The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Audie See
For some years now, there has been a very decent and unique live entertainment extravaganza held every three months or so in Metro Manila, and then shown in a digital platform a mere few days after its live staging in venues such as the Mall of Asia Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Theater @ Solaire or at the New Frontier Theater.
The live extravaganza is called “Wish Date.” It is a unique entertainment event because it combines movie-watching with attending a live pop concert. The concert is almost always longer than the movie. It may be a minimalist film but it offers an additional excitement. Some scenes are acted out on stage by the main actors you will see on the screen.
If you’re offered tickets to “Wish Date” shows, grab them. Don’t waste time asking who is performing in the show, because we assure you that for some years now, those entertainment fares produced by KDR Music House always feature the hottest singers and hottest bands around the time the tickets are offered to you.
For months now, among the hottest singers in the country are Dionela and Josh Cullen of SB19, and among the bands are Dilaw and Letters from June. Well, KDR Music House has just featured them in the company’s latest show “Wish Date: Solace.” The extravaganza was held at the Mall of Asia Arena on October 13.
The film is actually a rendition of a letter sent to a disc jockey on Wish radio 107.5FM with the fancy name Dr. Clark. For quite some time, the station and KDR Music House kept the identity of Dr. Clark a secret. A few months ago, however, the station and the production company suddenly and briefly revealed that Dr. Clark is no other than the highly adulated broadcaster, Kuya Daniel Razon. He is actually the KDR in KDR Music House.
Razon is a nephew of the late televangelist Eli Soriano. He took over the headship of practically all the business ventures Bro. Eli managed to quietly put up even at the time he was staying in Brazil where he continued his avocation as a preacher.
Bro. Eli was able to put up UNTV and take over the radio station Wish 107.5 FM. The tasks of managing all those business ventures fell on the lap of Razon who was once a newscaster on GMA -7 where Bro. Eli used to do his televangelist profession. It was on UNTV that Razon began to be known as Kuya Daniel Razon (KDR).
To popularize Wish Radio, KDR established a production arm for it which he named KDR Music House. He also put up a program on Wish radio by assuming the personality of Dr. Clark as a disc jockey who reads letters from listeners about their bittersweet love affairs which linger in their minds and in their hearts. Eventually KDR Music House put up the live entertainment event dubbed as “Wish Date.”
In the latest “Wish Date: Solace,” the songs performed on stage enhanced the emotive reading of a letter to Dr. Clark. For years now, the entertainment live show “Wish Date” is the only one of its kind in the Philippine entertainment scene.
“Wish Date: Solace” also featured belter singers Angeline Quinto and Arabella Cruz and the seasoned band Itchyworms. The film featured James Blanco, Nicky Valdez, former Pinoy Big Brother contestant Zonia Mejia, GMA-7 Sparkle star Shan