70. 12 KAPAMPANGANS IN HOLLYWOOD

In the 1920s, Hollywood beckoned with promises of fame and fortune to aspiring actors, ingénues and starving artists. The first wave of Filipinos to arrive in Los Angeles coincided with the rise of Hollywood. They, too, were lured with the prospects of employment that the blossoming film industry offered. In 1929, MGM Pictures sounded out a casting call for extras for the movie “The Pagan”. Hordes of Filipinos went to audition, and many passed the 5 foot height limit set for these extras. Generally, these uncredited and underpaid Filipinos  portrayed  savage natives and service-type roles. Through the years, a few Kapampangan artists have made headway in the American film and TV industry. Let’smeet some of them.

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ROSA DEL ROSARIO

U.S. Film Credits: Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Border Bandits (1946), An American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)

Filipino star-wannabes would wait for the postwar 1940s before they could see one of their own claim a legitimate acting role in a Hollywood film. Kapampangan Rosa del Rosario (aka Rosa Stagner, b. Dec. 15, 1916), an American-Filipina mestiza from Bacolor, was already an established star in pre-war Philippine movies when she, on a visit to the U.S., caught the eye of an American director who was casting Asians for his  movie. She won the role as one of the king’s 14 wives in the film classic, “Anna and the King of Siam” in 1946 (to be redone as the musical “The King and I” in 1954). As wife number 7, del Rosario  was unbilled  in this Rex Harrison starrer.  That same year, she  appeared as Celia in the “The Border Bandits”, opposite Johnny Mack Brown and in 20^th century Fox ‘s, “An American Guerrilla in the Philippines” with Tyrone Power. Del Rosario is well known for being the first flying female superhero of Philippine films--Darna. She died on Feb. 4, 2005 in Modesto, California.

ROGELIO DELA ROSA

U.S. Film Credit: Sword of the Avenger (1949)

Rogelio Dela Rosa (b. Nov. 12, 1916/d. Nov. 26, 1986) from Lubao was the first true Filipino male superstar, with a career that spanned over 3 decades. He had his first Hollywood break in 1949 when he was cast as the lead for a movie that was  shot with both Tagalog and English version. Thus, two separate casts-one American, one Filipino, supported him.

Entitled “Sword of the Avenger” (Tagalog: “Ang Vengador”), Dela Rosa was billed  as Ramon Delgado, with Sigrid Gurie as his leading lady (in the local version, dela Rosa played opposite Pacita Francisco). The story was set in Spanish Philippines.  The falsely accused Roberto Balagtas (dela Rosa) was imprisoned, but managed to escape with a treasure map. He finds the treasure by fighting off Chinese smugglers, and becomes a wealthy man. Assuming the name Don Diego Sebastian, her returns to exact revenge. The movie, which was shot  in Hollywood, was directed by Sidney Salkow, who was better known as the director of the popular TV series “Lassie” and “The Addams family”.

NEILE ADAMS

U.S. Film Credits: Grubstake (1952), This Could be the Night (1957),  Women in Chains (1972), Fuzz (1972), Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981), and Buddy Buddy (1981)

Ruby Neilam Salvador Arrastia, is known in Hollywood as the actress-singer-dancer Neile Adams—and the first wife of the hottest new male star of 60s Hollywood, Steve McQueen. Born on Jul. 10, 1932, to Jose Arrastia of Lubao with Carmen Salvador (sister of character actor Lou Salvador Sr.), she moved to the U.S. after the war.  Adams became a proficient dancer and found herself being cast in musicals. One of her early appearances was in “Pajama Game”, staged at the Carnegie Hall. She moved on to TV and films,  with credits in the 1952 western “Grubstake” and as Patsy St. Claire in “This Could Be The Night” (1957).

Husband and wife appeared in a memorable episode in “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”. Separately, Neile Adams had a recurring role in the TV series “Five Fingers” as Rita Juan in 1960, and went on to guest star in top TV shows thrugh the 60s,70s and 80s, like “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, “Love American Style”, “Bob Hope Show”. “The Bionic Woman”, “ The Rockford Files”, “Fantasy Island”, “Vega$” and “Hotel”. In 1986, Adams wrote “My Husband, My Friend”, a biography of her husband Steve, who had died of cancer in 1980. Coincidentally, Neile’s son (Chad McQueen) and grandson, Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert in “The Vampire Diaries”), are both actors. A nephew, Enrique Iglesias, is a singer and an occasional actor.

MINDA FELICIANO

U.S. TV Credits: Hawaiian Eye (1959)

International jetsetter Minda Feliciano was the daughter of Manuel Valdez Feliciano, a district engineer, and Amparo Santana of Batanes. Born as Arminda Feliciano on June 1, 1931, her town of origin is sometimes listed as either Angeles or Guagua. That may be due to the peripatetic career of her father, who was assigned in different provinces like Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Surigao.

When she moved to the U.S., she started modeling and auditioning for acting roles and, in 1959, won a regular slot (she played the hula-dancing receptionist, Evelyn) in the popular TV series,”Hawaiian Eye”, produced by Warner Brothers. Her trips around the world led to a chance meeting with actor Michael Caine. The two were soon engaged, but somehow, things didn’t fall into place and the couple parted ways. Michael would marry the exotic beauty, Shakira Baksh in 1973 , win 2 Oscars and be knighted in 2002.

Linked with singer Tony Bennett, Feliciano would form a more lasting relationship with Norman John McClintock Lonsdale, a true English blue blood. Romance bloomed and they were wed in 1997. In the Lonsdales’ sprawling Oxfordshire estate, the couple entertained film star friends like Joan Collins, Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland and Roger Moore. Minda and Norman would be together for 12 happy years until his death in 2009. Minda Feliciano currently lives in London in her ivy-colored house fronting the scenic Thames River.

GEORGE SUNGA

U.S. TV Credits: Judy Garland Show (1963),  An Evening with Carol Channing TV Special, 1966), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967), The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970), Three’s Company (1976), Good Times (1976), The Ropers (1978), The Comedy Playhouse (1986)

Behind the camera, Kapampangans have also left their mark in the American entertainment industry. Leading the way is the venerable George Sunga, who first joined CBS as a production supervisor of “The Judy Garland Show” in 1963, and later, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”. He went on to produce the hit TV shows  "Good Times," (1974)  "The Jeffersons," (1975) , “All in the Family” (1974)  “Three’s Company” (1976) and many other successful serials. In 1989, Sunga was elected  officer of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  For his commitment to diversity in television, an award in his honor was created and given yearly at the Media Access Awards. The Sungas are from Guagua, Pampanga.

LEA SALONGA

U.S. Film Credits: Aladdin (1992), Mulan I & II (1998,2004), Redwood Curtain (1995), ER (2010), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2016) 

The toast of West End and Broadway, Angeles-born Lea Salonga (b. Feb. 22, 1971), has also penetrated the U.S. showbiz industry, both as actress and singer. While still with the hit musical ‘Miss Saigon’ . she was tapped to sing key songs for such movies as “Aladdin” (1992) and  “Mulan” I and II ( 1998, 2004). She had a once-in-a lifetime experience of singing “A Whole New World” at the 1993 Oscar Awards, which went on to win Best Song. Salonga was also seen on a 1995 TV film produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame, “Redwood Curtain”. The film chronicles the search of an Amerasian piano prodigy for her biological father, aVietnam veteran. Other credits include guest appearances in hit TV series “ER” , “As The World Turns” and most recently, as Filipina Aunt Myrna in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”.

RICO HIZON

U.S. Film Credit: I.T. (2016)

Federico “Rico” Morales Hizon, whose parents come from Mexico and Mabalacat, respectively, made a name for himself as an international journalist, but his credentials now include acting in a Hollywood film. In the 2016 film“I.T.” topbilled by Pierce Brosnan, the Singapore-based BBC correspondent portrayed himself in this nail-biting thriller directed by John Moore.

WINSTON QUITASOL

U.S. Film Credits: Ghost (1990), Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Mortal Kombat (1995), the Phantom (1996), Spiderman 2 (2004), Iron Man 3 (2013), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Moana (2017)

The visual effects/lighting genius behind contemporary classic Disney movies is half-Kapampangan (courtesy of his mother) Winston Quitasol. His talents are put to good use in films  that require visual effects, allowing him to push the technical and technological boundaries  of film effects to produce all kinds of fantastic scenes and imageries. As a visual effects technical director, Quitasol is responsible for lighting various elements (like a character or FX) for a specific scene and composing the said elements to a live action background via computer work. The realistic effect is achieved through his mastery of computer tricks. On the other hand, as a senior lighting artist, he determines how a shot should look by observing the environment of the approved scenes or finding an art director’s  color key. By positioning his lights in the computer, he can match the look and then render out all the elements he needs to composite the final scene.

Quitasol has worked on a slew of high profile Hollywood films , and his first unforgettable assignments was the megahit “Ghost” from 1990, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. His more recent works include “Spiderman 2”, “Surf’s Up”, “Iron Man 3”, “300: Rise of an Empire , “Frozen”, “Big Hero 6”, “Moana” and “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”. Quitasol works at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, California State University-Long Beach

JESS ESPAÑOLA

U.S. TV Credits: Bill and Yed’s Excellent Adventures (1990), King of the Hill (1993), Futurama (1999), The Simpsons, Season 19: Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind (2007).

Animator Jesus “Jess” Española, from Lubao, is the only full Filipino winner of the

the prestigious primetime Emmy Award for his 2008 work on “The Simpsons ( ‘Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind’ episode). Raised by his single mother, Española struggled to finish high school by taking on odd jobs like baby-sitting and washing dishes. He saved enough money for his  Fine Arts course at the University of the Philippines. Española  found work as an animator for Burbank Animation in Makati, then moved to Fil-Cartoons, which was contracted to create animation for Hanna Barbera cartoons like the popular Flintstones, Scooby Doo and Jonny Quest. So adept did Española become, that he was sent to the head studio in the U.S. where he found employment when the Philippine office closed.

His first assignment was at Film Roman for “King of the Hill,”, one of the primetime shows of Fox, that also includes Matt Groening’s “The Simpsons”. Soon, he was doing character layouts for “The Simpsons”, rising to become its assistant director. Espanola’s win at the Emmys validates the common knowledge that Filipino animators are among the best in Hollywood.”A lot of Filipino artists are in the cutting edge of the animation industry. I guess I am lucky that I worked with "The Simpsons," said Jess, the poor boy from Lubao who made good.

KRISTINE SONGCO

U.S. TV Credits: The Fairly Odd Parents (2014), Sullivan and Son (2014), Sing It (2016), My Little Pony (2016-17), The Great Indoors (2016-17)

In the CBS TV sitcom “The Great Indoors”, Kapampangans were treated to a January 2017 episode in which the characters of actors Joel McHale and Stephen Fry,  spoke  in Kapampangan—albeit, with a thick American accent—so they could disguise their secret plan to leave young campers in the wild without their smartphones. The language got a lot of online attention after Pampanga-born Christ Sundita posted it on facebook. It turned out that the  idea was conceived by story editor/ writer, Kristine Songco (b. Dec. 6, 1985),  a Cal State Fullerton honors graduate in 2007.  She worked on Nickelodeon shows like “The Mighty B!”, “Fanboy” and “Chum Chum”. Her writing gigs have come to include  “The Great Indoors”. Or that much-talked about ‘Kapampangan’ episode, Kristine sought the help of her father in crafting the dialogues. The Songcos are a prominent family from Guagua.

ALLEN EVANGELISTA

U.S. Film & TV Credits: Project Almanac (2015), Ghost Whisperer (2010), The Secret Life of the American teenager (2008-2013), Mozart and the Whale (2005)

From appearing in commercials (American Online, MTV, Time Warner Cable, Domino's),  Allen Evangelista transitioned to TV easily,  beginning with ABC's "Once and Again" , "Alias", and a lead role in "Mozart and the Whale". Evangelista was born in Los Angeles to a Kapampangan mother, Aurora (from Angeles), and Alfredo Evangelista from Manila. He last visited Pampanga when he was 7 years old. After starring in popular teen shows, he snagged his first major film in 2015 with “Project Almanac”, where he essayed the role of Adam, the 16-year old tech-savvy geek who builds a time machine. The youthful-loking Allen was, in fact, already 33 years old at that time.

ETHAN DIZON

U.S. Film & TV Credits: Grey’s Anatomy (2012), The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013), Bad Worlds (2014), Get a Job (2016), Spiderman: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Young Ethan Dizon (b. 2002), is the son of  Eric Dizon,  who traces his ancestry to the Dizons of Mabalacat. His mother is actress Corinne Chooey, while two younger brothers are also actors. Ethan made his acting debut as a 3 year-old child actor in the CBS hit series, “How I Met Your Mother”, He then had guest roles in  “Grey's Anatomy”, and “'Til Death”. His film credits include: “Get A Job”, “Bad Words” ( with Jason Bateman), and the “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”, where he is best-known for playing Pete.  In 2018, he will be seen in “Avengers: Infinity War”. A gifted artist, he was nominated for Best Actor at the NBCU Short Film Festival 2014 in "Paulie", where he played the title role.

CREDITS:

ROSA DEL ROSARIO PHOTO: www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot

Anna & the King: http://www.coversresource.com

ROGELIO DELA ROSA PHOTO: Alex R. Castro

Avenger: Constantino, Ronald, editor, The Golden Years: Memorable Tagalog Movie Ads, from the collection of Danilo Dolor.

NEILE ADAMS PHOTO: wikicommons, wikipedia

This Could be the Night: http://img.soundtrackcollector.com/cd/large/This_could_be_night_c761.jpg

MINDA FELICIANO PHOTO: http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Minda+Feliciano

Hawaiian Eye: https://www.fan.tv/shows/93-hawaiian-eye

GEORGE SUNGA PHOTO: youtube, Archive of American Television

Three’s Company: www.amazon.com

LEA SALONGA PHOTO: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b6/dd/47/b6dd476ef94f0d42cbdf179dba2d5f45--broadway-theatre-broadway-musicals.jpg

Redwood Curtain Poster:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114252/

RICO HIZON PHOTO: twitter.com

I.T. Poster: IMP awards

JESS ESPANOLA PHOTO: courtesy of Ruston Banal Photography

The Simpsons: www.amazon.com

WINSTON QUITASOL PHOTO: balita.com

Frozen:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/mediaviewer/rm3873693440
ALLEN EVANGELIST PHOTO: biphoo.com
Project Almanac:imdb. Project Almanac entry

KRISTINE SONGCO PHOTO: Kristine Songco FB page

The Great Indoors: http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/tvbanners/12909901/p12909901_b_v8_ab.jpg

ETHAN DIZON PHOTO: http://p01.lacasting.com/photos/9/M/5/337759-52.jpg?20150908154140937

Mister & Pete: www.amazon.com

38. 10 KAPAMPANGAN WUNDERKIDS

Once in a great while, gifted kids are born to astound the world with barrier-breaking feats and achievements. Mozart was a composer at age 5, Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mental calculator prodigy and 11 year old Mikaela Fudolig entered the University of the Philippines, and graduated in Physics, summa cum laude in 2007. Pampanga, too,  has its own share of amazing wonder kids who made news for their talents, genius and good looks.

MARTIN SANCHO was a frail 10 year-old boy, who, in 1587, was sent all the way to Spain to have an audience with Philip II, then the world’s most powerful monarch. He had earlier created a sensation among Spaniards in Manila for his fluency in Spanish and knowledge in Catholic education.  It was the intent of Spanish officials to present him to the royal court as proof that the new colony—which the king wanted to quit-- were worth keeping and that the natives could be educated like Europeans. Martin Sancho did not disappoint. He, not only conversed with the King in Spanish, but breathlessly recited prayers, articles of faith, and  the entire Catholic catechism in Latin! His performance was met with thundering applause. After his successful  appearance, the boy stayed on in Spain as a ward of his companion priest, Fr. Alonso Sanchez. When he reached  17, he was taken to Rome to join the Jesuit novitiate. He went back to Spain, lived in Toledo, and finished college in Murcia. In 1601, Sancho, his body racked with tuberculosis, finally returned to the Philippines to reunite with his Kapampangan parents whom he had left when he was only 10. Martin Sancho tragically died one month later at age 25.

Nestlé dairy products were known to Filipinos as early as 1895, imported by Sprungli and Co. Milkmaid Sweetened Condensed Milk was an early brand from the company that was heavily promoted.  In 1929.  Milkmaid conducted its search for the country’s most “Beautiful Babies”. Readers were encouraged to send pictures of cute babies and the chosen few appeared on the pages of The Philippine Free Press, the leading newspaper of the day. One winner was a bouncing Kapampangan baby boy, CARLOS SALVADOR GOMEZ JR, of Mabalacat, Pampanga. Born on 7 February 1929, Baby “Bolet” is the firstborn of Carlos Ramiro Gomez Sr. and Ma. Paz Dionisia Dizon. The senior Carlos was descended from the Spanish Masnous of Valladolilid. In his adult years, Bolet  married Zenaida Novak Feliciano of Magalang on 14 March 1950, with whom he had 10 children. He died of brain aneurysm at age 68 on 31 October 1997.

By the 1950s, Sampaguita Pictures was already an established Philippine movie company—producing blockbuster films like Paru-Parong Bukid, Takipsilim, Apoy sa Langit , Anghel ng Pagibig, and many more. Its contract stars included Rogelio de la Rosa, Carmen Rosales, Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. But in 1951, a disastrous fire razed the studios to the ground, leaving the founders—the Vera-Perezes—on the brink of bankruptcy. Enter TESSIE AGANA (b. 16 May 1942), daughter of actress Linda Estrella and Adriano Agana of Tarlac—and recently cast in the tearjerker budget film, “Roberta”, written by Mars Ravelo. During the shooting, Tessie was bribed with Max’s Fried Chicken to put her in an acting mood. It worked; she memorized all her lines, cried at the drop of a hat, and stole every scene she was in. When “Roberta” was shown at the Life Theater, it became a monster hit—and the one week run was overextended, until it broke all existing box-office records. Her convincing performance as a poor, pitiful child endeared her to an audience who took her into their hearts, and catapulted her to instant stardom—the first child superstar of Philippine movies. Sampaguita Pictures managed to get back on its feet and would eventually come out even bigger and better than it was before. In gratitude for helping save the studio, Tessie was cast in picture after picture, and was hailed as the Philippines’ Shirley Temple. After her stint with showbiz, Tessie Agana married Dr. Rodolfo L. Jao in the U.S. in 1962, and would raise a big family of 9 children. She is settled currently in Valparaiso, Indiana.

CECILE LICAD (b. 11 May 1961), daughter of Rosario Buencamino and Dr Jesus Vitug Licad from Lubao, began her piano studies at age 3. At 7, she made her debut as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Philippines. At  11 years old, the prodigy won the Manila Young Artists’ competition with her incredible rendering of Chopin’s F Minor concerto, a piece that one judge assumed was not for her age. At 12, she was accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music under the mentorship of Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. At 19, she won the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal, one of the youngest winners ever and attained international acclaim.  Signed up by CBS records, her Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 made it to the Billboard classical charts. Licad, a favorite of First Lady Imelda Marcos, has played with the world’s most notable orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, London Philharmonic and Tokyo’s NHK Symphony,  among others. She has also appeared in top music festivals such as Tanglewood, Santa Fe and Marlboro Music Festival. In March 2007, she performed with her then 19-year-old son Ottavio L. Meneses, also a pianist, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Licad, called “a pianist’s pianist” by The New Yorker, held her historic homecoming Pampanga recital at Holy Angel University in March 1912.

The Filipina musical theater star who took West End and Broadway by storm was born as Maria Lea Carmen Salonga (born 22 February 1971) to Ligaya Imutan and Feliciano Salonga, a Kapampangan naval admiral. LEA SALONGA spent the first six years of her life in Angeles City where she attended the local O.B.Montessori school.  At age 7, she made her theatre debut in the musical, King and I. She also starred in Annie, Paper Moon, The Fantasticks, The Sound of Music, among others. At 10, she recorded  “Small Voice” which turned her into a certified child star. She had her own TV show ”Love, Lea”, earned a FAMAS nomination, and made popular movies in the 1980s. But it was her casting as Kim after a worldwide search  for “Miss Saigon” that made her  an international star in 1989. The Cameron Macintosh-produced musical gave her a coveted Laurence Olivier Award. She reprised that role for Broadway, and won a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. In 1992 Lea lent her voice to the Oscar-winning song from the Disney film, Aladdin—“A Whole New World”. She was in the “Les Miserables” anniversary concerts (1993,1996), headlined ”Flower Drum Song” (2002), starred in “Cinderella” and returned to Broadway with “Allegiance”. In her 37-year career, Lea has performed for six Philippine presidents , three American Presidents, for Diana, Princess of Wales and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

KIMBERLY JANE CUNANAN (b.1991) made waves at the Batang Pinoy Games held in Bacolod City in December 2001 when she won in the Under 10 Age Group category.  The young princess of the gameboard, daughter of Herome Cunanan of Apalit and Annabel de Guzman of Dau, proved that her victory was no fluke as she collected 4 more national titles. Cunanan would have played in international chess championships in Kuala Lumpur and Spain had it not been for lack of funds. In 2004, she was named as a member of the Philippine Team to the World Youth Chess Championship in Crete, Greece (bannered by then 11-year old Wesley So), but could not compete due to financial constraints. In 2006, she was named as Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awardee in the field of Sports. In June 2007, Cunanan, then 15, clinched the gold medal in the Under-16 division at the Eight Asean Age Group Chess Championships in Thailand  and led two other Filipinos to the team bronze.

At the 2003 Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards, ANGELI MARK DAVID BARRO  (b. 1 October 1992) became the youngest winner to be recognized for his achievement in sports—earning the coveted recognition at age 11 years, 2 months. Born in Lakandula, Dau to parents Angelito Barro and Leni David, this taekwondo champion blackbelter is the recipient of over 21 awards and citations in sports. He has also won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at various editions of Batang Pinoy, a national age-group sportsfest. As the youngest among 50 delegations to the 12th U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Barro came away with a Bronze Medal. In his older years, he was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Youths of Angeles City for 2010. Barro graduated in 2013 from the Angeles University Foundation College of Criminal Justice Education , and was named Most Outstanding Senior of the Year Award and Student of the Year .

ANNIKA CHANEL PINEDA-CAYABYAB (b. 2001) comes from a family of sports enthusiasts: her mother, Mylin Pineda is an avid golfer, while her father, Archen Cayabayab was a former basketball player from National University and the Philippine Basketball League (PBL).  Coached by Jack Nicklaus-trained Norman Sto. Domingo, Annyka began her career at the Mimosa golf course in Clark and started competing age 7, and bagged her first title a year later.  She has not stopped there since and continued collecting titles—from the Future Champions of Golf International junior championships in San Diego, California to the Veritas World Junior international golf tournament, a crown which she has won thrice beginning in 2012. In 2014, the young OB Montessori grade schooler was recognized with a Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards in the field of sports. Her grandmother, Lilia Pineda, is the incumbent governor of Pampanga and hails from Lubao.

The showbiz career of ETHAN DIZON (b. 2002, West Hills, California) began very early at age 2, when he bagged his first commercial roles for the national ads of Target, the American Egg Board, Taco Bell, and Mercedes Benz. His father , actor Eric Dizon is the son of Chris Dizon who is from Mabalacat, Pampanga.  Ethan’s mother, Corinne Chooey is of Chinese ancestry, a relative of Hong Kong actress Kwun Ling Chow. Ethan made his acting debut in the CBS hit series, “How I Met Your Mother” and had guest roles in  “Grey's Anatomy”, and “'Til Death”. He can be seen most recently on Awkward and Sullivan & Son. His film credits include: “Get A Job”, “Bad Words” ( with Jason Bateman), and the “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”, where he is best-known for playing Pete.  In 2017, he will be seen in “Spiderman: Homecoming”. Ethan is a member of Screen Actors Guild since 2006.  A gifted artist, he was nominated for Best Actor at the NBCU Short Film Festival 2014 in "Paulie", where he played the title role.

“Little Miss Philippines” is a special segment conducted by “Eat Bulaga” , the longest-running noontime show on Channel 7. It is a nationwide pageant search for little girls and is credited with launching the careers of former winners and candidates as Aiza Seguerra (1987), Gladys Reyes, Donna Cruz, Dessa, Lady Lee, Jessa Zaragoza, Pauleen Luna (1995) and Julie Anne San Jose. In 2012, 6 year old RYZZA MAE DIZON (b. 12 June 2005) of Brgy. Pampang, Angeles entered the contest. She was short, chubby, dark and toothless---but she was bubbling with charm and precocity. Even so, the audition jury  ought to eliminate her—but show hosts Ruby Rodriguez recognized her specialness and pleaded that they give her a chance. The smart dark-horse not only advanced to the finals but  won the coveted 2012 Little Miss Philippines crown, over finalists Maria Francesca Rojas, Jenna Marie Niedens , Jhie Ann Marie Crisostomo and Precious Angel Aceah Delda. Ryzza also was awarded Miss Talent and “Cutest Little Miss” for getting the most “likes” on Facebook. She went on to become a co-host of Eat Bulaga , starred in a talk show (The Ryzza Mae Show), had her own teleserye, and appeared in blockbuster movies like My Little Bossing and  Si Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako.

 PHOTO SOURCES

CECILE LICAD:

http://media.philstar.com/images/the-philippine-star/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/20150911/cecil-licad-then-now.jpg

http://www.clickthecity.com/arts/a/1546/cecile-licad-and-son-octavio-debut-in-ppo-concert

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-inbox/pomp-perils-competition-093425263.html

 ETHAN DIZON:

http://www.lasplash.com/publish/686-New-Talent/ethan-dizon.php

 ANGELI MARK BARRO: Leni Barro FB page

ANNIKA PINEDA CAYABYAB

http://pinay.com/golfer-annyka-cayabyab-young-star-on-the-rise/annyka-pineda-in-champion-form/

 RYZZA MAE DIZON

http://theultimatefan.blogspot.com/2012/06/ryzza-mae-dizon-little-miss-philippines.html

 LEA SALONGA

http://leasalonga.com/bio/

ALL OTHERS: Alex R. Castro Collection