Sharon, Gabby challenge new stars

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

AFTER playing second leads in primetime shows like "Zaido," "Dyesebel," and "Luna Mystika," the love team of Aljur Abrenica and Kris Bernal is now given the chance to shine on their own in "Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin?" a SineNovela remake of the movie that reunited Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion in 1984 . A mammoth hit, it led to Sharon and Gabby's reconciliation in real life and their wedding at the Manila Cathedral in September, 1984. Sharon won the FAMAS best actress award for her performance.

"We want to thank GMA-7 for giving us this big break," says Aljur. "My role as Lito is one of the most difficult parts I've played so far and I promise to do my best to give it justice. "

Lito is a rich college student from a broken family. Carefree and fun-loving, he meets Kris as Myrna, a brainy girl who comes from a conservative family. They fall in love and elope, much to the chagrin of Myrna's dad, Juan Rodrigo, who believes they're too young to start their own family. As it turns out, Lito is irresponsible and falls for another woman, the young widow Glacilda, played by Ara Mina.

"We have so many dramatic scenes in the movie," says Kris. "In one scene, my father slapped me at talagang nagmarka ang palad ni Tito Juan Rodrigo sa pisngi ko, pero okay lang, basta sa ikagaganda ng eksena. Pinakagrabe rin ang kissing scene na ginawa namin dito ni Aljur. Kung dati, very light lang, dito, maski ako, na-shock kasi parang tinototoo na niya. Sabi niya, married couple daw kami kaya dapat, realistic. Hindi puwede 'yung dating pa-cute lang. "

"Grabe rin ang bedscenes namin ni Miss Ara Mina," says Aljur. "Hiyang-hiya ako noong una kasi dati ko na siyang napapanood at hindi ko akalain na makaka-love scene ko pala balang araw. But she's very nice at siya pa ang nagsabi sa akin to relax para maging credible ang aming mga eksena. "

Aljur and Kris are also supported by Carlo Aquino, Mike Tan, Lloyd Samartino, Maritoni Fernandez, Mariz, Krystal Reyes, Maybelyn de la Cruz, Paolo Avelino, Stef Prescott, Rhea Nakpil, Matutina and Jake Vargas. The original movie was directed by Maning Borlaza. The new version is now megged by Maryo de los Reyes, who also directed the toprating "Saan Darating ang Umaga" that ends this afternoon.

KRIS UPDATES ON TITA CORY'S CONDITION

Kris Aquino is seen twice nightly on primetime in "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal" and "SNN (Showbiz News Ngayon)". On Sunday's, she's also in "The Buzz", all hosting jobs. Doesn't she miss acting?

"I do"," she says. "I have an offer from Star Cinema to do a film this year. Entry sa filmfest in December. I've said before ayoko munang magpelikula pero nakaka-miss din, e. Ang request ko lang, sana huwag malalayo ang locations kasi I'm worried about my mom, baka biglang magkakaroon ng family emergency so I don't want to be working so far away. "

So how is Pres. Cory Aquino doing and her fight with colon cancer? "The doctor says 70 percent ang improvement niya so we're really very happy about it. She just had her last chemotherapy and she's really kawawa after each chemo kasi may nagde-develop na malalaking mouth sores sa kanya na masakit talaga. Side effect daw 'yun ng chemo at nawawalan siya ng ganang kumain kasi nga masakit ang loob ng mouth niya. "

Let's all pray for the full recovery of her mom.

PACMAN CLONE IS BETTER LOOKING

JAN Manual is the Starstruck recruit who figured in a freak accident at the Kapusolympics last year. The liquid gas of a torch he's carrying spilled on him, causing second and third-degree burns on the right side of his body and his arm.

"I stayed in the hospital for one month and another one at home while recovering," he says. "The experience brought me closer to God and I made a lot of friends who showed concern for me. "

Jan is also known for aping Manny Pacquiao in the Struck Attack segment of "Startalk" where he's truly very entertaining. Is he really a Visayan? "No. I was born in Mandaluyong. I was about 9 when my parents moved to San Pedro, Laguna, where I finished grade school. In high school, inilipat ako to relatives in Tagaytay kasi nabarkada ako sa frat. Parang nagrebelde ako noon kasi dad ko, seaman. Mom ko, busy sa negosyo, so lagi silang wala. Second year, ibinalik ako sa Laguna, pero nabarkada pa rin so inilipat ako to my dad's relatives in Iloilo and later, to my mom's relatives in Davao. After that, natauhan ako and became more serious with my studies. I took a two-year computer technology course then I joined Starstruck and got my break in showbiz. "

Born on January 13, 1986, Jan is much better looking in person than on screen. Although viewers like his Pacquiao impersonation, he says they don't recognize him in person. "Minsan, may nagtatanong sa'kin kung sino 'yung gumagaya kay Pacman sa 'Startalk' and when I tell them it's me, they won't believe it until I start talking with a Visayan accent. Nakuha ko ito from my dad, who talks like that. E, hawig pala 'yung boses namin ni Pacman, kaya kuhang-kuha ko. "

In a GMA live chat affair, he was introduced to Pacman himself and was told to impersonate him. "Natakot ako ng pinapagaya siya sa'kin kasi baka magalit siya at bugbugin ako ng mga bodyguard niya. But he turned out to be very nice and he was even the one who said: 'Huwag ka ng mahiya. Let's get on with it. ' Ang bait pala niya. "

Jan got good feedback from his portrayal of a gay in "Gagambino". "E, sa 'Startalk', baklang Manny Pacquiao rin ako kaya may nag-aakala tuloy na gay nga ako. For my next project, sana mabigyan naman ako ng role na tunay na lalaki ako. "

DR. VICKI APOLOGIZES TO BOY

DR. Vicki Belo says she really has no intention of insulting Boy Abunda when she quipped in "Showbiz Central" that "if you want to look like Boy, go to Calayan. If you want to look like Dingdong Dantes, go to Belo". "I respect him at siya ang huling taong kakalabanin ko," she told Lolit Solis. "When DJ Mo asked me about Calayan, what entered my mind was our billboards on EDSA. Boy is the one on their billboard as the most prominent endorser at si Dingdong naman in ours.

"So, bale endorser to endorser sila. I'm not trying to imply that he's ugly dahil I see him as a beautiful person. Insulting anyone is farthest from my mind dahil ako mismo, ilang beses na nainsulto lalo na noong may issue about my breakup. Boy is not ugly and I'm sorry if I hurt his feelings. Honestly, I didn't mean to. "

'UNDERAGE' STARS PREFER MARICEL

MOST of the old flicks being remade for TV are from Viva. Now, ABS-CBN remakes a Regal hit for the first time, "Underage," that featured the first Regal Babies: Dina Bonnevie, Maricel Soriano and Snooky Serna. It successfully relaunched the careers of former child stars Maricel and Snooky as teen stars in 1980 when they were 15 and 14.

In 1991, "Underage Too" was shown starring Ruffa Gutierrez, Carmina Villarroel and Aiko Melendez. Now, the ABS version stars Melissa Ricks (19) in the Dina role of Celina, Empress Schuck (16) in the Maricel role as Cecilia, and Lauren Young (15) in the Snooky role of Corazon. Their leading men are Rafael Rosell as the professor originally played by Mark Gil, Matt Evans in the late Alfie Anido's role, and AJ Perez in the Gabby Concepcion role. Taking over as director from the late Joey Gosiengfiao is Manny Palo, who says this is just the start of their remaking Regal hits in "Your Song" on Sunday afternoon after ASAP.

"We'll also do 'Katorse,' '14 Going Steady,' 'Blue Jeans' and 'Bilibid Boys,' " he adds. "For 'Underage,' we followed the original plot of the movie. The three girls grew up in the province and later moved to the city after their mom died, now played by Mickey Ferriols. But in terms of treatment, iba ang sa amin. The movie was classic camp. Now, it's not campy but more realistic. "

Did the girls see the original film? "Walang kopya on DVD," says Melissa. "But there's a 15-minute excerpt sa youtube that I got to watch then I passed it on to Empress. "

How will they describe the youth of today? "Marami, laging nasa gimikan kahit umaga na," says Melissa. "They often neglect their studies. "

"Napansin ko, ang daming gangs ngayon, tapos nag-aaway-away sila," says Empress. "They even drink and smoke. Sana, tapusin na lang muna ang pag-aaral nila. "

"I think most young people today are selfish," says Lauren. "They don't care how their parents feel. Parang nagmamadali sila to grow up and mature. Dapat, i-enjoy muna nila ang youth nila. "

Which of the three original stars' career path will they want to follow? "Ako, si Miss Maricel Soriano, kasi she can do any kind of role, kahit comedy or drama. I'm glad I'm playing her role kasi nakatrabaho ko na siya and she also gave a talk sa acting workshop namin noon," says Empress.

"Ako rin, si Maricel," says Lauren.

"Ako, silang tatlo kasi puro magagaling naman silang lahat," says Melissa.

"Your Song" presents "Underage" starts this Sunday after "ASAP".

WHAT'S COOKING ON Q11?

Q CHANNEL 11 already has five cooking shows, all successful. They now have another one, "Daddylicious", a cooking and lifestyle show hosted by the young chef dad Niño Logarta, one of the chefs in the now defunct "Ka-Toque". So why did they choose Chef Niño over his other co-hosts?

"Because he's good and he fits the bill as a cooking host who's also a dad," says producer Liza Ruivivar. "His two daughters are part of the show and they all took hosting workshops before we started. "

Now 30 years old, Niño was only 20 when he first became a dad. His eldest Tia (from Cristiana) is turning 10 on April 1 while CY (for Cara Ysabel) is 8 years old. He's not married to their mom who now works in Singapore. The two girls are staying with their maternal grandparents.

"The arrangement is better for them as they're a complete family unit there," he says. "E, ako, I live all alone so di ko sila maaasikaso when I'm working. But we're together on weekends. "

He finished grade and high school at the Ateneo and was on his third year as a philosophy major when he decided to become a chef and studied at Center for Culinary Arts. Has he always enjoyed cooking? "I really like working with my hands. My parents are separated and when my dad, a newsman (Louie Logarta), is working, ako lang ang naiiwan sa bahay so I learned to cook for myself. I'm soon putting my own restaurant and catering business. "

In "Daddylicious," he helps wives (also husbands) solve their kitchen dilemmas. In the show's pilot episode, he is shown helping lawyer mom Gidget Cuisia whose daughter Karel is very choosy with her food and won't eat vegetables. Together, they prepare several dishes where they cleverly hide the bits of vegetables: Corned Beef Hash Casserole, Crispy Veggie Burger Nuggets and Hawaiian Chicken Kebab. The picky Karel later enjoyed eating all of them. The show also features resource persons with whom Nino discuss other topics concerning the family. There's also a portion where his kids learn about arts and crafts like how to make decorative placemats that were used by the guests at the show's launching. "Daddylicious" starts airing tomorrow, Saturday, 10:55 a. m. on Q Channel 11.

Source: People's Journal