Yes, Mo Twister does swing both ways

Before you jump to any conclusion, let me hasten to elaborate that the “swing both ways” in today’s headline doesn’t really mean what you might have in mind. It simply refers to Mo Twister’s enviable status of being able to happily crossover between  “rival” stations Q-11 (sister company of GMA 7) where he hosts the reality-TV The Last Woman Standing (none other than Pat Pelayo who won P4-M cash  and a condo unit) and, starting Feb. 26 (at 11 p.m.), Good Times on Studio 23 (sister company of ABS-CBN).

If having a child is the main gauge of one’s virility/masculinity, then there shouldn’t be an iota of doubt about the sexual preference of Mo who has a daughter with his ex-girlfriend Bunny Paras (now based in L.A.) but none with Janet McBride, his immediate ex-girlfriend with whom he lived for a while in L.A.

You see, on his morning program Good Times on Magic 89.9, Mo has this “suspicious” habit of asking his  “hot seat” guests on the Forbidden Questions the sizes of their private parts and their bedroom expertise.

Asked by Funfare if he has any phallic obsession, Mo broke into laughter and said, “No, I don’t have any. We do it for fun.” The “grilling,” he meant.

Good Times is the program that catapulted Mo back to public consciousness after he “ma(lingered)” in L.A. for a few years, thanks to the attention-arresting string of controversies it had stirred. As mentioned earlier in this piece, Good Times has graduated from the airlanes to the boobtube, also with Andrea “Andi-9” Manzano, Mojo Jojo and Grace Lee (a pure Korean DJ, born Lee Kyung Hee) as Mo’s co-hosts.

“Good Times on TV has been expanded as a magazine-lifestyle show,” said Mo, also featuring such knockout portions (aside from Forbidden Questions) as Ang Yabang Mo, Gay or Straight? and Cute Boy Alert. “Andi-9 is the sugar-’n-spice of the show, Mojo is the geeky but lovable — but, he is not really gay — and Grace the lifestyle correspondent.”

For appetizer, Good Times includes in its premier episode a visit to a sausage factory and, as to be expected, Mo and his naughty company decided to give the sausages names, depending on size, such as John Prats for the Vienna Sausage, Marc Nelson for the Muscular Sausage, Piolo Pascual for the Brownish Perfect Sausage and Vina Morales for...guess what type of sausage.

Asked what sausage should be named Mo Twister, the usually outspoken host was tongue-tied.

Okay, what about Purefoods Sausage that comes in small cans?

* * *

After My Chemical Romance (which performed at The Fort recently), more foreign acts are coming, including Rex Smith; Incubus; Maroon 5; Ne-Yo; Earth, Wind & Fire; Shadows Fall; and Connie Francis.

And Toto, the Grammy-winning rock band which will have a concert  on April 2 at the Araneta Coliseum. The show is produced by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions.

Toto, founded in 1976 by some of the most popular and experienced session musicians of the era, enjoyed great commercial success in the ’80s, beginning with the band’s self-titled debut, released in 1978, which immediately brought the band into the mainstream rock spectrum of the time. Continuing with 1982’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful Toto IV,  the band became one of the biggest-selling music groups of their era.

Prior to the band’s formation, the members of Toto were regulars on albums by the likes of Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, Boz Scaggs, Sonny and Cher, and many others, contributing to many of the most popular records of the ’70s. Keyboardist David Paich rose to fame after having co-written and produced Boz Scaggs’ Silk Degrees album. Having played on many sessions with drummer Jeff Porcaro, the two began to seriously discuss the possibility of forming their own band. They brought in bassist David Hungate, having played with him on the road with Boz Scaggs. In addition, the duo asked guitarist Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro’s brother Steve Porcaro (keyboards), and vocalist Bobby Kimball to join the team. And in 1977, production began on the band’s first album.

The word “toto” in Latin means “all-encompassing.” Because the band members had played on so many different records and many different musical genres, they adopted the name Toto as their own. The band’s name may have elicited a few laughs when they first toured Japan in 1979 and 1980. Toto is the name of Japan’s largest toilet manufacturer. Also, despite their popularity in Africa (largely due to their song of the same), the band’s name in many languages is the same as a slang term for the vagina.

 1982 marked the beginning of Toto’s most successful era. With Toto IV, the band delivered one of the most commercially successful records of the ’80s. The album featured the hit singles Africa and Rosanna.

Tragedy then struck when drummer Jeff Porcaro died on Aug. 5, 1992. Jeff suffered an allergic reaction due to a pesticide he was using in his garden. Facing the prospect of a tour without Jeff, Toto almost broke up. However, Porcaro’s family asked the band to continue. Simon Phillips was the only drummer ever contacted to replace Porcaro, since the band knew that Porcaro liked Phillips, and because Lukather had worked with Simon on a previous tour with Santana and Jeff Beck in Japan, 1986. Phillips joined the band, and they went on a tour which they dedicated to Jeff’s memory. In 1993, they released a live album called Absolutely Live.

At the close of the tour, the band performed the tribute to Jeff Porcaro Concert in L.A. It featured Toto as well as Don Henley, Eddie Van Halen, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Boz Scaggs, James Newton Howard, Michael McDonald, Richard Marx and many more and a special appearance by George Harrison.

(Note: Ticket prices to Toto’s concert are P4,200, P3,700, P2,700, P1,700, P800 and P500. For inquiries, call Ticketnet 911-5555.)

Fr. Joey Faller’s regular healing Masses schedule

Here’s Fr. Joey Faller’s regular healing Masses schedule:

• Every first Wednesday, 12:15 p.m., at the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord and at SM Megamall;

• Every second Friday, 5 p.m. at the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Sariaya, Quezon;

• Every third Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., at the Buklod ng Pagibig Healing Center, Balete Drive Extension, Quezon City;

• Every first and third Sunday, 8 a.m. at NBN Channel 4, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City;

• Every first Sunday, 9:30 a.m., at SM North EDSA, Quezon City;

• Every second and fourth Sunday, 9 a.m., at SM Bacoor, Cavite;

• Every third Sunday, 6 a.m., at ABS-CBN, Bohol Avenue, Quezon City;

• Every fourth Friday (quarterly), at Guadalupe Church, Cebu City;

• Every fourth Friday, 12 noon, Export Bank Building, Buendia Avenue, Makati City; and

• Every fourth Friday, 6 p.m., at Metropolitan Hospital, Masangkay St., Sta. Cruz, Manila.

And at the Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church, Barangay Tinamnan, Lucban, Quezon: Every Monday at 9:30 a.m.; every Saturday at 9:30 a.m.; and every first Saturday at 5 p.m.

(Note: For inquiries, call Kamay ni Hesus at 042-540-2206 or the Retreat House at 042-540-2878.)

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