Is Jay-R ‘missing’?

I am tempted to classify this as a "FLASH" report because the DPA who huffed and puffed the story to Funfare yesterday afternoon was panicky and near-hysterical.

"Do you know that Jay-R is missing?" he asked me.

No, I don’t, I told him, wondering how such a promising and sensational newcomer, groomed by the seasoned hands of Universal Records’ lady boss Bella Tan, could be "missing" on the scene where he has been highly visible these past several months (as Bench model, as performer at the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant, as Toni Gonzaga’s love interest on the GMA soap romance Love to Love, etc.).

Why did you say Jay-R is "missing" (take note: in quotation marks)? I asked the DPA.

"Well," the DPA answered, still with a nervous voice, "hindi siya mahagilap. He can’t be found."

The DPA said that Jay-R left three weeks ago for Los Angeles where his family is based (and where he grew up), purposely to keep his mother company after she underwent surgery. Jay-R was expected to come back to fulfill his engagements but he’s nowhere to be found up to now.

He was supposed to have a show in Cavite, announced in advance with banners and posters, but Jay-R was a no-show. He was also scheduled to perform at a club and he also didn’t show up. The club owner felt so bad, according to the DPA, "that he suffered a stroke." GMA scheduled a taping for Love to Love but there was no Jay-R. The set was packed up and GMA reportedly lost more than P850,000 on that abortive shoot.

"Last week," said the DPA, "Jay-R sent word that he was arriving, so somebody went to the airport to fetch him. He didn’t arrive."

Jay-R’s mother did undergo surgery, the DPA added, but she’s okay now. There’s a report that what’s keeping Jay-R in L.A. is a recording session arranged by a Black agent, something that Jay-R could be keeping "secret" from his Philippine manager (no, not Bella Tan who gave Jay-R the much-needed break by signing him up as a recording artist).

Jay-R, dubbed as Prince of R&B, is slated to perform at a concert at Red Door on next Thursday, May 20. Will Jay-R be back by then and do us the favor of, well, clearing the air?

I must end this piece with a panawagan: Jay-R, kung saan ka man naroroon, magparamdam ka, iho!

Will Jasmine Be ‘It’?

Yes, Jasmine Trias is still very much in, one of the only three remaining contenders on American Idol which is nearing its moment of truth. Here’s how Jasmine performed on the Tuesday (May 11) edition of the popular US-TV talent search, excerpted from an account e-mailed to Funfare by a reader (who didn’t give a name):

American Idol is now on its final third week. In last Tuesday’s episode each idol was made to sing two numbers from the disco era. Jasmine, singing first, chose Everlasting Love. She performed with zest and enough "birit," it was obvious that she gave her number all her best. The judges’ turn to speak their critiques were reversed in order. Firstly, Simon Cowell, the most insensitive one, who said, " I think you know how vulnerable you are, you were probably the next most likely to go. After that performance, you are definitely going to go home, it was a bad choice of song and a weak performance." Donna Summer added that Jasmine’s singing was pitchy. Paula Abdul added, "There was some pitch problems, you found your groove midway through, not my favorite choice of song, I’m looking forward to your next performance." Randy Jackson opined, "I don’t think it was that good, you hit the high notes, but that’s it, the rest you sounded unsure of yourself."

LaToya London followed with Love You Inside and Out, then Fantasia Barrino with Knock on Wood. Lastly, Diana DeGarmo performed This Is It. In contrast, all the judges, directly and indirectly, gave them praise and superlatives.

After everybody had sung once, it was time for the idols’ second numbers. Jasmine sang The Weather Girls’ It’s Raining Men. During her performance, she descended from the stage and encouraged the audience to participate. You could see from her energetic rendition of the song that she also wanted to win, for herself, for her loved ones, for Hawaii, and for all the people that supported her all this time. She just won’t quit without a fight!

Now the judges’ comments – Simon: "You’d better hope that every phone in Hawaii has five phones, because you’re going to need all the help you can get."

Donna: "I didn’t like the choice of song, but you gave it your best." Paula said, "You got thrown off because you forgot the lyrics, but you covered it nicely. Hawaii loves you. America loves you. I think they’re going to be willing to forgive you for that."

Randy: "That wasn’t your best performance. It was pitchy all over the place." At this point, we noticed in close-up that Jasmine’s eyes were now slowly welling with tears, but she was very evidently and bravely fighting them back.

After her I-gave-it-my-all-performance, the still huffing Jasmine went over to join host Ryan, while he told us the phone number to use when voting for Jasmine, and here is the point when she broke down sobbing quaintly. Ryan noticed and consolingly said, "We love you, Jasmine." Trying to hold back the tears, without success, she sobbed unbashedly this time. Jasmine responded (with a reluctant flying kiss) with, "I love you everybody", addressing the audience. Ryan then gave her a hug.

Expectedly, LaToya London’s Don’t Leave Me This Way, Fantasia Barrino’s Holding Out For A Hero and Diana Degarmo singing the Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand classic No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) all received supreme remarks from most of the judges.

Before the show closed, Ryan Seacrest announced on-air that "tears were shed and Simon Cowell apologized."

A Word From Alec Mapa

I just got a reaction from Alec Mapa himself, the Filipino in the cast of the Hollywood movie Connie and Carla (starring Nia Vardalos of The Big Fat Greek Wedding fame and David Duchovny):

Someone passed me a copy of your column and I just thought I’d verify the facts as I happen to be Alec Mapa.

Jao’s father is my first cousin. The now defunct series Some of My Best Friends was on CBS and not on ABC. I never insisted that "I only play Filipino character roles". This would seem to contradict my first appearance on Broadway in M. Butterfly where I played someone Chinese.

I play all kinds of roles, and all kinds of ethnicities. Any good actor should have a limitless range. To only play one kind of role is just bad for business. I am now a series regular on the UPN sitcom Half and Half. I was hired for being funny. Being Filipino is an added bonus for network television as there aren't a lot of us on the air.

Thanks so much for correcting the spelling of my name. I always say the people who know me the least refer to me as "Alex". Thanks so much for your time and consideration.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])