I've been at Solaire North during Oktoberfest and the start of the Christmas Season, and yes, I've been overjoyed with their way of celebrating every occasion. This New Year's Eve is going to be different because it will be so much BIGGER, as the show will be headlined by world class Filipino acts, reality show champions and an international multi awarded singer songwriter.
Christmas season is in full swing so there will be performances by the Regina Coeli choir, the Ambassadors of Christ Chamber Singers, OPM hit makers The Company, The Leading Ladies who will perform at the Oasis Garden Cafe, and the jazz trio calle Baihana. During Christmas eve, home bar Waterside will be having the Bellissima Party Band. For those who are dining over at Finestra Italian Steakhouse, you will be entertained by the talented Jenny Garcia all month.
Santa will also be stopping by for the kids come December 24 and 25 while you get in the mood for more Christmas music with the UP Singing Ambassadors plus the Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc. Choir evenings at the Atrium of Solaire North.
At the Ultimate Solaire New Year's Eve Party, the one and only Lea Salonga, Concert King Martin Nievera, Bituin Escalante will be with you at Solaire Resort Entertainment City. At Solaire North, you get the chance to see NeYo, the Jabbawockeez, my personal favorite quirky dance group Avantgardey, Beast House and DJ Soda. There will also be performances by BGYO, Billy Crawford, DJ Mars Miranda, Kat DJ and more. If you see this the apt way to welcome 2025, you can get tickets via Ticket World 0917114 7317, or 0999954 5922. You can calso inquire via 8888-8888 or their website solaireresort.com for more information about these events!
She's the Dental Diva, a very well known talented singer, comedienne and actress at that, she's Kakai Bautista. Her interesting story will be featured in Ms. Kornina Sanchez-Roxas' show "Korina Interviews" which will be shown Sundays 5PM on NET25.
Kakai says "I've been bullied because I was poor, and grew up as an ugly duckling. I learned to know the things I could and couldn't change. I wouldn't be able to change the shape of my teeth, but I know how gorgeous my eyes are. I didn't have toys when I was a kid, so I got plants, wood and thread to make one. I had to make my own, and ended up being envied by other kids because of it. I always made ways to survive and it has been my motto in life."
She was an ordinary woman who did Lea Salonga's wardrobe in theatre and Korina Sanchez handpicked her story among others because of how interesting her story is. Being bullied and poverty stricken in the past, a lot of people would learn about her story. In it, she's going to tell more about bullying, and controversial things she's encounterred on social media. Something you shouldn't miss!
Again, make sure you watch Korina Interviews on NET25 right after Goodwill. It starts at 5PM.
I've heard of a Hollywood film about a year ago which had 2 Miss Saigons on its cast. It was like a theatre lovers dream to see our very own Kims Ms. Lea Salonga and Eva Noblezada be a part of it, let alone the stellar cast which also includes Princess Punzalan and a throng of other stars from the US. People behind the camera are of Filipino American lineage too, and the proud race doesn't stop there. Well for those who wanted a piece of it are in a bit of a treat especially if you are in the Philippines because it will finally be shown on KTX.PH this coming January 29th.
Director Diane Paragas says "This is like coming home. I've been waiting for this day for a long time and I've been excited for Filipinos to see it there, this is a great moment, it feels like coming home. It's loosely based on my time growing up in Texas, I played music too but not as close as Eva, it was my outlet, I felt like a square peg in a round hole. This is a fable, in a form of a documentary so I did research a lot about families. Yellow Rose is a Texan Rose, an old song that people know. They use that term as a derogatory one, Yellow as in Asian. The original song was about a mulatto girl, it was about her being mixed race. It means a lot of things and you find that out in the film. Lea sings Dahil Sayo, also Princess, a way to pass the culture down. It was something that was sung to me by my Mom and Dad, it was passed on to me and now I sing it for my daughter. I was referred to her (Princess), her acting style was so natural. I have auditioned a lot of girls, I've heard about Eva as she was cast in Miss Saigon, when we got financing to shoot the film, I saw her on Broadway to see the script. She blew me away, she had a magnetic presence, she had sincerity especially about the seriousness in music. She was Rose, on the spot. Eva was selected by Backstage, as among the best of the best. It's what actors read, for a Filipino to be in stellar Holllywood names, that's unbelievable. Joe Biden vowed sweeping immigration reforms on Day 1, we've had 4 years of disdain and we have been abused a lot. It's also a story of an artist, like a star is born, about her resilience and how music saves her."
Filam Director Diane Paragas
Ms. Princess Punzalan on the other hand has been sorely missed in the Philippines, but she's currently in the US and waiting out the pandemic although she's keen on doing more projects in the country soon. She says "There are a lot of people in the US and the international ones that have been able to see this. I see the struggles of Filipinos, who are undocumented, like sardines in one room. It's not an easy life. Here, I really feel the concern, the anxiety of what will happen to my daughter when I'm gone."
Lead star Eva Noblezada
We also got to talk to Eva Noblezada and she shares "The role is like your identity as Filipinos suddenly being invisible, it's nice to make the rounds, go through the finish line with a movie that is made for you. This is really a cool thing. I know a handful people who are undocumented but are very passionate. I watched my Mom and Dad break their backs, and go to North Carolina where people ask you "Who are you? Why are you here?" when you are trying to make a home for yourself. Miss Saigon was about a Vietnamese which I was not, I was lucky in those roles."
She adds "We are chameleon in the arts, we talked about what that felt, I did that for 3 years. I was like... Seriously? you want me a young Filipina to play a young Filipina? It was about a young undocumented lass, she reached out to me, and honestly, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my entire life. She allows the actor to breathe, she had standards, she doesn't give you hurdles, you feel like you're the character. This allows the product authentic in a way. The fact that Yellow Rose highlighted an immigration story, it creates a divide that we hope as a film, would rip off that stereotypical, dangerous, anti patriotic divide in our country. These are people, these are human beings, extreme words that this past regime has used. Country music is like poetry, it's beautiful, to tell a story that is very young and have so much to do. That's what it is to me as a millenial. Getting to do this, it was all she had, hanging by a thread, to know that you are not alone and that you are protected."
I also asked her about racism and how she deals with it. I also asked the director about choosing "Dahil Sayo" which they interpreted in different ways and times in the film. Check out our interview with her this afternoon.
Now make sure you get your tickets via KTX.PH and see the film on the 29th. If you want to see the struggles of a young Asian girl who only wished for freedom, for love, and an overwhelming passion for country music, go see Yellow Rose.
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