It's happening, and it's all for a good cause! Hope to see you guys there! :)
We're baaaaack!
Kel and Jay are back for their annual fundraiser show, and like always, we're pulling out all the stops as we conquer Votre Bar along with Comedy Cartel's Richie Fernandez and GB Labrador, and world-class ventriloquist and Talentadong Pinoy's second hall of famer, Wanlu and his puppets! Yet another night of laughs and gasps, as can be expected only from an ensemble cast like this!
It's happening this December 3, 8:30PM, in Votre Bar, corner ABS-CBN, right beside East of St. Louis. For the benefit of the Real Life Foundation, tickets are only 200 each, inclusive of a consumable drink.
No question about it: this is My Idea Of A Perfect Christmas Show. Now, if we could only get Jose Mari Chan to perform...
Just thought I’d show this one off, considering how fun a ventriloquism act Terry Fator really is. While he doesn’t necessarily fall under magic per se, I do believe this act is “magical” enough, for the most part.
And with that one and hopefully only demotivational picture out of the way, why don’t we introduce you to the toast of the town today, this man known as Ruther Urquia?
Ruther Urquia is currently the toast of the town, being one of the most popular ventriloquists in the country today, along with other remarkable individuals such as Rael, Ony Carcamo, and Wanlu. While it’s true that Wanlu has won “Talentadong Pinoy” on TV5 in the past, it cannot be denied that Mr. Urquia’s impact as a grand finalist in Pilipinas Got Talent is also certainly worthy of mention, considering the man’s very storied quest to the top of the heap.
While many have gotten to know Mr. Urquia only this year, most of the magic community recognizes Ruther as a veteran, who has been performing for the longest time, both as a magician and as a ventriloquist. Through his efforts, he has established himself as one of the premiere performers of the country, even having taken part in the much-hyped show called “Illusive,” where he took to the stage with fellow magicians like JB dela Cruz, Nap Perez, and even young crooner Charlie Green. The man has paid his dues, and is certainly no new kid on the block.
With a wide arsenal of puppets and a very varied set of characters going with each puppet, Ruther took the country by storm when he made his way into the hearts and minds of the Filipino audiences through Pilipinas Got Talent as one of the grand-finalists, losing out only to Jovit Baldivino. Since then, Ruther’s stock was on the rise, as he made his presence felt on TV shows like Showtime, and finding himself more and more surrounded by opportunities to take his craft to even newer heights.
I hope to meet this man before the end of the month, so I can write even more about him by then. For the moment, I guess it would suffice to say that I’m a fan, considering how much I respect the very challenging art of ventriloquism.
I was going to feature the bit that sir Ony did for “Bound and Gagged” last 2009, but decided that his award-winning commercials were better highlighted for this particular article.
Now, as sir Ony is not only a magician that I know of, but someone whom I’ve worked with numerous times already, I think that what I would have to say would be less a biographical look into the man, and more about my general experiences involving the guy.
I met sir Ony way back in September, 2008, when I hosted and did magic for a party by Ms. Ayn Monserrate. Immediately, I hit it off with the veteran ventriloquist, as I expressed my wide-eyed admiration for his craft, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he actually also happened to be a mentalist.
Known as the “Premiere Ventriloquist of the Philippines,” sir Ony is a true artist, who has created many different characters over the years, from the ineffable Mr. Parley to the knee-slap inducing Sampaguita, the multi-talented pig. His very unique approach and undeniable charisma has allowed him to perform both for children and for adults, and one could tell the difference between his kid shows and his adult shows, considering the wealth of material he uses.
Out of everything he has done, sir Ony is very popular because of his finale, which involves taping his mouth whilst his puppet demands for more and more tape to be stuck to his mouth, all the while earning a louder and louder applause each time the puppet barks out the order for more tape. It truly is a sight to behold, whenever he does this, and nobody can question the man’s skill at ventriloquism. In my book, when I try to think of American ventriloquists, probably only Terry Fator could be comparable to him as being on a whole differentlevel, as he writes his own material much like Jeff Dunham, and he has a wide variety of ventriloquism “tricks” like Kevin Johnson.
Overall, in the two years I’ve known this man, I’ve had nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for him and his skills as a ventriloquist, and I vividly recall catching his show, “Amagikomedinayt,” featuring himself, Brod Pete, and Jeffrey Tam in 2009. I just sat there, stupefied at how amazing that entire show was, and resolved to have him in “Bound and Gagged” in the same venue in the same year, which certainly made my show even more memorable than it already was.
But then, this is magic month, and while I can sing all the praises I want about his ventriloquism, that’s not officially considered magic. All the more reason why I was simply amazed at the fact that aside from ventriloquism, sir Ony is also a very accomplished mentalist, having performed some really amazing feats of mind-reading, and even incorporating his puppet into his routines, such as when he did a blindfold routine involving his puppet.
As of late, though, I have had the great honor of performing with sir Ony and of course, Stanley Chi, on a monthly basis in Taumbayan, and we consistently get a good crowd and rave reviews of our performance there. I’d be happy to let you know about the next gig once we have a date set for it.
So to sir Ony, here’s a toast to you, for being an excellent performer, and more importantly, an excellent human being! For those who would like to contact or book this man, you may reach him at this website.
Lourd’s telltale voice and his unique spoken word performance style has always been an object of curiosity for most people, but this song is one of those songs where he actually does sing. There’s a nice musicality to RSP’s songs that just really gets you going, and the fact that they have very socially relevant messages doesn’t hurt at all, either.
“Minsan di mo na mapigil mapansin na talagang wala nang naiiwan na pagmamahal...” One of the saddest songs ever, this is a killer by the APO Hiking Society. They’re disbanding this year, so it’s a bit sad for me to be reminiscing about this amazing group that has captivated the hearts of the Filipino people for decades.
“I’m not crazy I’m just little unwell, I know, right now you can’t tell, but stay a while and maybe then you’d see a different side of me...” This is an amazing arrangement for my favourite Matchbox Twenty song of all time.
“At first I was afraid, I was petrified...” the immortal words of Gloria Gaynor were given a lovely breath of fresh air by the band known as Cake, and ever since, I’ve been a fan of this group, especially since they use some brass in their songs, which I find very appealing in the middle of all the percussions and electric guitars of the modern music world.
“Nasanay lang sigurong nand’yan ka, ‘di ko inakalang pwede kang mawala...” Sugarfree is the king of sad songs in contemporary OPM, as far as I’m concerned. This is, to me one of their three best songs when it comes to that sentiment. I actually got very misty-eyed when I heard this song playing during the Dekada concert.
I’ve already supplied so many songs from the Itchyworms, but I never run out of songs to like from those guys. This is another one of my favourites, and I have to say that their harmonious blending is something sorely lacking in most of the local bands nowadays. They write great songs, they harmonize, and they are insanely funny. There’s nothing more you can ask from a band of their calibre, really.
And a couple of bonuses from some bands that can be among my favourite bands every now and then...
WARNING: Explicit lyrics! Grin Department is very notorious for their risqué and over-the-top lyrics. I love this band with a passion, but they sure gave me cause to worry when they performed during our charity show last year. I noticed some people walking out during their set, and that definitely made my heart stop.
Awesome, awesome band. Too bad they’ve disbanded. They have a bizarre sense of humor, and this song is their attempt at going commercial and mainstream. Heh.
See, now that Alchemy is closing down, and our last ever standup comedy night is happening tomorrow over there at around 10PM, I guess it’d be nice to reminisce about that place by thinking of some of the songs I’ll forever associate with that venue, thanks to Melomanila’s music...
That’s a song that I first ever heard from Melomanila. It’s definitely an instant favourite in my heart.
Now, just because I’m such a mark for the Itchyworms, here’s another song that reminds me of Alchemy because I like singing it there (Aside from S2pid Luv, which I sing everywhere.)...
I hope to see them at Alchemy tomorrow, because it’s gonna be our last night there, and I hope to see you guys, too! Again, it's happening in Alchemy, around 10PM!
.:Friday Night: Tagayan Sa TAuMBAYAN!:.
Well, guys, it’s happening this Friday night, so do drop in on us! It’s absolutely free!!!
Laugh and be astounded as the Philippines' premier ventriloquist Ony Carcamo takes his wooden drunken partner Mr. Parley to the newest artists' tambayan in town--TAuMBAYAN--for "Tagayan sa TAuMBAYAN," a night of spectacular voice-throwing, magic, and stand-up comedy.
With performances by comedy magician Kel Fabie and comic Stanley Chi. Surprise guest (actually hindi na surprise ngayon) is Sampaguita, the most-talented piglet in the world.
Entrance is FREE, but make sure you'll eat and drink inside hanggang maubos pera n'yo--or else hindi kayo palalabasin!
Make your Friday night this week memorable (dahil mapapagastos kayo sa sarap ng tsibog!). Maki-tagay na sa TAuMBAYAN on Apr. 16, 2010, 9pm.
For details, please call 501-2399.
.:Saturday Night: Brothers At Arms With Mike “Dinamita” Unson!:.
I am honoured to be hosting this event, so please do catch it! This show features the man who needs no introduction, Mike Unson; the underrated, unappreciated Stanley Chi; NU 107’s 2008 Rock Awards Guitarist Of The Year LC Reklamo; Uli Oposa, Derf Hebrado, Red Ollero, and Trian Lauang!
It’s going to be at Conspiracy bar this Saturday, so don’t miss out on it! Entrance fee is only 100 bucks!
It was a blast! If you didn’t catch it, too bad!
October 23: The second Kel and Jay megashow has just wrapped up, and it was one awesome show for the ages. What started as merely a brainstorm for something bigger and better ended up becoming a reality, and one that we certainly will be pulling off yet again sometime next year.
Getting The Pieces Into Place
Oh, yeah...
The date of the show was set up since March of this year. We wanted a sequel to “Laughs And Gasps”, and we wanted to make it a bigger and better show.
Initially entitled “Music and Misfits” because the original concept was music and magic, the predictable departure of a rather disappointing cog in the machinery ended up with us looking to take the show in another direction. After a while, it all made sense: the show will be called “Bound and Gagged”, and will feature escape acts and the top ventriloquists of the country, thus indicating the main thrust of the show.
That was well and good, because I’m on fairly good terms with two of the best ventriloquists in the country, sir Ony Carcamo and sir Wanlu, who are definitely amazing performers in their own rights. Wanlu was also part of last year’s show, and is now a hall of famer in TV 5’s “Talentadong Pinoy”, while Ony is actually Wanlu’s mentor, and is someone whom I personally believe would be recognized as a National Artist sooner rather than later.
So it was all well and good, and we wanted a comedian like Giselle Sanchez to complement the show. With Ms. Sanchez booked in Hong Kong on that date, there was no way we could get her, so we had to look for the likes of Ms. Tuesday Vargas or even the controversial Ms. Candy Pangilinan. All things considered, things didn’t pan out too well in the comedy department – until the Comedy Cartel came along.
You see, I’ve already known the Cartel for a while, but I haven’t really had the opportunity to pick their brain, only getting snippets of their show mostly through my good friend, Stanley Chi. At some point in April, I got into standup comedy myself and I ended up feeling that hey, this show can carry itself without necessarily having some super name value. That’s why I ended up getting one of the pioneers of Philippine standup comedy, Mike Unson, and the winner of the Tawag Ng Tawa, Richie Fernandez. As a huge fan of comedy, I knew I could count on Mike and Richie to deliver the goods.
The last thing we wanted to consider were special musical guests who could enhance the show. It was an easy choice for us initially. We wanted Project 2 and Grin Department. Unfortunately, Project 2 disbanded, but in their stead was one of the cult favourites in the local music scene, Giniling Festival.
We were hoping to get the Itchyworms at the last minute, but their volatile calendar prevented us from doing so. Next year, just you wait... heh.
The Buildup
Rope a dope! LOL. I love being the writer of these recaps.
The sponsorship process was long, and arduous. In the end, though, we can’t thank enough Geiser Maclang, C2, Granny Goose Tortillos, Jack n Jill Potato Chips, E-Games, and Goldilocks for helping us make this show happen. The bulk of my thanks though is reserved for the last-minute miracle courtesy of my bosses at Nuffnang Philippines allowed me to actually make the show happen without me having to go through last year’s expensive lessons. All in all, the sponsors helped us majorly, and even our media friends, TV5, NBN 4, and Hero TV, were more than enough help.
I even went on to do radio tours and stuff to promote the show. From RX to WAVE to Magic to RT (Where I now sorta regularly go on air, thanks to King DJ Logan.), things have been going just peachy. All in all, I was grateful that my friends on radio really pulled through and helped me promote the show as much as they could. It’s hard to find friends as awesome as these guys are. We even had people walking in on the day itself just to check out what’s going on.
The people at PETA Theater are also nothing short of wonderful guys to work with, too. They were there, helping us out at every step of the program, and they really supported us all the way. I couldn’t be any happier about how well they treated us if I tried. Seriously, these guys are pros.
On the day itself, we were rehearsing all our stuff like crazy. It wasn’t easy, but we definitely made it work, and Brenda’s role in the finale was something we couldn’t take for granted. The guys from The Story Circle really made sure that every single detail about the show was running in top form, and even my mom got into the act, making sure things were ironed out perfectly. I was the producer, the marketing guy, the promoter, the stage director, and the performer. It was going to drive me crazy if i didn’t have any help at all, and these guys really came through in a pinch.
The First Half
Annoying pose, isn’t it?
The show opened with a bang, as Carl Quion, the youngest stage magician in the country, performed an amazing routine that just made people’s jaws drop. Carl helped us out immensely in preparing for the show, so there was no way I could refuse when he volunteered to be an opening act for the show.
It was great, as Jay and I went onstage and started talking to the audience. It was funny, really. We had a captive audience, and I even ended up squeezing in a bit of my standup as we needed to buy time for the first band.
The contrast is umistakable. Photo courtesy of Lei.
In all the merrymaking, Giniling Festival then stepped up and really got the crowd going. I was a bit worried about two kids in the audience, but it seemed that Giniling Festival wasn’t going to cause much grief for them at all, and their segment actually went over pretty well.
Again, courtesy of Lei.
Anyways, after Giniling got the people going, Jay and I went back up and performed Gypsy Mystery, emphasizing that one of the first things Tito Lou Hilario gave us as advice about the routine is to never perform it with two men. Clearly, we listen to such sound advice.
(W)hoops! Yep, still a picture from Lei.
Things were happening on full clip because we wanted to cram as much fun as possible within three and a half hours. Richie Fernandez then took on the role of doing some really great standup as he regaled everyone with his unique spin on comedy to the delight of the audience.
After this, it was my turn, as I performed a David Copperfield classic: the Slo-Mo Dove special. It was, without a doubt, one of the most embarrassing but memorable parts of the night, particularly since I danced “Nobody”. Twice. Once in slow motion.
It was good clean fun, and we wanted to end the first half of the show with a bang, so...
Wanlu and Manny Pexman never looked better together. Also from Lei.
Wanlu’s set featured multiple puppets, talking masks, and even a marionette. There was no question about it, really: Wanlu was the perfect act to cap off the first half of the show, as we knew he was going to really get the crowd on their feet. Needless to say, he hit one right out of the park, and we were heading off into intermission with a lot going for us.
The Second Half
I wanted them to be the main event of the show, but they were a bit reluctant since they had a gig in Bicol the next day. As such, we had them open the second half of the show.
Now, I’ll be honest with you: with the kids in the audience, maybe Grin Department wasn’t the smartest choice for entertainment that night. Their very loud, off-color, in-your-face style of music certainly isn’t meant for kids. Their notorious reputation for giving the fans more than their money’s worth isn’t without basis, too. What was supposed to be a five-song set became a five-medley set that had audience members polarized but reacting throughout the entire time.
Regardless of how you see them, though, they are legends in their own right.
Yep. Lei took this photo, too.
To me, it was an amazing moment to see Grin Department really just tear it up on the stage, and they were well worth the extra cash I had to cough up for going overtime. I had to manage my audience, though, and a quiet moment where I performed metal bending for the kids in the audience who had to leave the show really made me feel that as crazy as things were going, we were still on the right track. I was worried about time, but the remaining acts were going to really step up the tempo of the show. If this show would run for five hours, it better be the bloody best five hours they will ever go through, and I’d like to think we achieved that.
Jay Mata was up next, and in true form, he proved for a second straight time why he is one of the premiere mentalists in this country.
You just had to be there. Seriously. Picture from Lei.
He did what he did last year, with one key difference: when he had a volunteer step on his back and face, he withstood what must have been unbelievable pain and held off for at least fifteen seconds. While last year, the volunteer, Mike Abundo, was indeed tall and not exactly a light person, the volunteer this year was noticeably heavier. And Jay survived it.
The lighting at this point was perfect. We wanted to convey a moody atmosphere, so instead of having the goings-on projected on a huge screen, we instead asked the audience to gather closer to Jay so they could see for themselves what he was doing. It was eerie, it was unbelievable, and it was just... surreal.
Afterwards, the audience was still in for quite a treat. My personal favourite standup comedian, Mike Unson, was next.
Ang galit na nauwi sa WALAAAAAA!!! Photo from Lei.
The audience was laughing like crazy at this point. There’s a reason why Mike Unson, in my opinion, is one of the best Filipino standup comics ever, and he proved it that night. Every single joke was met with raucous laughs and heartfelt applause. And he did all of this in record time, being the consummate professional that he was. He was just on a different plane that night.
And the thing is, when you step the game up like that, you just know that with a show like this, there was no way things would go on a downward trend. Ony Carcamo followed things up with an unbelievable set where he used only one puppet, Mr. Parley, but he still managed to get people laugh non-stop for what seemed like hours of non-stop entertainment.
I won’t spoil anything here. You should’ve been there. Pic by Lei.
What really amused me was how Ony actually referenced Mike in his set and it was just so natural and hilarious. The whole “this is PETA theatre” bit was just awesome, and I couldn’t think of a better one-two punch than Mike and Ony performing and just really taking everyone’s breath away. This was grade A comedy, and I was just so proud to have been witness to it.
And then came the finale. Naturally, that meant we had to Rickroll people. Again.
You know the rules. And so do I. Pic by Lei.
Paying tribute to the Pendragons for our last act, Metamorphosis is often regarded as “the fastest illusion of all time”. Behind the choreography and dance steps, it was a matter of doing something so fast, that anyone who’d so much as blink would regret it.
Not pictured: Brenda is in that box. Picture by Lei.
... And we pulled it off. Brenda was in the trunk one moment, and the next, she was outside of it, leaving me inside the trunk.
But it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Throughout the night, you see, Jay was on the receiving end of my jokes and ribs. He vowed revenge, and promptly knocked me back into the box to lock me in there until he saw it fit to release me. He even started to thank everyone for going to the show and was sending them on their way, what with me trapped in the box and all.
That’s why I had to tell him off right then and there.
From the balcony.
Yep. You read that right. Ever heard of the Transported Man? That’s sorta what happened right here. And it was a success. A tremendous finale that we worked on for weeks, and it paid off in the end.
The Aftermath
Well, the show happened, and I couldn’t thank the people who went enough, especially my friends from Ditzy Diner and the Laffa 2 guys, as well as Jeff Tam and the other people from IMC. Things would’ve been perfect despite Grin Department going a tad overtime if it weren’t for one thing, though...
Some rotten soul stole my cellular phone off the stage, and even stole a lot of other stuff backstage that night.
It was sad, really, as this was a charity event, and this was the last thing you’d expect from an event like that. Nonetheless, I’d like to think that the world has a way of balancing itself out, and the good we’ve done for this night cannot be outweighed by the bad things that may have happened.
Oh, indeedy. You can be sure we’ll be doing this again next year.
Thanks for the support, one and all, and we’ll see you again soon for the third Kel and Jay megashow!
We’re baaaaaaacccckkkk!!!
Last year’s “Laughs And Gasps” was a rousing success: hailed as a big magic and comedy hit, a clamor has been raised for a sequel, and because you demanded it, the “Penn and Teller of the Philippines,” Kel and Jay, are back, and they’re pulling out all the stops!
This year, “Bound And Gagged”, the sequel to last year’s show, will be happening on Friday, October 23, 7:30 PM, in PETA Theater. The venue shouldn’t be too hard to find, since it’s on Eymard Drive, which intersects with E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Quezon City.
From this show, you can expect nothing but top-notch magic and mentalism from your heroes of Mind and Magic, Kel and Jay, as well as an unprecedented showdown featuring two of the country’s top ventriloquists, the Philippine’s Premiere Ventriloquist, Ony Carcamo and the Ventrillusionist, Wanlu. Also slated to perform are two top comedians from the immensely popular Comedy Cartel, the winner of 2009’s “Tawag Ng Tawa” Richie Fernandez, and one of the hosts of TV 5’s “Front Act”, the inimitable Mike Unson. Special musical guests include the Route 196 favorite Project 2, and the legendary 90’s icon, Grin Department.
On October 23, you will be treated to a night that will excite, delight, and ignite your imaginations, and all for a worthy cause! “Bound And Gagged” will feature some amazing acts that combine Kel and Jay’s unique style with special homages to some of their greatest influences, like Houdini, Copperfield, Osterlind, Maven, Brown, and of course, Penn and Teller.
For a sample of what Kel and Jay can do, take a gander at this guesting last November in “Unang Hirit”!
With Kel and Jay, Ony and Wanlu, Mike and Richie, Project 2 and Grin Department, how can you possibly go wrong? Don’t miss out on an evening of wonders, bringing laughs and gasps to another level.
This is “Bound And Gagged”. Tickets are available at 200 (balcony) and 300 (orchestra) each, available at the gate, and proceeds of the show will be given to the Real Life Foundation. For more inquiries and ticket reservations, call or text 09175126883.
We're baaaaacccckkk!!!
Image courtesy of Sir Ony Carcamo
You want to laugh? You want to be amazed? You want to bob your head to the beat? You want nothing but unparalleled entertainment? Well, then the new Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA. Yup. NOT the one for animals.) Theater this March 27 (A Friday night!), 8PM, is the place to be for "AMAGIKOMEDINAYT"!
Be witness to a night with magic, comedy, ventriloquism, and music, as brought to us by three of the top live performers in the country today. From the magic of the rising star, Jeffrey Tam, a multiple winner of various magic competitions, to the unbeatable ventriloquism talent of Ony Carcamo, one of the most esteemed artists of our age, to the ineffable sense of humor and sheer hilarity brought by Brod Pete, aka Ishko Salvador, you will be treated to a night that will astound, tickle your funny bone, and everything else in between.
Special guests also abound, including the European illusionist Oliver, and musical guests Gloc 9 and Dice and K9. This is a night you shouldn't miss if you want a Friday night worth remembering.
Tickets are priced at 400 and 600 bucks apiece only. For reservations, feel free to call/text Badette of PETA at 4108822 and 09175158433. I'm going to be there to support the event, and if you love these guys like I know you do, I'm sure you'd want to support them as well. =)
Catch you there!
