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A night filled with emotions as TOFA awardees reflect on their immigrant journeys
By Cristina DC Pastor “I left the room after my speech; I had to cry.” Avant-garde fashion designer Rocky Gathercole was heard saying to friends after the TOFA Awards at Carnegie Hall where he was among the 15 The Outstanding Filipinos in America for 2017. Accepting the award, Gathercole said he couldn’t believe he would […]
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In Woodside, live music thrives, makes Filipinos happy despite what’s happening in the world
By Mariel Padilla Eyes closed and microphone held to her lips, Joy Pascua belted out the last few words to the 1993 hit “Linger” during her sound check as the keyboardist, guitarist, drummer and bassist got in place behind her. Pascua, a middle-aged Filipina performer, sang alongside Arianne Aldecoa in Woodside, Queens, on a rainy […]
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Off-Broadway’s ‘Strings’ explores complex relationships between mothers and daughters
Actress Cristina Sebastian joins other foreign theater artists in creating the off-Broadway play called “Strings,” which will have its NYC premiere from October 4 to 8 at the Access Theatre in Tribeca. “Strings,” which explores the theme of mother-daughter relations, is written by Anna Rak and Palmyra Mattner, and directed by Kira Kull. The artistic […]
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Reality web series featuring a FilAm family debuts on YouTube
By Thomas Orlina Growing up in a Filipino American household, I was always exposed to parents working tirelessly for their family. My parents each worked two jobs and always emphasized to my siblings and I that hard work pays off. My father was a banker, and my mother a nurse. Mom wanted me to be […]
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Nerd culture goes global at Asia Pop Con
By Wendell Gaa “Revenge of the Nerds” was a cult film classic of the ‘80s, and one of my all-time favorite movies as a young pre-teenager growing up in Rockland County, New York. Back then, I was unfamiliar with the term “nerd.” After seeing the protagonists in their struggles to socially “fit in” and be […]
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Radical, pioneering creatives in this year’s TOFA (Part 3)
Rocky Gathercole’s inspiring story places him in two extreme points in life: From homeless kid to celebrity designer. His collections have hit the runways of New York and Los Angeles, and the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande have worn his luxurious gowns. He left home as he was coming of age […]
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This year’s TOFA honorees: Profiles in excellence (Part 2)
Assemblymember Rob Bonta was elected to the California State Assembly’s 18th District in 2012, where he represents the cities of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro as the first and only Filipino American legislator in the 165-year history of California. It was his parents who instilled in him at a very young age the concepts of […]
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‘Motherland,’ a documentary inside PHL’s busiest maternity hospital, screens in NYC Sept 8
Ramona Diaz’s documentary, “Motherland,” winner of World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Commanding Vision at Sundance, has been set for theatrical release beginning September 8th in New York at the Cinema Village. It will also open on September 22 in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Monica Film Center. “Motherland” takes viewers into the busiest […]
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GMA’s All-Star Videoke is back
Brace for a more fun-filled Sunday night as GMA Network brings back to Filipino homes All-Star Videoke with twice the fun and twice the excitement, beginning September 3. The grand return of the musical game show is hosted by the two of the network’s versatile artists: multi-talented actress and TV host Solenn Heussaff and funny […]