'Ang daming bakla sa ABS na puwedeng i-spoof'

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

Eugene Domingo is so in demand these days she had to beg off from the Richard Gutierrez-KC Concepcion movie. Right now, she's in three new films, "My Monster Mom", "100" and "Italy", then she's also in GMA-7's "Kim Sam Soon". "I'm also shooting 'Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat' with Ai Ai de las Alas, kaya hindi ko na talaga maisisingit yung Richard-KC movie," she says.

We heard Star Cinema wants to replace her with their resident comedian, Pokwang, but Richard wants to talk to her first. It will be recalled that Pokwang made fun of Richard and his brother Raymond in her recent show at Music Museum, insinuating that Raymond is effeminate. Their mom, Annabelle Rama, objected to it and told Pokwang that she's been spoofing her for a long time now, she better just confine herself to Annabelle and no longer include her twin sons. Pokwang quickly apologized and the said spoof was removed from the show.

"Sayang dahil ang ganda pa naman ng segment na 'yun," says someone close to Pokwang. "Hindi lang sila good sport. "

To which, a Richard-Raymond defender retorts: "Naku, ini-spoof nila si Raymond kasi taga-Kapuso network. Ang daming bakla sa ABS na kloseta at may mga inaaswang pa 'yung mga talent nila roon, bakit hindi yun ang i-spoof nila?"

"Masakit 'yung ginawa niya na dinamay pa kami ng brother ko, but I'm not objecting to work with Pokwang," says Richard at his launching as Flawless Real Gentleman endorser. "I know she already said sorry to my mom, pero sana huwag na lang niyang ulitin. Gusto ko lang makausap siya nang personal, para kung sakaling magkakatrabaho nga kami, hindi kami mailang sa isa't isa. "

ANNABELLE-RUFFA, THE SAME BICKERING ON CAM/OFF CAM

GOING back to Eugene Domingo, she's so happy to be given the chance to work with mother and daughter Annabelle and Ruffa in "My Monster Mom. " "Masaya silang kasama," she says. "dahil walang tigil ang sagutan nila. Kung minsan nga hindi ko na nga alam kung ano ang eksena lang sa movie at ano 'yung totoong buhay na. Kaya kapag tumatalak si Annabelle, hinahanap ko ang kamera kasi akala ko, take na. 'Yun pala, kinakausap lang si Ruffa off cam. Buong akala ko, sa tapang ni Annabelle, wala siyang kinatatakutang kahit sino o ano. Pero yun pala, kapag sumigaw na si Direk Joey Reyes na 'O, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. .. Action!' Doon siya ngatal na ngatal na sa takot. Pero sa first two days lang yun. Sa third day, mas mahusay na siya sa aming lahat. Tinuturuan na niya si Ruffa kung paano ang tamang pag-atake sa character at kung paano mas magiging effective mag-deliver ng linya: One time, ang tagal-tagal bago mag-deliver ng line niya si Ruffa, nainip si Annabelle at sinabihan ito ng; Ano ba, ba't ang tagal-tagal mo? Sabi naman ni Ruffa: Ma, I'm emoting. Minsan naman, sabi ni Ruffa: Ma, puede ba, lakihan mo ang mga mata mo. You look so sleepy. Sabi naman ni Annabelle: Day, huwag ka ng makialam at balikat lang daw ang makikita sa akin sa kamera, sinabi sa'kin ni Direk. O di ba, riot silang mag-ina! Kaya kung kaming co-stars nila, nag-enjoy na sa shooting pa lang, di lalo na ang viewers kapag pinanood nila ito sa mga sinehan on July 2. "

GOMA VS. DIREK CATHY

THESE emails are reactions to Director Cathy Molina's declaration at the "Very Special Love" presscon that she never wants to work with Richard Gomez again after he maltreated her when she was working as an assistant director in the movies he did with Star Cinema. "He hurt me when he said wala akong alam and I think he doesn't like to work with me also," she said.

From Cherrymiel Paduka: "Well, puwede nang sabihin ngayon ni Direk Cathy kay Goma now that she's a box office director of Star Cinema: Sino ngayon ang walang alam? Everybody knows na pikon naman talaga 'yang si Goma kaya kung sinu-sino na ang nakaaway niya sa showbiz like Robin Padilla and Jinggoy Estrada. Siguro feeling vindicated si Direk Cathy dahil siya'y sikat na sikat as a director at si Goma naman ay os-la na at playing father roles na lang to Dingdong Dantes. "

From Pipet Sugin: "Napansin ko lang, inispoof ni Pokwang si Richard Gutierrez. Ngayon naman, inatake ni Cathy Molina si Richard Gomez. Hindi ba obvious na kaya nila ginagawa nito ay dahil taga-kabilang network ang dalawang Richard? Si Pokwang, bakit hindi niya inispoof si Piolo na noon pa rin nachi-chismax na baklita? Siempre, bawal, dahil taga-Dos 'yun, no? Baka magaya pa siya kay Lolit na nademanda. Si Cathy Molina, bakit hindi niya isinama sa reklamo niya si Maricel Soriano na mas mataray pa kay Goma? Hindi rin puede kasi taga-Dos din yun. Sa susunod, para credible na wala silang any bias, yung sarili nilang taga-Kapamilya ang yariin nila, tingnan ko lang kung kaya nila. "

Victor Basa turned 23 on June 6 and he's one of the celebrants in the birthday lunch hosted by Star Magic's Rikka Dylim. Was he disappointed when he didn't win the Golden Screen best new movie actor award for his performance in "Maling Akala"? (He was defeated by Joem Bascon in "Batanes. ") "No, as I didn't even expect to be nominated," he says. "Actually, yung role ni Joem was offered to me first, kaya lang, papasok na ako noon sa Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition. So the role and the award must really be meant for him. "

He played a closet queen in "Maling Akala" and he also got good feedback for his gay role in "Your Song". Since he's really rumored to be gay, didn't he feel any reluctance in accepting these roles? "No. Kasi kung secure ka naman sa sexuality mo, there's nothing to be scared of. Bahala na silang magtsismisan hanggang gusto nila. That's not a problem for me. "

As part of the Cover Boys, he'll be joining their U. S. tour next month. Is it true they don't really sing but just lipsynch their songs? "But we do sing live. I'll admit na nili-lipsynch lang namin kung we have to do a lot of dancing doon sa kanta. Kasi mahirap yung kumakanta ka na, sumasayaw ka pa. Your singing will surely suffer. Victor is also an MTV VJ and is currently shooting the indie film "Xenoa 2" with Isabel Granada.

ABOUT AN ABORTED BABY

LAST year, Cinemalaya Filmfest yielded a harvest of so many superb films like "Pisay" (which won many awards in the Golden Screen Awards, including best picture), "Tribu", "Endo", "Kadin", and "Still Life". This year's Cinemalaya opens on July 11 with so many promising new movies. We've already written about Chris Martinez' "100" about a dying woman's last 100 wishes starring Mylene Dizon. Another intriguing entry is "Baby Angelo" by Joel Ruiz and Abi Aquino. When an aborted baby is found in the dumpster of a small apartment complex, the lives of its tenants are turned upside down, forcing them to confront the ghosts of their own past. Though it is the investigation of this sad event that moves the film forward, the story is really about the people that inhabit the story. Their lives are linked by a common emptiness, lost opportunities; lives cut abruptly by circumstance. And when a tragedy hangs over them, they are forced to examine their own lives, a series of inconsequential miseries that add up to absolutely nothing at all.

Joel Ruiz previously megged "Mansyon" that won best film in the 2005 Cinemalaya short film category. Abi Aquino is an award-winning writer whose first published book, "Drama Queen", became a best seller with Summit Books. She wrote "Bb. K" for Director Erik Matti.

The film stars Mark Gil, Katherine Luna, Ces Quesada, Alchris Galura, KC and Bebs Hollman, Jojit Lorenzo, Archie Alemania, Dante Balois, Diana Malahay and many more.

Ricky Davao AN ABUSIVE DAD

ELLEN ONGKEKO MARFIL has previously produced and directed "Mga Pusang Gala" starring Ricky Davao and Irma Adlawan. It won the Dockers First Feature Award at the 2006 San Francisco LGBT FIlmfest. She now joins Cinemalaya with "Boses", the story of a wonderful friendship founded on the sublime beauty of music between a violin teacher, Ariel, and his student , Onyok, a mute seven-year old abused child in a shelter. Ariel discovers the immense talent of Onyok hiding behind a shield of silence and pain caused by an unhappy and cruel father. In the developing relationship of teacher and student, both characters reveal more of themselves that otherwise may have remained unspoken. They discover each other's strengths and failures by way of expressing it through the violin. Ariel is played by acclaimed real life violinist Coke Bolipata while Onyok is played by child prodigy Julian Duque. Ricky Davao plays the boy's abusive father, along with Cherry Pie Picache, Tala Santos, Carl John Barrameda and Meryll Soriano. Other violinists are featured in the movie, included Joseph Valdes, the son of ABS-CBN news exec Luchi Cruz-Valdes.

FILM EDITOR TURNS DIRECTOR

ONE CINEMALAYA entry we're waiting for is "Brutus" by Tara Illenberger. It has no name stars at all but the story looks very engrossing. Two Mangyan kids are hired by illegal loggers to smuggle wood from the mountains of Mindoro. Hiding the logs beneath a bamboo raft, the kids embark on a dangerous journey through whitewater and harsh terrain, risking life and limb to deliver the goods to the lowlands. They discover a world completely different from their own - run by the greed of men, a world governed by ideologies that bring about the armed conflict that plagues the Mindoro highlands, the home of their own people. Tara first made a name for herself as a film editor. She studied at the U. P. College of Fine Arts, majoring in Visual Communication then worked with the advertising industry but soon found her calling in narrative films. In 2006, she joined RoadRunner Network, where she eventually became a Senior Film Editor, and has since edited 26 full-length films. She has won several major film awards, including an Urian and a Young Critics Circle Award for Best Editing. She has directed several corporate videos and documentaries. Her short film Durog was a finalist in the 2007 Cinemalaya Film Festival - Short Film Category.

THE NEW ORO PLATA MATA

ANOTHER INTRIGUING entry is "Concerto", by Paul Alexander Morales (son of Horacio "Boy" Morales). This is a period piece like "Oro Plata Mata" and we don't know how he's able to pull it off with only a grant of P500,000. "Concerto" is about how, in the last part of World War II, a special piano concert is held in the forest outside Davao City, in Mindanao. In the mountains, a displaced Filipino family, lead by former Military Commander Ricardo and his wife Julia, become acquainted with a group of Japanese officers, who camped nearby. Their son Joselito speaks Japanese and becomes the conduit with the neigHBOring Japanese. Their daughters Nina, an aspiring concert pianist, and the musically gifted Maria, who is able to play by ear, are alternately repulsed and intrigued by the officers. Family values are questioned as the family treads the thin line between enmity and friendship with the occupying Japanese. Based on true stories from the director's own family history, "Concerto" celebrates a family whose reverence for life, expressed through their love of music and friendship, can survive even war, and shows how beauty and compassion does grow in even the harshest of conditions. Paul Morales' interest in directing was honed in UP where he majored in Theater Arts. A noted theater director, dancer and choreographer, Paul's first work in digital video 'Karga Mano' adapted from the play by Nicolas Pichay and co-directed with Tess Jamias was cited as the Best Full Length Digital Work by the Gawad CCP para sa Alternatibong Pelikula in 2001. He was an apprentice to director Jeffrey Jeturian, choreographing and assisting the director for such works as 'Bridal Shower'. For last year's Cinemalaya, he was Choreographer and Executive Producer to Aureas Solito's 'Pisay'. He was the founder of the Dulaang Talyer, an experimental theater company, and is presently Artistic Director of the award winning Airdance, a contemporary dance company based in Quezon City. His theater, dance and film works have been featured in festivals locally and abroad. "Concerto" stars Meryll Soriano, Jay Aquitania, Shamaine Buencamino, danseur Nonoy Froilan, Elijah Castillo, Alyssa Lescano and Yna Asistio, with Japanese actors Hiro Sakoda, Masay Okazawa, Kazumi Yoshida.

WILL PINOYS RULE AGAIN IN WCOPA

PINOYS have won consistenly for the past years in annual World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA). Will we continue our winning streak in this years competition that will take place from July 19 through July 27 at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown, Los Angeles? The opening ceremony will take place on July 20, 9:30 a. m. at the Universal City Walk with the Parade of Nations. Hundreds of singers, dancers, jugglers and other performers from all over the world will compete in Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world. According to Griff O'Neil, competition president and a former executive of the Miss Universe Pageant, "More than 40 countries will participate and vie for the major titles plus $50,000 in scholarships awarded by the School for Film and Television in New York. This is the only truly Olympic-style talent competition ever created and we have been planting seeds for the past twelve years. Past talents and winners are aggressively making a name in the Hollywood industry and this time, we are
once again ready to show off our spectrum of talents, both junior and adult divisions. " In last year's edition, Aria Clemente, ABS-CBN's Little Big Superstar finalist, was named as the Overall Grand Champion of the World (Junior Division). She sang an abridged version of "Don't Rain On My Parade" from the musical Funny Girl, allowing her to bag the Grand Champion Junior Vocalist of the World award as well. Reymond Sajor, ABC-5's Philippine Idol Season 1 finalist, bagged the Grand Champion Senior Vocalist of the World award for his interpretation of the one-minute-long "Anthem" from the musical "Chess. "

The WCOPA has six categories of competitions and over a hundred judges from the entertainment industry will be involved before the main prizes, "Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performers of the World," are announced at the Finals. Included in the competitions are dance, vocal, modeling, acting, instrumental and variety arts. Each "act" is allowed 60 seconds to showcase their skills in the final competition. The finals will be staged at the Grand Ballroom at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on Friday evening, July 25. The question now is who will represent our country this year? Watch out for further announcements.

ABS-CBN dominates 24th Star Awards for Movies

THE 24TH Star Awards for Movies was held by the Philippine Movie Press Club at the Ateneo's Irwin Lee Theatre last Friday night. The hosts were Dawn Zulueta, Piolo Pascual and Mariel Rodriguez, with "Musical Moments at the Movies" as its theme. The performers included John Prats, Ara Mina, Valerie Concepcion, Christopher de Leon, Kuh Ledesma, Pops Fernandez, Gian Magdangal with Aga Muhlach, Angel Locsin and Luis Manzano as trivia hosts. The Star Awards is generally perceived as ABS-CBN territory so you'd notice that most of the performers are from the Kapamilya network, and also the winners.

Best film and director - ABS-CBN Star Cinema's "One More Chance" and Cathy Molina. Best digital film and director - ABS-CBN Cinema One's "Confessional" and Jerrold Tarog. Best actress - Ai Ai de las Alas in "Cute ng Ina Mo. " Best actor - Paolo Contis in "Banal. " Best supporting actor and actress - Emilio Garcia in "Selda", Eugene Domingo in "Pisay. " Best new actor and actress - Matt Evans and Lovi Poe. Best child actor - Nash Aguas in "Angels. " Best theme song - "Paano Kita Iibigin. " A posthumous Ulirang Artista award was given to the late Rudy Fernandez.

The awards night will be shown on its delayed telecast tonight, Sunday, June 29, 10 PM, where else but at ABS-CBN.

Source: People's Journal