Karylle says nothing happened with Dingdong Dantes in Las Vegas

Author: Manila P. Santos

New Kapamilya Karylle was handpicked by Manny Pacquiao to sing the Philippine national anthem at his December 8 bout with Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas, Nevada. But not a few people commented that the actress-singer reportedly sounded nervous during the performance. "Well kinakabahan talaga ako and I guess it's also the whole feeling of being overwhelmed in front of mga kababayan mo and siyempre madadala ka sa excitement nung moment kasi it's such a big deal. Pero I'm happy naman na natuwa naman yung mga tao about it. Kasi ako yung unang pinaakyat. Nakakakaba rin kasi ang daming tao. Yung Filipinos, siguro one-fourth lang of the entire MGMGrandHotelGarden kasi maririnig mo eh," she said after her contract-signing at ABS-CBN last December 9.

Karylle also defended herself against those who criticized her singing that night. "Actually I got into the ring pretty early and kasi you're not allowed to have a companion so parang siyempre my gosh wala akong kasama. So ayun, yun lang naman yun. I was there early talaga and I wasn't really able to drink before and I was the first in the ring. So I think the most important thing naman is that especially for the Filipinos who were there, they felt good about it and talagang they felt what I meant when I sang and you know I sang it with my whole heart. To me, it might not have been perfect, but that's what my heart could give. I'm happy that a lot of people felt it naman," she recalls. The eldest daughter of ZsaZsa Padilla says she has no regrets about the whole experience. "Happy naman ako kasi yung outcome it might not have been the most perfect thing pero maraming lumapit sa akin na mga Filipino na kinilabutan daw sila, naiyak daw sila, kasi you know it's a different thing when you're there and talagang yung feeling as a Filipino, proud na proud ka talaga, especially that he won and the odds were really against him pero ang galing eh," she added.

Karylle also recalled how she got to spend time in Manny Pacquiao's hotel suite on the morning of the event. "That day was a very, very nice day kasi what happened in the morning was may misa sa kuwarto ni Pacman so andun lahat ng mga Pilipino sa hotel. It was at the MandalayBay. So yung mga Pilipino makikita mo pa lang sila sa lobby, sa floor of the suite. Binisita namin siya sa kuwarto niya, nagpapamasahe na siya dun so ganun pala siya relaxed lang siya tapos nakahiga tapos nagjojoke-joke lang siya. Bawal magpa-autograph kasi mapapagod yung kamay niya, tapos yung mga kumukuha ng picture, bawal yung may flash. He was very calm, okay naman siya. Nakikinig siya ng mga audio books. He just let us stay there with him. Kuwento lang siya, nag-jo-joke siya na mag-te-22 nga daw siya dahil magbibirthday na siya (laughs)," she shared.

The 27-year old also recalled how gracious the audience was to her after the fight. " Ang dami ring nagpapa-picture, hindi lang mga Pilipino. Ang sweet nga nila, pati yung mga Mexicans. Sobrang sikip kasi palabas nung venue pero they said, 'Let's make way for the lady,' kasi alam nila kasi dalagang pilipina yung suot ko. So pinapadaan nila ako tapos nagpapa-picture din pati yung mga Amerikano. I loved it so much and I'm very happy about that," she stated.

Karylle also admitted she ran into ex-boyfriend Dingdong Dantes after the boxing match and he even congratulated her on her performance. But Karylle refused to elaborate on her encounter with her ex-flame. "My answer is, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (laughs). Basta. Iku-kuwento ko pa ba yun? Sabi niya sa akin huwag ko na daw siya pag-usapan. Wala naman. Actually, ang sagot ko dapat, 'What didn't happen in Vegas, stays in Vegas,' kasi wala naman talagang nangyari," she coyly replied.

After signing a one-year contract with ABS-CBN, Karylle formally joins the Kapamilya network and will be launched as part of the ASAP family this coming Sunday, December 14. Aside from her mom, Karylle hopes to be able to do a project someday with Claudine Barretto and her crush Piolo Pascual. " Sinabi ko na dati, kung puwede bang mag-wish, puwede bang si Piolo. (laughs). Actually na-meet ko siya nung commercial shoot nila [ ni Dingdong] dati. Sabi ko, 'Oh my god! Ang guwapo pala ni Piolo!' Yun yung first time na nakita ko talaga siya eh. Tapos tinignan niya ko tapos kinilig naman ako. Sabi ko, ' Ay sobra pala siyang charming! Alam kong madami namang nakaka-relate sa feeling ko. Wish lang, yun lang. Sa actresses, si Ms. Claudine naman. I was very happy nung Live at 25 concert. She was there and sabi niya, 'Welcome.' As in talagang binati niya ako. Nakaupo siya sa front row and nagsasayawan kami dun tapos tinawag niya ako. I'm very excited to work with her and actually everyone. I've seen a lot of the people yun nung ABS-CBN trade fair and then pagkatapos sa Awit awards. So marami na akong na-meet and nagiging kaibigan ko na sila little by little," she said.

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Source: ABS-CBN Interactive