MANILA, Philippines - On Jan. 10 at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, On The Wings of Love Certified Kapamilya Fans Day was held. It was headlined by the love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre, known together as JaDine, joined by co-star Paulo Avelino and the voice behind the show’s theme song, Kyla.
“Yes, thousands attended, but this is not about that,” explains Ricky Resurreccion, ABS-CBN North America head of ad sales, events and trade marketing. “It’s more about people driving for hours or flying from as far as San Diego, Las Vegas, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Canada, New Zealand and even Macau to show their love and come together as a fan community. Yes, they cheered and shrieked in glee at very high decibels, but this event is more than that. This is about fans sharing the spotlight with the stars on stage, blurring the lines between fan and celebrity, having a real voice in an authentic engagement that impacts both parties.”
If there was one iconic moment at the #OTWOLFansDay that captured what Resurreccion explained, it was the surprise first face-to-face meeting between Nadine and a five-year-old American boy named Blake from Chicago who was introduced to OTWOL by his Auntie Angel, a TFC subscriber and JaDine follower.
For several months, Auntie Angel captured Blake’s reactions and comments on watching OTWOL (with English subtitles on TFC) and his profession of love for Nadine, who he calls “Naddie,” posting these on the Instagram account, Jadinefied. Immediately, the show’s fans started following the account, Blake became a viral sensation and #Blakedine (a portmanteau of Blake and Nadine) was born.
Kyla did a Beyoncé medley and Paulo serenaded the crowd and played Simon Says with a lucky lady from the audience.