in a few days, barring any storm or any other form of mishap, we (me and several theater-loving pals) are going to watch Cats. meow.

despite my avowed hopes of watching a few stage plays, the only stage musical that i had ever actually made efforts to watch is Cats — because it looks fun, whimsical and as bit over-the-top.

and now that it’s almost here, i can’t help but anticipate how they would present the Rum Tum Tugger, possibly one of (if not) the biggest attraction of this show. and when you think of Rum Tum Tugger, there’s no other stage actor who has inhabited this character as well as John Partridge.

just when you think this year’s MTV’s Video Music Awards is gonna end up relatively tepid for a change, hip-hop star kanye west, ups and drops in a bomb of his own. and this time, the hapless target of his ever-wagging, corrosive tongue is 19-year-old country singer taylor swift.

ms. swift was in the middle of her acceptance speech (Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me“), when kanye west unceremoniously barged in and made a holy mess of things… (see below).

naturally, a lot of people — for various reasons — wouldn’t let an occasion like this go to waste. aside from the usual outraged reactions from various quarters, this infamous tirade also brought in some hilarous spoofs (heheheh). here’s a sample:

at any rate, when beyonce later went onstage to receive her Video of the Year award later, she graciously asked taylor swift to join her so she could finish her speech. kanye west, who seemed to have taken one drink too many, was reportedly escorted off from the show, and even managed to apologize (in full CAPs, mind) to ms. swift in his blog.

i had no plans of updating my blog so soon but after hearing about francis magalona’s sudden demise, i just felt the need to devote this space for him.

only a few local talents have managed to remain in my list of favorites throughout the years, and one of those was francis magalona (francisM, the Man from Manila) (along with Kuh Ledesma, Eraserheads, and Asin). no, i don’t buy his CDs slavishly, nor do i watch and/or listen to his shows regularly. i only know a few things about him or his private life (and i prefer it that way because i believe artists’ private lives should be just that — private). but i’ve always thought of him as an iconic beacon among local talents — much like a landmark representing a vast geographical landscape that needs no explanation.

no matter what hat he wore — actor, rapper, VJ, artist, family man — i will always remember him as this puckish and slightly ambiguous pied piper (of hamelin), exhorting others to follow in his irresistible wake.

it’s sad to think that we will no longer see or hear him (except in recorded footages and CDs), and much sadder to realize that he’s gone so soon, at 44. i lost an uncle to leukemia years ago, so i have a vague idea of how much of a struggle it is to soldier on even when the outcome is virtually inevitable.

goodbye, francis m. we’ll miss you.

local music fans and concertgoers, brace yourself for a month-long deluge of concerts *applause*. several musical artists (both foreign and local) are slated to hold a series of concerts here in the coming month, so if you have lots of cash and time to spare, take note of the following dates.

march 7 (the eraserheads)
this date was described as “tentative” by concert organizers, but it looks like it has firmed up because there has been no announced reschedules so far. barring any mishaps (*fingers crossed*) the eraserheads‘ “The Reunion Concert 2: The Final Set” will take place in Mall of Asia’s concert grounds (capacity: 32,000). Ticket prices range from P300 to P5000 and the concert date falls on a saturday, so this gig would be fairly easy to get into — aside from the fact that this long-awaited E-heads concert ranks as one of those must-be-there event that you simply can’t miss.

march 11 (natalie cole)
share “An Unforgettable Evening” with natalie cole on march 11th (wednesday) at the araneta coliseum. the show, which will start at 8:00pm, will showcase some of of ms. cole’s best-known songs and several of her father’s more popular hits (Inseparable, Route 66) as well as their ‘duet’ (Unforgettable). if you have well-lined pockets and dig the classics, this show will be right up your alley. Tickets start from around P1500 and could go as high as P10,000.

march 14 (journey)
finally, we get to see local-guy-made-good arnel pineda strut his stuff as Journey’s frontman. arnel and the rest of Journey (neal s., ross v., jonathan c., and deen c.), a popular US-based rock band, will be also performing at the Mall of Asia concert grounds on the 14th, which fortunately falls on a saturday. ticket prices range from roughly P500 to P10,300. (*ouch!*) Journey’s hit singles include well-loved songs such as Open Arms, Faithfully, Don’t Stop Believing.

march 26 (john legend)
another foreign musical artist who will soon hit manila is john legend, who will perform live at the araneta coliseum.

a couple of friends have asked me earlier if i would be interested to go, and without batting an eyelash i said i’d like to. but after glancing at the ticket prices (P10,000 to roughly P1000), my enthusiasm cooled down considerably. sure, i admire the guy’s music (Save Room for My Love, We Just Don’t Care) and i’d love to see him perform live, but at this stage i really need to trim down my expenses so i’m more likely to (regretfully) forego this one. *sigh*

march 27 (craig david)
craig david will be flying in to beguile his thousands of local fans via a live performance at the araneta coliseum on the 27th (friday, 8:00pm) as part of his Greatest Hits tour.

ticket prices start from P893 and can reach up to P4568, so if you want to watch this 27-year-old R&B hip hitmaker, better grab those tickets now. his collection of hits include Can You Fill Me In, I Just Don’t Love You No More, Walking Away, etc.

tickets to these concerts are easily available through Ticketnet.