SARAH  RECORDS  DUET  WITH  BACKSTREET  BOY  HOWIE  D.

MANILA, APRIL 5, 2008 (STAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo BREAKING NEWS: Fresh from a hugely-successful concert tour of Canada and the US, Sarah Geronimo stayed behind in LA to do the vocals for a duet with Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough in LA. The song, titled I’ll Be There and produced by Christian de Walden, will be included in Sarah’s latest CD which will be released in July. De Walden is the same guy who acted as go-between for Claire dela Fuente and Richard Carpenter for Claire to record the song Something in Your Eyes.

Howie D. reached worldwide fame as a member of the BSB along with AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson and Nick Carter. He is best known for his falsetto singing which is easily recognizable in hits like I Want It That Way, Drowning, The Answer to Our Life, The Perfect Fan and Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.

He is the lead singer in the songs Spanish Eyes, What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful and How Did I Fall in Love with You. He is set to visit the Philippines in July to shoot a video with Sarah and promote the duet.

Meanwhile, Sarah is coming to more honors as the big winner at the Third MYX Music Awards held at the Meralco Theater last Wednesday, March 26. The Viva recording artist won four trophies, the most by any nominee this year — Favorite Song for Ikaw, Favorite Artist, Favorite Female Artist and Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ. Sarah accepted the awards while she was in the US.

Ikaw is a composition by Medwin Marfil of True Faith included in Sarah’s latest album Taking Flight which is composed of original works by Filipino songwriters. Other selections are I’ll Be Alright by Louie Ocampo and Edith Gallardo; Close to My Heart also by Louie with lyrics by Freddie Santos; I’m Sorry by Soc Villanueva and Jungee Marcelo; Time to Let Go featuring Mark Bautista and composed by Rebel Madagasang; I’ll Be Here also by Rebel; So and What If I, both written by Trina Belamide; Miss and Kahit Na by actor-turned-musician Chuckie Dreyfus; and Mr. Deadma by newcomer Drizzle Nuniz.

Sarah, together with fellow singing champions Rachelle Ann Go, Christian Bautista and Mark Bautista, recently performed in the cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnepeg, Toronto and Montreal in Canada; and in San Jose, Houston and Anaheim in the US.

Another foreign act coming soon

Sean Kingston, the 18-year-old singer-songwriter responsible for 2007’s biggest LSS (last song syndrome) Beautiful Girls, is coming to Manila for a free concert at the Glorietta Activity Center on April 17, as part of the Ayala Malls, Music Management International, MYTYM WATCH HUB and MTV Concert Series.

According to the sponsors’ press bulletin, the Miami-born, Jamaica-bred Sean is not just a new face in popular music; he’s accomplished the rare task of creating a new genre where rap, reggae, pop, doo-wop and remarkable songwriting all combine into something totally refreshing.

His hit first single, Beautiful Girls, is described as “a song cross-pollinating on both urban and pop radio stations coast to coast.” The song boosted the popularity of Stand by Me which acted as the “muse” for the song produced by J.R. Rotem. Sean, who is the flagship artist on J.R.’s label Beluga Heights, released his debut album, Sean Kingston, last year.

Sean was quoted as saying, “I heard the track Stand By Me, one night in the studio while listening to the radio and asked J.R. if anyone had ever used that sample. He made the beat immediately and I wrote down the lyrics within an hour — it happened very quickly. I loved the way it turned out and I think my sound is a lot different than what else is out there. It all just worked and we knew we had something special with the track. I’m also singing about something people can relate to — I’m singing about being in love with someone who you think is your world but they don’t see it that way and you have to end the relationship.”

The same bulletin said that Sean also understands that as an 18 year old making urban music he has a responsibility to fans, “With this album I thought it was important to not use curse words or negative language that might offend people. I write my own songs so it’s like if I can write a great track without using those words, then that’s the style for me.”

Released by SonyBMG, his album also carries his second single Me Love, Got No Shorty, There’s Nothin’ featuring Paula DeAnda, I Can Feel It and Take You There.

(Note: For more information, tune in to MTV Philippines on Channel 57 on Sky Cable; or ask your cable operator for channel designation or log on to www.mtvphil.com. For sponsorship inquiries, call MTV Philippines at 706-1580.)

UST lass is Miss Earth’s Best in Evening Gown

Here’s a report from Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib:

Former (2006) Miss Ideal Thomasian Personality Marian Michelle Talag Oblea representing Obando was adjudged the Best in Evening Gown last April 1, at the Long Gown competition of the Miss Philippines Earth 2008 held at the Casino Filipino Grand Theatre in Parañaque City. The event heralded the five-week activity-filled event of this year’s pageant. The Long Gown competition was hosted by PAGCOR.

Wearing a stunning aquamarine gown designed by Robert Zamora, Oblea bested 35 other candidates for the special award, taking home P50,000 in cash plus P50,000 worth of gift certificates, definitely the biggest prize ever given for a special award in Philippine pageant history. All the other candidates received P20,000 in cash courtesy of PAGCOR. Oblea’s victory is a fitting graduation gift; she had to rush to the UST Faculty of Pharmacy graduation rites several hours after the competition.

Now on its eighth year, Miss Philippines Earth continues with its mission of recruiting concerned Filipinas who have the unwavering passion to be Mother Earth’s spokesperson in the necessary campaign to protect and to preserve the environment. This year, Carousel Productions expanded its search by involving the active participation of municipalities; cities as well as provinces to send a representative to promote not only its own environmental advocacy but also its tourist spots/attractions.

The 2008 Miss Earth grand finals will be held at the PAGCOR Grand Theater on May 11, to be aired live by ABS-CBN and TFC.

Reader’s contribution

Here’s an interesting item from reader Jowana Balana Bueser of 316 San Diego Gregorio, Alaminos, Laguna:

Last night, I finished reading the autobiography In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures of Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen, etc.). I was surprised to find out that she has some “connection” to the Philippines. Her only brother Peter died in the Philippines because of melanoma cancer. Mirren described his illness as a “white man’s cancer” and is, naturally, uncommon in our country.

For this reason, she felt that her brother will not be treated well.

How Peter came to the Philippines is quite a story. He traveled around the world and when he came to the Philippines, he fell in love with the country. He decided to stay here for good and lived with “girlie bar” dancers and their respective mamasans. One time when Helen attended a film festival in Tokyo, she made a short trip to the Philippines to see her brother. She remembered that he was sewing bras for the dancers. He was also furious that the government was closing down the “girlie bars,” leaving his friends unemployed.

Helen was filming Calendar Girls when she learned that her brother had cancer. There was a funeral scene and she “put her tears to good use.” Dame Helen is one of those terrifyingly talented British actresses. She is one-fourth of the acting royalty quartet of British Empire that Time magazine included in the “60 Years of Heroes” in Europe along with Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench and Glenda Jackson. She is known for her candidness and independence.

I feel that she will always remember the Philippines with a tinge of bitterness but at the same time, fondness. She respected her brother’s decision to stay here until his death. I can only hazard a guess that she knew Peter was happy in the Philippines.

Briefly noted

• Yes, Yilmaz Bektas did arrive from Istanbul Thursday night. He and estranged wife Ruffa Gutierrez met for lunch yesterday and they discussed “serious matters” concerning their daughters Lorin and Venice who spent the day with their dad at his five-star Makati hotel. Ruffa begged off from revealing details of their meeting, saying only that they didn’t agree on anything. Yilmaz denied rumors that he is romancing 2006 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, saying that she’s just a “business partner.” During his arrival, Yilmaz was mum, refusing to answer questions from reporters who met him at the airport. He’s scheduled to return to Istanbul either today or tomorrow as he came — alone.

• The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, located at the lower level of Robinsons Galleria, announces that enrollment is going on. The most popular summer courses are Musikgarten for children aged four to seven, the 14K program for eight to 13 year olds, and the jazz dance course. Individual lessons for voice, piano, drums and guitars are staples. The school is celebrating its 22nd anniversary of continuous alternative-music education service to Filipino. (For inquiries, call 914-5055 and 637-9840, or text 0917-9096484.)

• Today’s edition of Living It Up (Q-11, 6 p.m.) visits four most talked-about Metro happenings courtesy of Olay, Sony, Bench Body and International Women’s Filmfest. Hosts are Raymond Gutierrez, Issa Litton, Sam Oh and Tim Yap. Raymond has an interview with young designer Puey Quiñones; Issa takes a bite at Ruby Tuesday restaurant; Tim attends a Wii party; while Sam shows televiewers how to travel-proof your gadgets. Guest co-host this week is Charina Sarte.