FREEHAND by Mario E. Bautista
IT WAS Carla Abellana's birthday on June 12 and she got a big surprise at the taping of "Basahang Ginto" at the Makati City Hall grounds when leading man Geoff Eigenmann sent her a quartet of musicians serenading her on the set. He also have her a bouquet of white roses and lilies. All the people around them were thrilled to see how happy Carla was with Geoff's unique way of greeting her a happy birthday. "Talagang kinilig ang mga tao sa kasweetan nina Carla at Geoff," says our source.
"It's Geoff's way of returning Carla's gift for him some months ago when she hosted a special dinner for him and his family in Bohol in Eskaya, a plush resort na dollars ang bayad."
But Carla got an even better gift when she heard that audience feedback on "Basahang Ginto" remains very positive and the ratings continue to go up. "Sana magtuloy-tuloy, yun ang birthday wish ko," she says. "Talagang mas pinapaganda namin ang show. Sa ngayon, kami ng mga kapatid ko, nakatira sa mansyon nina Geoff bilang tulong niya sa'min. Nagalit ako when I learned muntik nang ma-rape ang sister at nilalait sila ng mga sosyal na tao roon. I'll catch his girlfriend, si Sylvia, kissing another man and Sylvia will dump him, so palalayasin ako sa mansyon dahil ako raw ang malas doon. Pero ang gagawin ni Geoff, pagagandahin ako para pagselosin si Sylvia. Magiging beauty na rin ako."
*********
JAY-R SIABOC was just the runnerup to Pinoy Dream Academy 1 winner Yeng Constantino but he's the one who was given an acting career in shows like "Kapitan Boom" and "Bituing Walang Ningning". Then his career went into limbo when he got fat and became more involved with his lovelife, Irish Fullerton. There's also talk that he's pasaway and is often late to appointments.
"It's true I gained so much weight," he says. "Hindi ko napansin, sobrang lumaki na ko. But thanks to diet and exercise, I've already lost 35 lbs. Wala na rin akong lovelife. Trabaho na lang muna. About being late, it's not true. You can ask the staff. Di ako nale-late. Di ako magluluko sa career ko dahil ayokong bumalik sa hirap. Dahil sa career, napa-repair ko bahay namin sa Cebu kaya di na tumutulo."
He used to go solo, but now, he's part of Voizboys along with Nico Antonio, Guji Lorenzana and Tom Rodriguez. "Hindi ako namimili ng trabaho. As a singer, I just want to sing. Gusto ko lang, makakanta ko't makapagpasaya ng mga tao. Voizboys was formed by Mr. M himself of StarMagic so tiyak aalagaan niya ito. Eto nga, may album na kami."
Doesn't he feel insecure that his companions are all taller than him? "No, may kanya-kanya naman kaming talent at supporters, so walang dapat ika-insecure. Alam ko namang ako pinaka-sexy sa'min," he laughs.
In his ten-song Voizboys album, "Fusion", he gets to sing solo in "Kakaiba Ka" by Vehnee Saturno. There's no doubt he has the most powerful voice among the four boys. As the song says: kakaiba nga siya. "Lahat kami, nag-effort para mapaganda ang album. Ibang-iba ang atake namin sa mga kanta rito, like in 'Maria Clara' na binagay sa today's generation."
*********
PAULEEN LUNA will be playing the cruel madrasta role of Bella Flores in "Trudis Liit" that starts airing tonight at 3 PM. Won't she mind if people would call her the new Bella Flores? "Not at all. Nagkontrabida na ako sa 'Ikaw Sana' kay Jennylyn Mercado and it was a great experience being hated by viewers dahil sa kamalditahan mo. Tiyak na mas maiinis sila sa'kin in 'Trudis Liit' kasi munting bata ang aapihin ko, si Jillian Ward na talagang cute na cute naman kaya nahihirapan akong apihin siya on cam. Naaawa ako."
She chose to do "Trudis Liit" over the comedy role she does with JC De Vera in TV5's "Lokomoko U". "Hindi naman talaga ko umalis ng GMA-7 kasi I still do 'Eat Bulaga'. Freelancer naman ako so okay lang ako to do shows sa ibang channel, kaya lang bigger challenge for me itong 'Trudis Liit' dahil maliit na bata yung aapihin ko along with my mom in the show, Gina Alajar."
She just returned from the Las Vegas show of "Eat Bulaga" but she reported to the taping of "Trudis Liit" right away. How is it working with Maxene Magalona in "Trudis Liit" after their alleged conflict? "We're fine. Whatever misunderstanding we had done, naayos na so walang problema."
*********
HOW DID her life change after doing "First Time" and now, "Pilyang Kerubin"? "Big change, but it's all for the better," says Barbie Forteza. "Noon, pila lang ako ng pila sa audition. Naghahabol pa kami ng mama ko ng bus sa Calamba para makaluwas ng Maynila. Kung minsan, nakatayo lang kami sa bus para umabot sa audition. Ngayon, may sarili na kong sasakyan at balak din naming kumuha na ng sariling bahay rito sa Manila kasi ang layo-layo ng Calamba. Gusto namin malapit lang sa GMA-7 para hindi na ko mahirapan lalo kung overnight ang taping."
Her dad resigned from work to be her personal driver and her mom, who used to make boxes for kakanins in Laguna, has also stopped her business to accompany her. "Gusto ko maka-save ng enough money para mabigyan ng capital ang mommy ko para sa sarili niyang negosyo. Sa mga nasasabik sa 'Pilyang Kerubin', nasapian na ako rito ni Angelica kaya magsisimula na kong gumawa ng kabutihan sa lupa. Pero magiging kalaban ko si John Lapus as Aroo, kampon ng kadiliman whose mission is to destroy me kaya ibubuyo niya ang ibang tao na saktan ako. Magiging close naman kami ni Joshua as Michael. Naglayas siya sa kanila and I'll convince him na umuwi na sa kanila. I'll try my best na paglapitin ang parents ko, sina Raymart Santiago at Ina Feleo. Nagpunta kami sa park pero nabaril naman doon ang mother ko at nabulag ang isang mata."
*********
CONTINUING our survey of stars. Let's look at the actors this time. ABS has several lead actors. The top three now are John Lloyd Cruz (3 times Box Office King in a row), Sam Milby and Derek Ramsay, who have assignments one after another. Piolo Pascual is still in the running mainly because of his endorsements, but his last film "Love Me Again" was two years ago and his last TV series "Lovers in Paris" was last year yet. It's good he finally has a new show with Santino, "Noah". His former Hunk colleagues Diether Ocampo and Jericho Rosales are still around but their luster is no longer as luminous as before.
Among the younger actors, the busiest are Gerald Anderson and Jake Cuenca. Two actors who shone in the Agimat series are Coco Martin and Jolo Revilla. After them would be Zanjoe Marudo, Jason Abalos, Matteo Guidicelli, Enchong Dee, Ejay Falcon, Matt Evans, Sid Lucero, Rayver Cruz. Then there are the comedian-hosts: Vhong Navarro, Luis Manzano and Billy Crawford, and singers like Martin Nievera, Gary V, Erik Santos, Jed Madela and Christian Bautista. Their senior actors include Aga Muhlach, Robin Padilla, Gabby Concepcion, and Albert Martinez. One former lead actor who's now relagated to comedy roles is John Prats. Among their newcomers, the ones in "Gimik" seem promising: Lance Christopher and Franco Daza. Other would be heartthrobs are Giggerboys teens AJ Perez and Enrique Gil.
*********
AT GMA-7, their top two actors are Richard Gutierrez and Dingdong Dantes, followed by Dennis Trillo, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Aljur Abrenica, and Geoff Eigenmann. Then they have recruits from ABS-CBN who now often do more support than lead roles: Alfred Vargas, Patrick Garcia, Paolo Contis (he can do drama, comedy and hosting with equal ease so we wonder why he's not given a lead role), Marvin Agustin and TJ Trinidad. Also doing lead roles every now and then are Jay-R, Mike Tan, Dion Ignacio and Polo Ravales (who does more villain roles now). Then there are the Japanese Brazilian recruits: Daniel Matsunaga (the most promising), Akihiro Sato and Fabio Ide. They also have their comedians: Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, Michael V and Vic Sotto. Newcomers who show promise are Carl Guevarra, Starstruck V recruits Enzo Pineda and Rocco Nacino, and Survivor recruits JC Tiuseco and Marvin Kiefer. Their teen stars are Joshua Dionisio, Elmo Magalona and Jake Vargas. Too bad for GMA that one of their top bets, JC De Vera, moved to TV 5 and another one they're posed to elevate to stardom, Paolo Avelino, is now about to be an unwed dad. We also don't know why they don't utilize transferee Mark Bautista and their "Are You the Next Big Star" winner, Geoff Taylor. Waiting in the wings are male starlets Victor Aliwalas and Marco Alcaraz. So who do you think has more powerful star wattage: the Kapuso or Kapamilya actors?
*********
A READER FROM Brisbane, Australia, Farida Vizcara-Booth, emailed us to ask why negative news about the stars seem to merit more space in entertainment pages than positive ones. "Even the blind items always focus on perceived wrongdoings of celebrities," she adds. "I'm not surpised that stars who are going steady hide the real score about their relationship. Writers will pressure them to admit they're on but the moment they do, then the press will find ways to break them up."
Ms. Vizcarra, blame the reading public first. Read the posts that readers here and abroad make on the internet. They only read columns with negative headlines, especially the blind items. They want to know who is the couple who've reportedly broken up but won't admit it yet in public, who is this actor or actress who's two-timing his or her partner, who is this celebrity who's hooked on drugs, etc. Stories about feuding stars elicit lots of reaction, like the alleged conflict between Gretchen Barretto and Angelica Panganiban over Derek Ramsay. Admit it or not, the public just loves dirt.
When the story is wholesome, they won't even comment on it, like positive reviews on a good local film like "Emir" which bombed at the tills. So what do you expect the press to do but give the readers what they want? Even editors prefer stories that are full of chismis because readers delight in them. Maybe it makes them feel good that such negative stories give them an equal footing with showbiz demigods and goddesses who also have feet of clay. This is also the reason why we can't blame producers if they keep on churning out nothing but romantic comedies. Simply because it's the only kind of film that local moviegoers want to watch it in theaters.
IT WAS Carla Abellana's birthday on June 12 and she got a big surprise at the taping of "Basahang Ginto" at the Makati City Hall grounds when leading man Geoff Eigenmann sent her a quartet of musicians serenading her on the set. He also have her a bouquet of white roses and lilies. All the people around them were thrilled to see how happy Carla was with Geoff's unique way of greeting her a happy birthday. "Talagang kinilig ang mga tao sa kasweetan nina Carla at Geoff," says our source.
"It's Geoff's way of returning Carla's gift for him some months ago when she hosted a special dinner for him and his family in Bohol in Eskaya, a plush resort na dollars ang bayad."
But Carla got an even better gift when she heard that audience feedback on "Basahang Ginto" remains very positive and the ratings continue to go up. "Sana magtuloy-tuloy, yun ang birthday wish ko," she says. "Talagang mas pinapaganda namin ang show. Sa ngayon, kami ng mga kapatid ko, nakatira sa mansyon nina Geoff bilang tulong niya sa'min. Nagalit ako when I learned muntik nang ma-rape ang sister at nilalait sila ng mga sosyal na tao roon. I'll catch his girlfriend, si Sylvia, kissing another man and Sylvia will dump him, so palalayasin ako sa mansyon dahil ako raw ang malas doon. Pero ang gagawin ni Geoff, pagagandahin ako para pagselosin si Sylvia. Magiging beauty na rin ako."
*********
JAY-R SIABOC was just the runnerup to Pinoy Dream Academy 1 winner Yeng Constantino but he's the one who was given an acting career in shows like "Kapitan Boom" and "Bituing Walang Ningning". Then his career went into limbo when he got fat and became more involved with his lovelife, Irish Fullerton. There's also talk that he's pasaway and is often late to appointments.
"It's true I gained so much weight," he says. "Hindi ko napansin, sobrang lumaki na ko. But thanks to diet and exercise, I've already lost 35 lbs. Wala na rin akong lovelife. Trabaho na lang muna. About being late, it's not true. You can ask the staff. Di ako nale-late. Di ako magluluko sa career ko dahil ayokong bumalik sa hirap. Dahil sa career, napa-repair ko bahay namin sa Cebu kaya di na tumutulo."
He used to go solo, but now, he's part of Voizboys along with Nico Antonio, Guji Lorenzana and Tom Rodriguez. "Hindi ako namimili ng trabaho. As a singer, I just want to sing. Gusto ko lang, makakanta ko't makapagpasaya ng mga tao. Voizboys was formed by Mr. M himself of StarMagic so tiyak aalagaan niya ito. Eto nga, may album na kami."
Doesn't he feel insecure that his companions are all taller than him? "No, may kanya-kanya naman kaming talent at supporters, so walang dapat ika-insecure. Alam ko namang ako pinaka-sexy sa'min," he laughs.
In his ten-song Voizboys album, "Fusion", he gets to sing solo in "Kakaiba Ka" by Vehnee Saturno. There's no doubt he has the most powerful voice among the four boys. As the song says: kakaiba nga siya. "Lahat kami, nag-effort para mapaganda ang album. Ibang-iba ang atake namin sa mga kanta rito, like in 'Maria Clara' na binagay sa today's generation."
*********
PAULEEN LUNA will be playing the cruel madrasta role of Bella Flores in "Trudis Liit" that starts airing tonight at 3 PM. Won't she mind if people would call her the new Bella Flores? "Not at all. Nagkontrabida na ako sa 'Ikaw Sana' kay Jennylyn Mercado and it was a great experience being hated by viewers dahil sa kamalditahan mo. Tiyak na mas maiinis sila sa'kin in 'Trudis Liit' kasi munting bata ang aapihin ko, si Jillian Ward na talagang cute na cute naman kaya nahihirapan akong apihin siya on cam. Naaawa ako."
She chose to do "Trudis Liit" over the comedy role she does with JC De Vera in TV5's "Lokomoko U". "Hindi naman talaga ko umalis ng GMA-7 kasi I still do 'Eat Bulaga'. Freelancer naman ako so okay lang ako to do shows sa ibang channel, kaya lang bigger challenge for me itong 'Trudis Liit' dahil maliit na bata yung aapihin ko along with my mom in the show, Gina Alajar."
She just returned from the Las Vegas show of "Eat Bulaga" but she reported to the taping of "Trudis Liit" right away. How is it working with Maxene Magalona in "Trudis Liit" after their alleged conflict? "We're fine. Whatever misunderstanding we had done, naayos na so walang problema."
*********
HOW DID her life change after doing "First Time" and now, "Pilyang Kerubin"? "Big change, but it's all for the better," says Barbie Forteza. "Noon, pila lang ako ng pila sa audition. Naghahabol pa kami ng mama ko ng bus sa Calamba para makaluwas ng Maynila. Kung minsan, nakatayo lang kami sa bus para umabot sa audition. Ngayon, may sarili na kong sasakyan at balak din naming kumuha na ng sariling bahay rito sa Manila kasi ang layo-layo ng Calamba. Gusto namin malapit lang sa GMA-7 para hindi na ko mahirapan lalo kung overnight ang taping."
Her dad resigned from work to be her personal driver and her mom, who used to make boxes for kakanins in Laguna, has also stopped her business to accompany her. "Gusto ko maka-save ng enough money para mabigyan ng capital ang mommy ko para sa sarili niyang negosyo. Sa mga nasasabik sa 'Pilyang Kerubin', nasapian na ako rito ni Angelica kaya magsisimula na kong gumawa ng kabutihan sa lupa. Pero magiging kalaban ko si John Lapus as Aroo, kampon ng kadiliman whose mission is to destroy me kaya ibubuyo niya ang ibang tao na saktan ako. Magiging close naman kami ni Joshua as Michael. Naglayas siya sa kanila and I'll convince him na umuwi na sa kanila. I'll try my best na paglapitin ang parents ko, sina Raymart Santiago at Ina Feleo. Nagpunta kami sa park pero nabaril naman doon ang mother ko at nabulag ang isang mata."
*********
CONTINUING our survey of stars. Let's look at the actors this time. ABS has several lead actors. The top three now are John Lloyd Cruz (3 times Box Office King in a row), Sam Milby and Derek Ramsay, who have assignments one after another. Piolo Pascual is still in the running mainly because of his endorsements, but his last film "Love Me Again" was two years ago and his last TV series "Lovers in Paris" was last year yet. It's good he finally has a new show with Santino, "Noah". His former Hunk colleagues Diether Ocampo and Jericho Rosales are still around but their luster is no longer as luminous as before.
Among the younger actors, the busiest are Gerald Anderson and Jake Cuenca. Two actors who shone in the Agimat series are Coco Martin and Jolo Revilla. After them would be Zanjoe Marudo, Jason Abalos, Matteo Guidicelli, Enchong Dee, Ejay Falcon, Matt Evans, Sid Lucero, Rayver Cruz. Then there are the comedian-hosts: Vhong Navarro, Luis Manzano and Billy Crawford, and singers like Martin Nievera, Gary V, Erik Santos, Jed Madela and Christian Bautista. Their senior actors include Aga Muhlach, Robin Padilla, Gabby Concepcion, and Albert Martinez. One former lead actor who's now relagated to comedy roles is John Prats. Among their newcomers, the ones in "Gimik" seem promising: Lance Christopher and Franco Daza. Other would be heartthrobs are Giggerboys teens AJ Perez and Enrique Gil.
*********
AT GMA-7, their top two actors are Richard Gutierrez and Dingdong Dantes, followed by Dennis Trillo, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Aljur Abrenica, and Geoff Eigenmann. Then they have recruits from ABS-CBN who now often do more support than lead roles: Alfred Vargas, Patrick Garcia, Paolo Contis (he can do drama, comedy and hosting with equal ease so we wonder why he's not given a lead role), Marvin Agustin and TJ Trinidad. Also doing lead roles every now and then are Jay-R, Mike Tan, Dion Ignacio and Polo Ravales (who does more villain roles now). Then there are the Japanese Brazilian recruits: Daniel Matsunaga (the most promising), Akihiro Sato and Fabio Ide. They also have their comedians: Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, Michael V and Vic Sotto. Newcomers who show promise are Carl Guevarra, Starstruck V recruits Enzo Pineda and Rocco Nacino, and Survivor recruits JC Tiuseco and Marvin Kiefer. Their teen stars are Joshua Dionisio, Elmo Magalona and Jake Vargas. Too bad for GMA that one of their top bets, JC De Vera, moved to TV 5 and another one they're posed to elevate to stardom, Paolo Avelino, is now about to be an unwed dad. We also don't know why they don't utilize transferee Mark Bautista and their "Are You the Next Big Star" winner, Geoff Taylor. Waiting in the wings are male starlets Victor Aliwalas and Marco Alcaraz. So who do you think has more powerful star wattage: the Kapuso or Kapamilya actors?
*********
A READER FROM Brisbane, Australia, Farida Vizcara-Booth, emailed us to ask why negative news about the stars seem to merit more space in entertainment pages than positive ones. "Even the blind items always focus on perceived wrongdoings of celebrities," she adds. "I'm not surpised that stars who are going steady hide the real score about their relationship. Writers will pressure them to admit they're on but the moment they do, then the press will find ways to break them up."
Ms. Vizcarra, blame the reading public first. Read the posts that readers here and abroad make on the internet. They only read columns with negative headlines, especially the blind items. They want to know who is the couple who've reportedly broken up but won't admit it yet in public, who is this actor or actress who's two-timing his or her partner, who is this celebrity who's hooked on drugs, etc. Stories about feuding stars elicit lots of reaction, like the alleged conflict between Gretchen Barretto and Angelica Panganiban over Derek Ramsay. Admit it or not, the public just loves dirt.
When the story is wholesome, they won't even comment on it, like positive reviews on a good local film like "Emir" which bombed at the tills. So what do you expect the press to do but give the readers what they want? Even editors prefer stories that are full of chismis because readers delight in them. Maybe it makes them feel good that such negative stories give them an equal footing with showbiz demigods and goddesses who also have feet of clay. This is also the reason why we can't blame producers if they keep on churning out nothing but romantic comedies. Simply because it's the only kind of film that local moviegoers want to watch it in theaters.
