Philippine Showbiz Today Vol 12 No 8 | Page 24

24 Philippine Showbiz Today

24 Philippine Showbiz Today

April 22 - May 7 , 2017

Sulong Dugong Pinoy : Concert for a worthy cause

A diverse roster of acts comprised by Sarah Geronimo , The Dawn and The Juans headlined a concert advocating blood health just before the most recent long weekend break .
SM Mall of Asia Music Hall was packed that night , with crowds occupying not only the areas near the stage but also the first and second floors of the malls to catch a glimpse of the performers .
The Juans , composed of Carl Guevarra ( vocals / keyboard ), Japs Mendoza ( vocalist / guitar ), Jiad Arroyo ( guitar / backup vocals ), Jason De Mesa ( bass / backup vocals ), and Daniel Grospe ( drums / vocals ) opened the show with a cover of 5 Seconds of Summer ’ s “ She Looks So Perfect ,” followed by their original song “ Binibini Sa MRT .”
More covers followed , with the Juans doing Bruno Mars ’ “ Versace On The Floor ,” Ed Sheeran ’ s “ Shape Of You ” and Walk The Moon ’ s “ Shut Up And Dance .”
As great as The Juans performance was , it only served as precursor to even bigger things with legendary band The Dawn , composed of JB Leonor ( drums ), Rommel “ Sancho ” Sanchez and Francis “ Kiko ” Reyes ( guitars ),
Mon Legaspi ( bass ), and lead vocalist , Jett Pangan , rocking the crowd even harder starting with their original song “ Iisang Bangka ,” followed by U2 ’ s “ Beautiful Day .”
The crowd reacted loudly to “ Enveloped Ideas ,” even with the band mashing it up with Tropical Depression ’ s “ Bilog Na Naman Ang Buwan ” and “ Kapayapaan .” They continued their set with a rocking version of The Killers ’ “ Mr . Brightside ,” followed by their enduring original “ Salamat ,” which had the crowd singing along . Jett even inserted a few lines from The Chainsmokers ’ “ Don ’ t Let Me Down ” into “ Salamat ” for good measure .
Then came the Pop Princess ’ turn . Squeals and shrieks filled the hall as Sarah sang the contemporary R & B “ Tala ” followed by “ Kilometro .” She also rendered the campaign anthem , “ Nasa Dugo Mo ,” amid showers of matching red and white confetti .
The concert , titled “ Sulong Dugong Pinoy ,” was made possible by Sangobion ’ s Merck Consumer Health , with the support of the Philippine Red Cross . Pre-show activities include educational and fun games . There was also free consultation and blood test . ●
- Stephanie Marie Bernardino , MB
Benefit concert at the MOA was headlined by Sarah Geronimo , Jet Pangan and The Dawn ( above ), with new band called The Juans ( below )

Anatalia Villaranda gets the boot on The Voice US

Filipino-American singer Anatalia Villaranda ’ s journey in the 12th season of the American reality talent show “ The Voice US ” has come to an end .
The 16-year-old did well performing Ben E . King ’ s “ Stand By Me ” on the first night of the Live Playoffs but it was not enough to get her to the next round .
She could have been saved by the public , her coach Alicia Keys , and the Instant Save feature of the show , but unfortunately , the singer failed to muster sufficient support .
A day after the performance , Alicia immediately tweeted well wishes for the eliminated members of her team , which apart from Anatalia , include Ashley Levin and Jack Cassidy .
“ I could not be prouder of @ anatalia _ v , @ ashley _ levin _, and @ jackgcassidy ! Can ’ t wait to see big things from you ,” she posted .
Yesterday , April 18 , Anatalia posted a series of photos of her on the set of “ The Voice US ,” captioning it with “ From the first time on the voice stage to the last time …”
“ Being a part of Season 12 of The Voice has been an incredible experience ! I had the time of my life and enjoyed every minute with my coach Alicia , fellow contestants , and all of the friendly faces I encountered every day from wardrobe , vocal lessons , home schooling , and each and every person who helps this show be the success it is ,” she added .
“ I feel like I ’ m still walking in a dream with all I ’ ve learned and everything I ’ ve walked away with . I don ’ t know what the future holds , but I do know I ’ m not the same young woman who walked on stage to sing a Bruno Mars song scared to know if even a single chair would turn .”
She really believes “ this really is just the beginning of my journey – with my whole life ahead of me – because I still have a dream to pursue !
“ As this chapter closes , I ’ m taking away all of my amazing memories with a grateful heart to everyone who has loved me and supported me all the way !”
In the end of her caption she thanked all of her fans , saying : “ It wasn ’ t easy to have the courage to fight for my spot in Top 20 , but We did it ! Thank you for all of your support , kind words , encouragement , and motivation ! Thanks for keeping me in your prayers ! And lastly , thanks for making # TeamAnatalia a force to be reckoned with ! Sincerely , Anatalia V .”
The teenaged girl from Temecula , California was a fourchair turner during the blind auditions .
Prior to this , Anatalia , who was born in the US to Filipino parents , auditioned for the final season of “ American Idol ” but failed to make the grade .
Back in February 2016 , she confirmed her nationality with “ The Voice US ,” fans , tweeting : “ My mom is from Bacolod and my dad is from Manila ! Thanks for your support !”
Anatalia began pursuing music at age 10 . At 11 , she joined an R & B / pop group called 5LP ( Five Little Princesses ) which participated in Nickelodeon summer mall tours .
The three remaining artists who will represent Team Alicia in the succeeding live shows are Chris Blue , Vanessa Ferguson and Stephanie Rice . ●
- Stephanie Marie Bernardino , MB