Expect to see a lot of 'barong tagalogs' on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend tonight

In 'Crazy Es-Girlfriend's' first-season finale, Josh Chan's parents played by Amy Hill and Alberto Isaac meet Lea Salonga's character, Aunt Myrna, (center) while Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) and his girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz) look a bit befuddled.

A FILIPINO/AMERICAN wedding, Lea Salonga singing and the family of the Filipino character, Josh Chan, together on television again. 

This should be a must-see episode of Crazy ExGirlfriend as its first season ends tonight (Monday, April 18).

Add jealousy, unrequited love and alcohol to the mix and that's an explosive concoction that is sure to create some memorable scenes in the romantic comedy musical world of CEG.

It is the wedding of Josh's sister, Jayma, played by Fil/Am actress Tess Paras, so expect Josh's family - including Aunt Myrna (played by Broadway star Salonga) come from far and wide. This could be the largest group of Filipino/Americans on television at one time, EVER - outside a Manny Pacquiao fight.

For sure, the guys will be wearing the traditional Philippine camisa (shirt) called the Barong Tagalog that is the garb of choice for men at Filipino celebrations.

Salonga, as Aunt Myrna, an almost-winner in a reality TV singing competition, sings "One Indescribably Instant," from an animated movie that has had such an influence on the show's main character Rachel, played by award-winning actress Rachel Bloom.

The season-one finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, directed by co-producer Aline Brosh McKenna, airs tonight (Monday, April 18) on the CW, 8 p.m.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Lea Salonga won't miss a performance in Allegiance after father's death

LEA SALONGA told Playbill that despite the recent death of her father in the Philippines, she won't miss any Allegiance performance in which she is scheduled.

Rear Admiral Feliciano Salonga, died on Friday, January 29. He was 86 years old. Salonga was also a former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman, under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The Broadway star simply posted on her Twitter account the obituary that appeared the Philippine Star with the simple message, "Rest in peace, Dad."

RELATED: Salonga shines in 'Allegiance'

In 2014, Salonga's father was one of the top SBMA officials who were indicted by the Office of the Ombudsman for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act (RA) 3019. The Ombudsman said that the SBMA executives “displayed manifest partiality and evident bad faith in the performance of their functions.”

The accused were eventually dismissed from their positions.

Lea Salonga in "Allegiance."

Allegiance, the musical based on actor George Takei's experience in interment camps during World War II, is due to close at New York's Longacre Theater on Feb. 14. Plans are afoot to bring the production on tour.

Salonga, who also is a judge in the Philippine version of The Voice, is also scheduled to appear in the finale of television's groundbreaking Crazy Ex-Girlfriend which is slated to air in mid-April.

For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

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"Crazy Ex- Girlfriend" star wins Golden Globe; Lea Salonga will make an appearance.

Photo: Tyler Golden/CW

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's" Filipino/American family, from left: Tess Paras as Jayma, Coryn Mabalot as Jastenity, Vincent Rodriguez III as Josh, Amy Hill as Lourdes, Rachel Bloom as Rebecca,
and Alberto Isaac as Joseph.

LETS HOPE that Rachel Bloom's Golden Globe award for Best Performance by An Actress In A Television Series (Comedy or Musical) gives a much-needed boost to the groundbreaking television show "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

Her win over better known actresses in more popular shows clearly surprised Bloom and Sunday's (Jan. 10) Golden Globe audience, which combined the stars of motion pictures and television.

The show, which features a Fiilipino/American love interest (Vincent Rodriguez as Josh Chan), hasn't exactly been breaking ratings records. In fact, in some polls, it is at or near the bottom as the least watched shows on television. CW hasn't indicated if a second season is in the works.

However, CW President Mark Pedowitz told TV Guide, that his network has great faith in Crazy.

"At the moment, I wish I had more optimistic [ratings] statistics. I don't. What we do have is great faith in the show, great faith in the showrunners and the creators, Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom. We believe in the show. We stand by the show," Pedowitz said, adding that he has no plans to make a "homogenized version" of the show in hopes of attracting more viewers. "We believe there is a place on our schedule today for a show like this and we're going to give it a chance to get seen. You can't beat quality like this. ... The fact that Rachel is nominated (and won a Golden Globe) is a testament to what they've done. ... I wish the numbers were better."

Watch Bloom's teary and breathless acceptance speech below:

As Bloom explained to reporters in the press room following the Globes, having a diverse cast allows a show to organically explore a wider range of stories because of her Filipino co-star. Read her comments in an interview with Vulture right after the ceremonies:

"I have learned so much about Filipino culture. What’s insane is we are not fresh off the boat about specifically being Filipino. One of our characters happened to be Filipino, so when we realized that no one had made the effort to show a Filipino family on an American comedy, it is talking a lot about Filipino culture, mabuhay, but it has also taught me really about how important diversity is if you want to tell a new story. Anything else I do from now ... I would want to make it about people who are diverse, gay, trans, because those are stories that have not been told before, and America is a melting pot of immigrants, and I don’t think it is acknowledged half as much as it is on television. 

"In episode 18, we are so proud Lea Solanga will be guest-starring, and when Vincent, who plays Josh Chan, [saw her,] he literally fainted to the ground. We are so excited to be seen as a show that supports all different sorts of people and supports diversity because that’s what America is, and we are just showing what America really is."

I don't want to underplay the little "tease" she threw in about Lea Solanga, but I want to dwell a bit on her comment, her show and diversity.

True diversity in the media is not about tokenism: Cast an Asian guy and put him in the background. It's about reflecting the world around us and the stories emerge organically from everyday interactions. CEG is not seeking a pat on the back for casting Rodriguez because as the producers said, they grew up in Southern California and there were plenty of hot guys who were Asian. And they didn't stand on a soapbox to shout out, "Look at us! We have a Filipino family on the show. Hooray!" 

On this particular show, diversity includes having a Filipino/American writer, Rene Gube, who, incidentally, played a hip priest (80 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic) on the same show. Gube wrote the historic Thanksgiving show that featured an entire Filipino clan at a family celebration. Gube wasn't hired because one of the lead characters was Filipino, it's just that sometimes, the stars align. But his presence on the writing staff helps the authenticity of the scenes with Filipinos. 

RELATED: Why you should be watching 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'TV's first Filipino/American family debuts

“To have an opportunity to create a fully developed Filipino character, a male romantic lead, I’ve never seen that before, and I was super excited about that. It is a great opportunity to show a Filipino family on network television, and show how American that Filipino family truly is,” said Gube in a Vulture interview.

Lea Salonga

Back to Salonga: The singer let the cat out of the bag in her Twitter account that she'll be featured in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's finale. “I guess the news is out!!! I’ll be appearing on the season finale of @CW_CrazyXGF! And singing, too! How fun is that?!” Salonga tweeted to her followers. Presumably, she'll tape that episode when Allegiance closes its Broadway run on Feb. 14.

Congratulations to Rachel Bloom! Hopefully her award will have the same boost for Crazy as the same award gave to Jane the Virgin when its star, Gina Rodriguez, won the honor last year.

Even without the Filipino actors, its a brilliant show. How can you describe a show that has a compulsive-obsessive woman as its lead character chasing after the love of her life who she thinks is her key to happiness? Don't be put off by the musical numbers. The witty songs and production add to the story and they're not thrown in willy-nilly just to have a musical number.

Meanwhile, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns with its mid-season premiere on Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW. Tell all your friends and relatives to tune in to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the show that gets things right on so many levels.

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"Allegiance" - the musical - to close its Broadway run

The "Allegiance" cast will make a final bow on Broadway, Feb. 14.

THE MUSICAL Allegiance, which opened just two months ago on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, has set a closing date for its Broadway run - Feb. 14, 2016.

The silver lining, however, is that the producers are making plans for a national tour.

In a statement, producers for Allegiance said: 

"Bringing "Allegiance" to Broadway was not only a labor of love for our entire creative team and this company of extraordinary artists, but it was also a work with deep commitment to social relevance and impact. We are so proud to have brought George Takei’s very personal family history to the stage and – in the process – to have surfaced a chapter of history that was painfully unknown to so many. 

"By its last performance Allegiance will have been seen on Broadway by approximately 120,000 people, a number that eerily echoes the number of Japanese Americans who were directly impacted by the events that inspired our musical, and whose rights were trampled in the name of pure fear and intolerance. 

"We look forward to continuing to share this essential story — more relevant than ever, given today’s headlines — and this moving score with theatergoers across the country and around the world for many years to come. 

RELATED: "Allegiance" ready for its Broadway debut

"Audiences who have experienced Allegiance on Broadway have left the theater transformed, uplifted, enlightened, inspired, informed, and entertained. We remain committed to finding more ways in which the true impact of Allegiance will continue."

By the time the show closes, it will have played 37 previews and 113 regular performances.The storyline is partially inspired on the life of actor George Takei (who also stars) and his experience in Japanese/American internment camps during World War II.  Allegiance also stars Tony winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung, and tells the story of a family uprooted and forced to adapt to a new mode of life demanded by a frightened country which would not dare to accept difference.

Lea Salonga and George Takei.

Allegiance, according to press notes, "illuminates one of American history’s lesser known chapters as it tells the story of Sam Kimura (Takei), transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self (Leung) and his sister Kei (Salonga) fought to stay connected to their heritage, their family, and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II. An epic story told with great intimacy, Allegiance explores the ties that bind us, the struggle to persevere, and the overwhelming power of forgiveness and, most especially."

The show features a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, and music and lyrics by Kuo. A cast recording of Allegiance will be released Feb. 5 through Broadway Records/Yellow Sound.

The complete cast comprises Takei as Sam Kimura/Ojii San, Salonga as Kei Kimura, Leung as Sammy Kimura, Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell, Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki, Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka with Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Manna Nichols, Rumi Oyama, Catherine Ricafort, Momoko Sugai, Sam Tanabe, Kevin Munhall, Elena Wang, Scott Watanabe and Tony winner Scott Wise. 

REVIEW: Salonga shines in 'Allegiance'

IT WAS the second performance of Allegiance, the Broadway musical inspired by the experiences of Star Trek's George Takei's family at the internment camps during World War II.

The show had debuted on a couple of days before and there was some discussion whether the lukewarm reviews would hamper attendance.

When I arrived, those doubts disappeared as I joined a long line outside the Longacre Theater and people were genuinely excited about the musical. It was a typical New York theater crowd, a lot of diversity but there was definitely more-than-usual number of Asian/Americans in the audience.

The story is a dark chapter in American history that needs to told and retold to expose the power of paranoia, xenophobia and unrelenting fear. Recent events in Paris and the reaction of some American leaders make the story more relevant to today's audiences.

For many in the audience familiar with the events of WWII, it was a refresher course. It brought the story of injustice and internment from an abstract to a human level. But for the majority of the non-Asian audience who just wanted to experience Broadway theater, Allegiance ma;y have tried to do too much. 

There was so much happening in the internment camp and the interpersonal relationships, love stories (including an interracial couple), the rising resistance and division among the internees, the political shenanigans in Washington DC between the members of the Japanese American Civilian League and Congress, the exploits of the the heroic 442nd Japanese American Regiment in Europe and, oh yeah, throw in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, too. 

All together, it may have been all been a bit complex and overwhelming. This is all rich dramatic material full of inspirational moments but those moments got lost in the mishmash of so much happening that the big events cancelled each other out as what could have been high points in the storyline.

There's no doubt, Lea Salonga made a triumphal return to Broadway. Her performance  reminded everyone why she was such a hit in shows such as Miss Saigon and Les Miserable. Allegiance took advantage of having Salonga cast as the female lead and took every opportunity to show off her singing.

As good as Salonga's performance was, along with her cast mates Telly Leung, Michael Lee, Christopher Nomura, Greg Watanabe and Katie Rose Clark, Jay Kuo's lyrics and music did them no favors.

There was not a single song that was memorable, that brought a tear to your eye, brought you to your feet or had you humming after the show. Even "Higher" written especially to showcase Salonga fail ed to reach the level of showstopper. Kuo's music and numbers didn't hurt the production but it also didn't help it reach the level.

Besides Salonga, Leung's contagious energy and Nomura's powerful deep baritone were pleasant surprises.

Takei's dual roles in the show, as the elder Sammy and the elder Ochi-san, marked his debut on Broadway. Though he is not a singer, he showed a flare for comedic timing and exhibited a strong stage presence.

In fact, the cast was uniformly excellent and there was an artistic commitment to the material. What Allegiance demonstrates, and what revivals of King and I, Flower Drum Song and the recently departed Here Lies Love proves, is that there is an abundance of talent within the Asian American theater community.

**** (out of 5 stars) Go and see it!

Telly Leung led one of the few high-energy production numbers in "Allegiance."

Filipino History Month: A parting shot -- 34 famous and should-be famous Filipino/Americans

Dreamscape Studio Photography / dreamscapestudio.net / Via Courtesy of Kevin Nadal   

Front row (sitting, from left): Kevin Nadal, Ayesha Vera-Cruz, Kalayaan Mendoza, Geena Rocero, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Richard Mendoza, Mark Bustos; Second row (kneeling/sitting, from left): DJ Neil Armstrong, RJ Mendoza-Nadal, Ernabel Demillo, Lea Salonga, Stella Abrera, Judge Lorna Schofield, Liz Casasola, Chef Cristeta Comerford, Cecilia Pagkalinawan, Monette Rivera, Jaygee Macapugay, Lucille Javier; Third Row (standing, from left): Ken Natori, Luis Francia, Ryan Letada, EJ Samson, Mia Alvar, Rafe Totengco, Nancy Bulalacao-Leung, Ching Valdes-Aran, Nicole Ponseca, Jason Tengco, Marissa Aroy, Joe Bataan; Fourth Row (elevated, from left): Ben de Guzman,
Marlo Gamora, Jose Llana. 

THIRTY-FOUR Filipino/Americans gathered in New York for a family picture last month, Filipino American Heritage Month. Each has excelled in his or her particular field and each could be an inspiration for Filipino/Americans across the country.

Some of the names you'll recognize: Lea Salonga, Cristeta Comerford, Joe Bataan and Geena Rocero. Others are a little less known to the general public but no less deserving.

Some may quibble on who's in the picture but just getting all these busy people in place is an accomplishment in itself.  It's a historic shot and one we should all appreciate. I'm sure if the picture was taken on the West Coast a few more people would be added to the group portrait. Perhaps a politician or two, a few actors, a couple more journalists and certainly some civil rights activists would be included.

In an essay for Buzzfeed, Dr. Kevin Nadal, one of the organizers of the photo shoot, wrote:

Throughout our history in both the Philippines and the U.S., we have overcome these instances of tyranny, brutality, and inequality. We have fought for independence in the Philippines and marched for civil rights in the U.S. We have organized movements, formed coalitions with allies, and persevered against systemic discrimination, ignorance, and oppression. 

We have comforted each other in times of despair and have supported the trailblazers who have represented us well. We have moved forward and persevered, usually with a smile, and always holding the hands of future generations behind us.

To fully appreciate it, though, click here to find out why these individuals were invited to be in the picture.

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