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AFTER CHARTING their own paths as singers and musicians, five big names in the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) landscape — Martin Nievera, Sofronio Vasquez, Jed Madela, Jona, and Klarisse de Guzman — are coming together to headline the Valentine’s concert Champions of the Heart.

They will take the stage together for the first time at the Marriott Grand Ballroom at Newport World Resorts, Pasay City, on Feb. 14. Touted as being the biggest Valentine’s show this year, the one-night concert will feature classic love songs, solo performances, and special duets.

Leading the night is Martin Nievera, the “Concert King,” whose romantic ballads and commanding stage presence have made him an enduring icon of OPM. Joining him is Sofronio Vasquez, the first Filipino and first Asian artist to win The Voice USA in 2024.

Also taking center stage is Jed Madela, a power belter renowned for his countertenor range and global competition triumphs that launched his career.

Completing the lineup are Jona, the first grand champion of Pinoy Pop Superstar, and Klarisse de Guzman, referred to by some as the “Soul Diva” thanks to her emotionally rich performances.

For Mr. Nievera, agreeing to the concert was a no-brainer, especially given how rare it is for more than two people to headline a Valentine’s show.

“The combination of us five will allow us to take all that we’ve learned and put it together,” said Mr. Nievera during a press conference on Jan. 15. “I’ve wanted to work with John (Mr. Prats, the concert’s director) for the longest time because I know he’s a hands-on director. He challenges us.”

Mr. Nievera waxed romantic during the press conference. “It’s not about where we’ve won in life or our career. The star of the show is love, relationships, and how you, too, can become a champion of the heart,” he said.

Mr. Vasquez also said that they are done championing themselves. “Mas gusto na namin i-champion ang ibang mga kwento (We want to champion other stories now), like how we are going to gel and connect with each other to sing songs so that people will want to watch,” he said.

As the concert performer who is the newest in the industry, he added that he is excited and open to learning from the other four.

Meanwhile, Mr. Madela teased that while there will be power ballads, intense duets, and biritan (belting), the focus will be on “the storytelling of relatable emotions.”

Jona told the press that it’s a dream concert, but the vibes during rehearsals are light. “Magaan lang talaga sila lahat katrabaho (It’s easy to work with all of them),” she said.

The director, Mr. Pratts, explained the visual motifs of the concert: a castle for the “OPM royalty” headliners, and gold and black with playing cards referring to how “when you love, you gamble.”

“It’s going to be a visually strong show. The narration of it will be different,” he said. “They will be the ones to tell the stories.”

Like the other four, Ms. De Guzman expressed excitement to feel like a singer again after having spent some time focusing on her family.

“I foresee that everyone will relate so much to the songs and even sing along with us. Of course, there will be lots of collaborations among us five,” she said.

Tickets for Champions of the Heart are now available via Ticketworld online and all Ticketworld outlets as well as the Newport World Resorts Box Office, with prices ranging from P3,800 to P13,500. The concert is produced by Full House Theater Company in association with Starmedia Entertainment. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Movie Review
Rental Family
Directed by Hikari
MTRCB Rating: PG
Now showing in Ayala Malls Cinemas

RENTAL FAMILY is a sweet attempt to portray the absurdity and magic behind a service in Japan that offers human stand-ins who can be rented for any occasion. Why do the Japanese feel the need to hire people to act as their loved ones? What is the cultural context?

This film tries to explain all of it — as well as be a heartwarming showcase of human connection in picturesque locations in Japan — and unfortunately taking on both tasks leads to its downfall.

We follow Phil Vanderploeg, an American actor in Tokyo who has lost all purpose in life after ending up in Japan playing token white guy roles in obscure TV projects. His life changes when he is hired for an unusual job with a “rental family” agency, where the employees play stand-in roles for strangers in events like funerals and weddings.

Played by Brendan Fraser, Phil is miserable but also likable, as he has a bighearted quality about him despite bumbling around in a country he barely understands even after seven years of residing there. Rental Family takes us on a journey alongside Phil as he attempts to make sense of it all.

The film unsteadily toes the line between over-the-top and subtle, between believable and farfetched. It should be one of those stories where Japan itself is a character of its own, but it feels like there’s a deeper world beneath the thriving, bustling land of emotionally repressed, quietly eccentric worker-bee types that director Hikari never quite dives into. This is presented by Searchlight Pictures and is technically a US production, so perhaps straightforward storytelling was all that was required for this to get made.

There’s a nice variety in setting, from the big city lights of Tokyo as salarymen go about their day to vibrant festivals where people unwind and display the most colorful aspects of their culture. There are tranquil temples, schoolyard cherry blossoms, and a subplot set entirely in the lush, forgotten countryside, but the variety does not equate to depth. Some parts of it feel like a postcard or a travelogue (or even a postcard travelogue?).

Perhaps for those who are immersed in Japanese cinema and culture, the mix of Hollywood and Japanese sensibilities comes off as typical. What’s great about Rental Family, though, is how Hikari’s polished direction and Fraser’s endearing acting allow the fluff to feel enriching while also remaining accessible to the general public.

Jonsi (yes, of Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós) and Alex Somers’ synth-infused score provides a distinct mood that carries us through the narrative. You can never go wrong with Fraser as a perpetually lost yet ultimately kindhearted man who seeks to come by real connections, so the film ultimately succeeds at gaining our sympathy.

One thing that irks me is how ludicrous the story gets at times. Most things that happen in Rental Family are fictionalized, even though the service itself is based in reality. And that inconsistency in authenticity shows — it would probably be fun to watch this movie with someone who studied law, because even to a layperson it’s clear that many of the jobs they take have endlessly glaring potential for lawsuits! There’s just too much deception at play, with glimpses of lines being blurred but never fully explored in an interesting manner with actual consequences, so you just have to suspend disbelief.

There’s a way to portray the magic of rental family services with both sympathy and dignity without resorting to too much whimsy, but this film isn’t able to do that. While there’s a pleasant calm in the way Hikari allows some scenes to unfold, it’s contradicted by a pressure to serve up basic platitudes and trite wisdoms for audiences to come away feeling like they “feel slightly more Japanese” — in short, an obvious attempt to cater to Western tastes.