It has taken six years for recording artist, stage actress and entrepreneur Rachel Alejandro to come up with a new album and music lovers better “Believe” it’s worth the wait.

According to Rachel, the 13 tracks in “Believe” were chosen so carefully that she refused songs submitted to her by friends (some of whom are big names in the industry) when these didn’t fit the bill. “It was hard telling them ‘no’ because what they wrote were really very good songs. But in the end, we couldn’t just settle for ‘very good’ – we wanted the best,” she said.

One of these is the album’s carrier single, “Tayo Pa Ba?” written by Edith Gallardo and Niño Regalado. Rachel admits crying the first time she heard it. “I had just broken up with my boyfriend then so I was able to relate to the song. ‘Tayo’ will please my loyal fans and will win over younger people who may not be familiar with my music.”

“Tayo Pa Ba?” is about two people who have supposedly moved on from their relationship but are still thinking secretly that what they had may still be worth one more chance. The song is in the vein of Rachel’s biggest hits such as “Paalam Na,” “Bulag Sa Katotohanan” and “Kay Tagal” that all tell of real situations versus mere generic messages.

Released under Sony Music Entertainment, “Believe” also contains the songs “Bakit Hindi Tayo?” (penned by Cholo Escano), “Hanggang” (an Amber-Marcus Davis collaboration) and “The Rain” (written by Rachel herself). The remakes are “You Were There” (by Southern Sons done in duet with her father, Hajji Alejandro), “Xanadu” (Olivia Newton John), “Don’t Stop Believing” (Journey) “Alone” (Heart) and “There’s A Fine, Fine Line” (from the musical “Avenue Q”).

“Although our concept for ‘Believe’ was to come up with strong original materials, we included these remakes to introduce the pop audience to the musicals that I am part of,” she said.

Rachel is part of the puppet-meets-person musical, “Avenue Q,” that runs at Carlos P Romulo Theater inside the RCBC Plaza in Makati City from March 12 to March 27. Produced by Atlantis Productions, the singer plays Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the Tony Award-winning show.

“I want my latest album to show people who have not watched any theatrical production that theater is not elitist at all. Many musicals are totally relatable even to young people. Hopefully, the cuts that we chose that are from musicals I am part of, will inspire them to check out the shows,” she said.

Rachel describes “Believe” as a pop album; one that’s easy to listen to but canvasses the geniuses of some of OPM’s finest songwriters and producers. The songs have different flavors and show off her different vocal textures. “I was able to give my voice a rest these past years which now allows me to use its full strength and range. If before, ang boses ko ay parang piano na ilang tiklada lang ang tumutugtog, now every key is functional,” said she.

Asked if the changing trend in music has affected her singing style, Rachel said that what it strengthened is her belief that singing from the heart is potent above all. “I have never been nor will ever be into vocal acrobatics. What’s important in singing is sincerity. When you tell your story as honestly as possible, you make a connection,” she said.

Rachel will also be in the US in April for some shows with Geneva Cruz. She’ll go to New York end of the year to take up skating lessons in preparation for her role in “Xanadu.”

watch?v=H-rEStC15i8

Launched on “ASAP XV” last March 7, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-rEStC15i8] Rachel says “Believe” reflects her rekindled purpose as an artist. “If you’re someone like me who has been around, you know that it’s easy to lose sight of why you entered the business in the first place. This album reasserts my belief that new good music still exists. That in these days of the revivals, fresh materials still have a place in the OPM scene,” she concludes.

Family and kid-friendly filmmaker Shawn Levy who helmed the hits “Cheaper By the Dozen” and “Night at the Museum 1 & 2” pens on his own date nights with a twist in the upcoming for-couples-only movie “Date Night” starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

In “Date Night,” Carell and Fey portray a suburban married couple who venture into the heart of Manhattan for a romantic date intending to spice up their relationship. But the unsuspecting Phil (Carell) and Claire (Fey) get more than their fair share of thrills following a case of mistaken identity. Becoming embroiled in   the city’s criminal underworld, they find themselves on a wild, high-risk and hilarious adventure.

They go to one the city’s most fashionable restaurants but the problem is, they do not have a reservation.  They impulsively take a table belonging to another couple who haven’t turned up for dinner. The Fosters become “The Tripplehorns”, which leads to a host of problems  that  rapidly begin to unravel.

Below is a q&a with director Levy who gamely shares his own thoughts on married life and date nights.

Q:        Can you explain the plot of the film, which sounds intriguing?

A:         “Phil and Claire Foster go on a special date night into New York City instead of going to their usual, local neighborhood joint in New Jersey. They decide to go somewhere fabulous, filled with people who are younger and more beautiful than they are,  but  they can’t get a table.

Q:        What kind of trouble do they get involved in?

A:         “They are chased by dirty, corrupt cops, mafia killers, and various assorted criminals and bad guys. They have to survive and prove that they’re not who the bad guys think they are.  It all takes place during the course of one night between sundown and dawn. On the other hand,  they end up seeing each  other in a new light. They each  reclaim an appreciation for the person they chose to marry.”

Q:        Did this film present a major new challenge for you?

A:         “It did.  I certainly feel a comfort in comedy and with visual effects. I definitely feel a comfort in family films so to do a more adult themed, adult targeted comedy with a lot of action and a lot of heart was great, and involved using muscles I haven’t been using as much.  Consequently, it was very stimulating, very interesting and really satisfying.”

Q:        What kind of couple do Steve and Tina play?

A:         “This is not a couple at risk. They aren’t thinking about breaking up. They are just going through the daily, exhausting grind of parenthood and work. They only have a sliver of time to exercise or do anything for themselves. Often we only have a shred of energy at 10:30 at night to give to our partner. We meet the couple and find out that they love and respect each other, but the passion has faded a little.”

Q:        What makes Tina Fey special?

A:         “Well, Tina is certainly the biggest female comic working right now –  period. That’s a bold claim, but I can’t think of any woman working in comedy who is more popular, more admired and frankly more interesting than Tina Fey. The film also has great  dramatic scenes, which Tina has not done on her TV show or  in her previous movies. So my hope is that the movie introduces audiences both here in the U.S. and internationally, to this new female star who really deserves to be broadly recognized as a great actress.”

Q:        What makes Steve Carell stand out in your opinion?

A:         “Steve has a humanity and a relatable honesty that is at once hilarious and heartbreaking.    I think it was illustrated in THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and in the TV show THE OFFICE, also in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. He is a great  actor  and a great comic.   His performance in this picture   is so touching and honest. The movie just feels true and audiences will relate to him. ”

Q:        What do you think is the overall theme of the movie?

A:         “It is about the attention that we must give to our relationships, because over time of course  the passion can vanish    and no one wants to live that way. It certainly is a reminder to appreciate one’s partner.  It is also very much a love letter to marriage, to commitment and to partnership.”

Shawn Levy graduated from the Drama Department of Yale University. His early films include “Just Married” and “Big Fat Liar.” He directed “The Pink Panther” and “Cheaper By the Dozen 1 and 2.” He produced and directed the original global hits “Night at the Museum 1 and 2.”

Cancel your appointments and set your “Date Night” when it opens April 9 (Friday) in theaters nationwide from 20thCentury Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Liam Neeson (“Taken”) and Ralph Fiennes (“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) reunite for the big screen in Warner Bros.’ 3D fantasy adventure “Clash of the Titans” after doing Academy Award-nominated performances together in “Schindler’s List.”   Neeson plays Zeus, King of the Gods; while Fiennes is Hades, lord of the underworld.

In the film, Perseus (Sam Worthington) — born of a god but raised as a man — is helpless to save his family from Hades.  With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth.  Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds.  Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Perseus’ natural father is Zeus, who feels that the young demigod should not only want, but should ask for, his help.  Having been accustomed to unquestioning love from his own creation—humanity—Zeus is uncertain as to how to deal with its wavering devotion and mounting uprisings.

It doesn’t help that his brother Hades, is pressing Zeus to allow him to handle things in his own way.  Esteemed actor Liam Neeson, who took on the role of the conflicted king of Olympus , explains the delicate relationship.  “Eons ago, Zeus, Hades and their brother, Poseidon, took control of the universe from their parents, the Titans,” says Neeson.  “Zeus took over the heavens and Poseidon got the oceans, but Zeus tricked Hades into ruling the underworld.  So Hades now sees his chance for revenge by tricking Zeus into starting a war with the humans.  Initially fooled by Hades’ brotherly pleas, Zeus thinks maybe Hades is right…maybe they’ve got to teach humanity a lesson.”

“Liam’s physicality was perfect for the part,” producer Basil Iwanyk states of the actor.  “He’s big, he’s strong, he has that great, authoritative voice, but he has a very sweet face and very emotional eyes.  The Zeus that we conceived is king of the gods and very powerful, but he’s also hurt; he’s thrown, he’s confused, he’s gone soft.  Liam’s a very intense, imposing figure, but he can play that softness, that emotion in his face.”

Preying on his brother’s pain at the loss of mortal devotion, Hades convinces Zeus to let him put fear into the hearts of men, saying that fear will bring their prayers back to Zeus and, along with them, Zeus’ power over them.  But in reality, human fear makes Hades stronger, not Zeus.  Acclaimed actor Ralph Fiennes plays the part of the cunning underworld ruler eager to take his rightful place in the heavens.

“Ralph is not what you would consider a physically imposing man,” Iwanyk says, “but he has an ability to convey tremendous intensity, rage and strength.  He wanted to bring this incredibly terrifying, unique character to the screen, and he did.”  The producer also appreciated what Fiennes real-life friendship with Neeson added to the mix.  “Hades and Zeus have a very complicated relationship onscreen, because they are not just adversaries, they are brothers.  Ralph and Liam’s friendship really added to that dynamic.”

“The gods are in a state of emergency,” states Fiennes, “and Hades walks onto Olympus, with its vast marble hall set up high in the clouds, and sees what he has been missing being down below with the damned and the dead for so long.  And he isn’t a god of compassion.  He’s been betrayed by Zeus, and he figures it’s his turn now.  So he goes to the city of Argos and demonstrates his wrath and his power over them.  He demands the sacrifice that ultimately sends Perseus on his expedition.”

Opening soon across the Philippines in regular format and Digital 3D, “Clash of the Titans” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

DC Comics / Vertigo Comics’ popular series “The Losers” gets a big-screen treatment from director Sylvain White (“Stomp the Yard”) and screenwriters Peter Berg (“The Rundown”) and James Vanderbilt (upcoming “Spider-Man” reboot).

An explosive action tale of betrayal and revenge, Warner Bros.’ “The Losers” centers around the members of an elite Special Forces unit sent to the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission.  But the team—Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar—soon find that they have become the target of a deadly double cross, instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max.

Now presumed dead, the group makes plans to avenge themselves and clear their names, joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda.  Working together, they must remain deeply undercover while tracking the shadowy and heavily guarded Max—a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war for his own benefit.

“The Losers” stars Jeffery Dean Morgan (“Watchmen”) as Clay; Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Star Trek”) as Aisha; Chris Evans (the “Fantastic Four” films) as Jensen; Idris Elba (“Obsessed”) as Roque; Columbus Short (“Quarantine”) as Pooch; Oscar Jaeneda (“Che: Part Two”) as Cougar; and Jason Patric (“My Sister’s Keeper”) as Max.

“The Losers” is produced by Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster, with Steve Richards, Andrew Rona, Sarah Aubrey and Stuart Besser serving as executive producers and Richard Mirisch co-producing.

The behind-the-scenes creative team was led by director of photography Scott Kevan (“Stomp the Yard”), production designer Aaron Osborne (“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”), editor David Checel (“Stomp the Yard”), visual effects supervisor Richard Yuricich (“Orphan”), and costume designer Magali Guidasci (“Zombieland”).  The music is by John Ottman (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer”).

Opening soon across the Philippines , “The Losers” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The best-selling book series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney which won at the recent Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards over the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series is now a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox.

From the pages of the best-selling book series, the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie reels on Greg Heffley (played by Zachary Gordon) thinking middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented.  For him, middle school is filled with oodles of morons and worst, bullies. As Greg tries to survive the never-ending ordeal and attain the recognition and status he feels he so richly deserves, he devises an endless series of his daily mischief by penning it on paper.  His diary as his mother calls it and that which Greg prefers to be called journal is filled with his ideas, judgment and stories of family and school ordeals that serves as his gateway for magnified emotions and ideals of a teen trying to fit in and prove something.

Zachary Gordon who plays the titular role of the wimpy kid Greg Heffley has notably appeared in  “Four Christmases” with Vince Vaugh and Reese Witherspoon and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” along with Nicolas Cage.  He also lent his voice in “Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa” as the voice of Baby Melman.  His other film credits include “The Brothers Bloom,” “Lower Learning,” “Sex and Death 101” and “Georgia Rule.”

With his first starring role in “Diary of A Wimpy Kid,” Zachary enthusiastically related to Anthony Breznican of USA Today about how they tried to prep his look – “This was amazing, because I had to get tons and tons of haircuts. “They had to get it just perfect. They were looking at the book and looking at my hair, and trying to make three sprigs in the back stand up. His costume also doesn’t have much wiggle room to imitate the slender stick character. They put on short and really tight clothes, like these skinny jeans. I had to wear them around town to get used to them.”

Jeff Kinney also serves as a consultant all throughout the movie’s production.  He defines his anti-hero, Greg as a “deeply flawed character but likeable.”  During the course of the production, Kinney stresses the importance of preserving Greg’s voice, which he characterizes as a balance of cockiness and powerlessness.  “I pushed for him to be a likeable jerk. One of my favorite things is Greg doesn’t learn his lesson all the time,’ explains Kinney.

Greg “is pretty lazy, so I have to act like that,” Zachary continues. “I have to act competitive and really self-centered. By reading the books and thinking about Greg … he always thinks everything revolves around him. He thinks the world is just about him.”

While some are raising their eyebrows on Greg’s character, Zachary has just but a few words of (youngster’s) wisdom to enlighten the cynical: “Everybody has Greg inside him. Their worst parts are him. That’s how they relate to him, and he also has a little bit of a conscience, in some ways.”

The movie is directed by Thor Freudenthal whose credits include the kiddie films “Hotel for Dogs,” “The Haunted Mansion” and “Stuart Litte 1 and 2.”  It also stars an outrageous cast of comedic talents Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, Chole Grace Moretz, Devon Bostick and Robert Capron.

“Diary of A Wimpy Kid” opens April 3 (Black Saturday) in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

International theater actress and singer Joanna Ampil is one of few Filipino talents who can say the following line about her debut album without sounding as if she’s bragging or bluffing:

“I don’t have to show off—I can show people more of what I can do later, and only if required.”

She’s starred in some of the biggest musicals in London’s West End (“Miss Saigon,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Les Miserables”), sang before the Queen of England, and worked with the likes of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Cameron Macintoch.

To say that Joanna is an accomplished artist would be an understatement; just like her 12-track album, “Try Love,” as a demonstration of the greateness of her vocal abilities, is understated.

Recorded last year while she was on vacation in Manila, the tracklist is comprised of such songs as “If I Believed,” “I’m Caught Between Goodbye And I Love You” (the carrier single), “Words Get In The Way,” “I Only Live To Love You” (a Cilla Black-original later remade by Cliff Richards) and “Maghihintay Sa Yo” which are all more singable-hummable than knock-out karaoke fodder.

Yet Joanna, with the candor of someone who is self-assured yet eager still to challenge onesself by taking on new things, says capturing the pop in “Try Love” wasn’t as easy as, well, fizzle.

“Singing pop does not require me to use my big voice nor training in theater. Indeed, the challenging part, it turns out, was unlearning all those so I could give deliver on what the genre required,” says the soprano.

Joanna was surprised with the meticulous way her album was recorded. Although she had recorded abroad for some of the soundtracks of the musicals she had starred in, the singing was captured raw because the intention was to make the recording approximate a live performance with its flaws and all.

“But for my pop CD here, me and producer Ferdie Marquez, we went for perfection,” she quips.

Many have heard of the honors Joanna has brought the country but few here actually know how she sounds.  That’s because Joanna left the Philippines 16 years ago to join “Miss Saigon” in London, and opted to stay there when other big opportunities came her way.

Now that she’s back, Joanna wants people to discover for themselves what she is about.

“I’m not going to be hard sell.  If I keep thinking about what other people will say about me, then I’ll be limiting myself. I’ll just do what I think is best and if people embrace that, then that will be amazing,” says she.

Joanna, like many Filipinos, is both romantic and nostalgic.  “Try Love,” she says, has songs that she grew up with and those she thinks Filipinos will love.

“I went by gut feel—I am, after all, Filipino, too, so I know what my kind like.”

One of her favorite tracks in the album is her duet with Ariel Rivera on “The Last Time I Felt Like This.” Joanna says it was a blast hearing her voice blend with the balladeer’s because “he used to be just a familiar voice I’d hear on the radio.”

She adds that OPM holds a special place in her heart because she is Pinoy regardless if she is in London or in La Union.

“Just because I stayed away for a time doesn’t mean I have forgotten who I am. You can’t run away from yourself even if you try. I still miss the weather here, the holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day, the food…”

Another of her favorite song in the album is the title track written by Julie Gold (Bette Midler’s “From A Distance,” Lea Salonga’s “Journey”).  Joanna says that the song “Try Love” was previously unrecorded that’s why she had to study it based on the composer’s demo tape.

“I want to reiterate that though Filipinos are known worldwide to be good mimics of other singers, we, too, know how to sing originals—and do a good job of it,” she says.

Other songs in “Try Love” are “Healing,” “Follow Your Road,” “Hurting Each Other,” “Lately” and “I Don’t Have The Heart.”  The album is released under Sony Music Entertainment (Philippines) Inc.

One blockbuster deserves another.  That’s what Sam Worthington is aiming for as he follows up “Avatar” with Warner Bros.’ new action adventure epic “Clash of the Titans.”

Worthington plays Perseus who is pitted against the full array of Greek gods and goddesses, the earth-shattering forces at their fingertips, and all the fierce and mysterious creatures and monsters they control.  In the film, Perseus is laying claim to his own destiny. But the vengeful gods will not let go of their power so easily.

Zeus, King of the Gods, (played by Liam Neeson) incurs the wrath of Perseus—his half-human son—after the god has destroyed the human family that raised him.  “When Zeus kills his family, this becomes like a revenge movie,” says Worthington .  “He wants to kill anyone who hurt his family, like any of us would in that situation. And he’s a bit like a boisterous teenager.  Along the way, he grows up and realizes what a better kind of revenge can be.”

Worthington points out that Perseus—like the characters he played in “Avatar” and “Terminator Salvation”—is struggling to come to grips with who he is and what he ultimately wants to be in the midst of his journey.  “It is that type of duality that intrigues me with this kind of character,” he says.  “In movies like this, they are all taking on a bigger bully and that, to me, is a great message. We should stand up to people who want to take us down.”

Director Louis Leterrier was likewise drawn to the film’s classic theme of a reluctant hero on a quest to accomplish the impossible.  “It is as though every movie I have made is about an anti-hero, a guy who doesn’t want to be a hero,” says the director.  “This guy doesn’t accept his destiny and who he really is. He fights it. The gods are selfish and egotistical, using human beings as their playthings. It’s no wonder that mankind wants to revolt. It becomes a truly epic struggle, with iconic creatures, heroes and amazing actions sequences.”

Producer Basil Iwanyk adds, “The gods have been the rulers and leaders of the world up to this point and humans, while they are entertaining for the gods, are scrabby and can’t be left to fend for themselves.  Yet now we have it that men, led by Perseus, have said, ‘Hold on a second! We could determine our own destiny, be it good or bad. We could figure things out ourselves. We can’t just be subject to the gods’ precociousness.’ There is a feeling of anti-authority and rebelliousness. We see that strongly with the Perseus character. It is subtext. You feel that this movie is about youthful anger and revolt.”

Producer Kevin De La Noy concludes that Perseus’s physical odyssey in the film mirrors his own internal struggle, “Perseus is raised as a man by his human father, who raises him as a fisherman. But eventually he learns that he is the son of a god, Zeus. Perseus is a demigod, and the push and pull throughout the course of the story is whether he should embrace his godliness or be a man.  He wants to be man. He hates the gods.”

Opening soon across the Philippines in regular format and Digital 3D, “Clash of the Titans” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

A heartfelt dramatic comedy, Miramax Films’ “Everybody’s Fine” presents a family picture that is all too common in our modern world. Parents and siblings living hundreds of miles apart, too distracted with the stress of modern life to find time to call each other and too preoccupied with their own family and friends to find time to visit home.

To be shown soon exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma), “Everybody’s Fine” stars Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell.  The film was written and directed by Kirk Jones (“Nanny McPhee”) based on ‘Stanno Tutti Bene’ originally written and directed in the Italian language by Academy Award ® winner Giuseppe Tornatore in 1990.  Original music is by Academy Award winner Dario Marianelli (“Atonement,” “Pride and Prejudice”) with an original song written for the film by Sir Paul McCartney.

In the film, Frank Goode (De Niro) has spent his adult life working in a local wire factory earning every dollar he can to support his family. Recently retired, he realizes that over the years he has spent too little time with his four children and that it’s time to reconnect.

Frank’s late wife was always his main point of contact with his kids but he decides that it’s now his responsibility to keep an eye on them. He is inspired to invite the whole extended family for a barbeque weekend. Preparations go well until one by one, such is modern life, they all have good reason to cancel.

Despite a strict warning from his doctor, Frank takes matters into his own hands and packs a bag before setting out on a journey across the US with the intention of surprising each of his children and wallowing in their success and happiness.

Frank travels to see his son David ‘the artist’ in New York, his daughter who is ‘high up in advertising’ in Chicago, his son Robert ‘the orchestral conductor’ in Denver and finally Rosie his youngest who is a ‘dancer in a Vegas show’ but before long it becomes clear to Frank that his children are not quite as happy or successful as his wife had always reported.

Returning home from a journey that ends with the revelation of a family tragedy, Frank has the insight and confidence to report to his wife that despite everything “everybody’s fine.”

As a father of three, director Kirk Jones connected only too well with the story of a father who wants nothing more than to do his best for his children but he also knows that parenthood can be very emotionally complex.

Says Jones, “Any father can relate to the conflicting instincts that are experienced by Frank in this story; realizing he has spent too little time with his children and family because it was necessary for him to work long hours to provide security for them. It is interesting to note that with all of the technological developments in recent years, balancing work and family remains one of the most challenging dilemmas facing modern parents.”

Jones was also moved by Frank’s awakening to the reality that maybe his children didn’t turn out so perfectly.  “I think it’s very common for parents expectations to be much higher than reality allows. Frank is only guilty of wanting the best for his children.  He wanted to inspire them, he wanted them to reach the top but unfortunately the result is that they now feel they haven’t really measured up in his eyes.”

“Everybody’s Fine” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.