Why Pia isn't in Vic's new movie

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

IC Sotto feels that after four "Enteng Kabisote" movies, it's time to give it a rest so he and his think tank thought of reviving another old TV show of theirs as their Metro Filmfest entry this year, "Iskul Bukol: 20 Years After. "

"I really believe that a new generation of viewers would also be interested to see the old characters we played then like Vic Ungasis and the Escalera Brothers of Tito and Joey," he says. "Through the years, fans of the show would tell us that they miss Iskul Bukol na sampung taon ring tumakbo sa telebisyon. At kaming tatlo as TVJ, last time na gumawa kami ng pelikula was 1990 pa yata, e. So, it's really about time na magkaroon ng reunion ang Tito, Vic and Joey and what would be more fitting but a reunion of Iskul Bukol to show what happened to the characters we played before, including Miss Tapia, Bibeth, Tonette Macho, and the rest. "

So how does it feel seeing the entire cast together again in one set? "Masaya. Nakakatuwang makasama ulit namin yung mga matagal na naming hindi nakita. We all had fun and hopefully, the viewers will also have a lot of fun seeing us all together again in the movie. Nakakatuwa yung mga kulitan namin at hindi nakakapagod dahil enjoy lahat, e. Puro biruan. Back to the good old days, 'ika nga. "

So will "Enteng Kabisote" be resting for good? "Siguro, mga apat na 'Iskul Bukol' movies muna then balik kami uli sa 'Enteng. ' Mas pinalawak namin ang story ngayon and it's not just confined sa school but we also included some adventures in the search for the missing Peseta of Judas Iscariot that can give you immortality. The character I play now is an archaeologist kaya mas exciting ang adventures niya. Both kids and adults will enjoy this movie. "

Will it be a top-grosser like "Enteng"? "I don't want to pressure myself into thinking na kailangang maging top-grosser din ito. Basta ang goal namin is maging masaya ulit ang ating Pasko at maging matagumpay ulit ang Metro Manila Film Festival. Hangga't maaari nga panoorin natin lahat ng entries para bumalik ang sigla ng local film industry. "

Will his girlfriend Pia Guanio be guesting in the film? "No. Nag-guest na siya sa 'Dobol Trobol' so okay na 'yun. Baka sabihin ng tao, lagi na lang siyang kasama sa mga pelikula ko. Also, wala namang magandang role for her. Siyempre, she's special so dapat special din ang role for her at basta maisingit lang siya as guest. "

Will they finally tie the knot in 2009? "None yet. If ever we'd have such plans, we're not going to make it a secret but we'll announce it so we can share it with the public. "

JASON DENIES TRANSFER RUMOR

IS it true Jason Abalos is leaving ABS-CBN to join GMA-7? "Ay, hindi po totoo 'yan," he says at the Star Magic presscon for "Pieta. " "I was really surprised na may ganyang issue. Mahal ko po ang ABS-CBN and I won't leave Star Magic dahil hindi naman nila ko pinababayaan. "

It's said Noel Ferrer, manager of Ryan Agoncillo, tried to convince him to transfer. "He just told me na kung wala raw nangyayari sa'kin sa ABS, he can help me to move sa kabila. Well, I thank him for his concern but I don't feel I have to go anywhere else. Like ngayon, maganda naman ang role ko sa 'Pieta' bilang kaibigang goon ni Ryan who later joined the police force kaya naging magkalaban kami dahil nasa panig na ako ng batas. Also, bago pa man natapos ito, kasali rin ako sa primetime show na 'Eva Fonda' as the leading man of Cristine Reyes. Kaya wala akong karapatang magreklamo at mag-isip na umalis ng ABS. "

He's in the sexy calendar of Metro Magazine for 2009. Is this a sign that he's ready to go sexy? "No. Ang totoo, natatakot ako kapag lumabas na 'yung pictorial kasi hindi naman ako proud sa katawan kong sobrang payat. Baka sabihin ng tao, ba't ako nag-pose ng sexy e, hindi naman hunky ang dating ko. But they say okay naman daw lumabas ang photos ko so sana, hindi nga ako mapahiya. "

POTSHOT AT TODAY'S MUSIC

Rey Valera is sure of having a place in the history of local music with the hits he has written through the years so he rightfully belongs to the veteran crop of singers who'd perform in "The Legends of OPM' concert at the PICC on December 30, along with Rico Puno, Nonoy Zuniga, Claire de la Fuente, Eva Eugenio and Joey Albert. As a song writer, Rey wrote such classics as "Maging Sino Ka Man," "Pangako Sa'Yo," "Kung Kailangan Mo Ako," etc.

Rey says he feels sad that the quality of songs written now has gone down and we agree with him since a lot of the lyrics being written these days are so pedestrian and unimaginative. "Yung matitinong kanta, natabunan na nga ng novelty songs," he adds. "Sa halip na maitaas ang taste ng listeners natin, it helps in getting them accustomed to mediocre songs. But at this point, tanggap ko na rin that you cannot dictate on the public, even with the movies or TV shows they watch. No matter how hard you try to uplift ang panlasa ng publiko, hindi mo sila mapipilit kung ayaw nila. Ang nakakalungkot lang, they seem to favor 'yung mga kanta at panooring may pagkabastos at hindi nagtuturo ng magandang values, so wala ka ring magagawa. Just like in the matter of piracy na wala ring magawa ang authorities in pirating kahit music and movies. "
'SEX DRIVE': CRASS HUMOR

THOSE who go for raunchy sex-comedies involving randy young people will not be offended by the crude jokes in "Sex Drive. " But those who go for more sophisticated humor should well be advised to avoid this. This is the story of a nerdy high school boy, Ian (Josh Zuckerman, a younger version of Jason Biggs), who works in a doughnut shop and has remained a virgin at 18. His 14-year old younger brother Dylan (Cole Petersen) is even more popular with the girls than him.

His homophobic older brother Rex (James Marsden) teases him that he's probably gay but Ian does have a girlfriend called Miss Tasty. The only hitch is that she's on the internet and he has yet to meet her in person. Ian gets the chance to lose his virginity when the girl invites him for them to meet face to face and have a one-night stand. But she lives in Knoxville, Tennessee while they live in Chicago, so that means they have to travel for nine hours before they can eyeball each other. Ian has two long-time best friends, Lance (Clark Duke) and Felicia (Amanda Crew. ) Lance quickly urges him not to bypass the offer of his Internet girlfriend and offers to accompany him to Tennessee. They hijack the car of Ian's brother and, at the last minute, Felicia gets to join them. Of course, it becomes one very eventful trip for them. And yes, Rex goes berserk when he discovers that his car is gone.

The relationship between the three friends is not really platonic. Ian harbors secret feelings for Felicia who, in turn, is more attracted to Lance. Lance later confesses that he is aware of Felicia's feelings for him but he will never try to score with her as he knows that Ian has a crush on her. When the movie turns into a road trip, they encounter a number of other characters like a weird hitchhiker who refuses to pee on their overheated radiator, a grieving female sales clerk in a gas station who takes Lance to her bed only to be chased by her jealous boyfriend, an abstinence group in a country fair, and an Amish guy named Ezekiel (Seth Green) who helps them repair their car after it conked out. They also hit a possum on the road and have an encounter with the cops that make them land in jail. By the time they get to Knoxville two days later, Rex is hot on their heels because of his car.

It's easy to predict that Ian will eventually end up with the girl he really loves. The movie is reminiscent of another road flick, "The Sure Thing" with John Cusack, but it banks more on crude and gross humor like other sex-laden teen comedies as "American Pie" and "Superbad. " It's good we somehow get to sympathize with Josh Zuckerman as Ian as he's more sweet and likeable than other teen leads in formulaic dumb comedy flicks like this. Amanda Crew and Clark Duke also give fairly engaging performances. Giving adequate support is James Marsden (best remembered for "Enchanted" and "Hairspray") as his crazy brother and Seth Green as the Amish car mechanic who says the thing he misses the most from the outside world is "sarcasm". Both obviously had much fun playing their off beat parts.

Source: People's Journal