ALEX CALLEJA and THE COMEDY CREW to Perform at Dubai Comedy Festival

I could have made a book out of the conversations we had with The Comedy Crew and Alex Calleja a few nights ago.  Aside from the laughs, we had a glimpse of the serious side of this emerging industry. We got schooled about how they've managed to survive the pandemic and the tough industry per se. Alex is no stranger to comedy, he's been doing this for ages that much of the comedians in his team attested they watched him when they were in primary school (emphasis on he's that old).

Aside from Alex Calleja, The Comedy Crew is composed of Israel Buenaobra, Mak Navarez, Jeps Gallon, Yuki Horikoshi, Winer Aguilar, Doc Ramon Cabochan, Anthony Andres, Dawit Tabonares, Rex Milora, Grease Junio, Schneider Maxino, Marlon Cadag, Franz Opinaldo, Victor Obera, CS Dela Pena, Professor David Blattner, Jimberly Villanueva and Trixie Corpez.

 Here's some serious stuff we talked about first during the press conference

 

Here's where Alex Calleja shared why he should tell new comedians about changing their acts and not commit career ending mistakes early on as part of The Comedy Crew

 Here's some of the jokes they cracked that evening!

Alex is behind the countless comedy shows in different networks. You could say he had his baptism of fire in the late 2000's and learned the ropes. He knew where comedians failed (shared his secrets so they don't make career ending decisions) and made sure no one is left behind. This sparked the formation of The Comedy Crew. These dudes are funny AF, and we had them do a few samples of their kind of comedy during the press conference. Yes, it's quite cerebral. I asked if they see the need to educate the Filipino crowd  but he says "First of all, it's not the fault of the audience if they didn't laugh at out jokes. The fault is ours. There's no such thing as an uneducated audience, it's our responsibility to adjust. If you know your audience, you choose a joke appropriate for them. That's the wrong mentality. It's like having them watch a movie and if they didn't like your soundtrack... it's not going to be their fault. You need to impress them with whatever genre you produce. You are paid to perform and if they don't laugh at your jokes, it's the comedians fault. It's why we have house rules at the beginning of the show. We use our voice most of the time, and we only ask for the audience's attention by turning off their phones for the duration of the show. We also tell them to tell us if they get offended in one or more acts, we also ask much of the crowd to occupy the front seats because it'll be a mess when they arrive late, we don't want that to happen. We only ask for people to be on time, and that's enough. In fact, I didn't know we were going to talk like this during the press con, I almost want to cry instead of promoting our show in Dubai."

It's so nice to see our brand of comedy will be seen on an international stage and these guys are crazy good.

For those who would want to experience their antics and kind of comedy, Alex and The Comedy Crew (Israel Buenaobra, Jeps Gallon, Mark Navares and Imah Dumagay) is performing at the Comedy Masala in Singapore from March 25 to 26 (sold out shows) and at the Dubai Opera this coming April 13 (Saturday) as part of the celebrations of Dubai Comedy Festival. You can get tickets for the Dubai event from dubaicomedyfest.ae. They also have a show in The Astbury in Poblacion on April 6 at 7PM and Laughtrip Olongapo-Subic (a tour) on March 29, 30, 31 at The Palace in Olongapo, Cork Room at Subic Bay and Source Coffee in Subic too. 

You may visit their NEW websites www.alexcalleja.com or www.thecomedycrew.com for more information about their shows. You can also follow Alex Calleja's or The Comedy Crew's official Facebook page for more details about it.

MIKOY MORALES Lands 2 Movies in Cinemalaya

It's been a while since we've had the chance to talk to Mikoy Morales. The accomplished actor, singer and comedian has gone leaps and bounds since he started his career in Protege. There has been a huge change in his persona, as he admits it has kept him a bit angry over the years. Now he's initiated to take a look at things with a perspective, to rather take a pause when talking, think over what he should say instead of the usual defensive reply and even gaslighting. He admits to being conscious about it, and the changes he's done made this year a fruitful one. In Cinemalaya alone, he's got 2 movie entries namely "Tether" and "Rookie". 

"Rookie" is about women's sports. Mikoy joins actors Pat Tingjuy, Aya Fernandez and Ms. Agot Isidro in this Volleyball-GL (Girl's Love Story) film. "Tether" on the other hand is a lot troubling, a sci-fi film where love, relationships and pain take wild turns, all with them in it. It's a bit of a stretch compared to his previous work that they had to undergo sensuality workshops to accomplish several scenes in the movie. Aside from that, Mikoy has been doing several shows on GMA including a new series (to be announced soon). His music career also has been good, as he's making scores, tracks and music for several films (some to be sent abroad for film festivals). He also has a few singles coming out soon so stay tuned for that as well.

Here's the mediacon for Mikoy yesterday, please watch and listen in about his new films!

Here's a few more about his relationships, and his realizations too.

 

Mikoy thanks his friends, family, his girlfriend about the blessings he's receiving these past few months. He attributes the nice things he has accomplished because of their trust in him. He also thanks his directors, which he feels was much serendipitous, being at the right place and right time, that in this world of second options, they chose him for the specific roles he's doing in the two projects. His artistry has no more angst and bitterness, no more they/them in the industry, and has proved effective in making him that viable actor he deserves to be. He now knows his priorities, setting it straight, and I hope more people love him for his craft. 

He's a good chap, so cheers to that!

AXN Originals Show Strength Amidst Trying Times

AXN on Cable TV was a lifesaver during the pandemic because it kept everyone at home busy while the world was trying to solve COVID-19. They didn't shortchange from a content standpoint and instead have come out with ground breaking shows that are all original, catering to a multitude of cultures, and the whole region. 

 

Shows like AXN All Stars showcased the different talents of AXN's biggest stars which was presented by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia. World stars like Afgan, Michael Bolton, Cosentino, Cyril Takayama, David Foster, Anggun and Mel C performed and was also streamed through AXN's Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Aside from that, they recently showed PROJECT GO together with GoDaddy to discover and mentor startups and entrepreneurs in the Philippines. We actually got to interview some of them a couple weeks ago when the reveal of the Final 4 happened. The show is hosted by Maggie Wilson, and judged by the Tung Brothers of Ligo Sardines Corp, Rappler's Bea Cupin and GoDaddy's Tina Hsieh. They also did Asian Dream which I followed religiously during lockdown in Manila. It's a singing competition hosted by Asia's Phoenix Morisette Amon where they pitted 7 singers from different countries in Southeast Asia for a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform with Grammy award winner Michael Bolton and tour with him around the world. The winner also got a Subaru car since it is presented by the same brand. Manila's very own Karl Zarate was my bet that time but he didn't get to win, it was so fun to see they did this very original reality show on AXN. 

Aside from these, they also teased more content in the coming months as AXN and KC Global Media Asia will be coming out with even more orignal shows here and the other networks they are affiliated with. Two of them will be coming out on the first quarter of 2021 so make sure you're tuned in on these channels and KC Global Media Asia's website www.kcglobalmedia.com.

 

I will be looking forward for more of  what they have to offer as they continue to reach Asia and a global audience with their new programming.