LANI MISALUCHA: STILL LANI at The Theatre at SOLAIRE

Our love for Asia's Nightingale Ms. Lani Misalucha will become even stronger as Backstage Entertainment stages a concert at The Theatre at SOLAIRE on August 21st this year. 

This concert is directed by Calvin Neria with Musical Direction by Toma Cayabyab (son of National Artist Ryan). Backstage Entertainment is under Backstage Manila that had done a lot of events and is creative agency.

Atty. Nate Quijano of Backstage Manila says "Our company is in the events industry and now we are venturing into production and entertainment. We want to set trends, a different kind of creativity, to show support to up and coming and already established artists. I'm excited with this new venture, and this is our jumping point, our first concert STILL LANI."

Chris Mananquil the producer adds "I am lead creative for this show and this is a very important activity, we are excited for the new combination, but we hope to give something new for the fans of Ms. Lani Misalucha. We have Toma Cayabyab to be our Musical Director, something new, an inter generational combination. We may play hits, but most of it is something new. We don't want to spoil things, thank you!"

Ms. Lani says "I really like life in the US because it's simple, but a little hard. We are empty nesters, they have their own life and family. I still do shows in America but not like when I had a residency in Las Vegas. I just choose the kind of shows that I want to do. Between shows, I do laundry, clean my home, work never stops. You can't call people to fix because it's expensive, my husband is a handyman which I am so lucky about. I eat a lot, I am the backbone of his operations. I know all the tools, that's aside from playing with my grandchildren. In the Philippines we don't have help, we do the same."

She adds "When we got sick in 2020, we had bacterial meningitis. The effect was deafness, you get dizzy, vision was blurry, a ton of things. It was a really difficult time for me, especially when I'm hard of hearing. I got depressed, I didn't want to move. I also didn't want to socialize, it was painful because I could only hear if they are high pitched. It got better around to decipher voice but the hearing really didn't go back. It affected my singing because I struggled in 2021 and I had to train myself again like a child. My kids are not kids anymore, I have 6 grandkids now. They are doing good, thankfully. About the concert, it will be beautiful, but one surprise is I have a special guest, you will know by June or July because it's too early. I now have international released songs, but this time I'd be able to sing them in the concert. I admire singers who sing my song, they have to be creative to do it again and compose songs, they're really great. Having a hit song is power, people will remember you for the rest of their lives."

Here's the full media conference on video:

Again, STILL, LANI will be at the Theatre at Solaire. Make sure you get tickets to the show before August 21st. She is world class and she is STILL LANI. The one and only Asia's Nightingale. There's no comparison!

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!

JR De Guzman in Manila to do LATER THAT EVENING in June

MYX is bringing Filipino American comedian JR De Guzman at the Theatre at Solaire this coming June. You've been with him all throughout the pandemic and also to through different social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. He has entertained a LOT of people in the US and different countries, and this is a good time to do it in the Philippines.

JR De Guzman says "I'm a comedian and I think I have the greatest fans especially after the show when the Titas set me up with their daughters. They'll show me the pictures and when I say I have a girlfriend, they'll just say.. that's okay! then proceeds to hit on me themselves!"

 

He mentions one of his most viral songs about interracial babies, and says it was about a friend who owns a comedy bar, she had a kid who's African American and White. A lot of people connected with it because they are in the situation. There will be several people opening for him too like his friends Ryan Puno and Red Ollero, who also did their share of Tita encounters during the mediacon.

 

JR adds "Experiencing comedy in different countries means doing what you know in local context. Having music is helpful because it's very universal. You just have to do shows there, that's how you adapt, you have to travel.That time I bombed a set, I blame Alex, he was really good. I wanted to erase that story, but I kept on mentioning it. That was a valentines day, they asked Alex to come back to the stage because I bombed it. I know I could do it well, hopefully to make it to the end of my set. I built my base online during the pandemic, I think it was digitally good, but I need to do live, when I did it, I got COVID, it was just God punishing me. At that time, it was a silver lining, I learned how to edit, get a camera, that was the good part of it."

If you want to see the sexy guy do his stuff on stage, head on to ticketworld.com.ph and secure them seats now. It's surely going to be one heck of a funny evening!

Ticket2Me Launches New Ticketing and Video Platform

My first encounter with Ticket2Me was about a little over 2 years ago when I watched a musical in PETA here in Quezon City. Back then, they were still in their infancy but I could tell they've handled online ticket sales quite nicely. It was fast, easy to use, and secure. I got my taste of shows and could get tickets mighty fast as soon as they're listed on the app and platforms.

As you might have guessed, they're bound to be heavily affected by the closures of entertainment areas and theatres as this pandemic didn't spare any business. True enough, they had to transform their business model, innovate to survive. It was in March 2020 wherein they started the lockdown period, and it earmarked efforts by Ticket2Me and their Founder/CEO Darwin Mariano to cooperate with the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership and find ways to aid the country’s health sector frontliners. They started a huge fundraising campaign and worked with the Office of Vice President Leni Robredo in the hopes of raising funds to supply personal protective equipment and food and care packages for these health workers. In just a span of a few days they got to raise millions surpassing their goal by a mile and got to help thousands of people and mobilize help where it's needed, a noble gesture indeed.

Ticket2Me then also started the Open House campaign which they did together with Artist Welfare Project, Philstage, SPIT MNL, Third World Improv and the Theater Actor’s Guild to benefit of the performing arts community which also got heavily affected by the COVID19 outbreak. It was one of 20 they did with different organizations including one for displaced film and performing arts professionals plus funds to build emergency quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, a tough hot spot for the dreaded virus.

Recently, they also catered to the demand of online events. Adapting to the new normal meant they also need to launch their own pay gated video platform so they can hold concerts, theatrical productions, workshops and more. They also launched Dok2Me, a patient-doctor platform so they too would be able to do online consultation. They will also start production of their own online series called Boys' Lockdown come this September. 

With over 11,000 combined cash and online payment options throughout the country, Ticket2Me is achieving its goal to be one of the largest ticketing and events tech company. They can help you manage your transitions to online processes. Download it off the App Store or Google Play now or visit their site Ticket2Me.net to try it out and find more information about them.

Sounds good.

 

Easy Ticketing Services from Ticket2Me

This is the first time I've heard of them but being in the theatre scene for quite a while pretty much have made me see some of their services are being used by companies already. The deal is, this is fully owned and operated by Filipinos, yes this is TICKET2ME.NET, a easy ticketing service that takes the long process of buying, verification and ease of production in one go. This could practically take production costs down, scientifically make data useable and sensible, then make the whole buying process just as easy as buying a cup of coffee. Tickets online can now be purchased and scanned with QR Codes, then all people have to do is watch shows whenever, wherever. I guess it prolly stemmed from experience and necessity, like any start of invention.

Darwin Mariano the Founder and CEO of Ticket2Me says “I fell in love with theatre a long time ago, I watched with a couple of friends and enjoyed it quite much with my lunch money. To keep watching, we resold tickets for the show and pooled funds for it. We started buying shows and became successful, but we couldn’t roll over our funds to another show and didn’t get producers to shell out that much during those years and fell short with funds. My love for theatre though continued and gambled years later on before doing it again. In 2013 we did Maxi the musical and adapted this original play on stage, it was a hit and sold out, plus more after that. I realized the platforms were not built to help me, this is why the event ticketing platform Ticket2Me.net has been put up. This is just one part of it, the other is an even more convenient platform without the need of credit card. This is expansive because of payment outlets like pawnshops and convenience stores, now you can do it in the comforts of your home. Ticket2Me has data and analytics, a robust environment also for organizers so they know how much they have earned, registrations, download all the data and see how they progress. This one can pre market tickets, show data and get tickets that people can pay conveniently. Our sales growth without even launching is 400%, and we made technology do the legwork. We are also working on dynamic pricing dependent on producer reasons if they just want to make the theatre full. It’s the realtime accounting of all tickets to make it seamless. Hopefully in the next few months it will serve more in the event community.”

James Mendoza the Co Founder and CTO “To track data, we use blockchain to see how buying tickets, to track the successful payments, reversals, payments to see how all the real ones push through to enable us logging this data privately.”

We also talked about the possibility of them encountering competition and they're pretty confident about how they have presented their app giving Producers much needed services compared to other ticket service sites plus the openness to also work with them instead of them "stealing ideas" from Ticket2me.net if they can't beat what they do. Makes so much sense because the market is so big especially in entertainment industry. There are tons of concerts, theatre shows, musicals, cultural tours, the list goes on. They are also doing improvements to make everything seamless and all they charge for every ticket selling is 10 percent. I am impressed on how they're doing business, take every stride seriously because they've done this before and learned from mistakes. 

If you want to get acquainted with the latest shows, take it easy with buying tickets, or a production who wants them tickets to be sold, you know where to go. Oh and yes, data is big nowadays, you need that for business and understanding the market, things you need for success.

KUMAGCOW
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Who is Eugene Domingo?

I watch your movies Eugene Domingo! ^_^

I am a huge fan of Eugene Domingo and I ain't ashamed to say that out loud in my site ^_^. Her crazy antics and punchlines are the best a comedic actress would ever spurt out. Her timing and unprecedented candidness on and off movies are worthy for me and my friends to take notice. It was when we said, hey this girl's funny... we'll follow her movies! and it didn't end there.

My friends and I religiously watched her movies even if we obviously didn't like her co stars. We enjoy and adore her. Although I know, some pinoys would probably ask "Who is Eugene Domingo?".

I'm sure you watched her a couple of times in TV. If you are a theater addict like I was in college you probably watched one of her shows as well. She is a good actress from UP and I think there are a couple of merits to her name as well, but just this afternoon I read off a showbiz website that a couple of movies were pulled off from her... I tried to check out why... it turns out a clash between Mother Lily Monteverde and Eugene's manager Ricky Gallardo was the culprit. This in turn got 4 of her movies pulled out from her. The manager however belies this statement from Mother Lily saying "Its different if you got a movie pulled out, than not accepting the offer at all because we did not accept it to tell you frankly". I believe the manager in this case because Mother Lily had agreed upon prices for these films, but at the last minute she wanted a lower price which in turn stressed out the manager and Eugene. The only thing that the manager wanted was "WORD OF HONOR" because everything was set already. This is one big deal for anyone who knows the word "Professionalism".

Mother Lily says "Bhaka malowogi Negoshoh" lolz!

I am starting to hate Mother Lily but what can we do really. It's a good thing that a couple of films and her launching movie is still in play, otherwise I would really despise producers like that who don't honor their words just to earn a buck.