Jolina Dolls for Christmas

Curtain-raisers:

• Somewhere in this section you will find a press release (and maybe an ad) on the re-issue of the controversial Priscilla Almeda skin flick Sutla which was first shown two years ago, generating a nation-wide issue that prompted the honorable gentlemen of the Senate to conduct a "probe" (in aid of legislation, you know). Sutla was supposed to open last Wednesday but it didn’t, making thousands who flocked to the theaters sigh with disappointment. A Funfare DPA said that Executive Secretary Bert Romulo, on behalf of Malacañang, asked the MTRCB to "ban" the Sutla re-showing, so that’s it.

• Speaking of the MTRCB, could it be true that the group which reviewed the recently-shown The Score (topbilling Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro) almost "X-ed" it due to, ahem, "lack of redeeming social value" (the bank thieves got away with it, you see)? The reviewers even suggested to have an "epilogue" placed at the end of the movie, something like "The bank thieves were later arrested and thrown into jail." Now, now, now, that isn’t funny, is it? That’s tampering with a cinematic work and totally changing the story/plot.

• Reacting to a Funfare story the other day, Regine Velasquez said that she doesn’t have any plans to leave GMA (as co-host of the Sunday show S.O.P.) and to move over to rival channel ABS-CBN. But the Funfare DPA insisted that he saw Regine recently in a "serious" meeting with ABS-CBN bigwigs. Also, Regine denied that she and younger sister Cacai are in a package deal. O, sige. Kung hindi, e, di hindi.

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Have you ever wondered what they would say if the Jolina Dolls, marketed by Jolina Magdangal’s family’s own company, could talk? Would they reveal the "mystery" man in Jolina’s love life (I have an idea but I won’t tell you just yet)? Would the Jolina Dolls lash back at Jolina’s critics and give them a dose of their own medicine?

I was among those who received a complimentary piece of the Jolina Doll (which I passed on to my favorite inaanak as an early Christmas gift, so precious that she has been going to bed with it) and I turned and twisted it, twisted and turned it, but the doll didn’t speak a word. Instead, when I turned on the batteries (included in the package) for my inaanak, the Jolina Doll started singing (would you believe!?!) the Jolina Magdangal hit Laging Tapat, sounding perfectly like Jolina.

According to Jolina’s dad Jun Magdangal, the choice of Laging Tapat is very appropriate because it helped Jolina’s album become a quintuple platinum record (more than 200,000 copies sold – and still selling! – not only in the Philippines but also abroad).

The singing doll is a fitting recognition of Jolina’s musical achievements. From her first Best in Music Award received during her elementary days, Jolina has garnered more than 25 awards and recognitions in the field of music. She is also one of the most sought-after concert artists not only in the Philippines but also in Asia and the US.

The Singing Jolina Dolls, which are nice Christmas gifts, are popularly priced at P399.75 each and are available in six different costumes. You can buy them at Jolina’s Fashion Gallery stores, all SM Department Stores, Toy Kingdom, Rustan’s, Robinsons Department Stores, Ever Gotesco, Value Point Superstores, Kidz Station, Toy Town and other leading department stores nationwide.

South Border proves its mettle

When the South Border, managed by Cesar Buendia (a "heavyweight" in his own right) planned to mount a concert at the old ULTRA early this year, the group wasn’t sure if they could fill up the venue (capacity: 35,000). That’s why when they finally performed before a crowd of more than 27,000 last Nov. 30, the six members were jumping onstage not only to the beat of their music (which prompted the audience to swing and sway with the SB guys) but also to express their disbelief.

"Parang suntok sa buwan ang ginawa namin," said Cesar who directed the concert entitled The Way We Do. "Three hours before the show, we sat wondering as we surveyed the empty venue, ‘Mapuno kaya natin ito?’ As concert enthusiasts began filling up the cordoned-off area, we could hardly believe our eyes."

Asked where the South Border appeal was coming from, Cesar surmised that it’s the members being masa.

"The SB members are from the grassroots, hindi sila mayaman," added Cesar, "so they know how to cater to the masa taste."

Luke Mejares (the vocalist who replaced Brix Ferraris) comes from humble beginnings in Bohol, and so do Tata Balane, Jay Durias, Butch Victoriano and Paul Benitez. Most of them are from Davao where the South Border was formed.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the South Border which suffered a slump three years ago when Brix left the group to embark on a solo career. "The members told me, ‘Okay lang maghirap uli tayo, basta we’d stick to each other,’" recalled Cesar. "It took us six months to recover."

It turned out that Luke was better than the one he replaced, as shown now by the excitement he creates even when he’s performing solo (usually on ABS-CBN’s Sunday show A.S.A.P.) Cesar pointed out that Luke enjoys a big edge over Brix. "They are both good singers," said Cesar, "but Luke has an advantage because, 1) mahusay siyang sumayaw, 2) mabait siya, and 3) malakas ang kanyang sex appeal."

(Note: The Way We Do will be shown as a TV special tomorrow night, 9 to 11, on IBC 13. Watch it.)