Star struck at The Heartthrobs USA Tour 2010 Sponsors’ Night
by admin | April 11, 2010 | In Concert | No Comments
April Fool’s Day turned out to be a full day balancing act for me– working at a marketing agency and covering and representing a client sponsor at the Heartthrobs USA Tour 2010 Sponsors Night at the famed Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood. As soon as Iwalked in, Iwas surprised to find folks, who were very much older than the artists, and VIPconcert ticket holders eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite idol in person.
The atmosphere was exciting, yet chaotic, with more than 200 guests all vying to get a seat, some even getting bumped off and squeezed to another table.
After dinner, Katz Entertainment’s Tita Jackie Regala raffled off Haliya Wines and orchids in a question -and-answer type of game. Being the terrific person that she is — having a knack for hosting, she made everyone feel a little less antsy while they waited for the guests of honor to arrive. The arrival of
Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, John Lloyd Cruz, Gerald Anderson, Richard Poon, Bea Alonzo, Kim Chiu, and Pokwang drove everyone wild. Like teenagers, the audience was barely containable as they pushed and shoved to get as close to the artists as they could. Ifound out that they went straight to the meet and greet upon landing in LA from New York. Their commitment to their craft and fans certainly earned admirable points from me. This is the reason why more people are drawn to support these talents, and Iwas really surprised that some even brought gifts for them.
Everyone was asked to wait for their turn for the meet and greet.
Since sponsors were called first, we positioned ourselves. A certain guy, who I’d like to call “Mr. Suave,” told us that we shouldn’t touch the artists nor talk to them. All Ican say was, ‘wow!,’but then Ithought that it is possible that they can get bruised by aggressive fans.
The stage was jam-packed and did not allow much room for movement. Mr. Suave irately shouted, “Hurry up! Only one photo op allowed!” The photographers complained how they couldn’t get a good shot since Mr. Suave was incessantly hovering over the guests and shooing people away. Ican only shake my head.
There are those who were found guilty of overstepping their boundaries in controlling the crowd. There were also a few who took a step further and went into fits of rage, just like Mr. Suave.
But then again, one should also consider that a large number of fans ignored the rules that were presented beforehand. Iwill be fair — Ideem it as an ‘action-reaction’ situation.
Yet despite the chaos, Tita Jackie, the classy executive producer of the show, kept her cool and was very accommodating and cordial to everyone. She made sure that all the guests had an opportunity to get a photo taken with the artists. And yes, despite the madness, our heartthrobs were very engaging!
Still, it became a memorable and enjoyable evening for die-hard fans. It certainly made their dreams come true. Hollywood may be dazzling, but it can sometimes feel cold and alien to our Filipino sensibilities.
When opportunities arise for us to see our favorite Filipino artists , we grab it. Why? Because in those precious few minutes that we spend with them, we get star struck, elated and forget about our daily grind. (Thanks to Tita Rose, Jeannette, Lester, Bboy and Ann Marie for the special sneak peek.)
Sunday, 11 April 2010 21:42 Elgin Zulueta | AJPress
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