South Border Street Team - EU: Filipino talents shine at Lunar New Year 2007.

Filipino talents shine at Lunar New Year 2007.

Filipino talents shine at Lunar New Year 2007; February 19, 2007
Text and photos by DIONESIO C. GRAVA
source: Balita.com

LUNAR YEAR PRINCIPALS: LA 18 KSCI-TV officials
(from left) Director of Community Relations Joyce Shimazu “Kababayan LA”
host Janelle So and General Manager Brian Reed pose for a photo
with members of South Border: Vince Alaras, Duncan Ramos and Jay Durias.

LOS ANGELES — A parade and festival will ring in the Year of the Boar in historic Old Pasadena on Feb. 18 with Filipino musical talents very much in the limelight.
It will be LA 18 KSCI-TV’s sixth Lunar New Year celebration indicating the rise and influence of the Asian Pacific American population in diverse areas of Southern California. On Thursday Joyce Shimazu, the station’s director of community relations, and broadcast journalist Janelle So, host of LA 18’s “Kababayan LA,” introduced some of the featured entertainers to member of the press.
Brian Reed, general manager of the TV station, stated that the annual event “is something we like to do because it expands our commitment to the community and allows us to see who our viewers are. We like them to have lots of fun and entertainment. Every year the event gets bigger and better; the plan is to go on with it indefinitely.”
The parade will be from 10 am to 5 pm along Colorado Boulevard, between Pasadena and Raymond avenues, and will have Philippine-born Apl de Ap (Allan Pineda Lindo) of the popular Black Eyed Peas as Grand Marshal.
Participants will include traditional lion dancers, marching bands and decorative floats. There will also be prominent dignitaries, local news personalities, pageant queens and their courts and top name Asian American celebrities including the cast of Justin Lin’s new movie, Finishing the Game; “Heroes” star James Kyson Lee, Miss Universe 1997’s Brook Lee, “Desperate Housewives” actor Alec Mapa, and 50 First Dates’ Amy Hill.
The family-oriented festival will take place from 11 am to 5 pm at Central Park, which will also have food and vendor booths and raffles. Multi-awarded Filipino band South Border will perform. The group—composed of Vince Alaras (vocals), Duncan Ramos (vocals), Paul Benitez (drums), Ric Junasa (saxophone), Butch Victoriano (lead guitar), Tata Balane (bass), and Jay Durias (keyboards, musical director)—had attracted stand up crowds wherever they performed including top Hollywood and New York spots. They headlined at highly popular B.B. King’s clubs. Road manager is Rodrigo Gayta.
Also to be featured are the musical talents of Jin and Far*east Movement. Former Ruff Ryders’ artist Jin is a Chinese American who is freestyle champion and considered a rapper extraordinaire. The Far*east Movement is another influential group in the rising Asian American music scene. Members are Kevin Nishimura, James Roh and Jae Choung.
Emcees for the Festival will be Gwendoline Yeo of Desperate Housewives and Paul Kim. Yeo is a native of Singapore and a former Miss Chinatown USA and Miss Asian America. Yeo is nominated this year for a best actress in a drama award at the NamicVision Awards for her work on AMC’s Broken Trail, starring alongside Robert Duvall. Paul Kim, “PK,” is the founder and producer of an annual international Korean talent show and also hosts a weekly show on Radio Korea.
The Lunar New Year is marked by the first full moon of the New Year and celebrated in most Asian countries as a combination of thanksgiving, new beginnings, colorful festivals, foods and parades. It is one of the most important holidays observed with family and friends.
The Pasadena festival will be held in Central Park at 275 Raymond Ave. Viewers are encouraged to take the Metro Gold Line to Del Mar Station or Memorial Park Station to avoid traffic and parking delays.
LA 18/KSCI-TV was founded in 1976 and airs daily in Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean and Japanese.

Labels: Press Releases; Articles; Reviews