Dingdong and Marian sizzle in latest drama

Author: Alwin M. Ignacio, Contributor
Column: Life

In mythology, Proserpine is the goddess whose story is the basis for the origin of springtime. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Persephone, comely enchantress and daughter of Ceres, goddess of the cereals of the earth, and Jupiter, king god.

Her beauty so captivating, the god Pluto emerges from the volcano Etna with four black horses to abduct her, make her his wife and live in Hades, the Graeco-Roman underworld, of which he is ruler.

This abduction has dire consequences, of course. In her anger Ceres stops the growth of fruits and vegetables, and every piece of land she walks on becomes a desert.

Worried, Jupiter sends Mercury to order Pluto to free Proserpine. The king of the underworld obeys, but before letting her go, he makes her eat six pomegranate seeds, because those who have eaten the food of the dead cannot fully return to world of the living.

This potent combination of love, life, death, destruction and rebirth in Proserpines mythology so intrigued and inspired comics writer Carlo J. Caparas that he developed his own incarnation of the legendary lass in Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang, which he created in 1974 and made into a movie in 1981, starring Eddie Rodriguez and Vivian Velez. In Caparas version of the tale, Proserfina is a mysterious woman destined not to fall in love because doing so would lead to dire consequences the object of her affection faces grave danger that often leads to death.

The Caparas comics creation is reinvented today as a primetime action suspense drama series that tells the story of Homer and Proserfina and how fate leads them to each others worlds.

Dingdong Dantes plays Homer, a young and nerdy but handsome and wealthy businessman whose excitement comes from solving giant-sized puzzles and playing the saxophone. His life makes a sudden turn when he wakes up one morning to find Proserfina sleeping beside him. Giving life to the street-smart, feisty and down-to-earth beauty is Marian Rivera.

The soap aired very recently and grabbed a mildly impressive 32.9 percent pilot telecast ratings. It is safe to say that the public has not grown tired of the Dantes-Rivera tandem and, given a few days or weeks, the show is expected to achieve the same ratings of their previous soaps, namely, Marimar and Dyesebel.

The show simply reeks with sexiness! There are shower sequences of Dantes where the camera languorously follows the water drenching the actors chiseled body, which clearly show why he is the third sexiest man in the planet as proclaimed by an international entertainment company.

Rivera here is also a force to reckon with, displaying a street-smart siren vibe, donning clothes that accentuate her figure and milky white complexion. No wonder Homer is hooked from her first hello.

Also, this is the first TV soap where there is open-mouth kissing between the protagonists every time they share the screen. The chemistry between the two is clear everytime their eyes lock and another lip locking ensues.

Aside from all the scorchers this primetime offerings young performers are interesting to watch.

Mart Escudero, one of the Starstruck matinee idols, says adieu to his wholesome image as he becomes Ulysses, Proserfinas younger brother, a juvenile delinquent hooked on illegal drugs.

Ulysses is not an easy character to play since he goes through all sorts of emotions, isama mo pa diyan yung mga hallucinations niya everytime tumama na yung drugs. I watched a lot of films that portray the life of junkies, nagpapayat rin ako, Im also growing my hair para hindi ako clean tignan, shares Escudero.

Jackie Rice, another Starstruck graduate, surprises everyone as she portrays Sandra, Homers outcast sister. Her mother Hera (Carmi Martin) cannot accept the fact that her daughter marries a poor man and gives up her affluent existence in the name of love.

Not necessarily a newcomer in the industry, Boom Labrusca is a commercial (he was Riveras leading man in a biscuit commercial) and ramp model. A business management graduate of the De La Salle University, Boom sees acting on TV as the next best career path take.

I play the role of Greg, Helenes (Angelu de Leon) lover. Homer is not aware that I am really Angelus main squeeze and that she finds Homers fondness for building life-sized puzzles quite boring, Labrusca says of his role.

The sizzle in this new primetime offering will no doubt hook many a TV soap opera lover.

Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang airs weeknights after Gagambino on GMA 7s Telebabad Block.

Source: The Daily Tribune