A Filipino mother who accompanied her daughter to the filming of American Idol became the unexpected star of the most recent episode of the reality-TV singing contest.
The 108 contestants who have passed the initial auditions round were tasked to perform in groups of four in front of celebrity judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. Only half of them would make the cut.
After finding out that her teenage daughter Anatalia Villaranda was not happy with her group’s song choice for their performance, Lea Villaranda angrily demanded that the group choose a new song. Anatalia’s three group mates, including Indian-American Sonika Vaid, were not pleased with Lea’s interference, so they decided to ditch Anatalia – leaving the latter without a group and her mother venting her frustrations on camera.
Lea then helped Anatalia look for a new team, which they did just hours before the groups were set to go on stage.
All the members of Anatalia’s new and former groups survived and advanced to this week’s episode, which will determine the top 24.
The most recent Filipino-American to reach the live shows was Malaya Watson, who finished eighth in 2014’s 13th season. The most successful was Jessica Sanchez, who finished runner-up in 2012. This year’s American Idol is the show’s 15th and final edition.
13-hour Filipino film may set record
The 13-hour film Simulacrum Tremendum, directed by Filipino filmmaker Khavn de la Cruz, made its world debut last weekend at the 45th Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands.
The 42-year-old director accompanied the screening with a piano performance, with no breaks in between.
It was a “very special show that will easily make the Guinness Book of Records as the longest musical film accompaniment ever”, according to the Rotterdam festival website.
De la Cruz’s film, shot in a documentary-surrealist style, is billed as a diary of his life. He began shooting footage for it 22 years ago.
Producer Archinette Villamor said they are verifying with Guinness officials whether the performance indeed set a world record. Asked by Interaksyon.com how the filmmaker managed to play for so long, Villamor said: “There was some blood on the piano after. Khavn had to have his fingers bandaged afterwards. But other than that, he’s fine.”
De la Cruz is acknowledged by many as the father of Philippine digital filmmaking.
Donna Cruz announces first album in 17 years
One of the most popular music acts in the Philippines from the 1990s is making a big comeback. Pop singer and actress Donna Cruz revealed last week that she is working on a new album, 17 years after her last record.
“I’m very happy. I’m excited to once again turn on the radio and hear my songs,” she told Rappler.com.
After releasing Hulog ng Langit (Heaven Sent) in 1999, Cruz quit showbiz to start a family, moving to the Philippine province of Cebu where she has since been raising her three children.
Now 38, she said it was her family who encouraged her to return to the limelight.
“I really feel that my kids are proud of me. They are the ones who are really excited,” she said.
Cruz revealed that the album will feature two original songs plus covers of her favourite Filipino classics.
Her former record producers Viva Entertainment consider her the most successful and highest-paid OPM female artist of the 1990s. She also appeared in a number of television programmes and feature films.
Kids’ show gets awards nod from German fest
The Filipino children’s programme LolaBasyang.com has been nominated for an award by the Prix Jeunesse International, which bills itself as the “Oscars of children’s television”. The festival will be held in Munich, Germany from May 20 to 25. The show, produced by the network TV5, is headlined by veteran 71-year-old actress Boots Anson-Roa, who plays Lola (grandmother) Basyang, who narrates fictional and fantastical stories to her young audience. The character is based on an anthology of short stories written by Severino Reyes in the 1920s.
“We are thrilled to be selected as one of the best in children’s television worldwide,” the programme’s director, Perci Intalan, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “We made the show with the goal of bringing classic Filipino stories to a new generation of viewers. It is such a reward to be recognised this way.”
