It is already graduation season in the Philippines and a popular tune often played during the ceremonies is March No. 1 in D, one of English composer Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance Marches." Debuting in 1901, March No. 1 is the best known of the six marches.
The tune might also evoke memories for those who grew up watching World Wrestling Federation matches on IBC-13 during the 1980s. Randall Mario Poffo, better known by his ring name Randy "Macho Man" Savage, often used the tune as his entrance music. The following video is a slide show of Savage's entrances, with the said tune playing on the background:
Original
Philippine Music legend Enrico de Jesus Puno, better known as Rico J. Puno, passed
away on October 30, 2018, at the age of 65. According to a New York Times obituary, Puno "channeled American superstars to forge a distinctive brand
of local soul music."
Rico J. Puno's career in the Philippine entertainment industry spanned
more than four decades. His fame as a singer allowed him to establish his celebrity
status on movies and television. Moreover, he ventured into politics as a member
of the Makati City Council from the 1st District. In honor of his memory,
following are some snippets of his life.
*** Born
on Friday the 13th of February 1953, Rico J. Puno
was the eldest among Felipe Sr. and Corazon Puno's six children who grew up in
Balic-balic, a part of Manila's Sampaloc district.
*** Despite
finishing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Philippine School of Business
Administration, Rico J. Puno pursued a career in music and became successful.
*** In 1975, Rico J. Puno's big break happened at the Palazzi, where he was regularly performing as
a folk singer. The Temptations were at the restaurant having lunch with executive producers
from Vicor Records. The Motown group was so impressed with Puno that one of its
members sang with him. Vicor went on to produce his first record, Love
Won't Let Me Wait.
*** His moniker,
"The Total Entertainer," is also the title of an album that was
released by Vicor in 1977.
*** In the 1977 film Wow, Sikat! Pare, Bigat! Rico J. Puno is dubbed as "The Country's Top Musical Idol."
*** While being featured as a guest in the talk
show Tonight with Arnold Clavio, Rico J. Puno recalled that sometime in the '70s film actor Fernando Poe Jr. sought his help to serenade Susan Roces. Poe later
paid him 650 pesos for singing Sunshine on My Shoulders about 20
times. The two famous men died almost 14 years apart, both at the age of 65.
*** Several
noontime television variety shows showcased Rico J. Puno's talent as a co-host from the mid-1980s to early 2010s. These shows include GMA
Network's Lunch Date (1986-1987) and RPN's Chibugan Na (1994-1995). On ABS-CBN, he was part of Pilipinas Win na Win (2010) and
Happy Yipee Yehey (2011-2012).
*** In July 2018, Rico J. Puno also offered advice to aspiring singers as one of the judges in Tawag ng Tanghalan, an amateur singing
competition currently aired as a segment of the ABS-CBN noontime show It's Showtime.
*** The name of Rico J. Puno's character in the ABS-CBN sitcom Home Sweetie Home is Vino "Daddy V" Valentino. It can be noted that his birthday is the day before Valentine's Day.
*** One of Rico J. Puno's final acting stints on television was in the ABS-CBN action drama series Ang
Probinsyano. He played the role of Engelbert Moreno, with the given name
of this character probably a nod to the English pop singer Engelbert
Humperdinck.
*** As a public
servant, Rico J. Puno served for three consecutive three-year terms in the
Makati City Council from 1998 to 2007. He was elected again to the council in
2016 for another three-year term.
Yesterday's post dealt with the compilation album Eraserheads Anthology. A follow-up greatest hits compilation album, titled Eraserheads Anthology Two, was released in 2006.
The album constitutes a 2-disc set, each disc having fourteen tracks. Following is the album's track listing, along with corresponding running times:
DISC 1
Tindahan Ni Aling Nena - 03:07 Shirley - 04:02 Shake Yer Head - 04:05 Hey Jay - 04:41 Alkohol - 02:55 Wishing Wells - 03:35 Butterscotch - 04:38 Sa Wakas - 02:38 Wating - 04:16 Kailan Lounge - 03:19 Waiting For The Bus - 03:27 Paru-Parong Ningning - 02:50 Poorman's Grave - 04:38 Walang Nagbago - 03:24
DISC 2
Casa Fantastica - 05:17 Futuristic - 02:55 Balikbayan Box - 05:16 Andalusian Dog - 05:05 Ha Ha Ha - 04:46 Spoliarium - 05:31 Tikman - 02:59 Saturn Return - 05:05 Scorpio Rising - 05:11 Tama Ka - 03:24 68 Dr Sixto Antonio Avenue - 05:38 Palamig - 04:27 Playground - 04:16 Christmas Party - 04:05
Ten years ago, I bought a copy of Eraserheads Anthology,a compilation album of the defunct Filipino alternative band Eraserheads. My copy is now missing, although I intend to buy another one in the future.
Front cover of the album
The two-disc album was released by Sony BMG Music Entertainment Philippines in 2004, two years after the band's dissolution. It includes the Eraserheads' greatest hits. Following is the album's track listing, along with corresponding running times: DISC 1 Ligaya - 04:31 Pare Ko - 05:25 Toyang - 03:49 Minsan - 04:17 Overdrive - 05:08 Kailan - 03:17 Sembreak - 04:06 Ang Huling El Bimbo - 07:30 Alapaap - 04:25 With a Smile - 04:40 Magasin - 04:12 Superproxy - 05:47 Torpedo - 04:17 Huwag Mo Nang Itanong - 04:12 Kamasupra - 04:38
DISC 2
Kaliwete - 03:09 Hard to Believe - 03:34 Para sa Masa - 04:55 Bogchi Hokbu - 04:20 Maselang Bahaghari - 03:31 Pop Machine - 05:40 Huwag Kang Matakot - 03:12 Maskara - 04:13 Hula - 03:08 Julie Tearjerky - 03:35 Fruitcake - 04:37 Trip to Jerusalem - 05:27 Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka - 04:43 Run Barbie Run - 02:54 Police Woman - 05:07 Tamagochi Baby - 04:39 Harana - 06:05 Sa Tollgate (previously Unreleased) - 02:59
Dog of Flanders, a tearjerker Tagalog-dubbed anime series that was broadcast by ABS-CBN during the 1990s, will start its re-run on the same television network starting today at 9:30 in the morning from Monday to Friday.
The original series is the 1992 Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) production My Patrasche.Two years later, ABS-CBN started airing the Tagalog-dubbed version as part of a children's programming block that also included Bananas in Pyjamas and A.T.B.P. (Awit, Titik at Bilang na Pambata).
Dog of Flanders has literary roots: It is an adaptation of A Dog of Flanders, a novel by Maria Louise Rame. Set in 19th-century Belgium, the novel is about an orphan boy named Nello, his grandfather Jehann and the titular canine Patrasche.
In the early part of the story, Patrasche was a beaten dog who was found and taken care of by Nello and Jehann. Following recovery to health, Patrasche helped Nello and Jehann in selling milk by pulling their cart into town. Moreover, the dog became Nello's best friend.
I will not discuss the story further to prevent myself from revealing some spoilers. All I can suggest is to view the series once more and relive some childhood memories associated with it. Following is a composite YouTube video featuring the opening and closing themes of the series' 1994 airing:
The Philippines is a country regularly hit by tropical cyclones. In 2013, state weather bureau PAGASA revised the four lists of names for such weather disturbances within the Philippine area of responsibility.
Each main list is used every four years. A corresponding auxiliary list will be used in the event that the number of cyclones within a given year exceeds 25. Following is the list for 2015:
The fruit of the langka (jackfruit) tree has a lot of culinary uses in the Philippines, regardless of the level of ripeness. The unripe fruit is typically cooked with coconut milk. On the other hand, the ripe fruit is sweet with a flavor that reminds of a combination of banana and pineapple. The ripe flesh or arils can be eaten directly from the fruit or can be preserved in sugar. Moreover, the seeds from ripe fruits can be toasted like chestnuts or boiled like peanuts.
This jackfruit measured 37 inches long (excluding the stem) and 28 inches in girth.
