Brian McKnight here for concert Dec. 5 & 6

First, this poem written by movie journalist Ernie Pecho for colleague Hermie Francisco who died on Oct. 8 (Wednesday). Ernie was sick and was unable to attend the wake of Hermie who was cremated three days later. In his sickbed, Ernie wrote a poem entitled When I’m Gone which, said Ernie, "could have been written by Hermie himself."

Here it is:

Quietly, I’ll go like a dusk which envelops a bright day with its comforting darkness.

Quickly now, set my mortal remains to flame; so that its

dust will be part of the soil for a plant with scented blooms

To comfort my restless soul while in the company of angels

with scarred wings from their own wars.

Then it will be easy to wipe away the healing tears on that wet smile;

When it’s time to soar once more and be a part of a new dawn.

Wherever he is, I’m sure Hermie is smiling while reading Ernie’s poem

* * *

Curtain-raisers:

• A respected manager might junk an actress-politician from his stable due to her being hard-headed especially where affairs of the heart are concerned. You see, the actress seems to be falling in love with an actor-politician who has kids out of wedlock and is living-in with another girl. The manager has been advising the actress to stay away from the guy because she’s doing exactly what she has been accusing a sexy actress of – that is, break up not so much a family as a relationship. The actress is saying that the sexy actress (described by the movie press as "all body with no brains" – ouch!) will be hit by karma sooner or later and, according to her manager, "Look what she’s doing now." Oh, well, baka siya pa ang unang makarma kaysa kay sexy actress. If the manager dropped the actress, she’d have a hard time finding another manager who is as good or better, so she better behave.

• Two weeks ago at the studio where The Buzz was being telecast, I spotted this tall model-actor who still looked handsome, all right, but not as appealing nor as sexy as he used to be. On closer look, I noticed that his arms were white with a certain (skin) disease. He looked dirty, unkempt and thin. It turned out that early success had gone to the guy’s head. He disobeyed his gay manager-lover and took drugs. He’s homeless now, sleeping in the house of any friend who takes pity on him. Lesson from his experience? Love your work and avoid getting carried away by success. And, this one is very important, stay away from drugs. If not given a second chance, the poor guy might go back to his old livelihood – selling knick-knacks in the sidewalks of Cubao (Quezon City).

• Have you ever wondered why a sexy starlet has stopped talking about her supposed wedding to a foreigner in December? Has the wedding been called off? The bigger question is WHY?

* * *

Is Mariah Carey coming for a concert third week of November or not?

The good news is, yes, she just might. The first producer who negotiated for the concert has given up but another producer has taken over and, good news, he just might succeed in including the Philippines as itinerary in Mariah’s Asian concert tour. Keep your fingers crossed, Mariah Carey fans!

What’s sure is that Brian McKnight will be back for another concert on Dec. 5 and 6, 8 p.m., at the Araneta Coliseum, with Sarah Geronimo and Bituin Escalante as co-performers. The concert, entitled Knight with the Stars, is produced by Viva Concerts.

Brian has become like an adopted son of the Philippines, having performed here a few times. Among his many hit songs, it’s One Last Cry that has the most familiar ring among local music-lovers (this one included).

New York-born and L.A.-based Brian is practically in a category all his own. Since the beginning of the ’90s, virtually no other solo black male multi-platinum singer/songwriter/producer/musician has enjoyed a decade-long career so filled with accomplishment and achievement. Brian has just come up with the album From There to Here to celebrate his 10th year as an across-the-board hitmaker. A collector’s item, From There to Here carries Brian’s well-loved compositions, from his very first single. l992’s The Way Love Goes, to his 2002 hit song Love Of My Life (from his recent Superhero album). The brand-new songs on the album are Let Me Love You (written and produced by Brian himself) and How I Do (produced by Mario Winans).

Brian’s Big Dome concert is in a way a celebration of a decade of romantic songs that have enriched the lives of people around the world, including Filipinos.

(Note: Tickets are priced at P3,000 for Patron A, P2,500 for Patron B, P2,500 for Lower Box, P1,000 for Upper Box A, P500 for Upper Box B and P200 for General Admission. For inquiries and reservations, call the Araneta Ticketnet at 911-5555; SM outlets; or the Viva Concerts Office at 687-5853 or 687-6181, locals 715 and 620.)

Mandy Moore Coming, Too

The other foreign artist coming for a show mid-November is Mandy Moore who has lately been showing her acting potential (A Walk to Remember and her latest, How To Deal, which is showing in some Metro Manila theaters).

A Penshoppe model (with Brad Turvey in the commercial), Mandy will grace MTV Philippines’ "pro-social mega-concert" which will feature other big international singers. Mandy’s coming will coincide with the promo of her latest album, Coverage, to be released by Sony Music next week.

Like former Spice Girl Victoria Adams (a.k.a. Posh Spice, wife of British soccer superstar David Beckham), Mandy’s boyfriend is also a sports figure, none other than tennis star Andy Roddick.

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