(Conclusion)

LOS ANGELES?For Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, one of the rewards of having Sylvia La Torre as a grandmother is that she learned such songs as ?Bahay Kubo? and ?Sa Kabukiran? from no less than the iconic entertainer herself.

Anna, who appears in the ?re-imagining? of the 1980 musical film, ?Fame,? is grateful that her first voice lessons were with Sylvia, even if sometimes they had to do it on the phone. For a time, Anna and her parents, Artie Perez (Sylvia?s son) and Evelyn, and two older brothers, Juan Miguel and Antonio, lived in Northern California, while Sylvia was based in Southern California.

In our interview over late lunch, Anna recalled, ?When my grandmother visited us, she would play the piano and say, ?Sing this note.? She was my babysitter. It was fun. She told me stories of her early days in show business.?

Old movies

Anna has seen some of Sylvia?s old movies and TV shows. She shared our lament that many of the veteran performer?s films and TV appearances have not been preserved, so most of them are gone forever.

Anna, unfortunately, couldn?t attend the premiere of ?Fame? last Wednesday because she was filming the second ?Camp Rock? TV movie in Toronto. Bummer! We had hoped that she?d be allowed to attend, since the premiere was a significant occasion in her career. ?Fame? marks her feature-film debut.

She has two films that are in pre-production. In ?A Forgotten Innocence,? adapted by Reno Ursal from his novel and scheduled to be directed by Sinohui Hinojosa, she and Fil-Am actor, Michael Copon, play siblings. ?I cried when I read the script,? Anna recalled. She is also reportedly set to do ?Bleachers,? a comedy-drama, next year. The singer-actress? dad is her overall manager, while in the Philippines, she is managed by Girlie Rodis. Excerpts:

How much of an influence is your grandmother in your life?

She?s a very big influence. When I was growing up, I watched her onstage. Sometimes, I?d perform with her. I did musical theater because it felt like being onstage with her.

What was the first song your grandma taught you?

?Bahay Kubo.? I had it on the cassette tape. I knew every word.

Do you sing opera, too?

Yeah, she taught me to. It?s a little harder for me, because I don?t have that kind of voice.

Big move

You mentioned the big move to LA from San Jose, which probably paved the way for your career to flourish.

Even when we were living in San Jose, I had agents. I did print modeling and commercials. My parents were like, ?Okay, just little stuff.? I was only 12. When I got a call to audition for ?Hannah Montana,? I had to send tapes, because I was living in San Jose. Then, we were being flown back and forth by Disney for callbacks.

So, what finally convinced your parents to move to LA?

I got the ?Hannah Montana? part. My agents recommended that we move to LA if I really wanted to pursue my career.

At what age did you want to be a singer or actress?

I started singing when I was 2. I have a videocassette tape of me singing the ?ABC Song.? Singing was my first love, not acting. I took voice lessons when I was 6.

Are you homeschooled?

I was homeschooled after LACSA (Los Angeles County School of the Arts) for three years. I graduated from high school through home schooling, before I started filming ?Fame,? which was October last year. I?m focusing on my career now. College will always be there. I?m sure I?ll go to college?I want to.

Tell us about your experience as a junior finalist on ?Star Search? in 2003.

That?s where it all started, where I got my agent. I got to compete with David Archuleta. That opened doors for me.

Live audience

What?s it like to tape the ?Hannah Montana? show?

It?s fun! We film in front of a live audience. We feed off the audience?s laughter or their ?Aww? or ?Oooh.? The cast is one, big happy family. We?re always laughing, pulling pranks on one another.

Tell us what you and your fellow Disney Channel stars do for the Children?s Hospital of Los Angeles.

The Disney Channel stars visit kids at the hospital who can?t get out of their rooms because they?re very sick. We spend a day with them.

When was the last time you were in the Philippines?

The last time I was there, I was 10. I went to Boracay. We have videotapes of me snorkeling and night swimming.

Have you met Lea Salonga?

I met Lea when I watched her in ?Flower Drum Song? here in LA. I got to go backstage. She?s very nice. She?s my idol! I?d love to sing with her?that?s a big goal of mine.

Aside from Lea, who else are you dreaming of singing with?

Christina Aguilera?she?s a big inspiration. She has a very unique voice, with a wide range. I?d love to sing with her.

In the public eye

Now that you?re experiencing fame, how is it impacting your life in the public eye?

It?s great. People recognize me on the street. Little girls are like, ?Oh, she?s from ?Hannah Montana?!? Some of them think I?m mean, just like on the show. Some moms say, ?Our daughters know you, but they?re too scared to come up to you.? I have to tell the girls, ?Oh no, it?s just acting. Miley (Cyrus) and I are friends, and I?m not mean.?

What keeps you grounded?

My family. My parents raised me well. They sacrificed a lot for me. Moving to LA was a big sacrifice. If they weren?t here, how would I be in LA?

What don?t you like about show biz?

Luckily, I?ve worked with some really nice people. There isn?t any cattiness. But, I run into people who want to be friends with me only because I?m known. It?s hard to find trust in this business.

What are your other dreams?

I?d love to do an album. I?m working with songwriters and producers now. I sing a remix of ?A Part of Your World? (from ?The Little Mermaid?) on a DisneyMania album, which is coming out this fall. I want to do Broadway?everything!

Email the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com, and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.