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At Miss Universe, Filipinos turn out for Gazini Ganados
By Lindy Rosales Chicago resident Antonette Jabilona came all the way from the Windy City to watch the Miss Universe competition in Atlanta. It has been some kind of a family tradition: watching the Miss Universe competition whenever it is held in the U.S. It began with Venus Raj (Miss Philippines 2010), Janine Tugonon (2012), […]
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A heartwarmer for the holidays
By Wendell Gaa When the now classic “Frozen” movie was released in 2013, the public embraced it with such heart and fervor that it became one of Disney’s finest contemporary animated fairy tale hits. It entered the pop cultural mindset to such an extent that children instantaneously became familiar with the story of Anna and […]
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Denise Kara: Big voice, big dreams
By Cristina DC Pastor Denise Kara Almario, like Shirley Temple before her decades ago, started singing when she was 2 years old. When her family realized she had this nascent singing talent coming out of her voice, Kara’s parents did what Shirley Temple’s parents had done: They encouraged her to continue singing and enrolled her […]
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U2’s Manila concert to feature Bino Realuyo’s poem ‘Filipineza’
Filipino American poet/novelist Bino A. Realuyo will be “participating” in a special way in U2’s much anticipated Joshua Tree 30th anniversary concert in Manila on December 11. The band plans to include poetry that expresses the experience of the country and has asked the poet Realuyo for permission to feature and project his poem “Filipineza” […]
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The Band of Brothers: Then and now
By Maricar CP Hampton Three siblings and a cousin. They make up The Band of Brothers, a durable Filipino boy band on the East Coast. Brothers Jose Lozano II (Pepe), 38; Gregorio Lozano Jr. (JJ), 34; and Juan Carlos Lozano (JC), 33; and cousin Nielson Manapat (Niel), 39, have been singing the songs from […]
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Filipino-H.K. opera ‘Mila’ premieres in New York on Dec. 7
Asia Society New York is hosting the North American premiere of the chamber opera “Mila,” about the plight of Hong Kong’s domestic workers that TIME Magazine called “quirky, quintessentially Hong Kong, and bold.” The performance will be sung in English, Cantonese and Tagalog. The hour-long opera features composer Eli Marshall, librettist Candace Chong, director Chu […]
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DJ SOSUPERSAM breaks cultural, career expectations
The new docuseries Intersections features SOSUPERSAM, a child of Filipino immigrants who overcame rock bottom and broke cultural expectations to become a world-renowned DJ, artist, and entrepreneur. Intersections is a NextDayBetter Original Series that explores the untold stories of who Filipinos are becoming across the diaspora. It is aired through The Filipino Channel. Samantha Duenas, who […]
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Camille de la Cruz, a rising star in Jersey
Camille de la Cruz loves to perform even when she was kid. It started in summer theater and ballet performances. At age 9, Camille de la Cruz was admitted to the Rockit Academy program in Red Bank, New Jersey. At Rockit, she was able to sing with legends the likes of Eddie Brigatti, Ricky Byrd, […]
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It’s over when the fat lady sings
By Luis H. Francia In Ramona Diaz’s 2003 eponymous film, there is a scene where the former first lady—still quite a looker—spends an inordinate amount of time drawing her cosmic views on a pad. But these are comic rather than cosmic, made up of New Age blather. Fond of circles, she fills page after page […]