Carla defends dad

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

SOMEONE wrote that Rey 'PJ' Abellana is suddenly making his presence felt in the life of his daughter Carla now that GMA7 is launching her to stardom in "Rosalinda", insinuating he wants to be a part of the cast of his daughter's show. But Carla herself says this simply isn't true. "No, he never asked to be included in my projects," she says. "From the start, he made it clear he won't meddle as he wants me to have my own career. But I'd love to work with him din naman someday. It's also not true that he made contact with me dahil lang sa 'Rosalinda'. Hindi naman nawawala ang communication namin even if he has his own family now. Nagtatawagan pa rin kami para magkumustahan. "

Writers also say that drumbeaters of "Rosalinda" should stop pushing her and leading man Geoff Eigenmann to have a real life romance as she's already taken by cager JC Intal. But Carla said at the "Rosalinda" presscon that she is now loveless, so that means she and JC must have split up. Can this be the signal for "Rosalinda" PR's to keep on linking her with Geoff?

Meantime, Carla was pleasantly surprised when she got a bouquet of roses from Marian Rivera at the "Rosalinda" presscon, which was held at the GMA Studio 5 that's already over decorated with flowers. "Ang sweet naman niya," she says after the bouquet was handed to her and she read the card that went with it. "She congratulates me for 'Rosalinda' and wishes me well. Nakakatuwa. I really didn't expect that she'd go out of her way to send me a gift like this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Talagang mabait pala siya, supportive sa mga baguhang gaya ko at 'di true yung negative things written about her kasi mabait siya. "

Someone told her that, in return, she should also send a gift to Marian at the launching of "Darna". "I will. Ngayon pa lang, mag-iisip na ako. "

SHERYL STILL WAITING FOR DIVORCE PAPERS
AT the 'Rosalinda' presscon, folks tell Sheryl Cruz she looks too young to play the role of Geoff Eigenmann's mother as her daughter Ashley in real life is only 8 years old. "But this is not the first time we're playing mother and son," she says. "I was also his mom in 'Ganti' of SRO Cinemaserye so I already feel comfortable playing his mommy. And these days, you'd really see mothers and their children looking like parang magkapatid lang dahil sa dami ng products that help you to prevent looking old. "

After doing shows like "Princess Sarah" and "Lobo" at ABS, Sheryl is glad to be back with GMA starting with "Luna Mystika". Like Roderick Paulate, she has no permanent contract with both networks. "Kung sino ang may magandang offer, doon ako," she says. "And I'm thankful to GMA7 for making me a part of a big show like 'Rosalinda'. My role here as the arrogant and haughty Valeria who instills the seeds of hate in her son, Fernando Jose, is very challenging. Galit ako rito kay Glydel Mercado thinking she killed my husband so she is imprisoned. My son falls in love with Rosalinda, who turns out to be a daughter of Glydel pala so I believe that she should be considered our mortal enemy. "

Meanwhile, has she obtained her divorce from husband Norman Bustos? "Not yet. It's still under litigation. 12 years din kami together and siyempre we feel sad. Our daughter nga cried when she learned we're separating. But I guess this is better na rin for both of us since he's there and I'm here. "

RICHARD TAKES OVER REGINE'S PLACE
Regine Velasquez had high fever so she didn't make it to the taping of the "Are You the Next Big Star?" episode that was shown last night. Richard Gomez took her place and he requested to review past episodes of the show so he'd be more familiar with the 16 finalists. To help you know the candidates, we'll also feature them in this column. Let's start with Frencheska Farr, the most promising of the girls. Born on Sept. 9, 1992, this 16-year-old from Las Piñas sings jazz and ballad. "I joined the contest as I dream to be a successful singer," she says. "I know I'm good but I'm also willing to train as there's always room for improvement. I think my edge is that I sing from the heart. I'm also willing to try dancing and acting. "

How would she describe herself as a person? "I'm fun to be with, funny, talkative and happy. "

Alex Castro was born in Marilao, Bulacan on Sept. 27, 1985. He loves singing pop and rock ballads. "I joined the contest as I want to be a professional singer and record my own album so I can share my music with others," he says. "My edge is that I'm a versatile singer. I can sing different genres and I have a wide voice range. I believe I have what it takes to make it as a big star. "

Alex has appeared in movies and TV commercials. His longest role was in "Manay Po 2" where he played the gay John Prats' love interest as a man afflicted with amnesia.

Last night, the bottom three were chosen in each group. The lowest pointers among the girls are Cara Quiapos, Shane Tarun, and Rachel Gabreza. Among the guys, they are Greggy Santos, Anton Cruz, and Justin Francis. Voting as to who'd be eliminated first will start next week.

ALDRED OK FOR BEING SECOND CHOICE
IS PBB Teen discovery Aldred Gatchalian aware that the role he played in "Bente" was originally meant for the late Marky Cielo of GMA7? "Opo," he says. "But it's okay with me as the role of Mervyn, a radical student activist about to be assassinated by government agents, is really very challenging. I'm honored na akong napili nila after I auditioned. "

We've seen the film in its press preview and, in fairness to him, he gives justice to the role assigned to him. The movie opens and starts with him while being part of a big protest rally against political killings and disappearances. "Bente", directed by Mel Chionglo, has indeed jumped the gun on "Dukot", another political movie directed by Joel Lamangan.

How did Aldred feel that he was cast alongside Richard Gomez, Snooky Serna and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada? "Siyempre, kinabahan po ako. But I only have a scene together with Sen. Jinggoy doon sa climax ng movie where we're both being chased by our respective assassins. Mabait po siyang katrabaho. "

Aldred remains to be a talent of ABS-CBN Star Magic. He is currently in the cast of two regular shows: "Kambal Sa Uma" with Shaina Magdayao and "Gaano Kita Kamahal" where he plays Sid Lucero's brother.

Whatever happened to his love team with Valeen Montenegro with whom he did "Crazy for You" and "Ysabella"? "I don't know. Hindi na kami pinagpareha uli ng ABS, e. "

NOT COOLING OFF
CONTRARY to reports, "Cool Center" hosted by Anjo Yllana and Eugene Domingo will not be axed. The shows is gaining more viewers and callers fond of its fun, free flowing format. As a result, the show rates well, posting 2. 2 points higher than its rival, so there's no reason to cancel it. Anjo and Eugene can now heave a sigh of relief knowing that the rumor of their show's termination is simply not true.

SHARON'S TWO CENTS WORTH FOR KIM FANS
MOTHER Lily Monteverde personally attended to all the needs of Sharon Cuneta, including her colorful costume as a fake fortuneteller, when she shot her scene for her cameo role in the Judy Ann Santos-Ogie Alcasid starrer, "Oh My Girl", on location in Taal, Batangas last Wednesday. She hovered on the set just to make sure the Megastar gets VIP attention. She probably wants Ate Shawie to feel she won't regret her decision to make "Mano Po 6" for Regal, a filmfest entry this coming December.

"Technically, first movie ko itong 'OMG' with Regal bago 'Mano Po'," says Sharon. "I'm so touched naman sa pag-aasikaso ni Mother. She really went out of her way to give me a big welcome at excited din ako to work with two of my best friends in the business, Juday and Ogie. "

Is she looking forward to doing "Mano Po"? "Of course, kasi excited din ako to play a Chinese woman for the first time. Sabi ko nga sa Chinese friends ko, ka-career-in ko talaga ito, pati pagsasalita in Chinese. But siyempre, may pressure din, kasi nauna na sa'kin dito sina Ate Vi, Maricel Soriano, and others. Pang-anim na ito and I just hope it'll be as successful as the past ones in the series. In all fairness to Mother Lily, when they offered the movie to me, may script na kaagad kaya flattered din ako. Mother says story niya ito kasi this is 'Mano Po, My Mother', at ako raw ang gaganap na siya. O, di ba it's an honor? I also look forward to working with Direk Joel Lamangan again. "

She chose Angel Locsin to play her daughter but she's not available. What about her own daughter KC? "I don't think puwede siya as she's also busy with her first TV series and she might do a movie with her dad. Later na lang siguro kami magsasama. "

What can she say that the fans of Kim Chiu reacted when she chose Angel? "You know, I don't really know them, pero siguro may karapatan naman akong magsabi kung sino ang gusto ko, di ba? Hindi naman ako bagito sa showbiz kaya give me naman the respect that's due me. E, kung puede nga lang, di gawin ko na lang silang lahat na anak ko. "

FROM SOLE TO SOUL
TONIGHT at 9:10, DoQmentaries presents "From Sole to Soul: The Rhea Santos Special" with three episodes. Host Rhea Santos tries to find the perfect shoes among local designers/makers in "If the Shoe Fits", master the right dance movies in "Dance with Me", and discover the ultrimate traditional soul food in "No Taste Like Home" where she visits Pampanga to discover much guarded family recipes of culinary historian Lillian Borromoeo and the Narciso Family of Guagua's La Moderna Bakery.

Source: People's Journal