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Bren Bataclan
Hundreds of people around the globe are smiling more often now and have been given hope in these hard times by Fil-Am artist Bren Bataclan. Often referred to as the "smile artist," Bataclan has left paintings in hospitals, parks, street corners, train stations, unemployment agencies, schools and airports around San Francisco, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Alaska, Japan, Antarctica and across the globe. Each painting has a note attached to it that made people smile or gave them hope.
"Many people don’t go to museums and galleries to appreciate art. Most don’t have an opportunity to own art. So, I thought of giving my paintings away, in exchange for a smile" said Bren, who left his paintings in various locations around Boston with notes saying "This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often."
Bren left his cheery acrylic paintings in parks, benches, libraries, train stations, street corners, and before long, his "Smile Project" has spread all around. Boston Magazine found one of his paintings and featured his story. Soon, Bataclan’s unique and generous endeavor caught the attention of other major media channels such as ABC 7, Smithsonian Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Asian Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle, The Examiner, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, Asian Week etc. His work was also published into a 128-paged book by Gingko Press.
A documentary on his Smile Boston Project documentary was done and won the "Best Short Documentary" award at the Woods Hole Film Festival last year. The film was also shown in the Newburyport, New Hampshire, Northampton Film Festivals (Best Regional Film), the Chicago Filmmakers Art Docs Series, and in the European Social Forum in Malmö, Sweden.
When the recession hit the country last year, Bren decided to change the note on his paintings. "Everything will be alright" notes were attached to his paintings which featured a character which has one big and one small eye wearing a grin. It’s his way of boosting morale in these hard economic times.
Since he started over five years ago, Bataclan has given away over 400 free paintings in 20 cities and 20 countries. He has been commissioned to do murals in schools, parks, hospitals, showrooms, and even designed a colorful patch for the Spread the Bread campaign in the US.
Bren has certainly showed the world how an act of kindness can make a difference in the lives of people across the globe. So, if you see a colorful painting propped against a bench or leaning by the side of a wall, hurry and grab it. Smile and hope. Everything will be alright!
Anna Maria Perez De Tagle
On Sept 25,2009, the remake of Fame was shown in theatres across America and then worldwide. One of the casts who dance, sing and cry their way from "audition" to "graduation" is Fil-Am Hollywood actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.
Popularly known for her roles in Hannah Montana as Ashley Dewitt and as Ella Pador on Camp Rock, Anna Maria plays the role of Joy Moy in Fame. Like her character in the movie, Anna Maria’s artistic talents was put to test in Fame, which was her big screen debut. But the 18-year old star has already proven herself well in Hollywood; which is not really surprising considering Anna Maria’s genes.
Born December 23, 1990 in San Francisco, California, Anna Maria Francesca Enriquez Perez de Taglé (nicknamed "Wengky") is the granddaughter of 1950s Philippine actress and soprano singer, Sylvia La Torre, who is her first acting and singing coach. She is the daughter of Evelyn Enriquez and Artie Perez de Tagle. With most of her family in the entertainment field, Anna Maria naturally developed her love for theater at an early age and began training in singing, dancing and acting.
Since hitting Los Angeles, this beauty has graced the small screen numerous times with roles in CBS’s morning show Cake (2006) and Just Jordan (2007), as well as the voice of Martha, the Safety Patrol Kid in Higglytown Heroes (2004). Anna Maria was then seen in Disney’s TV hit, Camp Rock (2008), starring as Ella, a lip-gloss obsessed mean girly girl who makes an unlikely transformation.
Admitting that she is always auditioning for roles, Anna Maria is looking forward to more exciting projects in 2010. One of her future projects include the sequel to Camp Rock which will be released in 2010. She will also be filming for Hannah Montana, and recording her first album.
Being in the spotlight, Anna Maria makes sure she keeps her family close to her; that she keeps her feet on the ground; and most importantly, that "my Filipino values are intact".
With her principles and values in the right place, and her outstanding talents and hard work, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is surely on her way to fame and fortune.
Like these newsmakers of 2009 who all look forward to a brighter New Year, let’s greet 2010 with very high hopes. Have a blessed and prosperous New Year! (AJPress)
( Published December 30, 2009 in MDWK Magazine p. 2 )
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