ME with Darren Criss , right, and Alan Menken on Monday at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference in Los Angeles BILLBOARD.BIZ
I’ve had a very wild couple of days.
My arrival in Los Angeles was to coincide with the wedding of one of my cousins, Roy Salonga. As I was getting ready, I got a text from my merchandising guy, Will Pasco saying we had been invited by Manny Pacquaio for a visit. I had to stop for a while to gather my thoughts … they distilled into one big one: Oh my freaking god!
Rob is quite possibly one of Manny’s hugest fans. He pays money to see the fights when a live viewing takes place close to where we live. He goes with friends, orders drinks and has a wonderful time. I’m not a huge boxing fan (nothing against Manny, and I’ve told him so … I don’t like watching people pummel each other into a bloody mess) so I stay home and wait for the text announcing the inevitable.
We headed to Manny’s LA home. I gotta say its’ quite beautiful. Tastefully decorated without feeling untouchable. Beautiful lighting fixtures and furniture. My favorites are the multiple blue-hued backsplash in the kitchen, the concrete fireplace and the crescent moon chair in the living room.
Our host, Dr. Dario, got a call that we had to transfer to Manny’s other hangout, his post-workout apartment where he was having lunch with guests.
It wasn’t very far away. We were then led through the labyrinthian apartment complex until we reached our destination. Manny was sitting at the head of the table, relaxed as he was having a very Pinoy repast prepared by a guy named Nonoy (I didn’t meet him, though I would’ve liked to thank him personally for the meal … yeah, we ate, too).
Our conversation came in fits and starts—nothing long and lasting. Many people required his attention for either an autograph, a photo op, or to share possible charity opportunities.
Observation mode
I then opted to move into observation mode. Given this man’s achievements in the sports arena, the attention paid to him and the attention he paid back was very impressive. He had an ear for everyone, and time for everything, not to mention the patience to handle it.
No, I’ve never ever sung for any of his fights, but after sitting with him in a somewhat private setting, being a “fly on the wall” just watching him, and then having a couple of pictures taken, I’d say this was kind of awesome.
Thank you again, Manny, for the gift of your time.
Presenting … Darren Criss
A few days ago, I received a surprising e-mail from “Glee” actor Darren Criss, asking if I’d be interested to sing “A Whole New World” with him at The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference.
Alan Menken (Oscar-winning composer who wrote the song) would be receiving a special award, and Darren had been tapped to serenade him. Then Darren tapped me to join in.
After checking my schedule (I had a cabaret performance scheduled for the evening so I needed to make sure I was available), I wrote him back and said yes.
Rehearsal
We were able to schedule a bit of rehearsal time, thanks to his manager Ricky, in a function room at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. (Goodness we needed it.)
As reference, I had listened to a previous rendition he performed with Charlene Kaye, so at least I had that in my head. However, we had never ever performed together before, and I don’t think either of us wanted a less-than polished performance for Alan.
We went through the song at least five times, figuring out harmonies, accents, how long to hold this note or that.
We were then escorted backstage to wait for our cue. Alan was onstage fielding questions at the conference.
Wonderful moment
Darren was then called up to the stage to start a medley of hits from the various Disney movies that Alan had scored and wrote music for, as well as a couple from his musical theater shows.
At the end, Darren then started to play “A Whole New World” and began singing. After his verses and chorus, he called me to join him. When Alan saw my face, he jumped in his chair. It was certainly a wonderful moment.
We then had photos taken together and chatted for a bit before it was time for me to head on to my cabaret rehearsal which was, thankfully, only a few blocks away.
A few tears
Oh yeah, Darren came to that show too, along with members of my family and pockets of other friends. And yes, he shed a few tears when I sang “Reflection” (Darren’s kinda famous for covering Disney music, including the “Princess” songs).
So Darren, many, many thanks again for recruiting me to sing with you for Alan Menken. That was an afternoon I shall always remember, for how much fun it was.