Jumpy, goofy Vanness

If you don’t know F4 sensation Vanness Wu by now, then you must be living in a cave for the past six months or so.

Ever since Vanness Wu and his F4 buddies Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, and Ken Zhu made their Philippine TV debut on Meteor Garden, the entire nation has been gripped by chinovela-mania, fanatic mass hysteria that is reminiscent of the Beatlemania we witnessed in the ‘60s. Come to think of it, they’ve also been dubbed as an Asian Fab Four of sorts. These Taiwanese pop idols, however, seem determined to make their own distinct mark in the entertainment industry. The most gung-ho of the Gang of Four is Vanness Wu, who charmed all of Manila when he (and Ken) visited late last year for the smash concert The Event.

Indeed, Vanness consistently wins points among Pinoys because he’s the only one who speaks English fluently (having been raised in the US) and seems the most glib and gregarious of the four. He once confided to a Filipina interviewer that he had lots of Filipino friends when he was in high school and that he has kept in touch with most of them. When he told them that he was visiting Manila for a concert, his Pinoy pals were stunned. "It’s funny," he relates, "but they told me that they haven’t been to the Philippines in 19 years, while I am going there to perform!"

He also stands head and shoulders above the other F4 members because he not only possesses the silkiest tresses, but because he is also the most gifted when it comes singing and dancing. If Jerry is the Bad Boy F4, Vic is the Quiet F4, and Ken is the Most Unintimidating F4, Vanness takes home the prize as the Most Talented F4. And his F4 gangmates wholeheartedly agree.

"I’m his no. I fan," Jerry himself concedes. In fact, when Vanness launched his solo CD, Jerry dropped by, lined up with the fans, and got an autograph from his idol. "He is my singing and dancing instructor," Jerry attests. "I think he is the most well-rounded one among the four of us." When they’re already old and gray, Jerry opines, Vanness will still be around, "as the international king of the dance stage." "I admire Vanness’s courage and determination," Vic asserts. "He really prepared himself for all this. His singing is the best among the four of us. and his dancing is also tops. Moreover, he is the least likely to be moody when working."

Ken concurs and singles out Vanness’s positive work ethic as his friend’s most endearing attribute. "He is very generous. His knowledge about music is very broad. His easy-going attitude allows other people to get close to him. He is probably the most normal among us four!"

He’s also the funniest, it seems. And the most mischievous. People who know the real Vanness say that he’s the eternal child at heart. He once pulled a prank on their clueless manager, putting sugar in his shoes. The problem was, it was unbearably hot day. So by the end of the shoot, the sugar in the shoes melted, leaving the poor manager with a sweet yet sticky mess.

He also admits being a bit hyper. "I’m really an active, sporty type of person," he pipes up. "I love running around. Jumping around. Just goofing off." That’s why he was offered an action flick, Star Runner, for his big-screen debut, he didn’t have to think twice about it. "That was awesome," he recalls. "I felt so fortunate because everyone involved in the project poured 100 percent into it. All their time and energy."

For his first big movie (and all his hard work), he was nominated Best New Actor at the HKFA Awards in Hong Kong. Colleagues also claim he is the most finicky about his looks. That he is Mr. Vain. That much was confirmed by Barbie Hsu or San Cai of Meteor Garden fame. "We often talk about facial masks and stuff like that!"

In fact, he was given the nickname Barbie King Kong, because he exudes both macho and prissy traits. Because he constantly struggles with his Chinese, he oftentimes mixed up his lines of dialogue on Meteor Garden 1 and 2. Once, instead of saying "Hello everyone!", he absent-mindedly cracked "Hello big chickens!" As such, he is almost always the recipient of gentle ribbings from his F4 cronies.

Jerry once joked that in "Vanness’s dictionary, there’s no such word as modesty." Quick on the drew, Vanness wittily retorted: "But I only borrowed the dictionary from you!"

Because such good-natured camaraderie is daily fare for the F4 guys, rumors of jealousy and in-fighting confound and exasperate Vanness so. "Everyone is happy for each other," he exclaims. "We’re really excited for each other’s solo projects."

He rules that media seem to prefer to focus on nasty rumors. "People say we’re not friends, that we don’t get along," he explains. "Why would they all show up at the premiere of my movie in Taiwan?" The press made a big deal out of it, he bristles, "We’re friends! What’s wrong with you? We don’t envy each other at all. We’re all very happy for each other’s success!"

That’s the real Vanness, in a nutshell. Slick, straight-shooting, and sharp. Pinoys will again get the chance to know the real Vanness Wu when he stages a major concert tour in the Philippines this March. He is set to headline Crazy In Love with Vanness, with guests Pops Fernandez, Francis M, Jay-R and the Hotlegs. Also guesting on March 27 and 29 are Mark Herras and Yasmien Kurdi, and Star In A Million champion Erik Santos. Direction is by Rowell Santiago. It will go onstage at the Expo Filipino in Clark Field Pampanga (March 26), at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City (March 27), and at Abellana Sports Complex in Cebu City (March 29), with the Quezon City Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. as beneficiary.

For ticket inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891-9999, the Expo Filipino Office (843-6589), and Mindworks Consulting Co. (255-8388, 253-0891).