FREEHAND by Mario E. Bautista
MAXENE MAGALONA and Pauleen Luna looked chummy at the presscon of "Trudis Liit". "We're okay," says Maxene. "Sabay pa nga kami kumain sa taping. We do small talk, walang problema. It's good we were able to talk before the show started kaya nagkaliwanagan kami na lahat pala, sabi-sabi lang, kaya okay na kami ngayon. It's annoying lang kasi some people said na hindi natuloy ang 'Bakit Kay Tagal ng Sandali' dahil we don't get along fine ni Pauleen. E, bakit magkasama pa rin kami ngayon dito sa 'Trudis Liit'. May mga tao talaga, gustong pinag-aaway kaming mga artista."
This is also the reason why she also talked to JC Tiuseco to kill rumors that they have a tiff.
Maxene is also in the cast of the indi film, "Rekrut". She plays the wife of Joem Bascon. What can she say about her younger brother Elmo's sudden popularity? "I'm his number one fan. I even told mas sisikat pa siya kaysa sa akin sa dami ng fans niya. May show pa siya ngayon sa primetime na 'Pilyang Kerubin'. I'm really so proud of him."
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DIRECTOR DON Michael Perez of "Trudis Liit" says their show is based on the movie remake starring Amy Austria and Jean Garcia and not the original Sampaguita Pictures film that launched Ate VI's career. "Wala ng existing copy noon," he says. "At malayong-malayo na rin ang kuwento nito doon sa remake." He's amazed by the boundless energy of Jillian Ward. "Parang di siya napapagod," he says.
Which is true since while being interviewed, Jillian was singing, dancing, eating, and also drawing like she's the energizer bunny that just goes on and on. "She's oozing with charm. Ang problema lang, di pa siya ganun ka-focused sa ginagawa niya, so siya na muna ang una kong kinukunan para kapag bored na siya, yung adult stars naman."
Looks like Jillian has attention deficiency and hyperactivity syndrome. But no doubt she's so adorable. Born on Feb. 23, 2005, she's in kinder at ODB Montessori at the Fort but will opt to do home study program. She got her mestiza looks from her mom who's Mexican American. Discovered through the TV commercials, she has an older sister who's 8 years old. First scene as a dwarf in "The Last Prince" and in Eugene Domingos' "Wachamakulit", she has a cut off time when taping and goes home by 9 PM, whether or not she has finished all her scenes fot the day.
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YOU'D NEVER suspect that Verni Varga has a daughter in her mid-20s as she maintains an hourglass figure. Her secret? "I play a lot of golf with my husband (Rick Oledan) and I never overindulge in eating," she says. "I don't eat food that's fattening. If ever, tinitikman ko lang. Also, magaling mag-asawa ko, di ako binibigyan ng problems kaya di ako tumatanda."
She's glad Viva Concerts got her to do "OPM" through the years with Basil Valdez, Gino Padilla, Charlie Green and The Company on July 17, Saturday, at SMX Mall of Asia. "I do a lot of corporate shows solo but it's always a pleasure to do a concert with world class artists who are the best in their field. I look forward to singing with all of them dahil they'll all be exciting production numbers, directed by Roxanne Lapus who brings out the best in performers like us. Once in a lifetime lang mapagsama kaming lahat ng ganito. Ang mga kasabayan ko noong araw, ageless kami, e, and our songs, ibang-iba ang style kaysa sa songs ngayon. They can stand the test of time."
For her next project, she wants to record a new album. "I'm gathering materials now and I'm including my own compositions plus inspirational songs na akala mo, di inspirational but when you've heard them, you'd realize they really inspire."
Who among the new crop of singers does she think will last like her? "Maraming galing like Rachelle Ann Go, Sarah Geronimo and the winner in GMA-7's 'Are You the Next Big Star, Frencheska Farr. Nag-judge ako noon at unang pasok pa lang niya, sabi ko, itong mananalo and she did."
A celebration of Filipino music, "OPM Through the Years" promises to be a great show with delightful OPM tunes. Tickets are now available at P2750 for gold, P2000 for silver, P1000 for bronze.
**********
YIA VILLANIA has been doing nothing but hosting for the past year. "I concentrated muna kasi on my studies but now that I've finished my psychology course in La Salle, I can accept acting jobs again," she says at the launch of her new Silka Papaya TV ad with Erich Gonzales."Heto nga, sinama ko ng ABS sa bagong sitcom starring Robin Padilla and Mariel Rivera. Makaka-love triangle nila ako. I will also do the remake of 'Temptation Island' sa Regal. Of course, I still do hosting in 'ASAP', 'Us Girls' and MYX."
She's been Silka endorser for six years now. "I really use the green Silka soap kasi kahit mabilad ka sa araw, puputi ka agad."
Silka execs say Yia helped their sales a lot. "When we started, we sold only 5,000 units a month. Now, it's 5 million," they add.
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SPARTACUS
WE DON'T KNOW how an ultra-violent and sexy series like "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" can be shown on local TV without being butchered by the censors. Be careful as you watch as the blood spatter often strays straight into the camera and seems to leap out of your screens. And the sex scenes are so graphic it's really soft core porn as it also features female and male frontal nudity galore.
Based on the story of the gladiator slave who led a revolt against Rome, it was previously made by Stanley Kubrick into an Oscar-winning film in 1960 starring Kirk Douglas and there's also a TV remake in 2004 with Goran Visnjic. Those film versions are condensed and tame compared to the new TV series that shows Spartacus' origins in Thrace, how he becomes a slave and gets trained as a gladiator.
The combat scenes between gladiators in this series, shown late at night at the Starz channel in the U.S., is really a bloodbath, with the red fluid shown gushing abundantly from decapitated heads and squirting copiously from gaping wounds, making "300" look like child's play. This is definitely not for the squeamish or the faint of heart who's easily offended by graphic scenes of murder and fornication. It's more apt title is "Blood and Sex" and the best way to view it is uncut. You can order its download on the internet or watch out for the coming release on DVD.
Little is really known about the historical Spartacus so don't expect a faithful re-enactment. What they did is to embroider the story on TV to make it more engrossing. And in all fairness to its makers, they did make each episode a cliffhanger that makes you want to follow all the show's 13 episodes in its first season.
"Spartacus" is played by Aussie actor Andy Whitfield whose buff body is displayed in scene after scene along with all the other gladiators. Exuding raw masculinity, he is torn away by Romans from his wife Sura (Eric Cummings) who was also sold into slavery and appears to him in flashbacks and in dream sequences. He endures so much pain and hardship, inspired by the thought of seeing her again, as promised by the Roman who bought him and made him a gladiator, Batiatus (John Hannah), whose hunger for wealth and power is matched by his equally scheming and ambitious wife, Lucretia (Lucy Lawless.)
You'll get hooked by all the intrigues and treachery shown in the story up to the last episode aptly titled "Kill Them All", a massacre scene to end all massacre sequences ever recorded on film or TV. The other actors who play important roles are Manu Bennett as Crixus (the gladiator who's Spartacus' main rival and appears totally nude in a number of scenes), Peter Mensah as Doctore (the trainer of the gladiators), Viva Bianca as Ilithyia (the Roman centurion's wife who hates Spartacus but has sex with him), Lesley Ann Brandt as Naevia (the slave girl Crixus is in love with), Jai Courtney as Varro (Spartacus' best friend who he's compelled to kill), and Antonio Te Maioho as Barca, the gay gladiator, and Eka Darville as Pietros, the young black slave he cohabits with.
MAXENE MAGALONA and Pauleen Luna looked chummy at the presscon of "Trudis Liit". "We're okay," says Maxene. "Sabay pa nga kami kumain sa taping. We do small talk, walang problema. It's good we were able to talk before the show started kaya nagkaliwanagan kami na lahat pala, sabi-sabi lang, kaya okay na kami ngayon. It's annoying lang kasi some people said na hindi natuloy ang 'Bakit Kay Tagal ng Sandali' dahil we don't get along fine ni Pauleen. E, bakit magkasama pa rin kami ngayon dito sa 'Trudis Liit'. May mga tao talaga, gustong pinag-aaway kaming mga artista."
This is also the reason why she also talked to JC Tiuseco to kill rumors that they have a tiff.
Maxene is also in the cast of the indi film, "Rekrut". She plays the wife of Joem Bascon. What can she say about her younger brother Elmo's sudden popularity? "I'm his number one fan. I even told mas sisikat pa siya kaysa sa akin sa dami ng fans niya. May show pa siya ngayon sa primetime na 'Pilyang Kerubin'. I'm really so proud of him."
**********
DIRECTOR DON Michael Perez of "Trudis Liit" says their show is based on the movie remake starring Amy Austria and Jean Garcia and not the original Sampaguita Pictures film that launched Ate VI's career. "Wala ng existing copy noon," he says. "At malayong-malayo na rin ang kuwento nito doon sa remake." He's amazed by the boundless energy of Jillian Ward. "Parang di siya napapagod," he says.
Which is true since while being interviewed, Jillian was singing, dancing, eating, and also drawing like she's the energizer bunny that just goes on and on. "She's oozing with charm. Ang problema lang, di pa siya ganun ka-focused sa ginagawa niya, so siya na muna ang una kong kinukunan para kapag bored na siya, yung adult stars naman."
Looks like Jillian has attention deficiency and hyperactivity syndrome. But no doubt she's so adorable. Born on Feb. 23, 2005, she's in kinder at ODB Montessori at the Fort but will opt to do home study program. She got her mestiza looks from her mom who's Mexican American. Discovered through the TV commercials, she has an older sister who's 8 years old. First scene as a dwarf in "The Last Prince" and in Eugene Domingos' "Wachamakulit", she has a cut off time when taping and goes home by 9 PM, whether or not she has finished all her scenes fot the day.
**********
YOU'D NEVER suspect that Verni Varga has a daughter in her mid-20s as she maintains an hourglass figure. Her secret? "I play a lot of golf with my husband (Rick Oledan) and I never overindulge in eating," she says. "I don't eat food that's fattening. If ever, tinitikman ko lang. Also, magaling mag-asawa ko, di ako binibigyan ng problems kaya di ako tumatanda."
She's glad Viva Concerts got her to do "OPM" through the years with Basil Valdez, Gino Padilla, Charlie Green and The Company on July 17, Saturday, at SMX Mall of Asia. "I do a lot of corporate shows solo but it's always a pleasure to do a concert with world class artists who are the best in their field. I look forward to singing with all of them dahil they'll all be exciting production numbers, directed by Roxanne Lapus who brings out the best in performers like us. Once in a lifetime lang mapagsama kaming lahat ng ganito. Ang mga kasabayan ko noong araw, ageless kami, e, and our songs, ibang-iba ang style kaysa sa songs ngayon. They can stand the test of time."
For her next project, she wants to record a new album. "I'm gathering materials now and I'm including my own compositions plus inspirational songs na akala mo, di inspirational but when you've heard them, you'd realize they really inspire."
Who among the new crop of singers does she think will last like her? "Maraming galing like Rachelle Ann Go, Sarah Geronimo and the winner in GMA-7's 'Are You the Next Big Star, Frencheska Farr. Nag-judge ako noon at unang pasok pa lang niya, sabi ko, itong mananalo and she did."
A celebration of Filipino music, "OPM Through the Years" promises to be a great show with delightful OPM tunes. Tickets are now available at P2750 for gold, P2000 for silver, P1000 for bronze.
**********
YIA VILLANIA has been doing nothing but hosting for the past year. "I concentrated muna kasi on my studies but now that I've finished my psychology course in La Salle, I can accept acting jobs again," she says at the launch of her new Silka Papaya TV ad with Erich Gonzales."Heto nga, sinama ko ng ABS sa bagong sitcom starring Robin Padilla and Mariel Rivera. Makaka-love triangle nila ako. I will also do the remake of 'Temptation Island' sa Regal. Of course, I still do hosting in 'ASAP', 'Us Girls' and MYX."
She's been Silka endorser for six years now. "I really use the green Silka soap kasi kahit mabilad ka sa araw, puputi ka agad."
Silka execs say Yia helped their sales a lot. "When we started, we sold only 5,000 units a month. Now, it's 5 million," they add.
**********
SPARTACUS
WE DON'T KNOW how an ultra-violent and sexy series like "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" can be shown on local TV without being butchered by the censors. Be careful as you watch as the blood spatter often strays straight into the camera and seems to leap out of your screens. And the sex scenes are so graphic it's really soft core porn as it also features female and male frontal nudity galore.
Based on the story of the gladiator slave who led a revolt against Rome, it was previously made by Stanley Kubrick into an Oscar-winning film in 1960 starring Kirk Douglas and there's also a TV remake in 2004 with Goran Visnjic. Those film versions are condensed and tame compared to the new TV series that shows Spartacus' origins in Thrace, how he becomes a slave and gets trained as a gladiator.
The combat scenes between gladiators in this series, shown late at night at the Starz channel in the U.S., is really a bloodbath, with the red fluid shown gushing abundantly from decapitated heads and squirting copiously from gaping wounds, making "300" look like child's play. This is definitely not for the squeamish or the faint of heart who's easily offended by graphic scenes of murder and fornication. It's more apt title is "Blood and Sex" and the best way to view it is uncut. You can order its download on the internet or watch out for the coming release on DVD.
Little is really known about the historical Spartacus so don't expect a faithful re-enactment. What they did is to embroider the story on TV to make it more engrossing. And in all fairness to its makers, they did make each episode a cliffhanger that makes you want to follow all the show's 13 episodes in its first season.
"Spartacus" is played by Aussie actor Andy Whitfield whose buff body is displayed in scene after scene along with all the other gladiators. Exuding raw masculinity, he is torn away by Romans from his wife Sura (Eric Cummings) who was also sold into slavery and appears to him in flashbacks and in dream sequences. He endures so much pain and hardship, inspired by the thought of seeing her again, as promised by the Roman who bought him and made him a gladiator, Batiatus (John Hannah), whose hunger for wealth and power is matched by his equally scheming and ambitious wife, Lucretia (Lucy Lawless.)
You'll get hooked by all the intrigues and treachery shown in the story up to the last episode aptly titled "Kill Them All", a massacre scene to end all massacre sequences ever recorded on film or TV. The other actors who play important roles are Manu Bennett as Crixus (the gladiator who's Spartacus' main rival and appears totally nude in a number of scenes), Peter Mensah as Doctore (the trainer of the gladiators), Viva Bianca as Ilithyia (the Roman centurion's wife who hates Spartacus but has sex with him), Lesley Ann Brandt as Naevia (the slave girl Crixus is in love with), Jai Courtney as Varro (Spartacus' best friend who he's compelled to kill), and Antonio Te Maioho as Barca, the gay gladiator, and Eka Darville as Pietros, the young black slave he cohabits with.
