Roger Serna
Sounds and images
AS expected, the Sinulog festival turned out to be a really star-studded occasion. Movie and TV stars were almost in every big happening around the metropolis.
Then in the grand parade, they were either on board floats or were merely walking in areas along the parade route. Stargazers and fans alike had a field day taking photos and posing with the entertainment personalities, more often than not, they only see on TV or the wide screen.
***
Covering the entertainment beat gave me the chance to be in some shows last week. Despite having been held one week before the fiesta proper, the Pops Fernandez-Martin Nievera show gathered the most number of audience.
The rest of the shows also drew their respective viewers, but they had to compete with other events that had the same schedule in some other venue. That eventually became a good entertainment menu that concert-goers could choose from.
Martin and Pops still weave magic together onstage with their songs, and still tease the public with the adlibs that relate to their failed relationship. The crowd lapped up the lines that hinted on a possible reconciliation. Of course, those were just for show.
It was clear that Martin carried the show with his voice and style. While Pops was able to level up with Martin, she sometimes went off key. Her biggest blunder, though, was wearing gowns that limited her movement while singing fast songs.
Martin even joked about her wardrobe when she failed to get back to the stage after going down on the ramp which was a few steps lower. Besides, Martin and their sons Robin and Ram, who jammed with their parents, were in denims which did not compliment with her gown.
Robin and Ram showed they inherited their parents’ musical genes. It was such a pretty picture watching them perform with their parents.
***
Vina Morales’s homecoming concert, which formed the second part of the 30th Cebu Pop Music Festival, was a big hit among the viewers both young and not-so-young-anymore.
Vina carefully made her repertoire so as to please most of those who went to see her. For once, she debunked earlier perception that she had earlier denied being a Cebuana by speaking Cebuano in her adlibs.
Even younger writers were amazed at how well she still speaks the language despite having been away for some time already.
(She is still so Bisdak or Bisayang dako, meaning that she has not lost her Cebuano soul.) “Mag-Binisaya mi tanan sa balay, oy.
Si Shaina ray mabaligya kay di man makasultig Binisaya pero makasabot siya,” Vina said, stressing the point in an earlier presscon.
A rearranged version of her grand prize winning song Paglaum earned a standing ovation from the audience led by Cong. Eddie Gullas. A lawyer-friend intimated that Vina’s show was even better than Lea Salonga’s. In fairness, I did not see Lea’s show.
***
The Cebu media and the Cebuano populace in general got the shock of their lives when news broke out that Press Secretary Cerge Remonde passed away last Tuesday morning.
Text messages flew and reactions were aired in various radio stations, narrating how the generous former-mediaman-turned-public-servant touched their lives.
I also have my story to share. It was Cerge who encouraged me to try broadcasting despite knowing that I had no background and training. My hesitation was the fear of not knowing how to handle the controls in the booth.
He said then that it can be learned easily. What’s important was that I had something sensible to say on air.
I then went on to handle an entertainment program (with good friend Gloria Sua-Villarojo) on dyLA and that lasted six years.
Changing the day and time slot of our program made us leave broadcasting (just temporarily, I hope) with reluctance.
In the Cebu Pop last Friday, Cerge greeted me upon descending from the stage after being called by Cong. Gullas to join him in a portion of the show.
Cerge, may your soul rest in peace in a place where worries, sadness, tensions, sickness and anything negative don’t exist.