NEW YORK – Imelda, a bio-musical about the rise and fall of former first lady Imelda Marcos debuting on September 22, stars an all-Pinoy cast and is the first Filipino-themed production to be run off Broadway.

Playing the first lady notorious for having more than 3,000 pairs of shoes is Jaygee Macapugay, whose theater credits include Miss Saigon (Kim) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary). Other members in  the cast are Mel Sagrado Maghuyop as Ferdinand Marcos, Liz Casasola as Corazon Aquino, Brian Jose as Benigno Aquino, Jr., Alan Ariano, Angelica-Lee Aspiras, Billy Bustamante, Leanne Cabrera, Loresa Lanceta, Jonelle Margallo, and Romney Piamonte.

Aida Bilog Sambat stares death in the face every day. As a hospice nurse in America, her work brings her to the beds of the terminally ill, those who are but a few steps away from death’s door.

Trained to care for the critically ill, hospice nurses are often seen as death angels—medical professionals who are tasked to end the life of a patient. But to Aida, who has held the hand of many a dying patient, a hospice nurse does more than prolong life or provide comfort to people during their final hours.

“Medical, surgical, and intensive care nurses help patients become well, [while] hospice nurses prepare patients for their journey beyond,” Aida writes in her book, From the Womb to the Tomb: Diary of a Hospice Nurse.

She’s seen some patients die alone and others with not a single cent to pay for their burial expenses. She’s helped relatives of the dying come to terms with death and most often weeps along with them for a patient that she has become fond of.

LA, California–Filipina jazz and world vocalist Charmaine Clamor has won the 6th Annual Asian Heritage Award in the Performing Arts.

Clamor, the creator of jazzipino, was recognized for her trailblazing accomplishments in bringing Filipino languages, melodies, and instruments to mainstream listeners. She is the only Filipino to have two consecutive albums land in the top 10 of JazzWeek’s World Music radio chart.

Los Angeles, CA– Filipino-American online lifestyle community BakitWhy.com celebrates it first year with a benefit event at Jimmy’s Lounge in Hollywood on Saturday, August 1, 9 p.m.

The show will feature homegrown Pinoy talents singer-songwriter Ashley Robles, singer-songwriter Ryan Espe, and comedian …

Fil-Am authors Florante Peter Ibanez and Roselyn Estepa Ibanez sought out family albums, organizations records, personal stories, and more than 200 vintage images to write Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay.

Printed by Arcadia Publishing, the book ($21.99) traces the history of the Filipino community in this California city, where many Pinoys settled in the 1920s as farm workers, US military recruits, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, and laborers, to fill the economic needs of the Los Angeles region.

Florante, a library manager at Loyola Law School, and Rose, who chairs the board of the Filipino American Library, hope that the book will give readers “a more multidimensional view of Filipinos in America” and recognize them as “an eager, hardworking, and talented community that is proud to be part of the rich American tapestry.”

Jed Madela sings at the opening of the prestigious talent contest World Championships of Performing Arts. Madela was the grand prize winner in 2005.

Los Angeles, CA– Filipino singers Jed Madela, Catherine Loria, and the Cercado sisters performed during the opening of the 2009 Hollywood Olympics or World Championships of Performing Arts at the Westin Bonaventure last Sunday.

All seven were past grand prize winners of this prestigious competition, which brings together amateur and professional performing artists from more than 40 countries to compete for the Grand Champion of the World titles in dance, voice, modeling, acting, and comedy, among others.