Showbits

• Balik showbiz si Lipa Mayor Vilma Santos dahil bukod sa pelikula nitong Dekada 70 na baka isali sa 2002 Metro Manila Film Festival ay magkakaroon ito ng musical special sa ABS-CBN sa darating na enero. Magkakaroon din raw siya ng isang dramedy drama/comedy) na ipapalabas pa rin sa nasabing istasyon sa susunod na taon.
• "Fastest Asian rising star" ang tawag ngayon kay Ladine Roxas dahil sa kanyang unang international album na ini-launch ng Candid Records sa London, Spain, Ireland, Germany, France at Monaco. Si Ladine ang ka-una-unahang Pilipina na binigyan ng break ng nasabing record producer na base sa UK. Siya ay may 3-year, 3-album na kontrata rito.
• Nanalo ang "Batang Westside" ng best picture award sa Brussels Internatiopnal Film Festival. Nanalo rin bilang best actors sina Yul Servo at Joel Torre.
• Napalitan na rin ang kontrobersiyal na dating MTRCB Chief na si Marilen Dinglasan. Ang bagong chief ay si Dennis Manicad na isang abugado, manunulat at dating law professor ng Manuel L. Quezon University. Dati na siyang miyembro ng MTRCB Board noong 1992.
• Buntis na rin si Jessa Zaragoza matapos ang dalawang taong paghihintay nila ng asawang si Dingdong Avanzado. Preggy na rin ulit ang talent manager na si Jessica Rodriguez sa asawa nitong si David Bunevacz. Kung natatandaan niyo pa ay nalaglag kamakailan ang ipinagbubuntis nito. Isa pang buntis ay si Melanie Marquez sa asawa nitong abugadong Amerikano.
• Hiwalay na si Ian de Leon sa asawa nitong si Issa Vicente na isang modelo. Wala silang naging anak sa sandaling pagsasama nila.
• Nanganak na ang non-showbiz girlfriend ni Jao Mapa. Baby boy ito at ipinangalanan nilang Benjamin. Samantala ay nanganak naman ng baby girl ang katorse anyos na nagsampa ng kasong rape at child abuse laban kay Dennis da Silva. Hanggang ngayon ay itinatanggi pa rin ito ni Dennis dahil may relasyon daw sila nitong anak ng kanyang ka-live-in partner.
• Napili si Dingdong Dantes bilang Youth Envoy ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Siya ang magiging modelo ng DENR sa mga public information at awareness campaigns nito.
• Nagkabalikan na raw si Geneva Cruz at KC Montero. Samantala ay kompirmado naman ang pagkakabalikan nina Dayanara Torres at Marc Anthony matapos ang tatlong buwang paghihiwalay.
• Isang babaeng director ang sinasabing "honey" ni Ai-ai delas Alas ngayon.
• Si Tin-tin Arnaldo na isang reporter ng ABS-CBN ang sinasabing bagong gf ni Jomari Yllana ngayon.
• Sikat na sikat sa bansa ang mga Sex Bomb Girls na sina Florentina Ibarra, Evette Pabalan, Monica Ichban, Charizza Ann Trazona, Diofanny "Jopay" Paguia at Rochelle Pangilinan. Una silang nakilala sa Eat Bulaga bilang mga Sexbomb Dancers. Ngayon ay mga Sexbomb singers na rin sila dahil naging matagumpay ang una nilang album na "Unang Putok" dahil sa hit songs nilang "Bakit Papa?", "Venus" at "Pretty Little Baby". Meron na rin silang Christmas album. Ganap na rin silang artista dahil palabas na ang kanilang pelikulang "Bakit Papa?".
• Inaresto kamakailan si Rollie Quizon dahil nahuli itong nag-sha-shabu ng mga pulis. Itinanggi nito ang akusasyon at sinabing dumaan lang daw siya sa bahay ng pusher ng dumating ang mga pulis. Nakalaya ito pansamantala dahil nagbayad ng piyansa. Pero ayon kay Dolphy, mas gusto nitong magpa-rehab na lang si Rollie kung sakaling totoong nag-dru-drugs ito.? *

Echo Cheng, Taiwan's jazz queen

by Hideo Kawakami

JAZZ AS A GENRE OF ADULT CITY music has gained popularity in Singapore, Hongkong, Thailand, Philippines and South Korea. Even in Taiwan, said to be 20 years behind Japan in terms of proliferation of this type of music, the phenomenon of female jazz vocal boom has been noted to be silently creating a stir.

The catalyst for this can be traced two years back since the summer of 2000 with the surge in popularity of the local midnight TV program entitled The Very Jazz and the rise of Echo Cheng, the personality I am now going to introduce to you. Born in 1959 in the industrial and commercial heartland of Taiwan, Cheng is an avid follower of Nat King Cole and the fusion singer Rola Figi from Holland.

A graduate of American literature at the famous Togo University, majoring in English and Spanish, she has also passed the qualification exams for flight attendants at the China Airlines. But unable to forget her first love, she made a rather late start in her music career with a pop music debut in 1984.

Never Ending Love, her debut slow ballad album, was penned by Won Sho Rin, then the reigning producer in Taiwanese show business. Riding on the crest of folksong boom, this album silently brought her recognition to a wider audience.

At about that time, I had a chance to interview her at a hotel in Taipei. Mirthfully, she told me, "My vocal key is very low. That is why, when one listens to my song, one is slowly lulled into sleep as he feels relief from the noise on Taiwan's streets and frustrations of city life. I was told by everyone that my music is an effective sleeping pill."

Four years later in 1988, she released an album entitled The Favorite Songs of Chinese that was arranged fusion-style using as raw materials popular Chinese songs familiar to everyone. Becoming a smash hit, it opened up the road to stardom for her. Because of this success, she was able to perform in overseas venues like Singapore and the Philippines. Then in 2000, she cut her sixth album released in Malaysia, which also indirectly revived her TV career in Taiwan. Cheng's mature mellow vocalization was given credit for the plaudits she received in popularizing folksongs, jazz and standards.

Last summer, when I met her in Taiwan after three years, I learned that she was studying to get a pharmaceutical license for traditional Chinese medicine. I am sure that the unusual relationship between Chinese medicine and jazz will continue to keep her on the mind of her adoring fans. (Translated from Japanese by Benigno D. Tutor, Jr.) *

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