Reviving life with a touch of a finger

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

Is there any benchmark for fantasy series in terms of originality, creativity, and appeal? If there really is, then Pushing Daisies fits to be one of the barometers in adjudging fantasy series on television.

Pushing Daisies had its second season premiere on 2nd Avenue on Feb. 17, almost one-and-a-half years after the first season’s cliffhanger ending. Pie-maker Ned (Lee Pace) is back with the rest of the gang to give viewers a vibrant definition of what forensic fairy tale is all about the dramady (drama plus comedy) style.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, we were at the preview of Pushing Daisies’ pilot episode in the picturesque Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City.

Flashback

The first season introduced Ned, an ordinary pie-maker with extraordinary gift. With one touch he can bring the dead people, animal or anything back to life for one minute. Beyond that, he must use the same touch to send that person back, or someone else or something else must die.

With the help of local private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), Ned uses his special ability to solve murder cases and cash in on hefty rewards. The romance started when Ned came across his childhood sweetheart Chuck Charles (Anna Friel), who was murdered in a cruise ship.

Determined to be reunited with his one true love, he decided to let her live. Unfortunately, the pie-maker may never touch Chuck again or she’ll be gone forever.

The new touch

The second season’s pilot episode sees Chuck going undercover as a “Bee Girl” at a honey-based cosmetics company called the Betty’s Bees. Chuck agrees to be an accomplice with the help of Ned and Emerson to resolve the death of the company’s new spokesmodel who was stung to death by a swarm of bees.

The trio of Chuck, Ned. and Emerson stumble into remarkable discovery leading to the capture of Woolsy Nichols, owner of Betty’s Bees. They get him to confess about the whole truth that was clouded by mystery of the young model’s death.

Meanwhile, the bizarre love story of Ned and Chuck has to hurdle a trial as the latter starts to have a growing independence. Chuck moves out of Ned’s apartment. Although she just moved in to the next door, the pie-maker Ned does not find it romantic knocking at the door of his girlfriend whenever he wants to see her.

He would truly miss the ballet of avoidance that has become the daily move of the couple inside the apartment. They can’t touch each other so they orchestrated steps to avoid each other. Ned’s slippers are adorned with small bells so Chuck would know if he is near or approaching.

In other developments, the pie waitress Olive finds herself moving into a nunnery after discovering the secret of Aunt Lily’s (Swoosie Kurtz) relation to Chuck. She is off to the convent so she won’t spill Lily’s deep, dark secret.

The colors of daisies

Bryan Fuller, who also has 22-episode writing credits for Star Trek and first season of Heroes, was able to bring Pushing Daisies into its magical qualities again. The series remains quirky and flashy in a sense that the colors of the set add up to mood of the characters that became more interesting.

The singing pie waitress turned convent boarder Olive seems to be more interesting as she morphs into a vivacious character. Viewers will find her more charming as she adopts a pet pig named Pigby. Lovers Ned and Chuck, on the other hand, will kiss each other more using a plastic cover.

For people who will see the series for the very first time, it is recommended for them to check the previous episodes of Pushing Daisies online through video- sharing Web site and they would definitely get hooked up with its whimsical Tim Burton-inspired storyline.

The first season was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards and won three trophies. Now it’s back with another season of more whimsical and visually entertaining blend of romance, crime procedure, and high-concept fantasy.

Catch Pushing Daisies every Tuesday at 9 p.m. on cable TV 2nd Avenue. 2nd Avenue is available on RJTV UHF Channel 29, SkyCable Channel 19, and Global Destiny Channel 31.

Charging the Big Dome with punk rock music

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

“I Don’t Care” is the latest single of Chicago-based punk rock group, Fall Out Boy (FOB). The song, which is the carrier single of the band’s fifth studio album Folie A Deux, was included on Rolling Stone’s “100 Singles of the Year 2008” and was one of the highlights of FOB’s loud concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 13.

At exactly 9 p.m., first-rate lighting system transformed the concert stage into an arena for alternative and pop punk music with Patrick Stump (vocals/guitar), Pete Wentz (bass), Joe Trohman (guitar), and Andy Hurley (drums).

When the band stepped on the stage and performed “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” fans howled a deafening scream and sang along with the quartet. FOB’s second visit to the Philippines was warmly welcomed by thousands of mostly Filipino teenagers who packed the Big Dome. It was a clear indication that FOB’s market here in the country belongs to the younger age group primarily because of the band’s contemporary appeal.

As the fans continued to scream from the top of their lungs and didn’t care to take their seats at all, the band continued with its other hits like “Thriller” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candle, A Little More Touch Me.”

High energy was obvious among the members of the band. Frontman Patrick seemed to have mastered singing continuously for he didn’t even sip any liquid. He was able to maintain his vocal strength all throughout the show without showing any signs of getting exhausted.

Pete, the most controversial and most recognized member of FOB mainly for being Ashlee Simpson’s hubby, served as the band’s talking head. Contrary to the known fact that Patrick is more vocal and eloquent, more popular Pete was the one who conversed with the crowd while introducing the songs that they’re about to play.

Scream was not the only evidence that the audience was completely hooked up with the band, everyone clapped their hands attuning with every song’s melody, not to mention that most of the people who packed the venue knew the lyric to every song. It was even observable when the little less known “A Bit of American Boy” was performed.

The concert’s front act Hey Monday with its vocalist named Cassadee stole the scene while FOB was performing “We’re Going Down.” She collaborated with Patrick singing the chorus and some parts of the song but instantly left the stage when the quartet proceeded with “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.”

Charismatic Pete, who definitely got the loudest scream among the members of FOB, asked the crowd to do a human wave, the cooperative crowd followed the instruction of the band’s bassist. The “wave” somehow heralded the band’s latest single “I Don’t Care.” We mentioned that this was one of the highlights of the concert because the guitars clung over the shoulders of Patrick, Pete and Joe lighted up when the whole venue went dark. The guitars were the only visible light on the stage most especially during the song’s chorus.

The soaring energies among the band and crowd kept on as Patrick introduced a familiar tune. For the first time, he asked the crowd to sing along with them as they played their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

The quartet just kept on playing and gave what their fans like the most, which is hearing the songs that made them popular among punk and alternative music lovers. The band played songs that catapulted them to pop punk stardom like “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner,” “The Take Over, The Breaks’ Over,” “I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About,” “Grand Theft Autumn” and other two songs from the new album, “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes,” and “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet.”

Encore

While everyone screamed “more, more, and more,” the band, in less than five minutes, reappeared on the stage charged with the same vigor as when they started the show.

While the fans were expecting a much longer performance, that obviously disappointed them because opposing to long titles of FOB songs, the band performed for only 70 minutes, that’s an hour and 10 minutes to be exact.

FOB performed the finale with its popular songs “America’s Suitehearts,” “Dance, Dance,” and “Saturday.” While singing the near end of the last song, Pete removed his hooded jacked and jumped into the crowd. One of the bouncers held Pete high and the crowd just went crazy. Pete went back on stage and the band thanked the people who attended the concert.

The abrupt ending of the show surprised the audience after the adrenaline-pumping finale. Because some of them kept asking for more, some people didn’t immediately leave the venue wondering if the concert was really already finished.

Despite the disappointing end, FOB’s concert defined the attitude of an alternative and punk band. Listening to its music, we recognize that the melodies almost sounded the same. Trademark rhythm, guitar, and vocal styles, were evident but it was actually the provocative and anthemic lyric of the songs supported by FOB’s edgy attitude made the band identifiable as a prominent music act.

Folie A Deux

We learned that the chief reason why FOB came to Manila for a second concert was to promote its latest album Folie A Deux that literally means “insanity shared by two.” According to Patrick Stump, when we had the chance to see FOB face to face during a press conference held at the Edsa Shangri La Hotel a day before the concert, Folie A Deux is actually a metaphor that does not just talk about the insanity of two people but of everybody.

“We are newer and better people now,” members of the band quipped when asked how the concert would be different from the previous concert they had. They said that they’re just excited to perform with dynamic crowds like the Filipino audience. Filipino people have practically gone closer to the band as Patrick returned to the Philippines with his half-Filipina girlfriend.

To front-act the Friday the thirteenth concert, FOB also brought the girl fronted band Hey Monday. It opened the concert performing some of its singles including “Josey” and “Homecoming.”

Members of Hey Monday revealed before the press that they grew up listening to the songs of FOB. Apparently, the band is signed to Pete Wentz’s label, Decaydence.

Saving children from hunger

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

While you are reading this article, somewhere in the world, two or three children might be dying or had just died.

Based on the statistic of World Food Program, 18,000 children die each day because of starvation. That is one child after every five seconds.

In an effort to combat hunger, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, both operated by Philippine Pizza Inc., donated over P1 million to the WFP on Jan. 29 in a ceremony held at Gateway Mall, Araneta Center.

The amount was for the benefit of young children who are pitted in the war-stricken area of Mindanao. The event was graced by Philippine Pizza Inc. chief operating officer Lars Peterson, WFP country director and representative Stephen Anderson, and Social Welfare Department Assistant Secretary Theresa Alano.

“We have been involved in this [program] for a couple of years now, our commitment is, we want this campaign to be the primary vehicle for our costumers, employees, and partners to give back in a way that will benefit people here in the Philippines,” Peterson enthused.

He furthered that the reason why Philippine Pizza Inc. is excited about the program is that unlike some other worldwide programs where the money collected is distributed to many countries, the campaign will benefit those who are in need here in the Philippines.

In coordination with Yum Brands, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell teamed up with United Nations World Food Programme, the world’s leading humanitarian hunger relief organization, to raise awareness and funds to help eradicate hunger. In a period of two months (from November to December), Pizza Hut and Taco Bell had collected an amount of P1.2 million through their 700 coin banks located inside and outside of 150 Pizza Hut and Taco Bell food outlets.

“Our commitment is to continue our partnership with the World Food Programme for many years to come. Our goal, just like the way we try to increase our sales every year, we will to try to increase our donation as well,” Peterson affirmed.

KC Concepcion, the face of the campaign against hunger in the country, was no show at the event. Nonetheless, the young actress who joined the campaign as the National Ambassador against Hunger for WFP-Philippines sent a text message through Anderson that was read before the press.

Her message stated that she wanted to express her sincerest appreciation on behalf of the children and families supported by WFP’s Food-for-Education activities that provide nutritious support during challenging times of conflict in Mindanao. The message also conveyed her apology for not being personally present to grace the momentous event. KC was said to be busy with her tight work schedule for her forthcoming movie.

WFP will use the donation to implement regular school-feeding activities that provide both a daily hot meal and a take- home family ration to 71,000 pupils in 427 schools in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.

“We are concentrating in Mindanao. We have always indicated that we could help the government to extend the program in a national setting. But for now, we don’t want to stretch ourselves so we could have a focus,” Anderson explained why WFP specifically indicated the people in Mindanao as the recipients of the donation.

According to Anderson the program in partnership with the Yum Brand started two years ago with a goal to increase awareness and raise critically needed fund to help feed poor children. In Mindanao alone, 60 percent of households have very poor access to food, while 30 percent take life-threatening risks to meet their daily food needs.

Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Rachelle Ann reaffirms the title ‘ultimate champion’

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

At the Music Museum on Jan. 31, Rachelle Ann Go held a coming-of-age performance as she brought down the house and showed the audience why she is called the “Ultimate Champion.”

Although it didn’t start right on time, the two-hour concert opened with a loud bang as Rachelle appeared at the center of the stage in a skimpy shorts singing “Womanizer,” “Supergirl,” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” After the bouncy opening number, the medley was then followed by Rachelle plugging a new album Falling In Love, which was coincidentally the same title of her second major solo concert.

As the plugging continued, she sang the carrier single of the album, “This Time I Will Be Sweeter,” and announced that the album was just officially launched on Asap a couple of weeks back. She sang two more samples from the latest album like covers of Bread’s “If” and Dennis Lambert’s “Of All the Things.”

Special guests

The second day of Rachelle’s solo concert was graced by artists who have always been supportive of her whenever she had a performance. Mark Bautista shared the stage with her and sang an unfamiliar song while Rachelle was at the backstage changing her wardrobe.

When Rachelle reappeared, she indulged the audience with a sexy performance singing Shontelle’s “T-shirt,” Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” and Pussycat Doll’s “I Hate This Part Right Here.”

One of the loudest cheers from the jam-packed Music Museum was for the appearance of Christian Bautista who collaborated with Rachelle in an awe-inspiring rendition of Beyoncé’s “If I Were A Boy.” Christian was singing, “If I were a girl.” Although it was obvious that the former lovers just did it for the show, the act clicked to the screaming audience.

Christian gave an entertaining performance while Rachelle was at the dressing room for another change outfit. The crooner serenaded the crowd with Joe Cocker hit “You Are So Beautiful” and another similar song popularized by Joshua Kadison (“Beautiful In My Eyes”).

While some people thought Christian was the big treat, Gab Valenciano blasted the stage in a production of Chris Brown’s chart topper “Superhuman.” After the dance number, that saw Rachelle and Gab in an intimate lifting stunts, Gab caressed the keyboard as her rumored girlfriend sang a love ditty.

Total performer

Proving that she is a versatile performer, every time she reappeared on stage she splashed elaborate production numbers complete with hippie and giddy choreography. She bounced her body and sang like she didn’t even catch her breath, and still pitch-perfect.

In the middle of the concert, the singer admitted that she lost her voice after the first day of the concert and that she was so thankful she got her voice back right before the concert’s final day. Ogie Alcasid, who was the last special guest, said that her vocal problem was not evident for she sang every song perfectly.

The singer songwriter covered Rachelle, who had her third costume change, and sang several of the songs he penned like “Kailangan Kita” and “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw.”

Songs of her life

For every costume change (a total of four costume changes) and whenever she reappeared on stage, Rachelle would always let the audience know the importance of every song she was about to sing. She performed classics that have been part of her life, contemporary music she enjoys listening to, songs that complete her day, and songs that have always been associated to her rise as a popular young diva.

She made heartwarming versions of Barbara Streisand’s “All I Ask of You” and a gospel song entitled “Jesus Loves Me.”

For every transition, she also shifted singing songs of different genres. From pop and R&B during the first parts of the concert, she geared toward singing music from the ’70s and ’80s like “September,” “A Night to Remember,” “I Love the Nightlife (Disco ‘Round),” “I Will Survive,” and “Let’s Dance (Tonight).”

For the finale, Rachelle sang the only Filipino song in the entire concert (except for the ones Alcasid performed) “Bakit.” Then it was followed by Mariah Carey’s “Through the Rain,” the ultimate song she sang during the finals of Search for a Star, and Melissa Manchester original “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” which was her first-ever known hit coming from the self-titled album that went double platinum.

Off on a tangent

The concert was supposed to be a pre-Valentine offering of Rachelle Ann Go. With the lineup of songs she performed, and the redundant spiels she dropped when she conversed with the audience, the concert just sounded like an outline or a gist of her career that spans over five years.

She certainly proved that her talent is a great delight to someone looking for an impressive entertainment experience but she needs more original materials and a couple more hits to bring her natural talent to a bigger venue like the Big Dome. If she did that, she will no longer have to ask support from other artists to back her up so her concert would draw more audiences.

Karylle finally finds her love

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

Last year, in the last three months particularly, Karylle was confronted with issues that put her at the center of attention. Who can forget the controversial smile that generated a lot of reactions from people who tried to ride on the bandwagon of her bittersweet moment?

Months after the much publicized breakup with longtime boyfriend Dingdong Dantes, Karylle revives and reinvents herself as an independent single lady. Well, she should thank Beyoncé’s song “Single Ladies” because it has been the mantra of her newfound image.

Endorsements, television series, movies, concerts, and albums, name it; she is becoming busier than ever. Indeed, she gets the sympathy of not just the public but of the entertainment industry as well. It’s just the upshot of what people see on her —a more determined artist.

Wearing a sangria colored dress, Karylle welcomed the press in an intimate launch at the Edsa Shangri-La on Jan. 28. Looking stunning, she greeted everyone with a vibrant smile.

Before the open forum started, she rendered a song entitled “Touch Me in the Morning” in a very engaging way, and just like what the song says, “We don’t have tomorrow but we had yesterday,” the 27-year-old singer-actress can now openly discuss her failed relationship without her going into a teary-eyed moment.

Karylle’s answers to the questions sounded more positive as if she has fully recovered from the heartbreaking experience. Although she claims that love is still there, and admits that Dingdong served as an inspiration to improve her craft, she could only hope that one day she could just brush it aside and laugh about the love affair she had with the actor.

“People have to hear it from your mouth, but it doesn’t stop there. Time will come that I could just talk about it, laugh about it, and there are no more tears,” Karylle said.

On Valentine’s Day, at the Lobby Lounge of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Karylle will pour her heart out and express deep emotions singing songs that will make people fall in love in a concert entitled The Magic of Love. She will be backed up by the band Reasons that has been working with her for more than a year now.

“I always feel that I have so much love to give, there’s a lot of love inside of me and I think it’s inherent among people. Instead of giving it to just one person, as an artist it’s good that you can share your love with your audience. That’s what I love about music, it’s one way to release all these love,” she explains on how to reconcile the title of her concert and her status as a single.

Moving on

As a woman and a determined artist who hurdles such tough moment in her life, she finds refuge in the people surrounding her. Her passion in music, meanwhile, serves as another outlet in which she can unleash all the emotions that she has been suppressing of late.

“There’s a certain connection that I feel now with my audience. People give me smiles or words of assurance or support. I see it in their eyes. They actually say certain things to me that help me at this time in my life,” Karylle related.

She reveals that Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret has helped her in realizing things that are happening in her life right now. The book gave her certain amount of optimism and taught her how to tap positive energies that could help keep her composure in the middle of difficult situations now that she is in the moving-on phase.

Finding another love is currently not her priority, “Besides nobody is courting me right now,” she says. There are men who flank her but most of them have stated their intentions and according to Karylle these are clear.

“A lot of people are befriending me. These people have clear intentions even the ones who are being linked to me right now,” she reveals pertaining to Jericho Rosales and Christian Bautista.

Karylle doesn’t mind being loveless. She mentions that she feels good that there are women and other friends who call her and send her text messages saying that they are singles, too.

“These are people who are not really close to me but we find time to bond with each other. I think somehow, it’s a good time to be single now that it is no longer a taboo word, not like, ‘Ay ang kawawa mo naman.’ I think we try to look at it on the positive side,” she says while throwing a beautiful smile.

Karylle’s Feb. 14 concert at the Edsa Shangri-La begins with a dinner at 7 p.m., the performance is at 8 p.m. For reservations to the romantic evening concert, call Edsa Shangri-La Hotel at 633-8888 local 2777.