adventures in neverland

generous friend invited mahatma gandah to once again fly all the way to the city of the stars -- quezon city (this time, no visa or passport necessary) -- and land at a huge mansion with its own swimming pool, billiard hall, among other amenities that only the very rich can afford. hidden by a tall, brown gate that projects mystery and incites curiosity, the house is the venue for the elimination round of the face and body contest that will hold its final night on july twenty six at the music museum. (the previous owner of the house, i was told, was superstar nora aunor who lived here with husband christopher de leon. it is currently owned by a rich chinese real estate magnate.) the finals of the model search will happen at the same time as the launching concert of men of manila, during which the producers and brains behind the boy band will announce the final line up that will compose the singing and dancing all male group. you see, just like the face and body quest, which aims to...

wanting to escape all the hassles of her mundane, boring and uneventful life, mahatma gandah gave in to a friend's persistent invitation to drop by the place, a two-storey apartment complex in far away quezon city, and witness the rehearsals, voice and acting lessons of the newest and soon hottest boy band in the philippines -- the  men of manila  -- composed of a dozen gorgeous young men all eager to share their talents in exchange for fame and fortune. and so, with passport, visa and other traveling documents necessary inside her prada messenger bag, mahatma gandah flew all the way to midtown or the so-called city of the stars to be with imm, arcel, yano, jester, kurt, nelson, paolo, reggie, xen and soon to be a member ryan (a professional model with a talent for entertaining), spending an exciting afternoon punctuated by jokes, laughers and lots of fun. (seventeen year old and current junior tourism student ryan. will he be the new boy in the ba...

Seventeen-year old Redjie Relucio is hesitant if he would let the public know that he is the first cousin of famous international sensation Charice Pempengco, the petite (5’1”) young Filipina with a huge singing talent who captured the hearts and admiration of such international celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and David Foster. Rightly so, he is concerned that being known as related to Charice would raise the expectations of the public. Some sectors may even say he is just riding on the popularity of his cousin. On the other hand, being linked to Charice this early will help propel him into the consciousness of the public, and in a way, also help Men of Manila win fans in and out of the country. “I want to explore my full potential as a singer and an actor,” says the 17-year old man who is a first year college student taking up information technology at the Asia Technological Institute in Laguna.  “I hope the public will not label me as ...

He could have been a character in the world-acclaimed musical Ms. Saigon -- an engineer who sings and dances. A role famously played by Filipino actor Leo Valdez. Paolo Sta. Maria is the dancer in the group and wants to follow the footsteps of Gab Valenciano, son of famous Filipino singer Gary, and who is known more for his dancing skills than anything else. But Paolo knows how to sing. After a year of taking up voice lessons with the rest of the Men of Manila, his singing has improved. This will be Paolo’s edge in the group. He can be the Ricky Martin of the Philippines (the former member of the dismantled boy band from Puerto Rico called Menudo and has embarked on a solo career), who can sing well and dance even better. “I am a fast learner,” says Paolo. “My edge is dancing. Now, I am developing my singing talent. In the near future, I can do both very, very well.” But Paolo isn’t just another performer. He is a graduate of ECE, batch 2013, at the U...

If there is one among the Men of Manila who will most likely succeed in the entertainment business, it’s going to be Nelson Valencia, a BA in Theatre graduate from the California State University of Northridge, and has done stage plays and commercials (Hershey’s and Hollister) in Los Angeles, where he was born and raised. Nelson was in Manila for what was initially a short vacation in December 2012 when a talent manager spotted him while he was touring the ABS-CBN complex. The manager asked him to try showbiz, Philippine style, and live in the country for good. He was persuaded to stay and gave it a try. But luck was elusive. To his dismay, the entertainment industry, which has been generous to a lot of Filipino-Americans before him and gave them the chance to shine, was hard to please. Even if he has a good singing voice honed by countless voice lessons and can act really well, he was criticized for his Filipino. “I have been criticized for my Filipino....

Xen Monforte is the brown Adonis of the group. His smooth, brown skin perfectly complements a lean, toned body, a result of slaving in the gym. No wonder then that Xen says he is comfortable shedding off his shirt in public if necessary, just to come up with an engrossing performance and to make his fans happy. Standing tall at 5 feet and 11 inches, Xen’s exposure so far was joining a model search by one of the country’s shopping malls. He did not win, but the experience helped hone his modeling skills, lifted his confidence in facing the crowds and became his passport to be a part of Men of Manila. Xen wants to succeed in his entertainment career because he wants to provide a comfortable life to his family. His father passed away this year, and being the eldest in the family, the responsibility of augmenting the family’s income fell on his young, broad shoulders. “I am the breadwinner in the family. We used to own a water station in our hometown in Bulacan. B...

from bonds to a boy band, that's mahatma gandah's latest adventure. read on. wanting to escape all the hassles of her mundane, boring and uneventful life, mahatma gandah gave in to a friend's persistent invitation to drop by the place, a two-storey apartment complex in far away quezon city, and witness the rehearsals, voice and acting lessons of the newest and soon hottest boy band in the philippines -- the men of manila -- composed of a dozen gorgeous young men all eager to share their talents in exchange for fame and fortune. and so, with passport, visa and other traveling documents necessary inside her prada messenger bag, mahatma gandah flew all the way to midtown or the so-called city of the stars to be with imm, arcel, yano, jester, kurt, nelson, paolo, reggie, xen and soon to be a member ryan (a professional model with a talent for entertaining), spending an exciting afternoon punctuated by jokes, laughers and lots of fun. (seventeen year old a...