How Regine got into Alicia’s show

One of the highlights of Alicia Keys’ Set The World On Fire Tour Monday night at the MOA Arena was her “surprise” duet with Regine Velasquez which drew a resounding applause from the audience.

How did Regine get into the concert?

According to a Funfare DPA, Alicia heard about (or did she see?) Regine singing her (Alicia’s) song If I Ain’t Got You on YouTube and she loved it, so impressed with Regine’s rendition was Alicia that when friends broached the idea of having Regine guest on her show, she readily said yes.

And their duet of that song went wild with the audience who was caught by surprise. Apl.de.ap also guested on the show on a duet with Alicia of the Black Eyed Peas song Where Is The Love.

Alicia and Regine met earlier that day during the rehearsal so they were relaxed during their number.

The “Girl on Fire,” as Alicia has become known because of her hit song (same title), has easily won the hearts of Filipinos with her being down-to-earth. From Macau where she had a show at The Venetian and after watching the Pacquiao-Rios fight Sunday morning in the same venue, Alicia and her little son took an afternoon flight to Manila.

“She was also in Economy Class with me,” said Rica Maceda (Marichu Maceda’s daughter-in-law). “She was assigned my seat so I was reseated at the back row. She impressed me as very humble, no airs at all. I wanted to have a picture with her but her handler politely said no.”

In an exclusive phone interview with Funfare last Friday, Alicia expressed sympathy for the victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda. Ironically, her arrival in Manila was always preceded by a calamity. When last Alicia was here, Metro Manila was just recovering from a big flood.

Without fanfare, first thing Alicia did the day after her arrival was visit the evacuees at Villamor Airbase and distributed crayons and coloring books among the kids. “That’s part of Alicia’s outreach program,” said Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions, producer of Alicia’s concert.

“Music has a way of lifting people’s spirit,” Alicia told The STAR in a phone interview. “That’s what I’m going to do for the Filipino people.”

Don’t you wish all stars, whether local or foreign, were as kind-hearted and as genuinely sincere as Alicia Keys?

The New Jewel Attraction of Miss Earth 2013

Aside from the 90 gorgeous delegates vying for the coveted crown of Miss Earth 2013 (currently worn by Teresa Fajksova of Czech Republic), another attraction is the introduction of three brand-new crown jewels to be awarded to three runners-up — Miss Air, Miss Water and Miss Fire.

The crowns will complement the existing Miss Earth Crown introduced last 2009 by noted Filipina jeweler Ramona Haar who is based in Florida, USA. The Miss Earth Crown has become a symbol of unpolished pulchritude and enduring advocacy through the years. It features various gemstones endemic to the countries participating in Miss Earth Pageant which they donated as a symbol of cooperation towards a universal goal of saving Mother Earth.

“I’m always proud of the talent and ingenuity of our Filipino craftsmen, which can very well compete and even be at par with that of other countries, it’s always been my advocacy to promote and showcase our innate creativity, that’s why this year, I’ve decided to conceptualize and design brand-new elemental crowns for Miss Earth Court of Honors,” said Haar, a graduate of The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in San Diego, California, in an interview during the press presentation of the candidates.

The Elemental Crown Jewels designed and made exclusively for Miss Earth Pageant are of the same size and weight and only varies in color depending on the type of elements in which it represent —  yellow for Miss Earth Air, blue for Miss Earth Water and red for Miss Earth Fire. The crowns are handcrafted 100 percent in recycled sterling silver. The braided silver wire is used to form recurring spiral motifs and decorative curvilinear patterns. The entire crown is decorated with individually prong set multi-shaped citrine and zirconias and accented with pave set clear and cubic zirconias.

Who are the lucky girls who will have the distinct honor of wearing these crowns? We will all find out on coronation night at Verseilles, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, on Dec. 7, at 8 o’clock, to be telecast on ABS-CBN on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m.

— Reported by Funfare’s ‘beauty experts’ Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib

Meanwhile, the Miss Earth 2013 candidates from four continents (Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe) announced their pledges in saving the Mother Earth during the “Moment of the Earth” special event held Monday night at the Infinity Ballroom of F1 Hotel in The Fort, Taguig City.

As a main highlight of the evening and for the first time in the pageant’s 13-year history, three winners of Best National Costume (gold, silver and bronze medals) were awarded to each continent.

 Africa: Ashanti Mbanga, South Africa; Maria Miller Abudu, Nigeria; and Clara Noor, Tanzania

 Americas: Vandia Sands, Bahamas; Priscilla Martins Alves, Brazil; and Maria René Carmona Soliz, Bolivia.

 Asia: Nita Sofiani Rebut Makhota, Indonesia; Angelee delos Reyes, Philippines; and Punika Kunsuntornrat, Thailand; and

 Europe: Olesya Boslovyak, Russia; Cristina Martinez Murcia, Spain; and Caroline Sparboe, Norway.

— Reported by Celso de Guzman Caparas 

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)