RESURRECTION OF A JOKE- After his recent resurrection on American Idol, Pinoy former tricycle driver Renaldo Lapuz has now appeared in a TV ad for the telecom giant AT&T and received many job offers, among them singing the U.S. national anthem in Texas and doing a cameo in a Philippine comic film, Carlo Osi reports from Philadelphia. Source: http://renaldolapuz.com/
The Resurrection of Renaldo Lapuz By Carlo Osi INQUIRER.net First Posted 11:50:00 05/28/2008
PHILADELPHIA, USA - The name ‘Renaldo Lapuz’ is an ordinary one in the U.S. He could be a typical American of Mexican origin or someone from Venezuela, Argentina, even Cuba. He could in fact be a Latino living in Los Angeles.
But for us, Renaldo Lapuz is the silver-caped, singing Filipino from Reno, Nevada who once again catapulted himself on the American Idol show.
Filipinos and Fil-Ams know by now who Renaldo Lapuz is – a Filipino who migrated to the U.S. not too long ago and worked as a Wal-Mart janitor. He used to be a tricycle driver in Sikatuna Village near the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. As a UP graduate, I could have easily ridden his tricycle in the past.
Famous or Infamous
Months ago, like hundreds of thousands of other hopefuls and singing wannabes, he auditioned before the American Idol judges. It was a disaster; he was also overage at 45. But it was fanciful enough to stay in the video reels and he was seen by millions of viewers – wearing a silver cape and a white costume with a large, matching cartoonish hat, singing a song about brotherly love that he himself composed.
Typically, Simon Cowell ridiculed and criticized him; Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest hummed with him; Paula Abdul danced in front of him. Lapuz was made into a spectacle like no one else before, except perhaps William Hung.
After some interviews and articles online and in print, Renaldo Lapuz disappeared from the American Idol scene. Alas, it has the habit of bringing long dead fumbles and failed auditions back to life.
Finale Performance
He was given his own spot in the American Idol finale show where he became a parade-like figure. To the delight of the 7,000 fans at the Nokia theatre in Los Angeles, he sang his crusading song, “We’re Brothers Forever,” initially a capella. Suddenly Lapuz was accompanied by a marching band from the University of Southern California (USC), with its cheering squad and fully-equipped band members.
The sight was both funny and nerve-wracking. Lapuz sang his song the way he composed it as the marching band played the tune in a faster tempo. It sounded at times as though he was trying to catch up with the band, almost stumbling through his lyrics. It can be argued that he overshadowed fellow-Filipino Ramiele Malubay, one of the Top 12.
I watched it with half of my face covered with my palm, not knowing if they would mention that he’s from the Philippines. Although he’s funny and his song catchy, I held the opinion since I saw him audition that his awkwardness and trying-hard manner are somewhat humiliating. Well, he himself was truly into it and didn’t seem at all humiliated, happy and content in the carnival-like atmosphere of his two-minute performance.
The Comic Side of Every Filipino
Seeing him at the finale, it dawned on me that perhaps Renaldo Lapuz is just acting in a very Filipino manner. Confronted with a problem, we tend to take it seriously, yet laugh it off as we search for a solution. The Apo Hiking Society has immortalized this Filipino virtue in many of their signature songs.
Even in squatter colonies, dumpsites and relocation centers, smiles and laughter abound. Was Lapuz acting normally or was he just needful of media attention like millions of Americans?
Remember Dolphy on stage, perhaps with his former sidekick Panchito, entertaining the audience to the hilt either by making fun of themselves or singing old songs comically? Or the old Chiquito movies when, with his pomade-stiff hair, he made fun of himself, his accent or his situation?
How about former comic actor Ramon Zamora making fun of Adolf Hitler by dressing like him, saluting the Nazi way, and uttering “Sprakenheit” or something to the effect? Or more recently, Vic Sotto and his Enteng Kabisote movies or Tito Vic & Joey’s zany Eat Bulaga that Filipinos watch in both coasts of the U.S.?
Can we constructively compare Renaldo Lapuz and his singing/performance stunts with the comic scenes of Dolphy, Chiquito, Ramon Zamora, Vic Sotto and the Eat Bulaga cast? Is he just being true to our roots?
We are happy with who we are and how we look. We laugh at ourselves, giggle at our miseries and make jokes about our poverty, corrupt government and Third World status. We are a happy people despite all of our national crises and financial challenges.
And Renaldo Lapuz exemplifies this. He may have simply wanted to demonstrate to the world the happiness and contentment inside him, despite all of the reasons which forced him to leave Sikatuna Village and go to the U.S. four years ago. Nothing much differentiates Dolphy’s comical attack onstage with Renaldo Lapuz’s “heartfelt” singing and performance.
Resurrection
Is he doing us Filipinos a favor? That’s hard to judge. The important thing is that he reflects gladness and glee; otherwise he wouldn’t have auditioned in Dallas, Texas the way he did. His well-applauded performance in the American Idol finale is a resurrection for him.
This former store janitor has had a lot of bookings and job offers, and has appeared in a TV ad for the telecom giant AT&T. He’s slated to perform soon with William Hung and Jasmine Trias, to sing in a wedding, sing the U.S. national anthem in Texas, and appear in a cameo for a Philippine comic film.
The author is a US/Japan-trained and educated Philippine lawyer with a Master of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Certificate of Business from Wharton. Send comments to carlo.osi@gmail.com or through http://eastofturtleisland.blogspot.com/.
Copyright 2008 INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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