Juday, Ryan tying knot this year

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

Ryan Agoncillo says that he and fiancee Judy Ann Santos are definitely tying the knot this year. "I just want to make it clear na you asked me about it, huh," says Ryan. "Hindi sa'kin nagsimula kasi may nagsasabi na ayan na naman, puro wedding na lang nila. We're now househunting and hopefully, within the week, we can seal the deal sa napili naming bahay in the south that has three bedrooms and a den," he says. "We're not sure yet about the date but we both want our wedding to be simple, more intimate. No details yet except for Sharon Cuneta being the matron of honor and my own brother Dondi as best man.

"We have only two ninongs and two ninangs, so hindi siya showbiz na wedding na maraming sponsors. We want to have it in a church talaga, but hindi pa sure which one. There will be no TV coverage, so walang selling of TV rights. Kung puwede, wala ring TV crew. Hindi sila banned, but we'll request them to help us make the wedding solemn and personal. I hope they'll respect our decision. We don't want it kasi to be a circus. We'll just provide the networks with the footage taken by our own videographers and photos from our photographer friends who offered their services for free. Talagang mas inuna muna namin 'yung having a house of our own. It also won't be lavish and we don't even have plans for a honeymoon kasi we're already spending a lot for our house. "

Who's the more jealous type between them? "Ako, pag nagseselos, sinasabi ko. Siya tumatahimik at di niya inaaming nagseselos siya, pero biglang malamig na in dealing with me. "

What did they do with the P1 million they won in "Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal"? "Inintrega ko kay Juday ang check nang buung-buo. "

Ryan is glad that his show on TV 5, "Talentadong Pinoy" on Saturdays at 7 p. m. , is now one of its highest-rating shows and has just started its 3rd season. "We now hit the double digits, 10 percent plus. Slowly but surely, it's really going up. And the response from the public is so great. "Ang daming gustong sumali as we feature not only singing or dancing talents but acrobats, magic acts, like that OFW from Dubai who makes art out of sand. Anywhere I go, may magpapasikat sa'kin then ask me: puwede na ho ba ito sa 'Talentadong Pinoy'? I really enjoy doing the show as it reunited me with my staff sa 'Philippine Idol' before, from the director to the writers to the crew, kaya gamay na namin ang isa't isa. In this show, I also get to meet all kinds of people with all sorts of hidden talents.

"We've given breaks to a lot of contestants. Jessa Mendoza, a 15-year-old singer from Caloocan was discovered when she joined the show and is now in 'Lipgloss' as love interest of Mikee Lee. Three-year-old Elmo Rodriguez joined as a dancer. Now, he's part of the children's show 'Kiddie Kwela'. Another boy dancer, Carl Acosta, 5, was recruited by the show's juror, Audie Gemora, to be part of his new play, 'Joseph the Dreamer'. Mark Mangaliman, a man with 60 voices, is now 'Shock Attack's' official voice over master. Our champion sa first season is actually a dog and his master, Booger and Byron. The dog can do a lot of amazing tricks and even dances to 'Achy Breaky Heart'. A family of acrobats naman, the Gutierrezes, became champions for several weeks then they got an offer to perform in Taiwan so international na sila ngayon. We hope to attract more talented Pinoys on our third season. "

We ask Ryan if it's true that SuperManuel will win as Ultimo Participante in "Pinoy Fear Factor"? "Give me P10 million and I'll tell you, kasi P5 million ang fine to anyone who'll divulge the results," he laughs.

BONG CONSOLES JINGGOY, PHILLIP

SEN. Bong Revilla's best friends both had a not-so-good start for 2009. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada had to undergo an operation to remove stones from his gall bladder then also had viral infection, while Phillip Salvador figured in a controversial tiff with a bus driver and now, a Las Piñas court recently sentenced him up to 20 years in prison for estafa and ordered him to pay P5. 1 million to businesswoman and former girlfriend Cristina Decena.

"Dinalaw ko si Sen. Jinggoy at okay na siya," says Sen. Bong at the thanksgiving party for the press he hosted with wife Lani Mercado and sister Andeng Ynares at Annabel's Restaurant. "Si Kuya Ipe naman, I spoke with him and he's depressed. I told him not to lose hope kasi it's still a long process dahil daraan pa 'yan sa Court of Appeals. "

He showed the trailer of his entry to the 2009 Metro filmfest, "Ang Panday," and the special effects showing the magic sword of Flavio (the panday) hurling through space and being caught by Bong on land is quite impressive. "This will be a prequel to the first 'Panday' of the late FPJ," he says. "It'll show the origins not only of Panday but also his mortal enemy, Lizardo. The movie will be directed by Rico Gutierrez and Mac Alejandre. We're now completing the cast of the film. "

What about the movie he's supposed to do for Star Cinema with Ruffa Gutierrez and Zanjoe Marudo? "I don't think I'll still have time to do it kasi we'll start shooting 'Panday' in March. Sayang nga, kasi noon ko pa hinihingi ang full script from them pero wala naman silang maibigay sa akin. "

To preserve the country's film heritage, Sen. Bong has instituted the proper archiving and restoration of award-winning and acclaimed local films. "Other countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Cuba have their own national film archives so our government should help us maintin our own national film archive. We're instituting this through Senate Bill No. 19 that aims to establish our own archives under the the Film Development Council of the Philippines. "

He has also filed a bill for TV networks to provide closed captions or subtitles in their news programs. "We have 4. 5 deaf Filipinos who will benefit from this and will help keep them well informed. "

CRYING LADY

WE told Lani Mercado she's seen shedding copious tears in GMA-7's hit afternoon soap, "Saan Darating ang Umaga," everyday. "It's really emotionally draining," she says. "Mula nang mamatay ang husband kong si Joel Torre in the story, walang episode na hindi ako umiiyak. I'd like to thank Direk Maryo de los Reyes kasi he motivates me well to do the emotional scenes effectively. One time, three crying scenes ang sunud-sunod na kinunan sa akin and after the taping, dala-dala ko pa rin 'yung sad feelings ko. Ang peg ko kasi, si LT (Lorna Tolentino) when she lost her husband.

"Tamang-tama naman, that time, katatapos din lang ng husband ko taping 'Kap's Amazing Stories', so I requested him na puwede ba, lumabas muna kami kasi ang sikip-sikip pa rin ng dibdib ko and I need a break. Kaya lang, nagmumukha na akong kontrabida kasi inaapi ko nang husto si Jacob, ang batang ampon namin sa show who I blame for my husband's death. One time, may affair akong pinuntahan, the kids won't approach me kasi nananakit daw ako ng bata sa TV. But it pays off naman kasi ang ganda-ganda ng ratings namin. I should also commend Yasmien Kurdi who plays my daughter, kasi sobra rin ang crying scenes niya rito. Our show will air until March pa kasi marami pang twist na mari-reveal sa story nina Gary Estrada who plays Joel's scheming brother. "

PIOLO AND MOM WIN IN 'KDOND'

Piolo Pascual is Kris Aquino's special guest in tonight's "Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal". Piolo will be playing the popular game with his own mother. This is the first time mommy Amelia will be appearing in a television game show together with her famous son. We heard that in the show's taping, Piolo and his mom won a big sum. Did they get the P4-million jackpot? Find out how much they were able to take home tonight. Last Friday, another contestant won big with P1 million. And this coming Monday, we heard two young actors won a whopping P2 million. But we won't say who to keep you in suspense. Suffice it to say that they both star in a toprating primetime soap now, so you can say that these two goodlooking matinee idols are lucky in both their careers as actors and in playing a game of chance like "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal", seen before "TV Patrol" on ABS-CBN.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING WORDS FROM DINA

Dina Bonnevie and Tonton Gutierrez were last seen in GMA7's "Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita. " Now, they're back with ABS-CBN in the inspirational series, "May Bukas Pa. " In the story, Dina is married to Albert Martinez and they're both hungry for power and riches. Tonton is married to Precious Lara Quigaman and they're both good cops whose only daughter gets gravely ill until she is healed by the show's Miracle Boy, Santino, played by the precocious child actor Zaijan Jaranilla.

Rondell Lindayag, creative team head, says they initially considered "May Bukas Pa" to be the new version of "Marcelino Pan Y Vino" (filmed twice before locally, first starring Danilo Jurado then Romnick Sarmenta), but they think the material is so thin it could be told in just an hour. What they have is a much expanded version involving several characters. Marcelino is now Santino, an orphaned boy raised by priests in a convent (Jaime Fabregas as the head priest, Dominic Ochoa, Lito Pimentel, Victor Basa, Ruben Gonzaga, David Chua, Edgar Sandalo of SSS and Badgie Mortiz. ) His best friend is the figure of Jesus Christ buried in lahar whom he calls Bro. Also in the cast are Ogie Diaz and Arlene Muhlach as a married couple who are both gossip-mongers, and young stars Rayver Cruz and Maja Salvador.

"It was ABS president Charo Santos who thought that with an economic crisis going on in the new year, it's best for us to have a show that will give hope to the people," adds Rondell. "Parang food for the soul, so we thought it best to come up with a story about a child who spreads hope around him, kasi ang mga bata, they're pure and untainted. Zaijan is our choice to play the lead role as we saw him playing the role of a boy genius in 'Tiny Tony' and everyone agreed he should be given a break in his own show. And we think we made the right choice as Zaijan has a radiant presence on screen that will combat the negativity around us. "

"It's nice to be part of a positive show like this," says Dina. "When they offered it to me, I wasn't sure I could do it as I'm so busy with office work now. But when I attended the story con and they told me the plot and what my role will be, nagustuhan ko agad. The show says that sa halip na umasa ka sa lotto or sa chance, it's best to have faith as only our Lord Jesus Christ knows kung anong mangyayari bukas. Only God can make miracles in people's lives. In the show, binago ni Lord pati mga corrupt na tao and that's what I want to happen in our country kasi sobra na talaga ang corruption dito sa atin. "

WILLIE'S NAPE HITTER EXPLAINS

AFTER their stint in the "Amazing Race Asia," Aubrey Miles and best friend Jacq Yu now face tough competition once again as they race for P2 million on "The Singing Bee" this Saturday. The sexy duo is bent to win this time. "We strongly believe our team is the dark horse in this contest. We may be 'kikay' but we do know a lot of songs and music," said Aubrey, who once recorded an album.

Aubrey is back in tip-top shape after giving birth to her and Troy Montero's son last October. The actress said she misses acting but enjoys motherhood very much. "My goal for my acting career now is to graduate from sexy roles. I'm already a mom so I prefer more serious and challenging roles. "

Meanwhile, Jacq Yu's young showbiz career almost ended when she was scolded on air by Willie Revillame in "Wowowee. " "Papi" apparently didn't like it when Jacq playfully hit him on the nape after he teased her.

But the bubbly former model took the incident in stride. "I didn't mean any harm. I was just very excited. I'm sorry if I offended him," Jacq said.

Jacq says everything's okay with him and Willie. She said Willie even called Star Magic executive Mariole Alberto to clear that the incident is a non-issue for him. Still, the Star Magic artist promises not to be too hyper on her next TV guestings.

Aubrey and Jacq are joined by hot pal Jeni Hernandez to complete their "Sexy in the City" trio. They will be going up against hot mommas Gladys Reyes, Mickey Ferriols, and Dimples Romana, "Trip na Trip" hosts Kat De Castro, Uma Khouni, and Franzen Fajardo, the "Let's Go" barkada of Joem Bascon, Badji Mortiz, and Kontin Roque, and Star Magic girls Erich Gonzales, Carla Humphries, and Diane Medina.

See if amazing Aubrey and Jacq make it to the Final Showdown against defending champions Ciara, Mara, and Gian Sotto on "The Singing Bee" with host Cesar Montano, tomorrow night after "Dragonna. " Catch more of "The Singing Bee" on Sunday (Feb. 1) after "Goin' Bulilit" on ABS-CBN.

Source: People's Journal