Before Mariah Carey, Beyonce, J. Lo, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Adele, there was Whitney Houston. Her music holds special meaning to me because her self-titled debut album was released in 1985, the year when I became a first-time mother.
I remember listening to her album over and over again as I lulled my baby girl Bianchi to sleep. It contains my fave Whitney song, “You Give Good Love.”
I asked some celebrity friends what their favorite Whitney song is.
It’s “You Are Loved” for Kyla, “I Look To You” for Jed Madela and “I Believe in You and Me” for Luke Mejares.
Her signature song, “Saving All My Love For You,” has become one of the national anthems of karaoke-crazy Pinoys. Too bad that young girls sing that tune in competitions on TV without fully understanding its message.
Everybody has a favorite Whitney song. The singer may be dead, but her music will never die. Go on singing with the angels, Whitney. Thank you for showing the world what real music should be.
Letter to David
The composer of “Nandito Ako,” Aaron Paul del Rosario, sent an open letter to David Archuleta. Following are excerpts. Hear ye, hear ye Archie!
“First of all, thank you! There are so many beautiful Filipino songs and for you to sing mine is such a blessing. When you finished as a finalist in ‘American Idol,’ I always dreamt that one day you’d sing something I wrote. Now that it’s actually happening, I’m not even there in the Philippines to celebrate the occasion.
“I live in California so all I do is follow your tweets and fan sites to see how things are going. Oh, and of course, my publisher keeps me updated.
“I do hope that you still get to record the English version, ‘Forever With You.’ I say ‘version’ because it’s not a literal translation. I tweaked it a little bit. I know your schedule is tight but my publishers are still giving it a push, so I have my fingers crossed.
“Thanks, David, for making this songwriter’s dream come true and for being a part of the wonderful journey of my song ‘Nandito Ako.’ See you in two years!”
Missing movies
Princess Punzalan-Field may be on hiatus in the United States, but once in a while she finds time to do something she misses—making movies.
Cess sent me a message via Facebook about her latest project, “Johnny Loves Dolores,” an entry in the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. It’s about two Filipino illegal immigrants—a lonely clerk and a jobless cleaning lady who get into an odd arrangement during the recent economic downturn. Ah! Love in the time of recession.
“Sa March 10 [San Francisco Film Society Cinema] and March 15 [Sundance Kabuki Cinema] ang screening nung film,” wrote Princess of “Johnny Loves Dolores,” directed by Clarissa de los Reyes (Chito Roño’s niece) and produced by Steven Payne. “Raul Arellano plays the character named Johnny. Ako naman si Dolores. It was shot in New York in February last year. Ang lamig! Pero kunyari ’di kami freezing while shooting exterior shots. I had so much fun making the film kasi international ang mga members ng staff and crew. Merong taga-India, Japan, Israel, Italy . . .
“Everyone was very serious and not jaded. Ang lahat ng involved ay masaya sa ginagawa nila. Masaya kasi biruan nang biruan in between takes, pero ’pag trabaho na, seryoso na ang lahat.”
Beauty expo
Fanny Serrano invites all makeup artists, hairdressers, salon entrepreneurs and beauty enthusiasts to Cosmetologie 2012, the largest expo in beauty, wellness and trends, on Feb. 21 and 22 at SMX Convention Center, Pasay. It will be attended by Fanny’s celebrity endorsers and by the beauty industry’s who’s who (www.cosmetologiefair.com). Go over and beyond the call of beauty!
E-mail wateringholeshangrila@yahoo.com