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Japanese bows, arrows, and arrow-stand

Yumi bow names

Yumi (弓^?) is the Japanese term for bows, and includes the longer daikyū (大弓^?) and the shorter hankyū (半弓^?) used in the practice of kyūdō, or Japanese archery. The yumi was an important weapon of the samurai warrior during the feudal period of Japan.

History of the yumi[link]

Early Japanese used bows of various sizes but the majority were short with a center grip. By the 3rd century B.C. the bow length had grown to nearly 2 meters. This bow was called the maruki yumi and was constructed from a small sapling or tree limb. It is unknown when the asymmetrical yumi came into use but the first written record is in a Chinese manuscript from the 3rd century A.D. which describes the people of the Japanese islands using a wooden bow with upper and lower limbs of different lengths, and bamboo arrows with points of bone or iron. The oldest asymmetrical yumi found to date was discovered in Nara and is estimated to be from the 5th century.^[1]

During the Heian period (794-1185) the length of the yumi was fixed at a little over two meters and the use of laminated construction was adopted from the Chinese. By the end of the 10th century the Japanese developed a two piece bamboo and wood laminated yumi. Over the next several hundred years the construction of the yumi evolved and by the 16th century the design of the yumi was considered to be nearly perfect. The modern bamboo yumi is practically identical to the yumi of the 16th and 17th centuries.^[2]

Shape[link]

The yumi is exceptionally tall, standing over two meters, and surpassing the height of the archer (ite, 射手). They are traditionally made by laminating bamboo, wood and leather, using techniques which have not changed for centuries, although some archers (particularly beginners) may use a synthetic yumi.

The yumi is asymmetric; According to the All Nippon Kyudo Federation, the grip (nigiri) has to be positioned at about two thirds of the distance from the upper tip.

Yumi; world largest bow

The upper and lower curves also differ. Several hypotheses have been offered for this asymmetric shape. Some believe it was designed for use on a horse, where the yumi could be moved from one side of the horse to the other with ease. However, the grip position had emerged before bowing on a horse was widely spread. (refer to "Yabusame")

Others claim that asymmetry was needed to enable shooting from a kneeling position. Yet another explanation is the characteristics of the wood from a time before laminating techniques. In case the bow is made from a single piece of wood, its modulus of elasticity is different between the part taken from the treetop side and the other side. A lower grip balances it.

And another, the hand holding the yumi experiences less vibration at this point. The points one and two thirds of the distance from the upper tip are the nodes. This makes it easier for the bowyer to grip the yumi after shooting an arrow.

String[link]

The string (tsuru) of a yumi is traditionally made of hemp, although most modern archers will use strings made of synthetic materials such as Kevlar, which will last longer. Strings are usually not replaced until they break; this results in the yumi flexing in the direction opposite to the way it is drawn, and is considered beneficial to the health of the yumi. The nocking point on the string is built up through the application of hemp and glue to protect the string and to provide a thickness which helps hold the nock (hazu) of the arrow (ya) in place while drawing the yumi.

Care[link]

A bamboo yumi requires careful attention. Left unattended, the yumi can become out-of-shape and may eventually become unusable. The shape of a yumi will change through normal use and can be re-formed when needed through manual application of pressure, through shaping blocks, or by leaving it strung or unstrung when not in use.

The shape of the curves of a yumi is greatly affected by whether it is left strung or unstrung when not in use. The decision to leave a yumi strung or unstrung depends upon the current shape of the yumi. A yumi that is relatively flat when unstrung will usually be left unstrung when not in use (a yumi in this state is sometimes referred to as being 'tired'). A yumi that has excessive curvature when unstrung is typically left strung for a period of time to 'tame' the yumi.

A well cared-for yumi can last many generations, while the usable life of a mistreated yumi can be very short.

Bow lengths[link]

Yumi history[link]

The Korekawa bow, from the late Jōmon period which ended about 400 BCE, is laminated.^[3]

Gallery[link]

• 

  Moto hazu (bottom nock)

• 

  Nigiri (grip)

• 

  Ura hazu (top nock)

• 

  Tsurumaki (string holder) and tsuru (string)

• 

  Antique hankyū (small yumi)

• 

  Antique daikyū (large yumi)and hankyū (small yumi)

• 

  Yumi bukuro (cloth cover)

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yumi

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kyudo

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ya

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Herrigel, Eugen (1999). Zen in the Art of Archery. Vintage. ISBN 0-375-70509-0. 
• Michael, Henry N. (1958). "The Neolithic Age in Eastern Siberia". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. New Series (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society) 49 (2): 1–108. April 1958. DOI:10.2307/1005699. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0065-9746(1958)2%3A48%3A2%3C1%3ATNAIES%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I. Retrieved 2008.02.13. 

External links[link]

v t e Archery Archery topics Archer's paradox Archery Bow Bow draw Bow shape History of archery History of crossbows Modern competitive archery Mounted archery Bows Cable-backed bow Composite bow Compound bow Crossbow English longbow Flatbow Laminated bow Longbow Recurve bow Self bow Yumi Equipment Arrow Arrowhead Bow string Bracer Cresting machine Finger tab Fletching Flu-Flu Arrow Quarrel Quiver Thumb ring Archery activities Archery games Bowfishing Bowhunting Clout archery Field archery Popinjay Target archery Target World Championship Archery at the Summer Olympics Archery at the Summer Paralympics Glossary of archery terms

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Ronald Watson "Ron" Henley (born December 5, 1956 in Houston, Texas) is a grandmaster of chess, chess writer, producer of chess videos and is involved in financial trading funds. As President of RWH Advisors, International Grandmaster Ron Henley acts as Special Consultant to Ultra High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices.

Henley was awarded the International Master title in 1980, and the International Grandmaster title in 1982. He won the GM title by winning a 26-player round-robin grandmaster super-tournament in Surakarta, Denpasar, Indonesia, defeating Grandmaster Tony Miles in the last round.

Henley has been second, analyst and trainer for former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov in several matches throughout the 1990s. Henley has written several chess books, and also served as a chess trainer and promoter of young, women chess stars such as Irina Krush. At University of South Florida, Henley received one of the first ever chess scholarships in America. While there in 1976 the USF Chess team won the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship with a perfect 8-0 team score. In 1977 Henley won the Association of College Unions National Individual Championship. Henley narrated the double-volume chess video, "American Chess Princesses," in which Irina Krush, Elina Groberman, Laura Ross and Shirley Ben-Dak present some of their best games from the 1997 FIDE World Youth Chess Championships held in Cannes, France. In the late 1990s Henley founded the www.chesssuperstore.com which sponsored Irina Krush and Hikaru Nakamura. He was appointed by Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov as President of the World Chess Champions Council Inc, a New York not for profit entity which promotes chess in the schools.

From 1985 through 2001, Henley was an American Stock Exchange Member, as a trader, market maker and specialist. Henley traded extensively in Phillip Morris, Wells Fargo and Teva Pharmaceutical. From 2001 to 2005, Henley was a founding partner and Head Trader of a statistical arbitrage family of hedge funds, with clients such as Bank of America, Gottex Fund of Funds and Aegon USA Insurance Company. Henley went into business consulting where he joined the Board of Directors of several private companies including Quantum Genomics. Henley re-entered the world of finance.

Books[link]

• Elista Diaries: Karpov-Kamsky, Karpov-Anand, Anand Mexico City 2007 World Chess Championship Matches (with Anatoly Karpov) ISBN 0-923891-97-8
• Archangel!: A Defense Against the Ruy Lopez ISBN 1-883358-01-9
• The King's Indian Attack! ISBN 1-883358-02-7
• The Spanish Exchange! ISBN 1-883358-08-6
• The Dragon!: Powerplay ISBN 1-883358-06-X
• The ChessBase University BlueBook Guide to Winning with The King's Indian Attack! ISBN 1-883358-00-0

External links[link]

• Ron Henley player profile at ChessGames.com
• Ron Henley rating card at FIDE
• US Tournament record for Ron Henley

This biographical article relating to an American chess figure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (July 2011)

Yumi Sugimoto (杉本 有美, Sugimoto Yumi^?, born April 1, 1989) is a Japanese model, actress, gravure idol and soloist under Hello! Project.

Career[link]

Modeling career[link]

Sugimoto began her career in modeling during elementary school, when she was chosen in a Grand-Prix semi-audition for the girls manga magazine Ribon.

Acting career[link]

In July 2007 she received her first lead role in TV Tokyo's late TV drama series Boys Esté. Her latest role is Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver in the 2008 TV Asahi's tokusatsu series Engine Sentai Go-onger.^[1] She stars also in Mutant Girls Squad under the direction from Tak Sakaguchi, Noburu Iguchi and Yoshihiro Nishimura.^[2]

Music career[link]

Aside from singing character portrayal songs in Engine Sentai Go-onger, Sugimoto has expressed an interest in producing music. She released her debut single under Hello! Project, "Harukoi", composed by Tomosuke Funaki,produced by Tsunku on February 17, 2010.

Filmography[link]

TV drama[link]

• Boys Esté (TV Tokyo, 2007) as Shizuka Koiwai
• Coin Locker Monogatari (TV Asahi, 2008) as a guest in ep. 2
• Engine Sentai Go-Onger (TV Asahi, 2008) as Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver
• Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (TV Asahi, 2012) as Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver (Ep 51)

Mobile drama[link]

• 100 Scene no Koi (100 Love Scenes) [100シーンの恋] (2007)

Web drama[link]

• Spring and Fall Frog Prince [春と秋のカエルの王子] (June 2008)

Movie[link]

• Engine Sentai Go-onger: Boom Boom! Bang Bang! GekijōBang!! (2008 Toei) as Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver
• Engine Sentai Go-onger vs. Gekiranger (2009 Toei) as Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver
• Samurai Sentai Shinkenger vs. Go-onger: GinmakuBang!! (2010 Toei) as Miu Sutō/Go-on Silver
• Mutant Girls Squad (2010 Nikkatsu)

Anime[link]

• Kūchū Buranko (Fuji Television, 2009) as the nurse Mayumi

Stage[link]

• Nakano Blondys Musical (12–20 March 2008, Space Zero)

DVD[link]

• Yumi Sugimoto -Flowering- (Released May 2006)
• Yumi Sugimoto -Morning Star- (Released January 2007)
• Yumi Sugimoto -Journey Hitori Sugimoto Yumi 19-year-old- (Released September 2008)

Discography[link]

• Harukoi Hana Taipu (ハルコイ 花タイプ^?) (released February 17, 2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site (Japanese)
• Personal blog (Japanese)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2008)

Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961)^[1] is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and an innovator of the New Jack Swing.

Music career[link]

1975-1984: with Jamilah[link]

Sweat started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called "Jamilah" in 1975. With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley. Additional members of the group included Peter DaCosta (vocals), Joseph McGeachy (sax), Dwight Banks (trumpet), and Kenneth Varner (keyboards).

1984-1987: Stadium Records[link]

After leaving the group in 1984 to aspire for a solo career, he sang at nightclubs throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only one tune for Stadium called "My Mind Is Made Up", which was their third ever release, but on Stadium's first release, he is credited as co-writer and co-producer of "You Are The One For Me", the last recording ever made by the group GQ. One of GQ's original members is his uncle, Keith "Sabu" Crier.

[edit] 1987-1988: Make It Last Forever

Later on in 1987, Keith Sweat was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was founded in 1983 on the foundations of early Hip-Hop and otherwise best known for releasing Joeski Love's "Pee Wee Dance" in 1985. Vintertainment was distributed by Elektra Records from 1985 until it ceased operations in 1990, in which case Elektra opted to buy Keith's contract outright and have him record directly for the label.^{[citation needed]}. On November 25, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo album Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the New Jack Swing era "I Want Her" (#1 R&B/#5 Pop), which was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit #2 on the R&B charts.

[edit] 1990-1991: I'll Give All My Love to You

Sweat reached the charts again with his second album I'll Give All My Love to You (1990) which hit #6 on the Billboard 200 chart. The singles released during this period included "(There You Go) Tellin' Me No Again" (from the film New Jack City).

[edit] 1991-1992: Keep It Comin

He released his third album, Keep It Comin' in 1991 which debuted in the top 20 of the album chart. This album, included the songs, "Why Me Baby" (featuring LL Cool J) and "Keep It Comin'". Sweat then moved from New York to Atlanta, where he founded the Keia Records label that would feature Silk & Kut Klose.

[edit] 1994-1997: Get Up on It and Keith Sweat

Sweat released his fourth album Get Up on It in the summer of 1994, and his self-titled fifth album in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200. The single co/produced and written by eRiC McCAiNe "Twisted" hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Nobody" hit #3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. The song "Just A Touch", with Traci Hale providing background vocals, has earned a regular spot on radio playlists^{[citation needed]}. "Just A Touch" was a cover of the 1979 song "Just a Touch of Love" by Slave.

[edit] 1998-1999: Still in the Game

Sweat's sixth album, Still in the Game was released in 1998, hitting #6 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It featured the singles "Come and Get With Me" (which featured Snoop Dogg) (#12 Hot 100) and "I'm Not Ready" (#16 Hot 100).

[edit] 2000-2001: Didn't See Me Coming

Sweat's success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album Didn't See Me Coming. None of the singles from the album reached the top forty. They were moderate hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] 2002: Rebirth

On August 13, 2002, Keith Sweat released his eighth album, Rebirth. The single "One on One" reached #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

[edit] 2007-2008: Just Me

His 2008 album Just Me fared better with its first single, "Love U Better (featuring Keyshia Cole)" being played on Urban radio stations for about a year before the album's release^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] 2010-present: Ridin' Solo and current status

Sweat is currently signed to Kedar Records and released his tenth studio album entitled Ridin' Solo on June 22, 2010. The lead single taken from the album is "Test Drive" and featured label-mate Joe.^[2]

Since 2007, Sweat has been the host of a nationally syndicated radio program based upon the Quiet storm format. The Keith Sweat Hotel (known as The Quiet Storm with Keith Sweat on WBLS in New York City) is syndicated through Premiere Radio Networks.^[3]

Protégés[link]

In 1992, Sweat discovered the group Silk, and helped craft their debut album, Lose Control, which hit #7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album's single "Freak Me" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1993. In 1993, Sweat discovered the Atlanta based female R&B group Kut Klose. Sweat also produced the group's debut album Surrender, which produced the their biggest hit single "I Like", peaking to #8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In the fall of 1997, Sweat discovered the group Ol' Skool and helped with their self-titled debut. He was on their biggest single, "Am I Dreaming," which featured R&B group Xscape.

Sweat also formed the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill, and released their self-titled debut Levert.Sweat.Gill in 1997. That album featured "My Body", which became a hit single. The album was certified double platinum and reached #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Discography[link]

• Make It Last Forever (1987), Vintertainment and Elektra Records
• I'll Give All My Love to You (1990), Vintetainment and Elektra Records
• Keep It Comin' (1991), Elektra Records
• Get Up on It (1994), Elektra Records
• Keith Sweat (1996), Elektra Records
• Still in the Game (1998), Elektra Records
• Didn't See Me Coming (2000), Elektra Records and Rhino Entertainment
• Rebirth (2002), Elektra Records
• Just Me (2008), Keia Records and Atco Records
• Ridin' Solo (2010), Kedar Entertainment and Universal Music Group
• Til the Morning (2011), KDS Entertainment, E1 Music and Universal Music Group

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards
  • 1998, Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist [Nominated]
  • 1997, Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist (Winner)
  • 1997, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Keith Sweat (Nominated)
  • 1991, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (Nominated)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Biography & booking information
• Keith Sweat artist page at VH1.com
• Keith Sweat artist page at Allmusic
• Keith Sweat at Wenig- LaMonica Associates
• Sweathotel
• IMDb.com
• Keith Sweat's 'SoulRnB.com' group (videos, photos, discussions, etc.) (French)
• Keith Sweat 2010 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com

Sam Concepcion
Background information
Birth name	Samuel Lawrence Lopez Concepcion
Born	(1992-10-17) October 17, 1992 (age 19)
Origin	Manila, Philippines
Genres	Pop, P-pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer, Dancer, Actor, Host, Model Stylist
Instruments	Vocals (plays Piano & Guitar)
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Universal Records (Philippines)
Website	www.samconcepcion.net

Samuel Lawrence Lopez Concepcion born on October 17, 1992 in Manila, Philippines, is a Filipino singer, dancer, actor, host and model.^[1] He emerged as the winner for the Big Division of Little Big Star's Season 1 in April 2006.^[2] He is under STAGES and ABS-CBN's Star Magic.

Personal life[link]

Concepcion was born on October 17, 1992 to Raymund Concepcion and Gene Concepcion. He is the third of four children and siblings to Kuya Red (24), Diko Kevin (23) and as Sangko Sam(18) to their baby sister, Gabby (13).

Career[link]

Early days[link]

As early as two years old, Concepcion was already able to carry a tune and dance to simple songs. At five years old, he had his first public performance at a worship cantata. This later landed him the role of the young Jose Rizal in a play entitled, Sino Ka Ba, Jose Rizal. While playing the part, he was discovered by David Cosico, who then encouraged Concepcion to sign up with STAGES and join Trumpets Playshop to further hone his talents and potential.^[3] By the time he was nine years of age, Concepcion already had various plays under his name. This included the role of Edmund Pevensie in the local stage adaptation of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.^[4]

Prior to joining Little Big Star, Concepcion had appeared on television as well. This included a commercial with his real-life dad as the rapping kid in Maggi Sinigang sa Miso. He also appeared on various shows for children, such as Sineskwela and Hirayamanawari. Concepcion even had a regular hosting stint on ABC-5’s A.S.T.I.G. (All Set To Imitate God), a show about God made for children.^[5] But while making television appearances, Concepcion continuously performed in theater productions, including 'Peter Pan and the Time Machine and Mr. Noah’s Big Boat.

Concepcion’s musical influences include Gary Valenciano, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Billy Crawford and Christian Bautista. In fact, Concepcion was even invited to guest in two of Christian Bautista’s concerts namely, Dunkin Donuts: Color Everywhere on March 2005 and Heartfelt on November 2005.

2005[link]

Concepcion's major television exposure came via Little Big Star, a singing competition on ABS-CBN, which searched for young talents. He was initially dubbed as the Singing Crush ng Bayan throughout the duration of show as he became the crowd’s favorite. In fact, he was awarded the My Favorite Star Award for having the most number of votes from viewers, garnering 52% of the total votes. Then on the Grand Finals, Concepcion sang I Can't Stand Still from Footloose, one of STAGES’ musical productions.^[2] He eventually won the whole competition with the title, The Brightest Star for the Big Division over equally talented kids, Gian Barbarona and Charice Pempengco.

2006[link]

Just before winning the title in Little Big Star, Concepcion was offered endorsements and projects already. His first endorsement came from Bench, a local clothing line in the country. With regard to projects, Concepcion took part in ABS-CBN's primetime shows. First was his stint in the drama series, Mga Anghel na Walang Langit, where he played Gary. However, his first major role was in the fantasy series, Super Inggo. He portrayed Boy Bawang, the son of Kumander Bawang and Super Inggo’s model superhero.^[6]

Then right after his win, Concepcion joined ASAP '06 where he became part of the group, Three-O, with Aldred Gatchalian and Aaron Agassi. The group was later disbanded when Agassi decided to leave. He was also given his first starring role when he was featured on Your Song with Empress Schuck as part of their Christmas offering. The same Your Song episode was again shown the following year.

On June 2006, Concepcion, along with other Trumpets Playshop kids, was tasked by the Philippine Department of Tourism to represent the country for the Korea World Travel Fair. They brought home the Best Folk Performance Award.^[7] That same month, Concepcion was also chosen by the Philippine government to sing in front of the President of the Philippines and top world economic leaders during APEC's Business Advisory Council Gala Opening.^[8] The following month, July 2006, he won Nickelodeon's Pinoy Wannabe award with 40% of the total votes. This win made him the youngest and sole male recipient of the award.^[9]

Then on the September 2006 issue of Candy magazine, Concepcion posed as the magazine’s cover for the first time. On that same issue, he was also announced as the top Candy Cutie for the year. He has held the title for three consecutive years already that no other local celebrity has held since.

By October 2006, Sam had his first concert via a back-to-back birthday celebration with Christian Bautista.^[10]

2007[link]

After Super Inggo, Concepcion’s next major television project was Walang Kapalit. He played the young Noel, who was latter portrayed by Piolo Pascual.^[11] Concepcion also got to dub for the local anime network, Hero TV, as the voice of Koyuki, the protagonist of the Japanese musical anime, Beck.^[12]

On June 2007, Concepcion went back to theater when he played Troy Bolton in Disney's High School Musical on Stage.^[13] The whole production reaped critical success that the musical was extended for two more weeks.^[14]

By September 2007, Concepcion launched his first solo album under Universal Records.^[15] His carrier single was Even If, a 2Be3 original. Subsequently, he released two other singles namely, Happy and I'll Find Your Heart. His album launch was then followed by a nationwide mall tour.

That same month, Concepcion was appointed by the Philippine Department of Education as the Youth Role Model and Spokesperson.^[16] Being its Ambassador for Education, Concepcion was tasked onto a nationwide school tour, dubbed as, SAMa-SAMa sa Eskwela, that aimed to encourage students across the country to prioritize their education while reaching for their aspirations.^[17]

2008[link]

On February 2008, Concepcion became part of ABS-CBN's Star Magic, with a co-management contract with STAGES.^[18] He was launched as their newest talent on ASAP '08. Then on that same month, Sam was also appointed by the Business Software Alliance as the Official Spokesperson of the Philippines for B4USurf, an Asian-wide campaign that aimed to promote safe internet use.^[19] In addition, Concepcion is still the Youth Ambassador for Education and the Arts in the 3rd District of Manila.

Concepcion later on won "Favorite New Artist" in the 3rd MYX Music Awards on March 2008. This win made him the youngest winner for the said category as he garnered 61% of the total votes.^[20]

Then on May 2008, Concepcion was chosen by Dreamworks to sing the theme song of the animated movie, Kung Fu Panda, entitled, Kung Fu Fighting. His version of "Kung Fu Fighting" was included in the Asian soundtrack album. The same album also included the cover of Korean celebrity, Rain. With this project, Concepcion is the first Filipino artist to have collaborated with Dreamworks.^[21]

By August 2008, Concepcion returned to doing regular television shows. One was I ♥ Betty La Fea. He played the character of Andrew, Betty’s younger brother who wanted to become a celebrity for his family's sake.^[22] The series lasted three seasons and ended on April 24, 2009. The other was Lipgloss on TV5, where he played Kyle, the show’s main protagonist. He left the show mid of season two.

Concepcion also staged his first major solo concert dubbed as I'll Find Your Heart. The concert was held at the Music Museum on October 2008.^[23] On that same month, Concepcion was also launched as the Ambassador for Children for World Vision. As its Ambassador, he encouraged Filipinos to help send the less-fortunate children to school.^[24]

Later in the year, Concepcion also held a free Christmas concert sponsored by Dunkin Donuts at the CCP open grounds.

2009[link]

As of this year, Concepcion has been the endorser for various local products. Bench, Skechers, Karate Kid Restaurant, Smart and Tang Fruit Teaz are some of the companies that trusted him to endorse their products.^[25] In fact, Karate Kid, which already expanded in different branches nationwide, contracted Concepcion as the company’s first and sole celebrity endorser.^[26] In addition, Concepcion continues all of his responsibilities as ambassadors for his respective causes.

On May 2009, Concepcion held another major concert entitled, I'll Find Your Heart: Part 2, to help raise funds for Aim Christian Learning Center.^[27] The concert was held at Crossroads77 Convenarium in Quezon City. Concepcion then went on to win the Top Teen Male Entertainer award in the first Pure & Fresh Top Teens Awards, which was held on that same month.^[28]

Concepcion also played the character of Bobet, the optimist of the group, in Your Song Presents: Boystown, which ended last June 2009.^[29] Soon after, Concepcion, together with 40 Star Magic artists, flew in to the United States for the Star Magic World Concert Tour. The tour was held in 2 cities namely, Ontario and San Francisco. Due to the abrupt passing of Michael Jackson, the artists prepared a tribute, in which Concepcion carried the role of the King of Pop with his trademark moves and singing.

Then on August 2009, Concepcion was recently awarded by the United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines the prestigious UNAP Outstanding Youth Leader award for his positive achievements in the Entertainment category.^[30] The awards night was held last August 7 at the Malacanang Palace with President Gloria Arroyo as its guest of honor.

September 2009 marked Concepcion's return to theater after his last musical back in 2007. He was casted as the Narrator, who also doubles as God, in N.O.A.H. [No Ordinary Aquatic Habitat] The cast of N.O.A.H. includes: Carlo Orosa, Sheila Francisco, the three young talented Sison brothers, Fred Lo, Ikey Canoy, Steven Conde, Kevin Concepcion, Tracy Santuyo, JC Gontinga, Jamie Avancena, Alys Serdena, Athena Tibi, Rizza Ribo, Carlo Canlas, Joms Ortega, Jennifer Villegas, Chris Nocon, and Carl Alexander Acosta.^[31] By October 2009, Concepcion was hailed Candy's Top Celeb Cutie for the fourth consecutive time. This award was followed by another award on November 2009. He was hailed by the Consumers League of the Philippines Foundation the Dangal ng Pilipinas for Best Promising Male Young Singer Performer award.

Besides all his TV appearances and various shows off-camera, Concepcion also recorded for his second solo album, which is set to be released early next year under Universal Records. Concepcion regularly appeared on ASAP '09 through a dance segment with the Gigger Boys, ABS-CBN’s all-male teen dance group.

2010[link]

This year started with the restaging of N.O.A.H. [No Ordinary Aquatic Habitat], which was postponed due to Typhoon Ondoy back in September 2009.^[32] With its return, Concepcion still played the role of The Narrator/God for all show times. Concepcion was also chosen to portray the role of the young Noynoy Aquino. The story revolved around the untold love story of the country's historic icons, Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino, on Maalaala Mo Kaya.

Currently, Concepcion still regularly appears with the Gigger Boys on ASAP ROCKS (formerly called ASAP '10). But last year, Concepcion joins another group called, A-Pop. They are the newest sing-and-dance boy group composed of Young JV, Jaco Benin, Nel Gomez and of course, Concepcion himself. Their debut performance was on January 10 of 2010. But due to positive feedbacks, they were officially launched 2 weeks after. During the launch, Concepcion was given the tag, Ultimate Teen Pop Idol. JV, Benin and Gomez are all 19 years old, while Concepcion is the youngest at 17.^[33]

More importantly, Concepcion just released his second solo album this January 2010 entitled, "Pop Class." The concept of this album is different than the first one as this features a mini-musical movie cum album.^[34] The album's carrier single is an original song entitled, "Missed You." The album was officially launched on ASAP XV on the 28th of February. Along with the launch is the awarding of Sam's self-titled debut album with a Gold Record Award.^[35]

Sam also played a lead role on one of the series of C.I.N.C.O. a movie by Star Cinema together with Robi Domingo and AJ Perez.

He also joined the Bench Uncut Fashion Show 2010 and was the youngest of all the stars and models there.

2011[link]

This year Sam starred in the teen oriented show Good Vibes, paired with Coleen Garcia , and in the 2011 Star Cinema family movie Way Back Home together with the Mara Clara stars Kathryn Bernardo and Julia Montes and his co-star in Good Vibes Enrique Gil.

On February 19, Sam was the opening act for Taylor Swift's concert in Manila. He sang Yeah2x, Kung Fu Fighting, Even If and Fireworks. He was asked to join in her Asian Tour. Last June 17, 2011, he was joined by Elmo Magalona as opening acts for Miley Cyrus concert in Manila.

An endorser of MyPhone cellphone together with some Kapamilya and Kapuso stars.

He also showed his directing skills and directed Tippy and Morisette's Face Off concert.He contributed his time and talents for free when he joined the "Pilipinas, Tara Na!" music video together with the other Filipino artists to boost domestic tourism of our country. He was the youngest among the singers.

He was the cover of Candy Magazine mini magazine with posters inside together with Elmo Magalona. He attended the first ever Candy Magazine press conference. He also attended the Candy Fair 2011 and performed his latest single Forever Young. Aside from the Candy Magazine, he was featured in Sense and Style and Total Girl Philippines magazines.

He celebrated his 10th year in show business it by starring as the lead character of Peter Pan in the musical Peter Pan via Broadway and by releasing his third studio album entitled "Forever Young" under Universal Records with Forever Young serves as the single of the album.

2012[link]

Sam is currently portraying the role of Migoy in the afternoon telerserye "Angelito: Batang Ama" with his love team on the show Devon Seron, topbilled by JM De Guzman and Charee Pineda.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Film[link]

Theatre[link]

References[link]