Focus on the Philippines: Pia Wurtzbach stars in Massari’s new music video

Plus: Gary Valenciano celebrates 34 years in Philippine music industry with international concert series, while Toni Gonzaga returns to host The Voice Teens Philippines.

Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. Courtesy ABS-CBN

Miss Universe 2015 winner Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach appears in the latest music video of the Lebanese-Canadian singer Massari.

In the video for Massari's new single, titled So Long, Wurtzbach is accompanied by the R&B singer in various locations including a mansion and a club. It is Wurtzbach's first time to star in a music video.

Massari, the stage name of musician Sari Abboud, was born in Beirut and moved to Montreal with his family when he was 11 years old. He has released two studio albums and 14 singles. So Long is Massari’s first single off the artist’s forthcoming new album.

Billboard magazine wrote in a review of the song: “The up-tempo pop track, which blends Middle Eastern vibes on top of a dancefloor-ready melody, finds Massari bidding adieu to a relationship.”

Since passing on the crown to Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere of France last January, Wurtzbach has been busy with her television and modelling career back in the Philippines, such as an appearance with the international pop star Robin Thicke in a Manila event tomorrow, March 31.

She has also finished filming episodes for the reality programme Asia's Next Top Model, where she is a guest judge on the forthcoming season. The new series will begin airing internationally on the cable network Star World beginning April 5.

Wurtzbach has also signed a three-year contract with the international talent agency IMG. She explained in a recent interview that through the agency, she will continue to work with the Miss Universe Foundation on select projects.

“It’s like still being Miss Universe, but just not the reigning Miss Universe,” she told reporters in Manila last week. “So it’s the same — the endorsements are still there, the advocacies are very much still there. I still have to go back to New York to report to Miss Universe. From there, we’ll see how it goes.”

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Gary Valenciano celebrates 34 years in music industry

Filipino music icon Gary Valenciano will celebrate his 34th year in the entertainment industry with a concert series that kicks off with four shows in Manila on May 12, 13, 19 and 20. Afterwards, he will head to the United States for a show in Las Vegas on May 27, Temecula, California on June 3 and Pasadena on June 10. More dates and cities are expected to be announced soon.

The concert series, titled Gary V Presents, will feature Valenciano performing his biggest hits from 27 chart-topping albums. It will also feature a revolving ensemble of special guests from the music and theatre industries of the Philippines including Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Mitoy Yonting, RJ Deal Fuente and Katrina Velarde. The show will be directed by no less than Valenciano's son Paolo.

Valenciano told reporters: “I would like to continue my advocacy to provide artists with a bigger platform to showcase their music to a wider audience and I’ll be on the look out for a new set of artists.”

Valenciano, 52, is dubbed "Mr Pure Energy" in Philippine showbiz. He is currently a presenter and performer on the long-running musical variety programme ASAP and was previously a judge on The X Factor Philippines and an adviser on The Voice of the Philippines.

Valenciano performed a sold-out show at the Dubai World Trade Centre Arena last December, accompanied by his other son, Gab, a dancer and choreographer who was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for his choreography of Beyonce's music video for her hip-hop track 7/11. Valenciano first performed in Dubai back in 2008.

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Toni Gonzaga returns to host The Voice Teens Philippines

Film and television actress Toni Gonzaga announced this week that she will return to hosting the Philippine franchise of the reality singing competition programme The Voice.

The show will return this summer for the country's first ever edition for singers between the ages of 13 and 17, titled The Voice Teens Philippines. It will be the second teenage edition of the show internationally – after Colombia – and the first in Asia.

Gonzaga, who was the original presenter of The Voice of the Philippines when it debuted back in 2013, will be hosting the new series alongside actor Luis Manzano. The 33-year-old Gonzaga also hosts the reality programme Pinoy Big Brother.

The Voice Teens Philippines will feature a celebrity coaching panel comprised of returning judges Sarah Geronimo, Sharon Cuneta, Lea Salonga and Bamboo Mañalac. Auditions are currently being held across the country.

Salonga, a Broadway superstar and film actress, will debut at the Dubai Opera on September 22 and 23, with tickets available on www.dubaiopera.com