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.

People to watch out for in 2009

By Billy Bong

In the world of entertainment, talent doesn’t always equal stardom. You have to have the look, that star quality that has made show business worldwide a merry go round . Whether you like it or not, your register on the screen makes all the impressions and the talent you have takes you to the spot where you could bask in fame and have all the other celebrities die in envy.

If you want to be recognized by your talent alone then it must be an extraordinary one otherwise people will scrutinize your physical attributes. What we are talking about is star quality as ticket to limelight.

Here are the five women we see to be most prominent darlings of showbiz in 2009 because of their star quality.

Kim Chiu

She has changed a lot since the first time she mesmerized the public by her appearance in a reality program. Kim welcomed the New Year with the loudest bang through her primetime series Tayong Dalawa that poses as a serious threat to any program that would challenge it.

She doesn’t need any kind of hype to stay in the public eye. Though people are not yet ready to see her being paired with a different actor other than Gerald Anderson, her current TV series itself is a litmus test if people would buy the idea of her being paired to a different leading man. Since no other actresses of her age come close to her popularity, with a strong fan base, Kim is definitely a superstar in the making.

Rhian Ramos

She’s nothing but an adorable young woman whose face is too beautiful to be ignored. She exudes a certain kind of appeal that naturally attracts both men and women. Despite of the strong primetime threat coming from GMA’s rival station, her series Lalola remains resilient and we can only attribute the series strong performance to the chemistry of the lead stars.

Rhian has her own numbers of followers and they are growing everytime her face appears on the boob tube and we have nothing more to say on the enormous waves she makes. Her strong presence is the result of the meticulous selection of projects given to her, and the way she delivers them in an almost perfect fashion.

Karylle

She is the biggest talk of the town before the year 2008 ended. Now she welcomes all of us with numerous surprises as a very sexy single lady. Concerts and television series are in bold letters in her time table this year and everyone is optimistic that she will accomplish them the way she made all the loud buzzes recently,

Her career is souring high and it’s just the beginning, let’s wait for more endorsements, new albums, television series, and movies. Yes, she’s going to be very busy this year and everyone can’t wait to see her appear on series of top projects being prepared for her.

Charice

If we would say she has overtaken Lea Salonga as the most popular Filipino artist in the international scene, we are not kidding and we are not just making this all up because  her massive exposures in the United States and other parts of the world won’t  lies.

Here in the Philippines , she has been selected as one of People Asia’s People of the Year for 2008, a feat no other artists of her age have achieved. If she’s not the biggest international Filipino artist as of this moment, no one else could claim the branding. We all know that she is overwhelmingly supported by Oprah Winfrey and David Foster. She is set to record an album in LA this February and hit maker David is at the helm of writing original material for her.

Christine Reyes

Her Eva Fonda outing has given her more outlets to showcase what she has got. And what she receives in return is something she never thought possible to be connected with her name, instant popularity and adoration among men and women.

Men consider her as an ultimate eye candy for her innocent colehiyala look and her oozing sex appeal drips like a sweet fruit juice when she sways her hips on Banana Split. Women on the other hand consider her as a strong person who withstood all the trials that confronted her (but of course that’s the image she portrays on TV). But actually, what we see from this beautiful woman is a brighter future and a more secured career now that she has distanced her self away (far away) from her sister Ara Mina.

-oOo-

We have given you the women, now let’s roll out the red carpet for the men.

While some young actors have kissed the death of their showbiz careers by acting in sleazy indie gay films, a more promising year awaits those chaps who have more than just pretty faces or sculpted body to offer. The following five men have a better career ahead of them because of the image they have portrayed through their initial public excursion.

Robi Domingo

His PMPC Star Awards’ Best New Male TV Personality of 2008 trophy is an affirmation, or a distinction that separates him among the group of new generation stars. As top-caliber actors start in their teens, Robi is just in a perfect timing. He personifies the word teen sensations for he doesn’t need to try hard to get those entire fans grab his elbow just to stay close to him.

Indeed, Robi is one of the hottest teen celebrities and that if he maintains the image he is known for, his career would lead to a rosier future.

JC de Vera

GMA’s drama prince is Lalola’s Facundo. He is being hailed as the next big thing or rather next in line to the networks bevy of A1 actors like Dingdong Dantes, Richard Gutierrez, and Dennis Trillio. Challenges have been given to him and his potential has been noticed.

His appearance on primetime as a lead actor is already a sign that he is being primed to be one of the best talents on this side of showbiz. His boyish good look is supported by his natural acting flair, and his chiseled physique just comes in as a bonus.

Akihiro Sato

He is currently the hottest property of local fashion and yet he is not a Filipino. This is very same reason why local male models have all the reasons to get envious of this Brazilian-Japanese mutt. Twenty-one-year-old Aki paved the way to other Brapanese models to dominate the local fashion scene.

After his modeling stint in Thailand where he received the same mammoth acceptance, Aki hit Manila by storm and appeared on TV commercials, sashayed fashion ramps and graced gigantic billboards. He is about to appear in an indie movie called Handuman, which also stars Jason Abalos and Chin Chin Gutierrez. This hunk is indeed a serious threat to many aspiring actors. By the way he’s taking Tagalog lessons in UP and he’s dead serious about it.

JC Tiuseco

Why not Fear Factor’s Manuel Chua or Ram Sagad, or the other castaways from the Survivor series? Super Manuel is too old to be a heartthrob, Ram can’t be another Zanjoe Marudo, and other castaways simply don’t have the star quality.

Richer by P3 million courtesy of course by Pinoy Survivor, JC has a great potential to break in to showbizness. Though he wants to be recognized as a wholesome celebrity, he still cannot get away from the image he was known for during his Survivor days. A clothing line has taken him as an image model, and he is now greeting early birds good morning in Unang Hirit. He’s off to a good start and we can still see something more from him.

Jason Abalos

People can see him in the afternoon in Pieta and in the evening in Eva Fonda. He is seen twice during weekdays and people still can’t get over him. No wonder Jason is fast becoming a hot property of the Kapamilya Network because of the overwhelming support coming from his fans and the recognitions he is receiving from critics.

Another television series, or perhaps another movie that will still display his dramatic flair and he could claim the title drama prince. We bet, no one else could come close and his Gawad Urian Best Actor trophy can absolutely support that claim.

The year that was

By Billy Bong

We posted this entry with the knowledge that 2008 is really over and that 2009 will be another year of ups and downs in the world of showbiz.

There are guaranteed facts in showbiz. People will rise, get famous and fade. Some of them might stay on top for a longer time but the cycle is irreversible. Top rating television series will become the past, box office records will be wiped out by a much better movie that will make cinematic history, stars will get married (Raymond Bagatsing married a sexagenarian), some will get pregnant (Angelika dela Cruz) but will not tie the knot (Vina Morales and Nancy Jane), more actors will undress for a magazine and for an indie flick (too many to mention), take drugs and go to the rehab (hard to mention), and some will breakthrough and glint in the limelight for a short moment.

The year 2008 was truly a cacophony of smiles and teardrops, and of victories and defeats. The ugly distortion of imitation of life in the world of entertainment however, defines what had happened in the year of hypes and intrigues.

Television

People witnessed sad goodbyes from Rudy Fernandez and Marky Cielo, but there were more intriguing and groundbreaking news that stirred local showbiz.

Marian Rivera

Angel Locsin already had her years as the primetime queen but O-eight was definitely the year of Marian Rivera. Before the meaningful smile of Karylle, who made a controversial station loyalty shift, Marian made waves (literally) by wearing the mythical tale of Dyesebel. It’s not just the most watched series, it’s even one of the shows on TV that resonated with great audience recall, and we are giving the consolation to Dyosa.

The hype of Marian even forced GMA Network and ABS CBN to saturate their programs with fantasy series. This could probably the reason why many Filipinos are contented with just dreaming in the broad day light because they are being bombarded by fictional images that did not even mobilize them to combat mediocrity.

As 2009 is being ushered by new a bevy of programs from the country’s giant television networks, the clamor for intelligent, appealing, and quality programs rises. They should do away with fantasy series, they must also stop reviving old movies and creating serialized versions, and most of all, as we draw 2009 with a safe knowledge that Kapuso and Kapamilya networks will showcase more localized versions of foreign television dramas, they should also think that network war also means battle for excellence and not just with who-makes-a-crappy program thing.

There are more competitions outside the country just like the Asian Television Awards. Rival networks must contemplate why they don’t get more awards from foreign award giving bodies. It’s obvious and we don’t have to rub it on the faces of the head honchos of these television networks; they are more consumed with raking huge profits rather than providing their viewers with top quality programs.

Movies

If many people thought that Marian Rivera is currently the hottest item in the world of Philippine entertainment, they should also check the statistics and not just the Neilsen’s ratings. One True Love, the film that also starred E! Entertainment 3rd Sexiest Man Alive Dingdong Dantes, was not able to secure a spot in the 2008 top-grossing local films.

Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd starrers in A Very Special Love under Star Cinema and Viva Films made history by raking P180 million in the box office. It’s only some millions behind all-time top-grosser Sukob.

It is still a year for Star Cinema because it had produced three movies that broke the 100 million peso mark. Sharon Cuneta’s Caregiver earned P139 million while her daughter’s launching film with Richard Gutierrez For the First Time posted P134 million gross at the box office.

While some of the films earned big, there were some that suffered big losses and failed to run for weeks at the movie houses. The country’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film of the 81st Academy Awards Ploning, APT Films’ animated film Urduja, and Viva Film’s sexy flick Torotot, were among the big flops in 2008.

In 2007, fifty movies were exhibited in commercial theaters. Truly, gone are the days when the Philippines was the world’s fourth largest movie producer. The local industry produced almost a hundred films in 1999, but due to crisis and other factors, production has decreased over the years.

Including the eight entries in the 34th Metro Manila Film Festival, Philippine Cinema has produced more or less forty films in 2008, and that also includes digital or independent films.

The number of independent movies has risen due to the advent of easy on the pocket video cameras, and to the eagerness of some novice filmmakers to make it in the mainstream. Whether people would agree or not, indies are not the salvation of deteriorating local movie industry. A total halt of independent film production however is not a suggestion because it’s still a good training ground to other artists, but people behind indies must also consider or should welcome the fact that indies don’t have an audience except some college students and gays who crave for sleazy flicks.

Independent filmmaking however is not the only source of rubbish flicks; we have seen all the film entries at the recently concluded 34th MMFF, and we will say this with conviction: Philippine movie industry is hopeless! Yes, Baler is one of the best local films we’ve seen in years, Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat put the Escalera brothers to their proper place, and Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elemtalia gave us a glimpse of what the future holds for Philippine animation, but the rest of the movies part of the film fest mirror how the quality of our movies has declined dramatically.

Music

Hate us or love us but we’re going to mention Marian Rivera for the nth time. Yes she released a dance album, and mind you people, the CD went platinum. Her compilation of dance remixes can be now part of the league of 2008 multi-platinum achievers like Sarah Geronimo, KC Concepcion, Sitti, Nina, Claire dela Fuente and Sharon Cuneta.

If Dingdong Dantes released an album we’re not sure if the album would fit the line-up that includes Spongecola, Bamboo, Martin Nievera, Jed Madela and Gary Valenciano. Novelties that are created for mass consumption proved that Willie Revillame was successful in his task to glamorize poverty on his show Wowowee because his album also went platinum.

Charice who dropped her surname Pempengco is still has to prove that she is not just an overnight YouTube sensation and a mascot during David Foster’s appearance on American shows. Her popularity must be translated to album sales first before we could adore her big voice that became her ticket to instant popularity.

When we talk about local music, Regine Velasquez must be present because she is the queen of the shouting sirens. Her album Low Key, an apt title because she can no longer belt high notes, turned gold after three days of release (current sales unknown). Her formula of doing covers still works but for the rest, we really don’t know.

As we beg music artists to stop doing revivals because they are just horrible distortion of classic music, we also ask them to produce masterpieces that could be instant classic. What contemporary song has become iconic and anthemic since the release of Pagdating ng Panahon, Noypi, and Hawak Kamay?

Since local artists failed to produce better music in 2008, we have seen foreign acts that answered why they sell better than our homegrown talents. International artists like Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Rihanna, The Click Five, James Blunt, and Avril Lavigne among many others, proved that raw music talent is not enough to make it big, technology is also an essential part of creating music that appeals to this generation of local music aficionados.

Yes, Filipino fans favor foreign acts that don’t do covers during their concerts, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that locals are eager to watch one-hit wonder foreign musicians who became famous decades ago and found their way here in the country to earn money because nobody talks about them in their country of origin.

New Year

Year 2008 was the year of many sorts and we can’t help but think that O-nine will nothing much of a difference. Maybe, many actors will still be haunted by controversies, another name will rise into superstardom, and Manny Pacquiao will have a new show and will be extra richer.

We bet, another actor will show some flesh in an indie movie, and another actress will wear nothing but her skin on a magazine cover, and another musician will bring back the old playlist.

Our energy shows no signs of slowing down and to kickoff 2009 with optimism and a prayer that everything would just turn out right, let’s call this year as the year after the hype of Marian Rivera or “the hype continues.”

Karylle’s Smile

Dogs open their mouths with their tongue hanging out, and they look like smiling. This picture is natural; we often see it on the streets. But Karylle is not a dog and what she threw, when asked by Boy Abunda if Marian Rivera was pregnant, was just a natural smile from a human being. It wasn’t a smile like that of Mona Lisa’s but according to some people it meant a lot.

Marian went ballistic over a smile, what else would her reaction be if it were a piercing look from a misty eye?

Wearing a beautiful smile is an accessory, but if only a smile could kill, this actress who wore the mythical tail of Dyesebel was already been skewered. Yes, she got hurt, “Na-offense [offend] po ako,” she sobbed.

It’s really unfair for this mestiza that she’s having the unnecessary publicities but she has to remember it is showbizness and people will do whatever it takes to create something to talk about (even a scripted smile). Reality bites and it hurts, but why does she have to be affected if there’s no truth to the scuttlebutt? Is it because she’s only human – weak and defenseless most especially when in front of a chiseled god?

Christian, Karylle, and Joanna sing Leonard Bernstein’s classic hits

By Nickie Wang / Manila Standard Today

Think of putting top-notch actors, talented and creative people, and a moving love story in one stunning venue like the Meralco Theater. What you get is a world-class stage production.

One of the most highly anticipated productions in the local performing arts is the Manila re-staging of West Side Story featuring Christian Bautista to play the lead role Tony, and Karylle and Joanna Ampil to share the plum role of Maria.

On Sept. 5, local production company Stages will raise the curtain at the Meralco Theater for the musical that transports the classic tale of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the turbulent streets of the Upper West Side in 1950s New York City.

West Side Story was first staged by Repertory Philippines in 1981, where Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, who now directs the musical, played the role of Maria while executive producer Audie Gemora played Riff.

The multi-million re-staging of this production also has Gerard Salonga leading the FILharmoniKA orchestra as musical director. Part of the creative and technical staff are Mio Infante (scenographer), John Batalla (lighting director), Bobbit Jacinto (sound designer) and Eric Pineda (costume designer).

Veteran theater actor Gemora is excited about the revival of this musical, which is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International in New York and will precede a new Broadway production in 2009.

“Anything live is spectacular, and the best thing about a theater version is that everything is well written. Staging West Side Story is also a challenge for us because we had to get actors who can both sing and dance. And this production is not just about living the essence of the story alone, it’s about the whole cast and the people behind it,” Gemora said.

Gemora is more than glad to have Joanna Ampil in the production. He said that having Joanna adds up a certain level of polish to the entire ensemble.

“We have a bunch of neophytes, but equally great actors. But when you put Joanna with the rest of them, she simply stands out,” he revealed.

Gemora related to Karylle as a joy in the musical while Christian as a talented actor who made dramatic improvement through proper training.

“Karylle is such a joy. She is very sweet and looks fitting for the role. She really looks like Maria. With her, there’s a certain demand vocally. She is used to doing pop so she had to be trained singing in soprano. While with Christian, he is really into it, we see his dedication and focus,” he added.

West End’s Joanna Ampil who left the country 16 years ago to star in the Sydney and London productions of Miss Saigon arrived in July for the rehearsals. She also shared her excitement for the role she is going play. When she heard the news that West Side Story is going to be staged here in Manila, she personally contacted Audie Gemora to audition.

The author and Joanna Ampil

“It’s always been my dream to perform with Filipino audience. That’s why when I perform abroad and there are Filipinos in the audience, I feel like I have an unspoken connection with them. I will never feel complete without performing here in my country and with Filipino of course,” Joanna shared her enthusiasm.

Christian Bautista, who Gemora believes is suited to play the lead role, underwent different trainings to prepare particularly for the role of Tony. Bautista considers his role in the West Side Story as a great learning experience and that it has transformed him into a versatile performer.

The author and Christian Bautista

“Well aside from vocal trainings, I started working out because I need to look big on stage. This is my first leading role in a stage production, and in a big venue, so I studied everything and focused on intense acting,” Asian pop heartthrob Christian explained.

According to Gemora, there is a great possibility of bringing the production on a tour in Asia next year. It all depends on the success of the show at the Meralco Theater that runs from Sept. 5 to Oct. 12.

Completing the stellar ensemble of West Side Story are Rowena Vilar, Pam G, Jake Macapagal, Jeff Singson, and Gian Magdangal, Jordan Aguilar, Marielle Alonzo, Jed Amihan, Rosanne Araneta, Earl Baer, April Luz Belarmino, Caissa Borromeo, Joanna Marie Cabrega, Red Concepcion, Napoleon Ching, Pom Decena, Carlos Deriada, Guji Lorenzana, John Philip Martir, Francis Matheu, Beth Munar, Michelle Murenec, Mikaela Padilla, Anthony Ong, Vinia Pamplona, Sam Prudenciando, Rizza Ribo, Bobby Superales, Jay-Anne Tensuan, Erwin Villanueva, Gerald Yranon, Noel Zabala, and theater veterans Richard Cunanan, James Paoleli, and Jaime del Mundo.

For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or Stages at 818-1111 local 225. Ticket prices range from P500 to P1,200.

West Side Story: Tony finds his Maria

By Nickie Wang /Manila Standard Today
10 July 2008

Finally, Tony has found his Maria.

This was announced recently by Stages, the production company that is mounting an all-Filipino cast of the Broadway classic West Side Story.

This musical offering, which will be staged at the Meralco Theater from September to October, is anchored by a strong ensemble headed by Christian Bautista, Karylle and London West End’s Joanna Ampil.

After rigid auditions that took two months, whose mix of aspirants emerged not only from the Philippines but also from other countries like Singapore, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Stages has finally completed the show’s cast of singers and dancers.

Crooner and Asap ’08 mainstay Christian is Tony while singer and host Karylle shares the plum role of Maria with London West End’s Joanna Ampil, who is currently playing Fantine in Les Miserables.

West Side Story is Joanna’s first musical theater assignment in Manila after 16 years of playing lead roles in London, which includes Kim in Miss Saigon, Eponine in Les Miserables, Mimi in Rent, to name a few. Joanna has agreed to share the role of Maria with Karylle because she has long wanted to perform for her countrymen who cannot easily afford to go to London to watch her in a musical.

Gerard Salonga leads the FILharmoniKA orchestra as musical director. Audie Gemora wears the hat as executive producer while Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo steps in as a first-time stage director. Interestingly, West Side Story was originally staged in Manila in 1982 with Gemora as Riff and Lauchengco-Yulo as Maria.

“This musical is a classic. Some people, most especially the young ones don’t know the story and they tend to get out of the theater because they cannot relate. So the challenge now is to make it contemporary that’s why we would like to thank the people who agreed to share their talent here,” Gemora told the media during the press conference for the musical.

West Side Story is the third major musical production of Stages after Footloose in 2005 and High School Musical On Stage in 2007.

The story in New York’s West Side

West Side Story is an energetic, melodramatic musical, a modern-day retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Instead of feuding families in Verona, the conflict is between rival street gangs in the Upper West Side of New York City.

Young Tony who belongs to an American gang in Manhattan, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of a rival Puerto Rican gang. Things are looking good for the young lovers in the beginning, but when Tony accidentally kills Maria’s brother while trying to break up a rumble, violence erupts.
West Side Story is one of the best musicals of all time with music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It has many show-stopping numbers and songs that have become classics, like “Somewhere,” “Tonight,” “One Hand One Heart,” “ America,” and “Something’s Coming.”

Network rivalry on hold

Just like the story of this theater musical, Christian and Karylle belong to different worlds: Christian is Kapamilya, while Karylle is Kapuso (even if her mom, Zsa Zsa Padilla, is a card-bearing Kapamilya). The two singers said that they are not involved in the ongoing network war, they are merely talents in their respective stations.

“There’s a mutual support. We don’t really feel pressured because there’s a lot of excitement all around,” Pinoy Idol Extra host Karylle said before the press. Karylle, who has to sing in soprano, has been undergoing voice lessons with Pinoy Dream Academy mentor Kitchie Molina.

Christian, who is trying to bring his Josh Groban style particularly for his role as Tony, said that he wants to work with different people and that they don’t feel the rivalry as they help each other out.
“It is a rare situation for rival Philippine TV stations ABS-CBN and GMA-7 to be very enthusiastic towards a major musical project. Both networks have actually laid out their respective plans on how to maximize support for Christian and Karylle. GMA-7 is even lending Gian Magdangal of SOP Rules to play Riff to Christian’s Tony,” said Carlo Orosa, Stages marketing director for the musical.