Can't have enough of Super Junior

The group’s show at the Big Dome in April last year was so successful, that there should be a return engagement. As the beer ad says, so good, ayos na ang kasunod!

The Super Junior’s Super Show 2 left the fans clamoring for more, so Pulp Live World Productions has decided to bring the boys back for an encore with Super Show 3: Super Junior the 3rd Asia Tour set for Saturday, Feb. 26, also at the Big Dome.

Dubbed as the largest big band in the world in terms of membership (originally 13, now only 10… count ‘em! Namely DongHae, Eunhyuk, LeeTeuk, Ryewook, Kyuhyun, Shindong, Siwon, Heechul, Yesung and Sungmin)), the SJ guys will perform their hit songs from their previous albums — among them Twins (Knock Out), Don’t Don and Sorry Sorry — and the latest, Bonamana, which was well-received by fans in the Philippines last year, making it No. 1 within days of its release.

True to the group’s name, the three-hour-plus show will be mounted on a super-massive stage which is far bigger than those in other countries. It’s designed in a way that will bring the Super Junior as close to their fans as they possibly can be.

According to Funfare sources, the group was so overwhelmed by the warm reception accorded them last year that they readily agreed to come back.

Like last year, tickets to the Feb. 26 show were sold out early this year.

“The Super Junior is looking forward to seeing the coliseum flooded with sapphire blue light, their official color,” said a production hand. “Wish granted.”

Funfare did an exclusive one-on-10 with the Super Junior. Here are excerpts (without identifying who of them was answering since each member usually speaks for the whole group):

It’s your second time to visit the Philippines. What are your fond memories about your visit last year?

“We remembered when fans waved the flag of South Korea and the flag of the Philippines during the concert. We were so touched by that; we felt the very warm welcome. We’ve never seen anything like that in any other country, that’s why we feel so special in the Philippines.”

Aren’t you having any difficulty since you have several members?

“The only problem we encounter is when we use the bathroom! We see to it that we time ourselves so we won’t be late for our appointments.”

How do you feel when you perform without all the members?

“We know that we perform better when all the members are present; we can show our fans a more heart-warming performance when all the members are onstage.”

How do you want to use your popularity?

“Not many people are blessed. If we could use our popularity to touch other people’s lives then that would be great. We want to show people that we are not just performers, we are human, too. We try our best to reach out to people.”

Sometimes, your fans do “pairings.” How do you feel about that?

“It’s very funny when the fans do that. By the way, we do read some stories on-line about us. But we’re reminding our fans, ‘Please don’t do that. We’re brothers; make it a friendly story, not a love story among the members.’ We love one another as brothers and that will never change.”

Do other fans look at you as comedians instead of performers because of the variety shows that you appear in?

“We were actually worried that we would be tagged as ‘gagmen’ but it doesn’t matter since we get to make everyone laugh and we get to see out fans a lot. That’s all that matters. Super Junior has varied talents and making people laugh is one of them.”

How do you support one another in your individual activities?

“We try our best to watch each other’s performances, musicals or dramas. Sometimes, we watch an episode together or with friends from the company.”

How did you come up with the “It’s Refreshing” game?

“We make a lot of jokes among. We have fun most of the time whenever we can. We have agreed that any member can’t sleep unless he sleeps in his own bed. If any member commits a mistake, we splash his face with water and he has to clean up after that.”

Is it hard to dress in woman’s clothes during your other performances?

“We look good in it, don’t we? Fans find it amusing that we can put a good performance even in women’s clothes. We wear shoe lifts every day and sometimes we practice dancing wearing high heels. But honestly, we salute all the women who wear heels every day. It’s not that easy!”

How do your parents feel about you guys becoming Super Junior?

“They are proud of us. Our parents have always dreamed that their sons would be singers. Now we try our best to give back to our families by providing for them and being filial to them.”

Any funny experience while you were in Manila last year?

“Shindong learned how to count in Filipino! He has it prepared; he wrote it in a piece of paper and he used when we were introduced — ‘Isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat…ano ba ‘yan?’”

Happy with the way the Filipinos treated you?

“Everyone was nice to us. We felt very special the minute we stepped out of the plane. All the staff who welcomed us and the people who worked hard for the production and the fans gave us strength to perform, even if some members were sick and injured. We remember everyone and we’re thankful that we were given a chance to come back and see everyone again.”

(Note: Produced by Pulp Live World Productions, Super Show 3: Super Junior the 3^rd Asia Tour is made possible by SMART, Hyundai, BPI, Samsung, Sanuk, Gerry’s Grill and Hapee Toothpaste, with special thanks to Makati Shangri-La, Discovery Suites, The Philippine STAR, MYX, Magic 89.9 RT, Win Radio 107.5, SEOUL FM, 360 Media, Media Magnet, Odyssey and Hyundai Truck & Bus. For inquiries, call 911-5555.)

* * *

An ‘I♥U’ big card from Charice

Now in Japan for a series of performances, Charice surprised your Funfarer with a Valentine card as big as she is now on the international scene, complete with a cute teddy bear that chirps ‘I love you!’ when the battery at its back is pressed. The good news is that Charice will be back in Glee soon. She’s turning 19 in May. When she and brother Carl were baptized as Catholics (converted from Iglesia ni Kristo), your Funfarer was one of their godparents. Trivia: It was Super Junior Kyuhyun (above rightmost) with whom Charice did a duet of A Whole New World in the Korean talent search Star King, an excerpt of which was uploaded in the YouTube leading to Charice’s discovery by Ellen DeGeneres.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]or at [email protected])