Nyoy goes all out as Whitney Houston on 'Your Face'

MANILA -- Singer Nyoy Volante once again turned into a woman, this time as award-winning diva Whitney Houston for his "Your Face Sounds Familiar" grand performance night on Saturday at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at the Resorts World Manila.

Volante performed the iconic song "I Will Always Love You."

"Nyoy, wow. Binanggit ng coach kanina, you got to pull it off. You pulled it off from the very beginning. Sa umpisa pa lang, paglabas na paglabas mo pa lang, sa very first note pa lang, parang, wow, it's Whitney Houston. Tapos you are not just a professional. You are an excellent professional. 'Yung ginawa mo tonight is courageous, and you did it in an excellent way," Gary Valenciano told Volante.

"Well, Nyoy, from week one until now, isa lang ang masasabi ko sa'yo, sobra kang consistent sa lahat ng mga performances mo. You put your heart and soul in every performance, talagang nafi-feel namin na kina-career mo lahat ng performances mo. Magaling kang entertainer, you are an excellent, excellent performer, excellent entertainer. And, alam mo, with this performance, you placed an exclamation point to tonight's show, na tapos na ang show. 'Yun na 'yun," Jed Madela added.

"Nyoy, there is really nothing you cannot do. I am so moved because I can only see what's coming your way. Ngayon na nakita na nang buong mundo na kaya mo palang gawin lahat, kayo namang apat eh. Pero itong final four, nakakatakot kayo. I see such a bright future for you," Sharon Cuneta said.

The grand winner of the competition will be announced tomorrow, Sunday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Rude' hitmaker is coming to Manila

MANILA - Canadian band Magic! is bringing their summer hit "Rude" to Manila this October.

In an announcement made on Saturday, local promoter Wilbros Live revealed that the group will hold a concert at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.

Tickets for the October 22 show will be on sale beginning Friday, September 19, via TicketWorld.

Magic!, who skyrocketed to the top of the charts with Rude, is a group composed of songwriter and record producer Nasri, Mark Pellizzer, Alex Tanas and Ben Spivak.

Their debut album, "Don't Kill The Magic," was released on June 30 and peaked at number 6 of the U.S. Billboard Charts.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Resorts World to hold auditions for 'Cinderella'

MANILA, Philippines – Resorts World Manila is now preparing for its next big musical as it looks for performers who can portray the roles of the major characters of “Cinderella.”

Auditions for the lead roles and ensemble of “Cinderella” will be held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 4 and 5. Registration starts at 8 a.m., with the cut-off time at 3 p.m.

Those who want to get the role of Cinderella should be 18 to 25 years old and be able to sing “In My Own Little Corner,” while Prince Christopher hopefuls should be aged 20 to 30 and can perform “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful.”

Applicants for the Fairy Godmother role should be aged 35 to their late 40s and practice the song “Impossible.” Those who want to be the Stepmother should also be in the same age range and be able to sing “A Lovely Night.”

Other roles open for auditions include the stepsisters Joy and Grace (aged 19 to 30 and can sing “Stepsisters’ Lament”), steward Lionel (aged 25 to 40 and can sing “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful”),  and the King and Queen (all ages).

The first callback will be on March 6.

Meanwhile, online auditions for the role of Cinderella will also be held until midnight of March 10. Applicants may upload videos of them performing a song from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” on YouTube, download an audition form and e-mail the link to the video and the completed form to cinderella@rwmanila.com.

The applicants must be female, at least 5-foot-4 in height, and between 18 to 25 years old. Those chosen in the online application will receive an e-mail and a phone call to schedule a live audition on March 13.

For more information about the auditions, visit the Cinderella Manila Facebook page.

This is not the first time the musical will be staged in Manila. In 2008, Tony Award winner Lea Salonga played the title role in the musical, which was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, as part of an international tour.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

British jazz band Acoustic Alchemy to perform in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - British contemporary jazz band Acoustic Alchemy and other world-class musicians will perform next week at the ABS-CBN Jazz Gala, which is part of the annual Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival (PI Jazzfest).

The gala will be held on February 24 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

For 25 years, Acoustic Alchemy has embraced a spectrum of musical styles, from straight-ahead jazz to folk and rock.

"For a lot of people, instrumental music is just a sound that plays in the background," said guitarist Greg Carmichael. "But we put a lot into it -- not just with this record but with every record we've ever made.

"I'd like to think that after all these years, we've learned how to take people on a journey. A lot of our fans have said that we do that for them. As long as they keep coming back, and as long as they want to stay on that journey, we'll keep doing what we're doing," he added.

Acoustic Alchemy's newest recording is "Roseland," which took four years to create.

Meanwhile, other musicians who are part of the ABS-CBN Jazz Gala include Yaron Gottfried, and Israeli conductor who bridges classical, contemporary and jazz; and Filipino-American Charmaine Clamor, who was cited as "a gifted vocalist" and "one of the most important and original new jazz singers of the decade" by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, respectively.

Also set to perform are Dave Eggar, and Filipinos Tateng Katindig and Abe Lagrimas.

The PI Jazzfest, which will run until February 29, is considered this year's biggest gathering of local and international artists.

Tickets for the PI Jazzfest are sold in all Ticketnet outlets nationwide. For inquiries, log on to www.pijazzfest.com or e-mail pijazz@gmail.com.

source: abs-cbnnews.com