Chuva Choo Choo: D' Mr. Kupido musical review

Mr. Vehnee Saturno is been in the industry of writing songs in a span of 35 years including the present but what if these songs tells a story. This is where Chuva Choo D' Mr. Kupido musical comes in.

If you don't know Vehnee Saturno, you will admit that you are familiar with the songs he wrote for many singers and sang it. Most of his songs are also the usual Karaoke selections. It is also Vehnee Saturno's dream to create a musical but never got to start until theater group Stages  offered to do one. It is also fitting since most musical materials are usually from either West End or Broadway but only few musical productions are originally and can be appreciated by Pinoys.

Chuva Choo Choo's story is set in Pangasinan where two sisters who witnessed a murder and fled to Manila to hide and found refuge in a gay bar called Mr. Kupido. Although it shares similarities with Victor Victoria, it is still different.

I never thought that I'd see the day that songs interpreted by different recording artist would tell a story. It makes you say, "I know that song. He wrote that too?"  The stage set up is not only colorful, it is also flexible. It can be switch to three places without any effort in the props. The production also has audience interaction in some scenes.

Since this is the first production held at Power Mac Center Spotlight, I compare it to CCP's Tanghalang Huseng Batute but it is not as cramp. Just like the Batute, it is also a non-traditional theatrical facility. You can adjust the stage depending on the production. I look forward what else they can do with the Power Mac Center Spotlight.

If you miss the initial run of Chuva Choo Choo, watch out for its full run in January. It is a must-watch. You may never know what surprises awaits in each performance. For more theatrical productions, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

SAM SMITH TO SING TITLE SONG TO “SPECTRE”

Press release

CULVER CITY, Calif., September 8, 2015 – Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today confirmed that Sam Smith has recorded “Writing’s On The Wall,” the theme song to SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond adventure.  SPECTRE will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US (and the Philippines) on November 6.  The song, released by Capitol Records, will debut and be available to purchase and stream on September 25.

Multi-platinum selling artist Sam Smith has co-written the title song, “Writing’s On The Wall,” with fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes.  It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965.  Smith’s debut album In The Lonely Hour launched at No. 1 in the UK and bowed in at No. 2 in the US, and has since earned five No.1 UK singles, four GRAMMY® Awards, three Brit Awards, six MOBO Awards, Q and AMA Awards.

Commenting on the announcement, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of SPECTRE, said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for Spectre and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”

Smith said: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations.  I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”

The 23 previous James Bond theme songs make up some of the most memorable movie music of all time.  The previous Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” was performed by Adele, and was honored with the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. 

"We Are Your Friends" OST

Press release

It may be very easy to associate Zac Efron with music that sets up a romantic mood, what with his breakout movie, High School Musical.  But now, the 27-year-old heartthrob is about to raise heartbeats to a new level as he spins EDM (electronic dance music) in his latest film, “We Are Your Friends”. 

Efron plays Cole Carter, a struggling DJ who spends his nights working on a track that could get the world pumped up and may lead him to an illustrious career.  In the movie trailer, Carter calls it the DJ’s job “to get the crowd out of their heads and into their bodies”.  He further reveals, “I like to start them off at 125 beats per minute...and start bringing them up, song by song.”   This is how he catches the attention of a charismatic but damaged older DJ named James (Wes Bentley of “The Hunger Games”) who takes him under his wing.  But it turns out that love for music is not the only thing they have in common as Cole falls in love with James’ girlfriend Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski of “Gone Girl”).  Now, Cole must choose between love, loyalty, and the future he’s always longed for.

To make sure that Efron is convincing as a DJ, the actor was mentored by no less than DJ Alesso, who started to gain popularity in 2012, prompting pop icon Madonna to call him “the next big thing in dance music”.  In 2014, DJ Alesso ranked 15th on DJ Magazine’s list of Top 100 DJs. Hard work is an important aspect of this film, and Efron did just that in his lessons with Alesso.  The latter revealed in an interview that Efron trained with him *twice or thrice a week for three months before filming began.  Sometimes, the actor would even visit Alesso’s gigs to see what it’s like in the booth.  There were even times when Alesso would allow Efron to hit the turntable, to the amazement of the people in the club.

“We Are Your Friends” marks Max Joseph’s (MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show”) feature film directorial debut.  To capture the EDM craze at its purest, Joseph and everyone involved in the film actually threw a block party music festival in Downtown L.A. called “Summerfest”.  *“We invited everyone to come for free, and all they had to do was RSVP.  They came and we had a blast.”  

We Are Your Friends: Music From The Original Motion Picture is out now via MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines).