SANYA Lopez is definitely now one of the Kapuso station’s most prized properties after the huge success on primetime of her shows “First Yaya” and “First Lady.” To help continue nurturing her career, she now gets the chance to be a singer with her first single, “Hot Maria Clara”, available on digital streaming.
“Dream come true po for me itong ‘Hot Maria Clara’ kasi pangarap ko talaga noon pa na sana makapag-record ako ng sarili kong kanta,” she says. “And I like the song kasi it’s meant for today’s young women. Ang mga dalagang Pilipina ngayon should be empowered to have courage to face life and all its challenges.”
She loves the lyrics of her now signature song written by composer Njel de Mesa. “Sabi nga sa song, ang Hot Maria Clara, hindi basta paloloko sa papogi moves ng mga lalaki dahil she’s not cheap and she doesn’t do one night stands. Very positive ang message ng song.”
- Advertisement -
What’s her next show after “First Lady”? “Meron na pong inihahanda but ‘di pa po pwedeng i-reveal ang details,” she says. “But I’m very excited kasi ibang-iba naman siya sa ‘First Yaya’ and ‘First Lady’.”
We heard she will have a new leading man for her next show. It’s said the guy is not a Kapuso actor. Some say it could be John Lloyd Cruz or Xian Lim as they’re now both certified Kapuso. Others say it could be Matteo Guidicelli who is reportedly signing up with GMA Network soon. Still other say it could be JM de Guzman. Well, let’s just wait and see.
***
Actor Xian Lim writes and directs new Vivamax dramedy, “Hello Universe.”
Xian Lim
Xian Lim is better known as an actor, but he has also directed a film, “Tabon,” for Cinemalaya, and a series, “Pasabuy,” for WeTV. He now gets the chance to write and direct his first comedy-drama for Vivamax, “Hello, Universe,” which is about regrets in life and having second chances. What inspired him to write the movie?
“The story came to me habang nasa pandemic tayo,” he says. “’Di ba ang lungkot ng panahon with the lockdown and all that, so I want to come up with an uplifting story. Also, ‘Hello, Universe’ is about the frustrations of a former basketball player. I play basketball myself and dream ko before to be a professional player but it didn’t happen, so gusto ko lang maikuwento ang experience ko about that.”
In “Hello, Universe”, Janno Gibbs plays Ariel, a man full of regrets and having a midlife crisis. He feels that life has passed him by and it would have been better if only he succeeded as a basketball player in high school. He is now married to Maui Taylor as Jennifer, his wife, and with Madelaine Red as their daughter Faith, with Anjo Yllana as Rocky, his supportive best friend.
By stroke of luck, he meets Benjie Paras as Jessie a mysterious driver who gives him the chance to be transported to an alternate universe. There, he has another wife, Sunshine Guimary as Lauren, with Majo Lingat as their daughter Maila. And he is very successful, but only as the mastermind of a nefarious activity. Will he be happy in his new world? And what can Janno say about his new director? “I consider him a good friend and I believe in his talent. Very artistic talaga siya. Artista na, director pa at writer, he plays the piano, he sings, he paints, really very talented. We’re excited to work with him. He’s very open minded in asking us for our suggestions.”
***
Alex Diaz shone as the lone leading man in Vivamax’ hilarious sexy comedy, “PaThirsty,” who is coveted by a woman, Adrianna So, and her gay best friend, Kych Minemoto. We first saw him in the 2016 indie film, “Dagsin,” with Janine Gutierrez and we noticed then he has a good screen presence.
We thought it’s be a breakout role for him, but his career didn’t really take off. Instead, he became controversial in 2019 when a physical fitness instructor reposted on social media his message asking for a date. Of course, it was talked about in the grapevine and Alex had to admit that he is bisexual.
Now, it’s no longer an issue for Alex as he now accepts roles where he is bisexual, like in “PaThirsty”, written and directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, who’s best known for the “Gameboy” web series. In the story, Alex is the scion of the rich Sebastian family who owns a newly opened resort hotel and gets to bed both Adrianna and Kych. “You’d see me doing very spicy love scenes with both Adrianna and Kych. At this point in my life, I feel like my career is so much more than just a personal thing. It has become a beacon for a lot of people who don’t see representation in the media and, for me, that gives me so much purpose. Palagi nating naririnig that sexuality is really not an issue. For me, if the material is good, if the material can stand, we’ll do it.”
