Christian's music video worth P.7-million

Indonesia’s Aquarius Records spent $15,000 (roughly P750,000) for a sleek music video using 15 rolls of 35 millimeter film.

The carrier single, Please Be Careful with My Heart (the Jose Mari Chan hit), sung in Bahasa and English by Christian and Indonesian soap singer-superstar Bunga Citra Lestari will be part of a 10-track album set to be released end of this month.

“Styled by Double L’Uomo, Christian shot the music video in The Scout Field Cave Lagoon,” said Carlo Orosa, Christian’s manager who relayed the news to Funfare. “The shoot was led by Anggi, a famous Indonesian music video and commercial director, along with a staff of 30. The second location was in an open grass field area at the Raffles Hills subdivision. The last location was shot with Bunga Citra Lestari in an opulent ballroom of the Driving Range Building of Wisata Legenda Cibubur Bogor where Anggi set up a man-made tree as the centerpiece for the scene.”

The music video tells a story of young boy who meets a young little angel girl by the lagoon. They grow up separately but both end up as soul mates.

Charice shines as guest in Chipmunks movie

You will be surprised how Charice has grown when you see Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, her first Hollywood movie, which is opening nationwide on Friday, Jan. 8.

The movie was shot early last year and Charice looks like the probinsyana lass she used to be. Cute! Since then, she has been “reinvented” and she now looks as sophisticated (well, almost!) as any international teen pop star.

She’s only a “guest” in the movie but she shines in her few-minutes exposure while singing the Alicia Keys hit No One in a scene showing a campus singing contest. Charice sings three-fourths of the song and is given her “moment.”

In the movie, Chipmunks Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (by Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (by Jesse McCartney) meet their match as the latest singing group, The Chipettes, take center stage.

Does Charice win in the singing contest?

Find out for yourselves.

The Beach Boys’ enduring hits

As Funfare reported a few issues ago, The Beach Boys are coming for another show at the Araneta Coliseum on Jan. 27.

Billed as The Beach Boys Live in Manila!, the one-night musical event to be produced by Ovation Productions marks the return to the local concert scene of the pop group more than four years after its sold-out debut performance here in Oct. 2005, also at the Big Dome.

The coming performance by the most popular rock band in the US in the ‘60s will feature a fantastic, energy-filled hour and 40 minutes of over 30 hit songs epitomizing the California lifestyle which have made The Beach Boys an American icon all over the world.

Among their classic songs which have become eternal anthems of American youth are their first hit Surfin; Surfin’ USA; Surfer Girl; Fun, Fun; I Get Around; California Girls; Help Me Rhonda; Barbara Anna; Good Vibrations; Wouldn’t It be Nice; Rock and Roll Music; Kokomo; and many more.

Headed by lead vocalist and Beach Boys founding member Mike Love, the newest incarnation of the band also includes 40-year Beach Boy-vet Bruce Johnston (vocals/keyboards), Mike Kowalski (drums), Adrian Baker (guitar/vocals), Chris Farmer (bass/vocals), Tim Bonhomme (keyboards/vocals), John Cowsill of The Cowsills (keyboards/vocals/percussion) and Scott Totten (guitar/vocals).

The concert is sponsored by Imarflex, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, etc, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, RJ 100.3 FM and ABS-CBN.

Other supporters include the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, The Philippine STAR, BusinessWorld, Philstar.com, GetzMo!, OptimaSignsolutions, NU 107, 105.1 FM Crossover, 105.9 FM Underground Radio, Power 104.3, 96.3 Easy Rock and 97.9 Home Radio.

(Note: Tickets are priced at P3,800, P3,500, P2,800, P1,800, P800 and P500 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at all SM Department Sores. For inquiries and reservations, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or Ovation Productions at 532-8883.)

Ne-Yo sings Princess love theme song

Did you know that three-time Grammy Award-winning Def Jam recording artist Ne-Yo is the voice behind the song I Never Knew I Needed on the soundtrack of the Walt Disney animation The Princess and the Frog?

Asked what drew him to the project, Ne-Yo was quoted as saying, “I grew up watching all of the Disney films. Let’s just say that Disney and I have known each other for a very, very, very long time. Also, it was the opportunity to be a part of something as classic as a Disney film.”

From the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog is a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl whose love turns a frog into a prince.

Added Ne-Yo, “When I heard that Disney was going to create their first African-American Princess film, I wasn’t worried. You know, there’s an air of quality that goes with the Disney brand. So I knew that it was going be done with class.

Putting the song together was a little different than my normal writing process, because it needed to be very specific.”

Said Ne-Yo, “So, I had to make sure that the melodies were sweet, sweet like classic Disney, but at the same time, that the actual drum patterns and lyrical content were, dare I say, ‘edgy’ enough to grasp the attention of someone who may not be that big a Disney fan — maybe someone who is new to what Disney is.”

By now, you should know that Ne-Yo will be back for a concert on Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert Grounds, together with Puerto Rican singer/songwriter Jadyn Maria.

Also featured as front acts are the new all-female group Eurasia (from Viva Records) and Rivermaya.

Yes, Ne-Yo will sing I Never Knew I Needed on the show.

(Note: For ticket inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 and Alchemy landline 633-0516.)

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