Five bets for WCOPA World Champions!

Author: Edgar Cruz
Column: BuzzStation

Before the media presentation of the 2009 Team Philippines at the 13th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), which will be held at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, California on July 11 to 18, I asked Philippine associate director Oliver Oliveros for three names with a strong chance to be the World Champions. He named Mayumi Morales in the junior division; and Martha Joy and Maila Mitra in the adult division.

Mayumi is the sister of young singer actor Makisig, and a protégé of Isay Alvarez and Tricia Jimenez’s Spotlight Artists Centre. Martha Joy is a Viva recording artist and Canadian Idol finalist. He adds, “Martha and Maila are awesome!”

After the press launch, Oliver added two names and the reason why: Rhap Salazar and Evette Pabalan. Evette brought the house down at the press launch. She did a great song and dance number in “Fever.” She was so hot. Rhap, meanwhile, has powerful pipes. He sang “Reach” by Gloria Estefan.”

Martha Joy sang a pop song with a much sustained last note. Maila showcased great control of her notes. It was birit, but very friendly to the ears. Mayumi sang “Listen” by Beyonce. All performed a one-minute song required by WCOPA.

Evette is a Sexbomb Dancer and television actress. She had to give up her role in Daisy Siyete’s Tambalilong to be able to train for the competition. Rhap is the ABS CBN Little Big Star Brightest Star in the junior division. He is the grand champion when Sam Concepcion defeated Charice Pempengco at the senior division.

They are the standouts among the 28 Filipino performing artists in this year’s delegation. Other singers vying for the “Grand Champion Vocalist of the World” titles this year are: Divo Bayer, a recording artist based in Los Angeles, California; Keane Andeza and Oreo Vamenta, new recording artists; and Nicole Espolong, Melchi Bicua, CJ Concepcion and Mia Sinaguinan, up-and-coming young performers.

Solo vocalists Guy Lockwood and Izarzuri Vidal, and group vocalists Kulay Pikata and Young Voices of the Philippines Quartet, are also part of the Philippine team. Bryann Foronda, 2009 Department of Education (DepEd) Mr. Philippines Youth, is the country’s sole entry at WCOPA’s modeling competitions this year. He will be competing in the photo and spokesmodeling events.

The 2009 WCOPA Team is led by Philippine National Director Carlo Orosa, Oliver and KB Entertainment’s Kitchie Benedicto.

These participants came to WCOPA Team Philippines and auditioned. When asked why they joined, Oliver says, “They want to represent the Philippines in WCOPA. Some of them are looking at it as a jumping board to kick off a musical career here or in the US.”

When asked if this year’s team is better than last year’s, Oliver answers, “It gets better every year. This year is very special to Carlo and I because we’re serving as WCOPA directors for the last year. Carlo announced this at the press launch. Next year’s director will be Kitchie.”

The WCOPA is the only official “Talent Olympics” for aspiring performing artists. It was designed to create a system of competitions that will provide invaluable experience and exposure for achieving artists around the world. Carlo and Oliver aid contestants by looking for subsidy like from the President Gloria Arroyo’s Social Fund. We train them at STAGES. We help create media awareness. We guide them throughout the competition.”

The top prizes at the WCOPA are the coveted “Grand Champion Performer of the World” titles. However, besides awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in the elimination rounds, Olympic-style awards are presented to overall and grand champion winners in various categories of competition, along with $50,000 in scholarships to the famed School for Film and Television in New York.

Le Froge is a supporter of the 2009 WCOPA Team Philippines.

Derek, Anne & Zanjoe: ‘Yes, we do!’

Anne Curtis walked up the aisle lined with gorgeous flower arrangements of the jam-packed Dolphy Theater in her Francis Libiran bridal gown, a bouquet in her hands. Anticipation and excitement were on her eyes. The seemingly serious wedding ceremony turned surrealistic when hunks Derek Ramsay and Zanjoe Marudo as grooms claimed Anne to be their wife. They are, in fact, her two leading men in the “romance-serye” The Wedding, directed by Jeffrey Jeturian and Mae Czarina Cruz. The show piloted yesterday, June 29, on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida. 

Even if it was only a fictitious wedding, Anne said she was nervous. It was ABS-CBN’s way of stirring excitement among media members who attended the press conference. She recalls, “I felt nervous talaga especially noong nilagay na ang belo sa akin. Feeling ko ikakasal na talaga ako especially when I started marching.” 

In The Wedding, Anne plays rich girl Candice who dreams of having the perfect wedding with dream guy Warren (Derek). He had to leave for the States, but Candice never gave up on her hopes to be with him. When she found out that her parents’ (Michael de Mesa and Eula Valdez) marriage is falling apart, she schemes to make her folks stay together: She gets engaged to someone that her parents will never approve of — Marlon (Zanjoe), a worker in her family’s construction business.

How she does this and what happens is what makes The Wedding an exciting story of the most important event in a woman’s life.

Three from the triumvirate

A horror movie, an action-erotic-drama, and a gay coming-of-age film are set to entertain Filipino moviegoers simultaneously. All three movies will open in theaters beginning July 1.

It’s quite a coincidence that the three Pinoy movies opening tomorrow, July 1, are from the triumvirate of Gil Portes, Adolfo Alix Jr. and Senedy Que. They were behind the official Philippine entry to the 2003 Oscars, Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices). They have worked together as a team in five films. Now, they are involved in three separate projects that are showing at the same time.

Pitik-Bulag, produced by events specialist and talent manager Arnold Vegafria for his ALV productions, is directed by multi-award-winning director Gil Portes and stars Marco Alcaraz, Victor Neri and FHM covergirl, Paloma.

Villa Estrella, produced by Star Cinema, stars Shaina Magdayao, Maja Salvador and Jake Cuenca. The screamfest about a haunted resort house is co-written by prolific director Adolfo.

And finally, Dose, produced by Cinema One, stars Yul Servo, Emilio Garcia and introduces Fritz Arvhie Chavez as an unloved 12-year-old boy at the center of a disturbing tale about love, lust and loss of innocence. Dose is screenwriter Senedy’s the directorial debut.

As each film is courting a different audience, let us hope that they will all have a successful theatrical run this July.

View/review: Transformers 2 entertaining, but too long

Like the first Transformers, sequel Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen will not let down action fanatics of the techie kind. The break-the-eardrum booms and bangs doubled with the arresting visuals are a thrill to watch. This must be the reason it hit an amazing P20 million plus gross on local opening day.

It’s more spectacular, but after a while, it gets to be numbing since you can no longer distinguish the good giants from the bad giants. Midway, it starts to drag until it ends in a senseless battle that contributes nothing. At two and a half hours, it’s overly long. Some characters can easily be trashed and nothing will be missed. This must be what action fanatics want and Transformers 2 gives it in quadruple doses!

E-mail your comment to imagineph@yahoo.com or text 0928-453-1158.

Source: The Daily Tribune

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