I am pretty sure a lot of music fans still remember with great fondness the cheerful, throbbing and evocative sound of “Downtown,” the classic hit of the 1960s which captures the exciting and colorful spirit, mood and style of that special district in the city of one’s affection.

Why not?

With its cosmopolitan ambiance, lifestyle and culture, downtown,the place, is alternately a haven for happy spirits enjoying the gift of life and at the same time a sanctuary for weary souls anxious to find relief and comfort from the drudgery and woes of daily living.

More than four decades after it became a phenomenal hit worldwide, “Downtown,” the pop classic, has remained as relevant and as popular as ever, acclaimed by millions of fans from the ‘60s even as it continues to attract a new generation of music enthusiasts.

No less remarkable for its timeless quality is the sultry voice behind the song whose allure and brilliance have not diminished but continued to sparkle and flourished throughout the past forty years.

Today, Petula Clark, singer, composer and actress, is as current and as contemporary as the present crop of artists and performers, the songs she popularized forever enshrined in the collective memories of millions of die-hard fans all over the world.

For two magical evenings in September, Petula Clark will bring back the sights and sounds of “Downtown,” along with other hits, on a wonderful trip down memory lane when she visits Manila for a limited musical engagement to be highlighted by a major concert on Sept. 13 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Billed as “Petula Clark: You & I,” the concert series to be mounted by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions will open with a show on Sept. 12 at the Manila Hotel Tent City with The Three Tenors as featured performers.

The two-night performance brings to the concert scene an international singer and performer acclaimed as the most successful British female solo recording artist who emerged as America’s No. 1 female vocalist during the musical British Invasion of the US in the 1960s.

Together with The Beatles, Petula conquered the American and the international music arena, topping the US charts with her anthemic and unforgettable hit, “Downtown.”

With the phenomenal chart performance of “Downtown,” Petula became a household name in the US after appearing on dozens of top-rating TV programs, such as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Andy Williams Show,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “American Bandstand,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Flip Wilson Show,” “The Hollywood Palace,” “Here’s Lucy,” Bob Hope and Perry Como specials, “Night Of 100 Stars,” The Golden Globe, Academy Awards, and many more.

In recognition of her musical achievements, the American recording industry honored her with Grammy Awards for “Best Rock & Roll Record” for “Downtown” in 1964 and for “Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance” for “I Know A Place” in 1965.

With the award, she became the first British female solo artist to win a Grammy Award and the first British pop singer to have a No. 1 hit single in the US.

In 2003, her recording of “Downtown” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

She made her stage debut in 1981 at the London West End by opening in the phenomenally successful revival of “The Sound Of Music” with what was then considered the largest advance ticket sale in British theatre history.

Her performance as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” in London’s West End and US touring productions from 1995 through 2000, earned her the distinction of playing the role longer than any other actress.

In England, she was designated Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth in 1998.

Tickets to the Big Dome concert are priced at P4,200, P3,700, P2,700, P1,700, P1,000 and P580 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at SM Department Stores and at the Araneta Coliseum ticket office.

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Baron to attend Venice
Film Festival

Baron Geisler, Star Magic’s Bad Boy, shall join the delegation of the movie “Jay” in this year’s Venice Film Festival on Aug. 27. “Jay” is the multi-awarded movie from the recently concluded Cinemalaya.

The Venice Film Festival is one of the oldest and prestigious film festivals in the world. Founded by Count Guiseppe Volpi di Misurata in 1932 as the “Esposizioned Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica,” the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. Screenings take place in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi. Opening this year’s festival is the world premiere of the Coen brothers “Burn After Reading,” a film not in competition starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

Baron was very excited when he found out the "Jay" was invited to the said filmfest. However, the excitement was short-lived as he did not have money for the trip. In a recent visit to the Star Magic offices, he mentioned to Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan about “Jay” and the Venice Film Festival. When Mr. M found out that Baron was not going, Mr. M quickly said that Star Magic will extend the financial support to Baron. Mr. M said that he believes in Baron’s talent and is very much aware of the prestige of the Venice Film Festival so it would be unthinkble for Baron not to be able to attend. He is also very proud that another Star Magic artist has been invited to grace an international film festival — twice this year, recently with Piolo Pascual for the Paris Film Festival.

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Penshoppe and Myx Channel launch new collection

Retail trailblazer Penshoppe, the number one youth fashion wear brand, and Myx, the leading music and lifestyle channel, showed that fashion is inextricably linked to music as they rolled out a new wave of fashion and music with a collection of new-wave inspired casual clothing.

The Penshoppe flagship store at SM Megamall was transformed into an Eighties time warp when the new line was revealed to the public in an exclusive launch. Penshoppe Club Pen endorsers Melissa Ricks, Matt Evans, Dawn Balagot and Einar Ingebritsen, in tandem with MYX VJs Andrei Felix and Mica, hosted the blast from the past, leading guests back to the decade of Cyndi Lauper and George Michael.

Relics like Yamaha organs, boom boxes and cassette tapes were resurrected on cool casual wear basics like hoodies and tees. Many of the certified Eighties babies in the crowd were set abuzz with feel-good memories of the decade, as they browsed through a fashion and music collaboration that combines the best of the Eighties in a hip, edgy style fusion.

The Penshoppe-Myx line is available at all Penshoppe boutiques nationwide.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Aug. 26, go to Angeli P. Valenciano, Jay Durias, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Nonong Bagatsing, Irineo “Boy” Chan, Dr. Adrian Buensalido, Amparo de Leon, Amelia Novido, Diana Olivares, Efren Edlagan, Papo Suares, Libay Gaspi, Patricia Camille T. Soriano, Carlos Yturzaeta, Sofia Gonzalez-Romualdez, firstborn of Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Councilor Cristina Gonzalez Romualdez; Susy Unas, Mary Grace M. Frones, and Atty. Augusto L. Villanueva…