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| Nov 23 |
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| Andrew, Joross & Chubi reinvented, re-packaged Author: Ricardo F. Lo On this drizzly Monday afternoon, Andrew Wolfe, Joross Gamboa and Chubi del Rosario are huddled at a long table at a spacious studio, on one corner of which stands a buffet table brimming with mouth-watering native goodies (chicken-pork adobo, pansit, embutido, etc. ). "My boys," says Becky Aguila as she shows us in, shrugging off our side comment that, according to the grapevine, one of them -- yes, Andrew, former boyfriend of Gwen Garci -- is her boy. "Tsismis lang 'yon," Becky adds, laughing, which was how she also dismissed blind items romantically linking her to Jethro Ramirez (remember him as the leading man of Priscilla Almeda in Sutla?), her former alaga (ward). "I'm used to that; I'm no longer affected. " The studio is adjacent to Becky's house which occupies a huge area at the back of Grand Terrace and the Isuzu showroom along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. Inside the same compound is Becky's office and a stage, in front of which is a cozy auditorium, where her talents (about a dozen of them, including the pregnant Jennylyn Mercado and Valerie Concepcion) do rehearsals. "We've been living here for years," volunteers Becky, referring to her husband and their children. Her husband (a retired PMA colonel, class '44; former president and chairman of the National Irrigation and of Philippine Aeronautics; and a civil engineer who owns Feagle Construction in the '80s) is almost twice Becky's age. "We are like Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla. " Over mouthfuls of the merienda-dinner Becky prepared for the day, Funfare does a one-on-one with Andrew, Joross and Chubi who have recently signed up as Becky's talents. "I am 'reinventing' them," she announces. "They are being made over for a change of image. I am 're-packaging' them. " • Andrew Wolfe Lighter by 10 pounds, Andrew, 22, is saying goodbye -- and good riddance! -- to his bad-boy image. Never too late. "It's 2008 and I'm now clean-living," says Andrew half-jokingly, throwing a misty-eyed look at his past checkered with a turbulent love affair (with former Hot Babe Gwen Garci) and near-violent clashes with some people (one of them Cesar Montano during a boxing exhibition in which Cesar accused Andrew of throwing "foul" punches at Cesar's younger Brother Rommel). "I'm a changed man now," he adds with a serious tone. Andrew and his team (composed of "imported" Pinoys like him) brought a medal home from the recent SEA Games in Thailand where they competed in rugby -- "Rugby as in football," he clarifies, lest some people mistake it for the stuff street boys are fond of sniffing. "It was the first time that the Philippines competed in that event. " Burned by his showbiz romance(s), Andrew is now careful about getting involved with showbiz girls. "Am I dating? Yes, I am -- with a non-showbiz girl. But that's all I want to say. " The son of an English professor (who has decided to retire in Cebu) at a London school (his mom, from Mindoro, is working in England where she met Andrew's father), Andrew is the best example of a guy from a decent background gone regretfully wrong. "Now, I'm following the right direction," promises Andrew who has done a few commercials (among them for Bench of which he's an endorser) and some TV guestings. "I'm staying away from BIs (Bad Influences) and from trouble. Expect a 'new Andrew Wolfe'. " • Joross Gamboa "I want to do more mature roles," says Joross, 23 (on Nov. 28 last year), who was discovered via the ABS-CBN talent search Star Circle Quest in 2004 (he and Roxanne were runners-up to Sandara Park and Hero Angeles who have since twinkled out of the showbiz scene). Joross has done only two movies so far, as second lead in the comedy D'Another and the romance-drama Can This Be Love, both by Star Cinema; and a few TV shows, including Gulong ng Palad, Ronin and as co-host of Charlene Gonzalez's defunct show At Home Ka Dito. "Even if I am more comfortable in comedy, Talent Center (which co-manages Joross) wants me to do more drama. Pang-drama daw ang look ko -- droopy eyes, etc. But I have comic characteristics. I can switch between drama and comedy but they'd rather that I focus on just one (genre). Maybe I should prove myself in drama first before switching to comedy. I leave it to Tita Becky to decide. " Assessing his four years in showbiz, Joross says that he's happy with the way his career is going. "What matters in showbiz is not being a biglang-sikat (overnight sensation) but being there for a long time," says Joross who combines career with school (College of St. Benilde taking up Masscom to which he shifted first from Computer Application and then Nursing) and, unlike many of his colleagues, isn't the family's breadwinner (he's one of three siblings; his father is with the Bureau of Customs and his mother is into real estate). Back from a five-year hiatus, Chubi (turning 24 on May 29), started as a child actor with the ABS-CBN kiddie show Ang TV. "I was nine years old when I was discovered at a carnival," recalls Chubi. "After 10 years, I decided to quit showbiz. I was 19 then. I did a few movies as a kid and my last movie as a grown-up was Ika-12 Kapitolo (with Christopher de Leon as lead actor). I practically grew up in showbiz. I felt that I needed a break. I wanted to experience life away from showbiz. " He took up short courses (Computer Science, etc. ) and put up small businesses (among them, a toy store). But he never really totally turned his back on acting. "I was active in theater," says Chubi, "as member of Sining Pinagpala with Anne Villegas. I enjoy theater; I'm learning a lot. " He's now in three plays (Aquarium, an anti-drug play; Noli Me Tangere, as Crisostomo Ibarra; and Ibong Adarna, as the prince) mounted on various campuses. "Why did I decide to return to showbiz? Well. .. yes, I miss it. As they say, once in showbiz. .. " (E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar. net. ph or at entphilstar@yahoo. com) Source: The Philippine Star |
