IWA  MOTO  FLAUNTS  HER  ASSETS 


MANILA, MARCH 7, 2010 (MALAYA) By Mario Bautista (‘Okay lang, very supportive siya. Alam niya how hard I work to maintain my slim figure now. -- Iwa Moto’)

IN 2005, Albert Martinez founded Cinemabuhay that conducted a search for new directors whose project will be granted P1 million by PLDT Smart Foundation.

In 2007, the grant was given to Bobby Bonifacio’s "Numbalikdiwa," which won a best actress award for Maricel Soriano.

In 2008, it was given to Juan Miguel Sevilla’s "Cul de Sac" starring Sam Milby, which proved to be disappointing.

In 2009, the grant was given to Rommel Sales’ "Slow Fade," which has just been completed. Sales is a short film and music video director. "Slow Fade" is his first full-length film. The concept is his (reminiscent of the 1993 Michael Keaton film, "My Life," which Rommel says he didn’t see), but Paul Sta. Ana wrote the script.

It stars Diether Ocampo as Darius, a frustrated film maker who discovers that he is dying of brain cancer. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he then makes a series of videos about himself and his community that celebrate the beauty of life.

Playing Diet’s wife, Tere, is former Ms. International Lara Precious Quigaman, who has to stay strong for her dying husband. Before releasing it in Manila, Albert wants "Slow Fade" to first join international filmfests. "We’ve so far been invited to Paris, Pusan, Tokyo and Soho in New York, so isasali muna namin doon. Also, we’re now accepting new script entries for our 2010 competition. The deadline of submission is on or before May 15. For inquiries, call Elvira Gumangan at 856-1288 or 511-2422."

Meantime, what can Albert say about his mom-in-law Amalia Fuentes who assailed his wife Liezl? And also, is it true that Kris Aquino’s scenes in "Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo" were lessened because viewers are criticizing her poor acting as his wife?

"Naku, I’m sorry, ayokong mag-comment sa mga ganyan. Delikado ‘yan. I’d rather just focus on ‘Slow Fade’."

***

Iwa Moto is happy to be on the cover of FHM’s special anniversary edition with Bangs Garcia. It’s said that the original choice was Angel Locsin but she backed out. "Okay lang kahit second choice ako at kahit dalawa kami ni Bangs sa cover," says Iwa. "Basta I’m proud to be on the cover kasi special edition ito."

She’s very daring in some of the poses, leaving little to the imagination. What did her boyfriend Mickey say about it?

"Okay lang, very supportive siya. Alam niya how hard I work to maintain my slim figure now."

After playing Valentina in "Darna," Iwa now plays villain to Jennica Garcia in "Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita?" They’re supposed to be sisters but they have a bad case of sibling rivalry as they have different dads. Jen’s dad is Ariel Rivera while hers is Lloyd Samartino. Their mom, Jean Garcia, hates Jen’s dad as Ariel is poor, unlike Lloyd who’s quite wealthy. Iwa meets an accident after a big fight with Jen, widening the gap between them. The story of "Ina" gets more complicated with the entry of William Martinez as Henry, the father of Paolo Avelino who’s cheating on his mom (Gilette Sandico) as he’s in love with Jean Garcia, whose other child, Rav (Dion Ignacio), was sired by Ted (Toby Alejar). Rav is on the road to self-destruction and accidentally kills his half brother, Marcus Madrigal. Jean protects him from cops and their story echoes the real life situation of Jason Ivler and his overprotective mom.

***

Jef Gaitan and Marvin Kiefer are not the winners in "Survivor: Palau" (it’s Amanda Van Cooley), but they’re the ones who are now given a good break in "My Stalking Heart," the romantic summer special in GMA’s Sunday afternoon show, "Dear Friend," that starts this Sunday. "We’re grateful to GMA for giving us the chance to do a continuing role in ‘My Stalking Heart.’ We’ve both guested in other GMA shows, but this is the first time we have regular roles," says Jef.

Jef used to be Nyoy Volante’s girlfriend. Nyoy is 9 years older than her while Marvin is three years younger than her. They became sweethearts right after "Survivor" ended. "It’s been seven months since we met in ‘Survivor’ and we’ve gotten to know each other better," says Jef. "Mas na-appreciate ko si Marvin. He’s quiet but very maalaga, sweet and caring."

And what does Marvin appreciate in Jef?

"We complement each other. I’m quiet and she’s bubbly and perky."

They’re obviously being built up as a love team and they both have star quality and do look good together on screen. In "My Stalking Heart," Marvin plays Eric, the boyfriend of Doris (Jennica Garcia) who expects him to propose marriage soon. Imagine Jennica’s surprise when he tells her instead that he’s dumping her as he has found a new girl, Nina (Jef), who’s in turn the love of Julio (Carl Guevarra). Both heartbroken, Jennica and Carl then join forces to spy on the activities of Jef and Marvin, becoming stalkers in the process.

Also in the cast of "My Stalking Heart" are Caridad Sanchez, Jay Aquitania, Dexter Doria and Gene Padilla, directed by Mac Alejandre.

***

Boy Abunda is having the time of his life hosting the no-holds barred show, "The Bottomline." As "King of Talk," he dramatically changed the face of one-on-one interviews as he fearlessly delves into the hottest issues of controversial personalities.

From Atty. Lorna Kapunan (defender of Hayden Kho) to Marlene Aguilar (mother of Jason Ivler) to the Melason loveteam, he grilled them in front of the viewing public with many questions coming from "The Bottomliners," a mix of various kinds of viewers representing various sectors of society.

"This is so different from my past interview shows like ‘Private Conversations’, ‘Kontrobersiyal’ or even ‘The Buzz’ and ‘SNN,"" says Boy. "In ‘Bottomline,’ I become an instrument para maiparating sa mga manonood ang nais nilang malaman about the most talked about celebrities. Through the ‘Bottomliners,’ we make sure all levels of people are represented so that the questions are really diverse and unexpected."

"The Bottomline" is now already discussed in blogs, forums, internet portals and even newspaper columns because of its unique way of presenting issues and daring concept of discussion. It’s aired every Saturday on ABS-CBN after the primetime show, "Banana Split."

***

The tribal dancers from Muntinlupa are the only all-female group in the Hall of Fame of "Talentadong Pinoy" who’ll compete for the title of Philippines’ First Ultimate Talentado on March 6 at Cuneta Astrodome. It is composed of sisters Mench and Zam Mijares (both visually impaired), their friend Liezl Cabriga (who’s hearing-impaired) and cousin Grace Cristobal. They do a dangerous act with fire called poi dancing and they’ve become a crowd favorite since they first performed in July 2009. "Si Grace lang ang may normal na paningin at pandinig sa amin so she serves as our guide," says Zam. Since their exposure in "Talentadong Pinoy," they’ve been performing in various parties and events.

Also competing is Omar, The Ladder Balancer, the 6th Hall of Famer who performs various stunts with a ladder. Born Omar Antonio Doroin in a family of circus acrobats, Omar developed his career and passion for ladder balancing in Marinduque when he met Raul Napolitano, who is a circus talents booker. But little did Omar and Raul know that their partnership in the circus scene would soon be more than just a professional relationship when Omar’s passion for ladder balancing extended to Raul’s eldest daughter who became his wife. Don’t miss them perform in "Talentadong Pinoy" on TV5 tomorrow night.