RICHARD GUTIERREZ is leaving this weekend to attend the New York Festival TV and Film Awards to be held on May 3 at the Penthouse Lobby of American Airlines Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. The docu he did for GMA Public Affairs last year, "Planet Philippines", that rated high and also sold well on DVD, is nominated in the Environment and Ecology category. "It's a big honor for me kasi bago pa lang ako sa News and Public Affairs," he says. "I want to share the nomination with the whole staff and crew. I have a feeling we have a good chance of winning kasi among 30 countries, we were chosen as one of the top 10. Talagang pinaghirapan namin ito. I'm there from conceptualization at tinutukan namin lahat hanggang sa editing. It shows the beauty of our country and its biodiversity and what we should do to protect our environment. I'm also thankful to GMA as they cancelled all my tapings for next week just so I can attend the awards night myself."He's bringing a barong tagalog and a suit, both by Rajo Laurel, but he's not yet sure which one he'd wear to the gala night. "Yun na lang barong, anak," says his mom, Annabelle Rama. "Kasi you're representing Planet Philippines so mas bagay yun."
Richard will now also do a weekly show about natural disasters and how we can prepare for them, aside from a quarterly environmental special. While waiting for "Survivor Philippines Celebrity Edition" to start in June, he is also guesting in various GMA-7 shows. He'll start by doing comedy in "Bubble Gang", then also guest in "Diva".
What can he say about the allegations that he's a glamor boy and he cannot stand the demands of hosting "Survivor Philippines" where he'd be made to stay in a remote island for 40 days. "Dahil doon, mas nacha-challenge nga ako. I want to prove to them na di ako yung type na basta sumusuko. And basically, this is up my alley as I'm really an outdoors man. In high school, before I joined showbiz, naranasan ko na mag-tour sa Northern Luzon with only a backpack at naikot ko ang Baguio, Banaue, Sagada up to Pagudpud in Ilocos with two classmates. It was very exciting. When I'm working, I don't usually complain. You can ask the people I work with. I don't ask for special treatment. Kung ano lang yung nandun, I make do with it. Kaya doon sa mga nagsasabing hindi ko kakayanin ito. Well, they don't know me. Kasi yung mga taong kilala ako, they tell me, Chard, bagay-bagay sa'yong mag-host niyan. I know it's not gonna be easy, but I'm sure it's gonna be a lot of fun for me and all the castaways."He's also shooting "In Your Eyes" with Anne Curtis, for an August release, and it's said they've already shot 25 kissing scenes. Their bedscene is yet to be shot and it's going to be his most daring love scene so far. "We don't know yet how Direk Mac Alejandre will do it but it's going to be sexy daw," he says.