This year’s Christmas has been a virtual cancelled occasion, at least in the way we are used to celebrating the Season. Not even the annual dig at Jose Mari Chan’s classic Christmas tune could save the day for us Filipinos known for going all out, literally and figuratively, once the -Ber months begin.
It is for the same reason that we anticipate the coming year, even if, as one joke would have it, we still have the pandemic come 2021. Resilient people like Filipinos can’t be stopped from being hopeful and forging new ties as we leave this unbelievably difficult year.
Resorts World Manila, site of some classy live performances in recent years, is not missing out its capacity to deliver a grand countdown amidst the pandemic by “bringing its premium concert-going experience to viewers at home.”
The countdown to 2021 show, set at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, will feature first-rate performers, namely, Jed Madela, Jona, and Morissette, along with topnotch stand-up comedian and theater act Jon Santos. It is a virtual concert dubbed New Year. New Hope. New Thrills and touted as a “unique live online entertainment experience.”
Some industry people were provided a glimpse of it during RWM’s Noontime Thrilltime showcase held at the same venue last Dec. 15 where Jed and Jona performed and fun games were played. In support of #PinasMunaTayo initiative, RWM sent to the homes of media friends Christmas hampers that are 100 percent home-grown, from baskets to content.
With Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Michael Williams (co-artistic directors of Full House Theater Company) at the helm, the e-show promises to be both emphatic and blazing. Tickets to the spectacle to be hosted by Jon Joven and Nicole Laurel Asensio are available on KTX.ph. Special guests include The L.O.V.E project artists who are mostly very talented performers concert fans must have not seen enough.
A holy mass celebration at 6:00 p.m. on the final day of the year will be live-streamed.
While RWM ushers in the new year in a bright tone, a collaboration borne out of deep connection is poised to bring 2021 a much-needed positivity. This generation’s definitive Filipino group Ben&Ben, which observers noted to be “continuously bridging the light and hearts of many through the magnetic symphonies they create,” has found an ally in Smart Communications which vowed to go hand in hand with right vision for the purpose of inclusive growth. With what has happened in the world, the people of Smart and the members of Ben&Ben agree that “a strong link is much-needed in the cultivation of a culture grounded on compassion and active communication."
Smart, now “harnessing the power of technology in bridging the digital divide we now deem as normal,” sees the significance of tying up with a musical act that has found fame and purpose in a world of awoken youth collectively wanting to matter more than ever. Let the music count.