When Shirley Bassey first sang Diamonds Are Forever, theme song of the James Bond movie of the same title, its composer John Barry asked her to imagine she was singing about a male sex organ. Diamonds Are Forever is one of Shirley’s best performances. The lyrics of the song:
Diamonds are forever,
They are all I need to please me,
They can stimulate and tease me,
They won’t leave in the night,
I’ve no fear that they might desert me.
Diamonds are forever,
Hold one up and then caress it,
Touch it, stroke it and undress it,
I can see every part,
Nothing hides in the heart to hurt me.
I don’t need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love’s gone,
They’ll luster on.
Diamonds are forever,
Sparkling round my little finger.
Unlike men, the diamonds linger;
Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for.
I don’t need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love’s gone,
They’ll luster on.
Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Forever and ever.
In music bars and karaoke clubs, Diamonds are Forever is often spoofed. For Shirley Bassey wannabes, the song is a must in the repertoire. It’s a piece de resistance.
Diamonds Are Forever, the second James Bond theme performed by Shirley Bassey, (the first Goldfinger and the third Moonraker) is part of the Bedazzled 10 production of Club Mwah. It will be performed by Follies de Mwah. “It is one of the sexiest songs of Shirley. We created a beautiful choreography with that song,” said Cris Nicolas of Club Mwah.
Bedazzled 10 is a collection of Broadway excerpts like West Side Story, Showgirls, Dream Girls, That’s Entertainment, etc. There is also a spoof of Glee, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, among others. Club Mwah will also present its own version of Mardi Gras.
To reprise a Broadway or a Las Vegas presentation in Club Mwah, Cris and Pocholo Malillin pour their resources to make each production look as “Broadway” as possible.
“Costumes are a combination of feathers, rhinestones and silk. While the original revues have real girls as dancers, in Club Mwah, we have gays and transsexuals who look like beautiful girls. Each number these dancers perform has a different theme that involves a full production with props, lights and special effects. Follies de Mwah does complex choreographies with ease and grace. In between production numbers, there are hosts who do a comedy act with the participation of the audience,” said Pocholo
On its sixth year, Club Mwah continues to soar with its solid reputation of providing spectacular numbers lifted from Broadway and Las Vegas productions. These grandiose presentations are reminiscent of Cecile B. De Mille productions, said Cris.
Club Mwah received the Outstanding Theater Club in Asia and Global Awards of Excellence both given by the Asian Pacific Award Council. Club Mwah is also a perfect venue for parties, product launches and corporate events. It has cutting-edge equipment and state-of-the-art facilities. For details, call 535-7943 or 532-2826 or log on to www.clubmwah.com.
Comebacking Travis Kraft
Travis Kraft is happy to be back in his favorite city, Manila. Since then, he has been busy guesting in shows like Mel & Joey, Sapul, The Sweet Life, Comedy Bar, Kabuhayang Swak Na Swak, and Master Showman.
Travis is an actor, model, director, producer and a communicator. He is popular on YouTube. “I love how the Internet is interactive. People can watch my films and videos and they can give their opinion and the message gets back to me, as opposed to just broadcasting them and not giving them a chance to be heard.”
Travis’ life has had an interesting path. He went from being a champion wrestler and training partner of UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar to being Lindsay Lohan’s co-star in Harper’s Bazaar shoot. Filipinos love Travis for his famous American Adobo viral video and its sequel Salo-Salo. “I have people from all over the world that follow me but I have a very large following in the Philippines so it is nice to come back and get to meet some of my audience. I also plan on shooting some videos here to expose the Philippines to my followers in other parts of the world and show them what an interesting place the Philippines is. One thing on my agenda in particular is to shoot a short film in Samar because there are a lot of good locations there,” Travis said.
Travis can be reached through www.traviskraft.com. Be sure to check out his stuff on YouTube www.youtube.com/poolboyinla.