Ruffa in the league of Vanessa Williams

Author: Remy Umerez
Column: A Little Bit

CALL it a nice coincidence that when Ruffa Gutierrez represented our country and won as second Princess in l993 Miss World pageant, former Miss USA and singer Vanessa Williams was one of the judges. In the Q & A portion, Vanessa asked Ruffa, "What advice would you give a girl with low self-esteem?" Ruffa's answer was, "I will tell her to believe in herself. As the Little Prince said, what is important is invisible to the eye. "

In "Ugly Betty " of the US version (which can be viewed on cable TV), Vanessa, a dethroned beauty queen plays Wilhelmina Slater, the rough equivalent of the Marcela/Daniela character Ruffa is portraying in the local version, "I Love Betty La Fea," starring Bea Alonzo.

One can look forward to Ruffa displaying fabulous clothes, signature shoes and bags and jewelries.

Come to think of it, another actress who fits the character of Daniella is none other than Gretchen Barretto. It could have been a good television comeback.

MOTHER LILY'S STRUGGLES

WHERE other top movie companies ceased to produce, Regal Entertainment remains active despite the stiff competition from television and other major problems surrounding the local movie industry.

Mother Lily Monteverde is the driving force behind the four decades old outfit which celebrates its anniversary this year. The 60 plus mother to all stars and a self-confessed movie fan has entrusted her "empire" to her daughter Roselle Monteverde-Theo who shares her mother's belief that they owe it to their audience that they stayed in the business for 48 years and give them only the best in entertainment. For all her experiences in the movie business, Mother Lily certainly knows it all and can run the "empire" with her eyes closed while talking to two people over the phone at the same time. Still, Mother Lily credits the success of their project to team effort.

So many things in movie-making have transpired between then and now. So many new faces get discovered and become television heartthrobs. But nothing can beat the giant screen in getting full satisfaction and determining who really is in demand or popular. To this day, Mother Lily signs up promising talents to attain their ultimate goal: stardom.

Where co-production is unthinkable, Mother Lily has entered into such an arrangement to prevent the death of the local movie industry. One of the advantages of co-production is providing wider mileage in promotions as in the case of their merger with GMA network.

For its 48th anniversary, Mother Lily personally chose Judy Ann Santos to topbill their horror offering, "Mag-ingat Ka Sa Kulam. "

Juday is one very special star for Mother Lily.

"When this project was conceived, I only had her mind for the role. Napakabait na bata ni Juday at kahit minsan ay hindi niya ako binigyan ng ikasasakit ng aking ulo. She may not belonged to the mold of original Regal babies but she has been my "baby" since she starred in "Sana Naman. " She is also one actress who knows the meaning of utang na loob," declares the often misunderstood Mother Lily.

The success of "Sana Naman" saw the emergence of a special bonding between Regal and Judy Ann. A string of box-office hits followed with teen flicks like "Kulayan Natin ang Bukas" and "Nasaan Ka nang Kailangan Kita. "

A grateful Judy Ann Santos acknowledges this and she recollects:

"Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa Regal dahil sumugal sila at nagtiwala sa aking unang pagbibida sa pelikula. Ang buong akala namin ay walang nanonood ng aming drama sa telebisyon. Siguro nga ay malakas ang female intuition ni Mother at ginawa itong pelikula. Dito na nagkasunud-sunod ang mga blessings. Regal has been a special chapter in my life at masaya ako sa pagbabalik ko via a horror project tulad ng Mag-ingat sa Kulam," the celebrated actress says.

Here's a final word on 'Kulam' from Mother Lily. "With this offering, we are able to make the Filipinos understand a scary yet very real practice of 'Kulam' and equip them with important pointers that would be helpful in handling cases of actual "kulam. "

"Mag-ingat sa Kulam" also stars Dennis Trillo, TJ Trinidad, Mart Escudero, Kris Bernal and Sharlene San Pedro and under the direction of Jun Lana.

Source: People's Journal