Friday, August 15, 2008 Serna: 'For the First Time,' a potential hit By Roger Serna sounds & images
JUST like any other Cebuano who has been following the ongoing Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA) Season II and rooting for their fellow Cebuano, I still cannot figure out how on earth was PDA scholar Apple Abarquez dropped from the rooster by garnering a low percentage of text votes.
Had the vaunted Cebuano vote lost its strength this time? Or have the Cebuanos been remiss in supporting a talented and promising entertainer from their own ranks?
These and a few other questions still continue to haunt my memory, tsk-tsk!
***
Oh, the planned press conference and personal appearance of Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion in Cebu, which was originally scheduled on Aug. 16, will not materialize after all. This was what we gathered from promo diva Josie Pereyra of JSP Ads & Promotions.
The reason is: all the vacant time which the duo could have spent to promote their first team-up and KC’s debut movie, entitled For The First Time, have been eaten up by the shooting of remaining and additional scenes so that the movie can catch its play date, which is Aug. 27.
The Filipino movie-going public has shown that it is ever ready to support a good movie when it made the Sarah Geronimo-John Lloyd Cruz starrer, A Very Special Love, a box-office hit.
In order not to disappoint the same crowd, people behind For The First Time have left no stones unturned just to come up with a good product and to continue enjoying the support of Filipino moviegoers.
So, let’s expect another box-office hit this month.
***
Any way one looks at it, the recent founding anniversary celebration of the Province of Cebu was a tremendous success based on all indications.
One of its highlights and, in fact, was the culminating activity, the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival of Festivals, was met by a very warm and appreciative audience from the street dancing phase down to the ritual showdown.
All the participants gave their best so as to live up to the festival’s name of being the pride of Cebu. The contingents did lively, colorful, awesome and fantastic performances that for sure gave the judges a hard time to decide on which was the best among the rest.
At the end of the day (or shall I say, the start of a new day?), the winners were chosen. Congratulations to the Palawod Festival of Bantayan for winning the grand prize in the ritual with a whopping P1million prize.
Ditto to the Haladaya (Daanbantayan), Siloy (Alcoy), Ani-anihan (Tabuelan), Banig (Badian), Tostado (Santander), Sinamay (Carmen) and Soli-soli (San Francisco) festivals for winning the second to the eighth slots, respectively.
Cheers to the Haladaya for besting all the other 32 contingents and bagging the grand prize of P500,000. Likewise to the Sugat-Kabanhawan (Minglanilla), Utanon (Dalaguete), Siloy and Mantawi (Mandaue City) festivals for placing second to fifth places, respectively.
Declared best in andas was that of the Sinamay festival. The runners-up were Kinsan (Aloguinsan), Tubod (Tuboran), Banig and Utanon. The Banig fest was also adjudged best in costume.
***
Another feature of the week-long celebration is the ongoing sidewalk photo exhibit which draws the attention of pedestrians as well as the admiration of art connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike.
My good friend Cheryl Baldicantos had, if I’m not mistaken, three frames and the subjects, the composition, the color and all other aspects were awe-inspiring. Congrats, Che!
The same for those of the other participating photographers. Had the exhibit been a contest and I had been asked to judge, I would have turned down the invitation right then and there to avoid undergoing a migraine for such a tough job. Honest.
***
Lastly, allow me to extend my congratulations to two people who have played important roles in my time with the media, Sun.Star Cebu editor Atty. Pachico Seares for supporting me in my column writing and Cabinet Secretary Cerge Remonde for encouraging me to try radio broadcasting when he was still manager of dyLA.
They were among this year’s Garbo sa Sugbo awardees. More power to you, generous gentlemen!
