RENEWED INTEREST IN MICHAEL-KRISTA'S ALLEGED ROMANCE


MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2010 (MALAYA) By Mario Bautista (‘If Michael would have his way, he’d rather not touch on this matter again and open up old wounds, but we don’t think the media would let him off that easily.’ )

MARK Herras is one of the hosts of "Starstruck Shoutout," although he is not as frequently seen as co-hosts Arci Munoz, Paolo Avelino and LJ Reyes. "Busy kasi taping ‘Ikaw Sana,’" he says. "But we will be having our last taping day on Friday (today), in Tagaytay, and hopefully after that, mas makakasali na ko sa ‘Shoutout.’"

Who does he think would win in "Starstruck V"?

"I’m basing it on the feedback from the fans and I think among the guys, malakas sina Rocco Nacino and Enzo Pineda, and among the girls, Sarah Lahbati and Nina Kodaka," he says. "But all the remaining survivors have a chance of winning dahil puede pa nilang pagbutihin ang coming performances nila so they won’t be eliminated. Kaya ang payo ko sa kanila, basta do their best. In the end, nasa talent pa rin ang labanan."

Isn’t he worried that with the coming of new winners, the careers of past "Starstruck" survivors like him will be surpassed?

"Not really. Kami ni Jennylyn (Mercado) ang first winners at, awa ng Diyos, we’re still here at marami sa batch namin, nagbida na at active pa rin. Hindi naman kami pinababayaan ng GMA-7."

Don’t miss the final week of "Ikaw Sana" as more revelations come out, with Eliza (Jennylyn) and Michael (Mark) discovering that the evil Sofia (Pauleen Luna) is manipulating Giselle (Camille Prats) to make sure that Michael gets estranged from Eliza for good. If you’re watching the show, you’d agree that it’s actually Pauleen who emerges as the best performer in the series. She just dominates it as the villain nonpareil and she can now join the ranks of other excellent TV villains from Princess Punzalan and Jean Garcia to younger ones like Gladys Reyes, Glaiza de Castro and Alessandra de Rossi.

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After the hit filmfest entry, "I Love You, Goodbye," Angelica Panganiban’s career is now truly on a roll with her title role in ABS-CBN’s "Rubi" that airs starting February 15.

Angelica plays a bida-kontrabida role that is an acting piece in "Rubi," a "Mexicanovela" first shown in the mid-‘90s when she was still a child star. How is it different from her past villain role as Scarlet in "Iisa Pa Lamang"?

"Scarlet is really sosyal," she says. "Rubi is a social climber. My parents here are Cherry Pie Picache and Gardo Versoza. My dad left my mom who got imprisoned and I was born in jail. Lumaki ako sa hirap kaya palaban ako. I become an ambitious, scheming bitch na gagawin lahat to escape from poverty. Baklang maldita si Rubi, luka-luka, pero may puso. Very demanding ang role. The story shows kung bakit siya matigas at naghihiganti."

She’s projected as a sexy star in the show, starting with the poster where she wears a revealing gown. At her solo presscon, she appeared in a sexy red dress with a plunging neckline that exposes her ample cleavage. Will she be wearing equally provocative outfits in "Rubi"?

"Sa TV, konti-konti lang, ayaw ng MTRCB. Ever since, alam na naman ng tao na gifted child talaga ako so hindi na kailangang isampal pa sa mukha ng tao para mapansing hey, ang lalaki niyan, ha."

As Rubi, she befriends rich girl Shaina Magdayao whose parents turn out to be Cherie Gil and her own dad, Gardo. She also makes friends with Shaina’s wealthy male friends, Diether Ocampo and Jake Cuenca, in her desire to live the rich life. Doesn’t her boyfriend Derek Ramsay get jealous of her love scenes with Diet and Jake?

"No, dedma lang siya. Ganun din naman ako sa kanya when he does love scenes with other girls."

Also in "Rubi" are Allan Paule, Wowie de Guzman and Kaye Abad, directed by Don Cuaresma and Erick Salud.

And what’s Angelica’s next movie?

"I’ll be doing a comedy. But I requested to have some time to rest muna kasi kulang na kulang ako sa tulog."

The movie is "Here Comes the Bride," the directorial debut of writer Chris Martinez ("100") which is about body switching involving five people: Angelica as the bride, Eugene Domingo as her ninang, Tuesday Vargas as the yaya, John Lapus as a gay make up artist, and Jimmy Fabregas as a rich old man. Angelica’s leading man will be newcomer Tom Rodriguez of "Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up."

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In "Almost a Love Story," the Valentine offering in "Dear Friend" starting this Sunday after "SOP," TJ Trinidad plays the happy-go-lucky Rommel who falls in love with Hannah, played by Rhian Ramos, who’s nine years younger than him.

Rhian’s parents, Cris Villanueva and Joanne Quintas, oppose their relationship and have him arrested by cops. "It’s an unconventional love story kasi she’s only 15 when we first meet," he says. "Menor de edad siya at 24 na ako. But ours is really an innocent romance kasi wala kami kahit kissing scene. Magkakalayo kami and after six years, we’ll meet again. She already has her own career, but may boyfriend na siya who she’s about to marry, Paolo Avelino, at may girlfriend naman ako, si Arci Munoz. It’s nice to work with Rhian again after we did the movie, ‘The Promise,’ and ‘Zorro’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on GMA."

The four-week episode was shot on location in the world-class Fontana Resorts, directed by Topel Lee. Also in the cast are Dex Quindoza as TJ’s younger brother who’s the favorite of their parents, Jimwell Stevens and Melissa Mendez, Stef Prescott as Rhian’s best friend and Jace Flores as Stef’s boyfriend.

TJ is very thankful because he’s never out of job since he moved to GMA-7. He’ll also soon be seen on primetime in "Diva." "Ka-love triangle ko sina Regine Velasquez and Mark Anthony Fernandez in the story."

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Michael de Mesa, who’s been based in the US for nearly two years now, will be coming home next month to attend the wedding of eldest son Ryan Eigenmann to non-showbiz girlfriend Cathy Bordalba. This early, TV crews are already waiting for his arrival so that they can interview him about his rumored affair with Krista Ranillo.

If Michael would have his way, he’d rather not touch on this matter again and open up old wounds, but we don’t think the media would let him off that easily. This is one hot issue that was not really delved into by the press at the time it was happening almost ten years ago when he and Krista were doing an afternoon soap. And with the continued interest in Krista, we’re sure he cannot escape from the nosey press who’d surely make "kulit" if Krista was really the reason his marriage to Gina ended in splitsville.

"Natatakot na nga siya dahil alam niyang kukulitin siya ng press," says someone close to him.

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Cris Villonco was still in Hong Kong playing multiple roles in the Broadway presentation "The Golden Mickeys" in Disneyland when she got an offer from Repertory’s Joy Virata to star in their production of the Broadway musical, "Romeo and Bernadette." A farce that’s a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo doesn’t really die here but wakes up in New York 500 years later and gets involved with the Mafia.

"I said yes right away," the pretty granddaughter of Armida Siguion Reyna said. "My contract with Disney ended in November so tamang-tama lang ang offer ng Rep."

She majored in music and economic development in the US and then came home to do theater. The last musical she did was "Mulan" in 2008, also for Rep and she won an award for her portrayal of Ophelia in "Hamlet." She started her career on stage when she was only 9, playing the young Cosette in "Les Miserables."

What’s her dream role?

"Kim in ‘Miss Saigon.’ I hope I can still play it someday."

The songs in "Romeo and Bernadette" by Mark Saltzman are familiar Italian songs adapted into English. Cris and PJ sang some of them with other cast members Red Concepcion and Liesl Batucan. They’re all great, as directed by Joy Virata. This opens at Onstage Greenbelt 1 on February 5, to be shown on all the Fridays and weekends of February, with matinees at 3:30 p.m. For tickets, call 887-0710 or log on to repertory.ph or ticketworld.com.ph.