What Kris means

Curtain-raisers:

• Sanglaan (The Pawnshop) won the INALCO Jury Award at the 16th FICA-Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema held in Paris from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2. The awards were given by the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations. It’s the third international award for Sanglaan which won two awards at last year’s Lyoin International Film Festival in France, one a silver in the New Asian Cinema and the bronze Prix du Public Audience Award. The first feature film of Milo Sogueco (who co-produced it with Gay Ace Domingo), Sanglaan competed in the 2009 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival where it won trophies for Best Actress (Ina Feleo) and Best Supporting Actress (Tessie Tomas).

• The Binibining Pilipinas Charties, Inc. (BPCI) is accepting applications for Mr. World 2010 only until Wednesday, Feb. 10. If you are a natural-born Filipino, aged 17 to 27, single, physically fit, competitive and accomplished, has at least a high school diploma, stands at least 5’10” barefoot, has never competed in any international male pageant and has good moral character, you have a good chance of representing the country in the 2010 Mr. World to be held in Seoul in March. Prizes include US$50,000 cash. The reigning Mr. World Philippines (2007) is Emmanuel Mago. For inquiries, call BPCI Secretariat at 911-3101 local 8321 or log on to the Binibining Pilipinas website at www.bbpilipinas.com.

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The title of his newest song is Live Like You Are Dying, so people are curious what he exactly means by that.

“It means what it says,” said Kris Allen, reigning American Idol champion, during this Funfare one-on-one several hours after he arrived from L.A. Wednesday morning for two shows in Musicfest 2010, first tonight at 8 o’clock at SM Cebu North Open Parking 1 and tomorrow, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. at McKinley Hill Open Grounds, Taguig City. “Live each day as if it’s the last day of your life.”

Okay, so what would he do if today were the last day of his life?

“I would hang out with my friends and ask my mom to cook for me the best dinner I would ever have.”

Asked if his mom cooks better than his wife Katy does, Kris smiled, “Absolutely!,” and hastened to add, “But my wife is good at a lot of things; she’s very organized, but she doesn’t sing. Yes, she’s a fan of mine.”

And how has American Idol (the latest season is aired on Q-11 Wednesday and Thursday nights at 6 o’clock with a replay at 8 p.m.) has changed his life, Kris rubbed jetlag off his eyes and said, “The biggest change is that I’m able to do a lot of things like traveling to different countries like the Philippines.”

What about the loss of privacy; how do he and wife Katy deal with it?

“We are basically homebodies; we love staying home and we don’t go to parties, so there’s no problem there.”

Isn’t Katy the jealous type?

“No, she is not.”

So she has no problem with girls going crazy over him?

“I don’t see girls going crazy over me so that’s nice.”

Kris is the first married winner of American Idol, beating his nearest rival Adam Lambert (who has “outed” himself), so that means civil status doesn’t factor in the selection of a winner.

What pointers, if any, can he give the current crop of American Idol contestants?

“Be yourself, do the best you can.”

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Also performing with Kris in Musicfest 2010 are Jabbawockeez and Boyce Avenue.

Filipinos as young as 12 are going gaga over Jabbawockeez who usually performs behind masks as they do on the ABS-CBN Sunday noontime show ASAP XV where they said they are appearing exclusively every now and then (read: when they are here). Four members of the hip-hop group are pure Filipino. They first gained fame by appearing on the first season of America’s Got Talent and finished original winners of the hip-hop dance competition America’s Best Dance Crew.

The group got its name from Lewis Carrol’s poem Jabberwocky.

It’s their second visit here; the first was only four months ago.

Unmasked during the interview, the seven guys agreed that their ideal Valentine Girl should be, “born female, strictly female and genetically female.” Then, they laughed at themselves.

They’ve long known one another before they became a group, that’s why they are in perfect rhythm whether onstage or off it.

“We are like a family already,” one of them said.

Asked to describe each of them in one word, one of the guys said he’s “Delicious!” and another said he’s “Yummy!”

The fans could only nod in agreement.

Meanwhile, Boyce Avenue has just released its Best of Acoustic Sessions CD (from MCA Music Inc.)

Somebody commented that they looked alike and the three members smiled good-naturedly.

“We’re brothers,” they chorused.

Based in Sarasota, Florida, Daniel, Fabian and Alejandro Manzano (no relation no Edu and Luis, I guess) do look so much alike that they could pass for triplets.

Like Charice and Arnel Pineda (of Journey), Boyce Avenue was discovered via the YouTube, that’s why they included their YouTube hits Bleeding Love, Apologize, With You, Umbrella, Realize and No Air in their CD.

Two of the brothers are married, but it doesn’t matter if, like Kris Allen, they make beautiful music together, right?

(Note: Musicfest 2010 is a Fearless Productions project produced by metrocardclub.com in cooperation with Channel [V] Philippines and GMA. For ticket inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 [Manila] and 255-4041 [Cebu]. Or contact 0915-7457131 to 33. For premium seats, call 236-1800/236-1802.)

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