| | Denials, denials Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Dream Factory THE new house of the Gutierrez Family in Dasmariñas Village is a fabulously designed abode like homes of the rich and famous. Annabelle Rama took us on a tour. The master's bedroom plus the rooms of Ruffa and her daughters and that of Raymond are all on the second floor of the main house. On the right side is a separate wing for their three other sons: Elvis, Rocky and Richie Paul, with its own entrance.
At the far end of the lot after the swimming pool and jacuzzi is Richard's own sanctuary. A Japanese-designed one-room affair with its own toilet and bath with floors made of thick glass. It's built on top of a well lighted pond and you can see all the colorful fishes down below. Beside it is a man-made waterfall that gives the feeling that you're in a resort or a spa. Richard has his own gadgets, including a home theater, inside the room. But he seldom sleeps there as he has his own condo somewhere else.
The kitchen is something else. It's really state-of-the-art, gleaming and full of forbidding culinary equipment and cutlery, including a separate storage and chiller for wine. In the dining room is a beautiful dining set, but we didn't have our dinner there but in a lounge near the pool where the ever-accommodating Eddie Gutierrez (he kept serving bottles and bottles of wine consumed mostly by the "alcoholic" Allan Diones) showed us scrapbooks and albums chronicling his heyday asone of Sampaguita Pictures' top matinee idols. One is a print ad of his first endorsement, Coke. "Nakakatuwa ka nga kasi si Richard, endorser rin ngayon ng Coke Zero," he says. Everyone's asking: who is better looking, Eddie or Richard? They do have a strong resemblance but judging from Eddie's photos as a teen idol (he started in 1958 as an extra in Susan Roces' costume flick, "Prinsesang Gusgusin," when he was 16 and was launched to stardom two years laterin "Kaming Makasalanan" with Liberty Ilagan), we'd say Eddie has the more mesmerizing pair of eyes.
"Kasi si Richard, yung mga mata ko ang nakuha niya," says Annabelle, who definitely looked like a vamp during her younger days. She was a teener when Eddie did a live show in Cebu and she fell in love with him instantly, following him to Manila two years later and becoming a movie star herself. *** Ruffa Gutierrez came down from her room to join us. She obviously just came from the shower as her hair was till wet, but she still looked every inch like a luminous beauty queen even sans make up. And you can say that only about a handful of stars. Ruffa was chided for hosting a special screening of "In My Life," saying she did it for John Lloyd Cruz who's linked to her. "Of course not," she says. "So many of my friends really want to watch the movie,pero walang gustong pumila sa sinehan, so I thought of hiring this small theater in Greenbelt. I want to make it clear that I wasn't the one who paid for it. Siningil ko lahat ng nanood at P300 each."
And you even made some profit? someone jokes and she just laughs and laughs.
How about the report that she left with Lloydie for the US premiere of "In My Life"? "Obvious bang hindi totoo at nandito ako ngayon sa harap nyo? I can't leave as I'm having a storycon for my episode in 'Shake Rattle & Roll XI' and we'd start shooting early October." *** At the set of "Ang Panday," we ask Rhian Ramos if it's true that Marian Rivera is so jealous of her that she now guards Dingdong Dantes on the set of "Stairway to Heaven." "Gusto mo raw kasi agawin si Dingdong sa kanya?" says one writer.
"That's not true," she says. "Paano makakapagbantay si Marian sa taping namin, e mas busy siya sa taping nila ng 'Darna' at 'Show Me Da Manny'? She wouldn't have the time to do that anymore. I really don't know kung anong gustong palabasin ng mga naninira sa'kin na I'll steal Dingdong daw, kasi meron din namang nagagalit dahil umeeksena raw ako kay Geoff Eigenmann to steal him away from Carla Abellana of 'Rosalinda.' Para namang masyado akong boy-hungry."
She blames Sen. Bong Revilla for circulating the rumor about her and Geoff. "Geoff and I are paired in 'Ang Panday' at lagi kaming inaalaska ni Sen. Bong. Ayan tuloy, natsismis na kami. The truth is si Carla ang madalas na ikinukuwento ni Geoff sa'kin. Silang dalawa naman talaga ang mas bagay."
She's glad to be part of "Ang Panday" even if she didn't see any of FPJ's Panday flicks. "I'm told it's a hit franchise at siempre, happy akong mapasama in 'Ang Panday' of the new generation. I play the role of Emelita, a village girl. When we started shooting this, I was also taping 'Zorro' in Bataan, parehong costume epics. So madalas, straight from Bataan, I don't even go home, diretso na ko sa set ng 'Panday' dito sa Tanay." *** Carla Abellana just laughs when old friends tell her she must be very rich now considering she's in a hit show, "Rosalinda," and she has many endorsements. "I tell them I'm just starting," she says. "My salary from 'Rosalinda,' I use it to pay my driver and yaya. My earning from my endorsements, I give straight to my mom (Rhea Reyes) and grandma (Delia Razon). My mom is a single mom and my lola had a big hand in raising us kaya I wantto make life comfortable for them now that I'm working."
Didn't her dad (Rey Abellana) help them financially as she was growing up?
"May sarili na siyang family at apat ang kapatid ko doon so hindi na kami nag-demand ng help from him. So I understand that. But at least, he made an effort to keep in touch with us. Hindi kami nawalan ng communication."
Carla is ecstatic that the ratings of "Rosalinda" continue to go higher. "We gained more viewers now that Rosalinda has transformed into Paloma na matapang na't handang maghiganti sa lahat ng mga umapi sa kanya after she saw her husband Fernando Jose marrying her own evil sister, Fedra. She also vowed to get back her daughter, Erica, at all cost." *** Toni Gonzaga, Mariel Rodriguez and Bianca Gonzalez are currently seen together as hosts of the Saturday afternoon show, "Entertainment Live." You'll soon see them back in prime time hosting the return of Bahay ni Kuya (now still being renovated) as "Pinoy Big Brother" (PBB). It is now called "Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up." As to why it's called "Double Up," they can't divulge the reason yet.
"It'll be revealed in due time when the new housemates are introduced in October," says Toni who's also busy shooting "Tanging Pamilya" with Erap Estrada and Ai Ai de las Alas. "Basta excited na ako sa pagbabalik ng PBB and the new batch of housemates. It's definitely full of more fun and surprises dahil matagal-tagal din namang nag-rest ang PBB. Soon, we'll be back with a vengeance!" *** Assunta de Rossi was pleasantly surprised when she got a call from ABS-CBN asking her to play contravida to KC Concepcion in "Lovers in Paris."
"My initial reaction was 'Huh?' I thought they've finished taping it kasi months ago ko pa naririnig na ginagawa ito," she says. "So when Direk FM Reyes said she wants to see me kung bagay sa'kin yung role, sabi ko, di sige. At yun nga, nakuha ako. I'm really so blessed kasi lahat ng roles na napunta sa'kin, hindi ko hiningi. I didn't beg for them kundi they were offered to me. Dito sa 'Lovers in Paris,' sobrang maldita ako kay KC atinaapi ko siya. But in real life, nagmamahalan kami niyan. But I have to admit that I was at first intimidated by her kasi nga, anak siya ni Sharon Cuneta, di ba? But it turned out she's so down-to-earth. Very humble at di gaya ng iba na maraming demands. Baligtad nga sa ine-expect ko kasi hindi siya yung tipong kailangan, hiwalay siya ng dressing room. She never gave anyone a problem. And I really admire her willingness to learn."
Assunta has won best actress awards for "Hubog" and she acted like an Ate (elder sister) to KC. "Kasi naman mas matagal na ko sa industriya so never akong nagdamot ng information sa kanya about local showbiz. I can see she loves this job and she wants to stay long in the business. I think meron naman siyang staying power at talagang aabangan ko ang kanyang evolution as an actress."
Source: Malaya |
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