ELLA MAY SAISON and SOUTH BORDER To Bring 80's-90's Hits at Soundtrip Sessions Vol. 3 Concert

I would have wanted to start this article with a little story about ME but that would be funny. See, I sing quite often in Karaoke places and part of my repertoire would actually include very iconic female singers, with so much gusto in fact, I'd be doing it in every session I could take myself to. I'm a big guy, so it is unbecoming for someone who looks like this to have a voice too high pitched for comfort. Enough about me. 

See, I was told a few nights ago about this chance to actually interview two artists. The first being Jay Durias of the famous band South Border, and two, the iconic vocalist, Ms. Ella May Saison. Just thinking about it made my jaw drop, and guess what, I was super late because of a prior event (kahiya!). They patiently waited for us, it was really so nice of them to do that.

The concert is entitled Soundtrip Sessions Volume 3. The previous Soundtrip Sessions had artists like Luke Mejares, Jinky Vidal (for Volume 1), Nyoy Volante and Juris Fernandez (for Volume 2). This time, it'll be their turn (on November 9th!).

Ms. Ella May and Jay are actually not new to the band scene, it was something that was common to both of them. Back in the days, Ms. Ella May was part of Artstart Band, it was something she did because she's one of the few who could excellently do all the hits, whether it's jazz, blues, and RnB. She left the band and got a lot of hit songs in the airwaves later on, cementing her status in the music industry then, and now. She went to the states and had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest singers, music producers, musicians our generation has ever known. She had a shot at a career in the US and took it. She's now back singing the way she did, even better in 2024. 

Jay on the other hand could do pop, ballads, and also RnB. They both could also write songs, legibly produce it, much of which have become hits for other artists (i.e. MAPA of SB19 and more). You wept to his songs "Kahit Kailan", sang along with "Rainbow", wished for one in "Love of My Life" and a few more in his repertoire. He told us how much of a dream this is because once he got a call from the producer and heard the name Ella May Saison, he immediately said YES without hesitation. Jay told us about the first time she saw Ms. Ella May, where she described him as a "genius!". Here's our interview with them that evening:

They are making history just by being seen together in this concert. What to expect? All their hit songs, some of which will be sung in duets. Imagine Jay singing Ms. Ella May's songs, and the other way around. Wouldn't that be a sight for sore eyes? Aside from that, they have a few songs up their sleeves which will be revolving around the 80's and the 90's music. An added plus to this is that they're performing at The Theatre at Solaire which houses some of the country's best acoustics, I think it is the perfect venue for it. This will also be a family affair for Ms. Ella May Saison as she will be with her sisters and her brother Elhmir Saison who will be directing music for the show. I am as excited as you. This will be one epic musical night!

As for this fan boy, he got his wish!

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketnet.com.ph or at the Solaire Box Office. Prices are SSVIP 8755, SVIP 7210, VIP 6695, Gold 5150, Silver 3605 and Bronze 2060. This is produced by Dragon Arc Events Management who did the previous Soundtrip Sessions. Again, November 9th at The Theatre at Solaire!

Don't miss this one, it'll be good!

Cast of MATILDA THE MUSICAL Manila Staging Announced

I have been able to see how they've been working hard to put this musical on stage since early this year. They've held auditions left and right trying to find that perfect kid, her friends, and an ensemble cast that would pretty much spell how the Manila staging of MATILDA would actually look like. It's one of the best movies and theater productions I've seen internationally and I'm sure it'll be a cinch to actually do this with a very talented Filipino cast.

Included in the cast are three greats, Telesa Marie “Esang” De Torres who came from ABS-CBN’s The Voice and the Les Miserables (for their Asian tour), Uma Naomi Martin who did A Little Princess  and Felicity Kyle Napuli who already was awarded Outstanding Child Performer in the past Gawad Musika Awards (a local award body). Aside from three great singers, they've also announced Gabrielle Aerin Ong and Maria Ericka Peralejo as Lavander, Denise Fidel Arteta and Chi Chi Tan as Amanda, Nicole Chien and Ella Gonzalez as Alice, Alba Berenguer-Testa and Chantel Marie Guinid as Hortensia, Josh Nubla and Miguel Suarez as Bruce, Rhythm Alexander and Ian Albert Magallona as Eric, Gabo Tiongson and Pablo Miguel Palacpac as Nigel and John Joseph Miraflores and Teddy
Velasco as Tommy. They will be playing the classmates of Matilda in this production.

To play as antagonists, Jamie Wilson will play the tough and mean Miss Trunchbull. I'm sure she'll be having lots of fun throwing those kids around. The caring and lovely Miss Honey will be played by seasoned premier theater actress Cris Villonco. While Joaquin Valdes and Carla Guevara-Laforteza will play as Matilda's biological parents Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, they will be very colorful, mean and dysfunctional so be ready. MATILDA's Manila staging will be directed by Bobby Garcia and their choreography will be done by Ms. Cecile Martinez. The play will be presented by Promil and Metrobank Card Corporation. Matilda The Musical will happen at the Meralco Theater from November 10 to December 10 this year and will happen only on Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays and on Sundays at 2PM and 8PM.

If you want to watch the show with kids, it is recommended for ages 7 and up.Ticket prices are Php 1500 to Php 4000. You can purchase them at Ticketworld 891-9999 or their website www.ticketworld.com.ph. For more information about the musical, visit http://atlantistheatrical.com/faq or the Ticketworld website, they have ample amount of information there.

Wish I could watch it with you! :)

GILAS PILIPINAS: FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

This is it! I can't wait! We've already won the rights to host the FIBA Olympi Qualifying Tournament this 2016 and we're raring to go where no Filipino has gone before (well we did in 1936 and the years thereafter) but it's been a while since we've actually had a basketball team on the world map. We've done the legwork, we've conquered huge teams and placed 1st Runner Up in FIBA Asia Qualifiers. We've beaten world ranked countries and taken Gilas Pilipinas out there, impressing even the best people in the industry... and this is our chance to bring back that glory we've been longing for.

They've already announced the final 12 players, and we've seen the exhibition games happen in other countries. As they all come home and be joined by the rest of the country, Gilas Pilipinas will attempt to win that single slot and overcome a lot of other countries to make it there.

Our first touch of eurasian country Turkey will happen on July 1 at 7PM. This is just a tune up game yet a great venue to gauge how we'll fare with other countries when it comes to the real thing on July 5-10, 2016. The other qualifiers will happen in cities like Turin, Italy and Belgrade, Serbia. The Philippines will be pit against France, New Zealand and whoever is going to rank top in those dates. Games will be at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and it will be shown live on the happiest network in the country, TV5 with updates from Sports 5 PH too.

Gilas Pilipinas' Final 12 is composed of Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Troy Rosario, Ryan Reyes, Gabe Norwood Jeff Chan, June Mar Fajardo, Marc Pingris, Japeth Aguilar, Terrence Romeo, Andray Blatche and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. Unfortunately L.A. Tenorio and Calvin Abueva are out. This was announced by Tab Baldwin before their tune up game with China in Italy. The coach was adamant declaring it was because of numbers that they decided to choose the roster but I'm sure they were NOT short of HEART. Make sure you'll be there and purchase tickets at SM Tickets (https://smtickets.com/). Ticket prices go as much as Php 14,945 for VIP, Php 12,810 for Patron, Php 10,675 for Lower Box, Php 430 for Upper Box and Php 215 for General Admission (as seen on site).

Bring your hearts, let's all cheer behind Gilas Pilipinas and say "Laban Pilipinas! Puso!" (Fight Philippines! With all your heart!).

For more information about their games:

Sports 5 PH

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Chinita Princess "The FUNtasy Concert"

Our lovely interviewee today is the one and only Chinita Princess Kim Chiu who's having a concert entitled "Chinita Princess: The Funtasy Concert". This is in celebration of her 10th Anniversary in the industry and her birthday. She promises to fill up the Kia Theater in Cubao Quezon City on April 9, 2016 8PM and tickets will be available through Ticketnet Online. Ticket prices will be Php 4,240 for the VIP Section, Php 3,710 for Orchestra, Php 1,590 Loge and Php 1.060 for Balcony. 

During the presscon Kim expresses how light this concert is going to be and admit's she's more of a performer, not much of a singer but she promises fans that people will enjoy the show from the start. The opening will be full blown and will have the GFORCE elements in it. There will also be cables, cranes, liftings, drops which you'll never expect in a Kim Chiu performance. She adds "I want to thank everyone who's here and I hope you get to watch it on April 9 because it's a special night for me. We sold out VIP tickets and we only have a few for the other areas. Thank you to my fans who still are supporting me all these years!"

Congratulations Kimmy! 

KUMAGCOW

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ASUS Challenges You to Unfold Your New Incredible Story

This quarter looks so promising for ASUS as they got new, more powerful, aesthetically superior and efficient gaming laptops, notebooks and computers launched at Valkyrie in BGC. Aside from honoring their top of the line hardware, they invited their best authorized sellers and gave them recognition plus had them witness the unveiling of these really cool machines last night.   

Check out the highlights of the event last night in this HD video:

ASUS : UNFOLD YOUR NEW INCREDIBLE STORY by kumagcow

ASUS remains the number 1 brand in Southeast Asia, number 3 in terms of Notebook sales in the Philippines. Mr. Calum Chisolm the GM of Intel Philippines says they also will be including the best intel chips on the new line of notebooks that ASUS is releasing in the market. I specifically like the ASUS ROG rigs that they have which is perfect for gamers like the model ASUS ROG G752 that's got superior graphics, with an Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper finish that would make Iron Man envy the thing when you hold it. Bandwidth management on it would make your gaming experience even better (in the hopes of no lags and give your line more resources), unless it's the problem on your connection that is. It also comes with a gaming headset and it's own bag. You might also get interested with the ROG G501 which has almost the same performance as the latter, with almost the same specs though. Almost a Php 20K difference though as the G752 is around Php 79,995 just like the G501. If you're in the hunt for gaming gear, these guys know what they are talking about. 

Another thing to note is the ASUS ZEN AiO. It's like an iMac, but it's not and is designed to be a connected hub for all your ASUS devices. You can backup over the network without the need of cords as it's all wireless. It's also got a 4K UHD display, so photos were really stunning during the preview earlier. Let's just say I was drooling during this time and if I had something on my wishlist this Christmas, that would be it. It's pretty steep at Php 109,995. They've got more up their sleeves so make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram which are both updated. 

For more information about their products:

ASUS Philippines

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Cherry Mobile Comes Back with CM Flare X and New Brand Cubix

It's been a while since we've seen Cherry Mobile, and the darn secret is out! They just released what seems to be a worthy competitor to those high capacity, low price "supposedly" powered and high end phones. They're calling it the Cherry Mobile Flare X. It's an Octa-core powered 3 GB RAM capacity smartphone that only costs Php 6.999. Unbelievable, but it costs less than its foreign counterparts.

The Cherry Mobile Flare X runs on Android Kitkat 4.4 OS, has got 1.7 GHz Octacore Processor, 13 MP Rear Camera using the SONY IMX214 which also autofocuses on subjects and a 5MP front so you can take decent selfies. The phone also boasts 16GB ROM, a 5.5 inch Full HD IPS Screen and a 3000 mAh battery which makes it last longer than your average android phone. This particular handset you're seeing is actually mine and I'm using 2 sim cards for it. I used Sun Prepaid as primary and a Smart Prepaid for the secondary line, both have run flawlessly since then. I use high frame rate games like Clash of Clans and Hello Hero on it, but still it runs well. For daily tasks, the pre installed apps would be sufficient but as with any android phone, you can always get what you need from the Google Play Store.

During the launch, they let us try a couple of gadgets from their brand Pyxis. They're extensively making it visible with the Bluetooth Speakers, Digital Clocks (with USB ports so you could plug your devices in) and more Power Bank units.

Another interesting device I saw on the table was this one. This is the Pyxis Clicker, and it's an anti theft device that needs a corresponding application so you could pair it. After pairing, you can hear beeps as it tracks how far your smartphone or tablet is. It also could capture photos remotely, notify you of unread messages and missed calls. I was really liking this one! They were selling it for Php 750, although they require you Android 4.3 and Bluetooth 4.0.

I also tried to play some games they got on the phone and tablets which they also put into full TV screens. You can barely tell there's lag and the graphics was nice. Everything was just eye candy. Speaking of which...

This lady is holding the first ever unit called CUBE made by Cherry Mobile's newest brand called CUBIX. It runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat but can be upgradeable to Lollipop. They put in 1.4 GHz Octa Core processor and 2 GB RAM. Internal memory is 16GB and you can get a 64GB micro SD. They got it equipped with 13MP for the Rear Camera, a 5MP front and a 2000 mAh removable battery. Well yes we're a little worried about the batteries but that's way sufficient already for a smaller form factored phone. It's got a 5.0 IPS display so you can just imagine how big it is. It looks a lot like an iPhone but it's smaller, and it's not. That's the easy part, but really for a first phone release, they're probably thinking of you. They're selling this at Php 4,490 and ONLY SELLING IT EXCLUSIVELY IN LAZADA. This will come out at 12 Noon today! Head on to www.lazada.com.ph/cherry-mobile-cubix/. They also preinstalled the Lazada App so you don't have to go through the whole enchilada of installing it. 

Now how's that for a comeback from Cherry Mobile?

For more information about their devices:

Cherry Mobile

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http://www.cherrymobile.com.ph/