor and dancer Lee Robin Salazar who is now based in New York, USA. The new man in her life had a girlfriend, too that time.
“We had the same barkada. Ganumpaman, we get to meet occasionally lang. Lalo na during the last two years when I was abroad to perform at a concert,” she says.
It was late last year that they started going out frequently and, well, seriously. By then, he already broke up with his girlfriend. In Rachel’s case, she had been loveless for the past three years after she and Lee Robin parted ways.
The guy was in the audience during her concert with Vina Morales and Geneva Cruz called “How to Get the Guy?” at the Music Museum. It was a three-day pre-Valentine’s event and he chose to watch the show on its last day. His parents were there in its first night.
By the way, “How to Get the Guy?” will have a repeat show, also at the Music Museum, on March 4. They will have the same repertoire but with different male guests. During its first night, they had “Star in a Million” champ Kris Lawrence and commercial model Dexter Ramsey. On the second night, they had Luis Alandy while Jay-R jammed with them on the third night.
The concept of the show is by Floy Quintos who is also the director. Since the story is based on the girls’ stories, they had fun exchanging amusing anecdotes about their personal life and love.
They were garbed with sexy and dazzling attires which created for them exclusively by their favorite designers. (MNS)
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MANILA --- Ending years of speculation on his sexuality, actor and “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB) housemate Rustom Padilla has admitted that he is gay.
In Wednesday’s episode of PBB Celebrity Edition, Rustom poured his heart out to fellow housemate Keanna Reeves, baring what he called as his “other personality.”
“Dumating ako sa point na na-realize ko na mayroon akong ibang personalidad. Na kahit anong gustuhin ko, kahit anong pagsisikap ko na tanggalin, hindi ko magawa (I came to a point when I realized that I have a different personality. No matter how I tried to shed it, I couldn’t),” Rustom told the sexy actress whom he considers his confidante inside the PBB house.
“I realized that I am gay...Sinasabi ko sa’yo ito ngayon, sinasabi ko ito sa lahat ng tao kahit mahirap dahil hindi ako masamang tao (I’m telling you this, I’m telling it to the public even if it’s hard because I’m not a bad person after all),” he added.
Making the big revelation was apparently Rustom’s purpose in joining the reality show.
In his heart-to-heart confession with Keanna, the so-called prodigal son of show biz said he has decided to finally bare his soul before he gets evicted on Saturday.
Rustom, along with actor-model Christian Vasquez and disc jockey Rico Robles, faces possible eviction on Saturday after he was nominated by Big Brother for a violation he committed inside the camera-packed house.
In recent years Rustom avoided the limelight, spending most of his time in the United States where he studied filmmaking and ventured into a cosmetics business.
Sometime last year he returned to the country and saw the opportunity to finally introduce to the public “the Rustom I’ve always wanted them to know.”
“I am not only telling this to you, Keanna, I am telling this to everyone because this is the very reason why I joined PBB. I would defeat my purpose if I get evicted on Saturday and didn’t get to tell this,” he told the controversial starlet.
What started it all
Rustom, who belongs to a broken family, said that his confusion about his sexuality started in a traumatic experience he had with his father when he was three years old.
The actor said that to this day he could still vividly recall his father’s rage when he saw him dressed in a girl’s clothes while his mother whom he expected to comfort him even admonished him. “Bakla, bakla, bakla ang naririnig ko... matagal ‘yon, winawasiwas ka, tapos binubugbog ka habang nakatingin sa’yo ang mga kapatid mo (Gay, gay, gay...I heard them say. I was being beaten while my siblings looked on).”
Since then, Rustom said he lived in constant fear and had to face a life full of unanswered questions.
“Kung babalikan ko ang buhay ko, ‘yun ang humulma sa pagkatao ko. ‘Yun ang umpisa ng confusion ko, ng malisya ko tungkol sa ano ang kabaklaan, kung paano mabuhay na may tanong ka na di mo masabi sa iba kasi baka may magalit (Looking back, I knew it was that experience that molded my personality. That started my confusion, my malice about homosexuality and about how to live having questions you couldn’t ask other people because someone might get mad),” he said.
Rustom said he tried to fight his personal crisis and did all he can to live a normal life. He said he thought his wishes were fulfilled after his marriage to actress Carmina Villaroel.
Rustom said he could not blame the people who questioned his intentions for Villaroel at that time. He, however, said that he dearly loved her and their breakup after three years together devastated him.
Villaroel has found a new partner in actor Zoren Legaspi, with whom she has a twin son and daughter.
With the failure of his marriage, Rustom said he decided to go the US to soul search and to find answers to his questions.
It was there, he said, that he saw a culture where gays do not necessarily cross dress, wear loud make-up. He added that they were neither effeminate nor screaming gays.
Rustom said it was right there and then that he realized he belonged to them.
“Because [like the people around me], I’m gay,” he said.
Respect and support
Keanna, shaken by Rustom’s revelation, said the actor all the more deserved her respect toward him.
“Lalo kitang nirespeto Rustom. Sobrang bilib ako sa’yo (I respect you even more, Rustom. I’m proud of you),” she said, giving a sobbing Rustom a shoulder to cry on.
“Sobrang saya ko kasi may tiwala ka sa kin [at nasabi mo ‘yan] sa harap ko. Thank you, Rustom. I love you, Rustom Padilla (I’m so happy because you trust me...for you to say those things to me),” she added.
The Padillas, meanwhile, expressed support for Rustom, saying they were proud of the actor for his honesty and courage.
“Nasa edad na si Rustom. [Ang ginawa niyang pagtatapat ay] isang katapangang mahirap pantayan. Isang katapangang pangangatawanan mo habang ikaw ay nabubuhay (Rustom is of age. Making that confession is a bravery that’s hard to equal),” said Robin, the most famous of show biz’ Padilla brothers.
Rustom’s mother, Eva Cariño, said she completely understands her son and is proud of his courage to tell the world who he really was.
Saying she feels for her son, Cariño said she did not resent his blaming her for his suffering as a child.
New welcome
Rustom’s coming out in the open also earned the respect of his peers in show biz.
Ex-PBB housemate Angela Calina said Rustom’s revelation made her understand and appreciate him more as a person. She said she has no doubt his fans will love him more for being true to himself.
Entertainment writer Jobert Sucaldito said he welcomes Rustom’s coming out as he assured him that gays like himself (Sucaldito) have long ago earned acceptance from Philippine society.
“Being gay is beautiful,” he added.
Rustom said he is ready to face whatever outcome his revelation would cause him and his career. He said he does not mind how people see him.
“Ang tanging worry ko ay maging acceptable sa Diyos (My only concern is to be acceptable to God),” he said. (MNS)
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