Thank you, Mr. M., for Susunod na Kabanata - DIRECT LINE by Boy Abunda

This is not a thank you speech for an award. This is more than that. I would like to thank Mr. M. (Johnny Manahan) for making me look good on Eto na Ang Susunod na Kabanata where I guested last week (Sundays, 8:30 p.m., ABS-CBN). While watching it, I patted myself on the back for having been directed by Mr. M. You are not directed by the formidable Johnny Manahan everyday. The merchandising plug showed me interviewing Senator-elect Barbara Tengco (Tessie Tomas), Mistake-ka (John Lapus) and Katina Paulit (Olivia Richard). Even my billing was truly flattering. It had an and before my name. Thank you, Joey Reyes, for writing the part. I would do it again for a "whistle."

Tessie Tomas is brilliant. Satire is safely implanted in her nerves. As Barbara Tengco in Eto na Ang Susunod na Kabanata, she is hilarious and pugnacious. No one in Philippine television can sport that hairdo without looking like a gay impersonator doing a Dolly Parton and looking like Barbra Streisand in her 1967 concert at the Central Park where she forgot the lyrics of three of her songs.

On the set, Tessie throws lines like a champion boxer. She marks her punches and moves. She improvises. Her energy is contagious. And when the take starts – she floats like a butterfly with moves so clear and precise that if you don‘t watch out, you’ll be knocked out. She delivers her lines with the bravado of a Shakespearean actor – she connects to you straight in the eye and she stings like a bee. Bravo, Tessie!

John Lapus is a comedian to watch. He is bodacious, creative and unafraid to tread dangerous paths. As Mistake-ka in that Eto Na episode, he was wacky. And he has an eye for detail – to the last drop of Mystica’s blue tears – John had it.

Olivia Richard, the girl who played Katina Paulit, had the excitement that reminded me of a young geisha off to her first tea house in Kyoto. I enjoyed doing the scene with her. In the seduction part, she was so effective I had goosebumps and I felt numb and cold. That was close to rape, I swear!

Thank you Boyong Baytion, Mr. M.’s assistant director for making me feel at home. Boyong calls for actors to throw lines like a Karate master calling for a warm-up. He gives nobody a choice. Boyong is a darn good general!

I hope to go back to Eto na Ang Susunod na Kabanata sometime in the future. Maybe this time, I can do a scene with Jon Santos, Nanette Inventor, Candy Pangilinan, Noel Trinidad etc. But I have to do them one at a time, so I can appear in more episodes. You know, an actor has to know how to pace his appearances! Huh!

Again, to all of you, salamat.

Songs of the road

For singer Noel Cabangon, his musical career is an eventful odyssey on a long road. He has journeyed from corner to club, from rally to meeting and back again. And aptly, he sings the songs of the roads that we travel.

Cabangon has already earned him a loyal following who swear by Wednesday nights at ’70s Bistro and all of them have been mesmerized by the stories of his songs. And why not? Noel sings the songs of our everyday lives – from the grind of work to the grip of poverty to the subtle joys of friendship and love and bonds formed at street corners. Noel’s songs all spring from the road we all walk, the road we all share. His songs tell the stories of our own journeys and upon hearing his voice, we cannot but stop and wonder at the unexpected wealth of the ordinary.

Noel has just released a new album called Pasakalye. According to him, this album is a continuation of his journey. Included in the album are the songs Jeepney Driver Blues, Narito Ako, Kaibigan Mo and One World of Peace.

Buy his album and walk the road with Noel Cabangon and his songs. Hear him tell our stories.

Pasakalye is produced by the Jesuit Music Ministry and Jesuit Communications and distributed nationwide by BMG Records Pilipinas.

A sense of occasion

You say something nice about an actor or a politician, one out of 10 will say "thank you" (Executive Secretary Bert Romulo is one who never forgets to say "thank you") or you may accidentally bump into another one who will say, "Oh by the way, thanks, ha!"

Then you say something unflattering about an actor or a politician and you are cursed forever and beyond. One critical remark and you’re banished to the fires of hell. The overreaction reverberates until it reaches the equator.

Actors and politicians are the only people who refuse to see the dark side of being public. But they enjoy the perks to the hilt.

As Bono of U2 would say, actors and politicians have this sense of occasion and both know that they have temporary audiences and perks as well.