‘Someone close to Marian says she prefers their family to have a simple life with their children.’
DINGDONG Dantes is GMA’s “Primetime King.” Now, he is also the certified “King of Replays” as he has two shows simultaneously being shown right now. First is the love triangle drama, “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real,” where he shares top billing with Maricel Soriano and Lovi Poe, shown on GMA’s afternoon slot.
And in the evening on primetime, his romance-drama with wife Marian Rivera, “Endless Love,” is being shown on primetime. His fans are no doubt pleased that they can watch him twice in one day, in the afternoon and in the evening.
Some quarters continue to convince him to run for the senate in the elections next year.
They think he is a sure winner as he not only has a huge fan base.
“At si Dingdong, mas competent kaysa sa ibang mga aktor na na-elect sa senado,” says one supporter. “He has a college degree, he’s very articulate, has a wholesome image as husband and dad.”
But we heard that the first one who is opposed to his joining politics is his better half, Marian Rivera. Someone close to Marian says she prefers their family to have a simple life with their children. “Alam niyang compared to showbiz, mas magulo ang pulitika,” says someone close to her. “Mas priority nila talaga ni Dingdong ang family nila kaya nga ni ayaw nilang tumanggap ng teleserye habang may pandemya pa.”
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Barbie Forteza joined “All Out Sundays” just last Valentine’s Day and it is so much fun for her. “Kasi every weekend, you have a get together with your friends. At sa show, walang limit kung ano ang ipapagawa nila sa’yo kaya macha-challenge ka talaga. But it’s a good kind of challenge. Kasi sa acting, you have to be subtle, pero dito, dapat all out ka talaga.
Nahahasa nga ako pati sa pagho-hosting at napakadaldal ko na raw kaya nga na ba-bash ako.”
She started as a child star and now, she will be 24 years old on July 31. Is she ready for more mature roles? “Naku, huwag muna. Masaya pa naman ako as of now doing wholesome roles. Pero darating din tayo diyan, unti-unti, walang gulatan.”
She’s billed as GMA’s “Primetime Princess” and her last two shows, “Anak ni Waray” and “The Lookout” in “I Can See You,” are both top raters. But now, since “First Yaya” and “Agimat ng Agila” are rating high, it’s touted that its lead actress, her future sister-in-law Sanya Lopez, is now the real “Primetime Princess.” How does she feel about it?
“Ay okay lang po. No problem for me. Grabe, I’m really so happy and proud sa huge success ng shows niya. I know her well as a person, so I can really say that she has grown so much. Ang galing nga kasi nag-improve talaga siya not only as an actress but also as a person.”
She and Jak Roberto have one of the most high profile relationships in showbiz as they chronicle their moves together in their vlog. Is he really “the one” for her?
“Naku, subukan niya lang na hindi. Oo naman. Wala na kami sa phase na getting to know each other or testing the waters. Nandun na kami sa phase na kung may problema, ayusin natin ito. Breaking up is not an option.”
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Jennica Garcia is back before the camera after splitting from husband Alwyn Uytingco. It will be recalled that she gave up her acting career when they got married, but now, she has to earn a living for their two daughters and she’s glad that GMA-7 gave her another chance and she is now part of the lock-in taping in Pampanga of the new drama series, “Las Hermanas.”
“Na-miss ko talaga ang pag-arte,” she says. “It was really my decision to focus on my family and specially raising my kids, kaya hindi ako tumanggap ng teleserye kasi three times a week ang taping noon. But now, it’s good malaki-laki na ang daughters ko, Athena Mori and Alexi Severina, and they understand naman na kailangang magtrabaho si mommy, who’s now a single mom.”
Jennica has confirmed in an interview on GMA that she and Alwyn have broken up after seven years of marriage. She wants to thank her mom, Jean Garcia, for helping her with her daughters. “I want to thank my mom for taking good care of them while I’m away sa lock-in taping. I also want to thank her for being very understanding and supportive sa pinagdaraanan ko ngayon.”
In “Las Hermanas,” Jennica plays Brenda, the rival of Dorothy (Yasmien Kurdi) in love and career. The sisters of Yasmien in the story are Thea Tolentino and Faith Da Silva, who gets her biggest break here and is paired with Albert Martinez in a May-December romance.
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Darryl Yap is the busiest writer-director of this pandemic season. After “Jowable” became a blockbuster, he became Viva Entertainment’s fair haired boy, doing one project after another. He started 2021 with the controversial movie, “Tililing,” then followed it up with “Gusto Kong Maging Pornstar.”
After these two films, he did the TV series “Kung Pwede Lang,” then another movie, “Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam,” which is now showing, and right after that, “Gluta,” a movie about racial discrimination. Coming up after that is “Revirginized,” where he gets to direct Sharon Cuneta no less. So where does he get his ideas for movies?
“Most of them, I’ve done as plays in my theater group in Olongapo. ‘Gluta’ is a play I wrote in 2014 kasi napansin ko, andaming gumagamit ng pampaputi. I don’t mean to antagonize whitening products. ‘Yung sa’kin, simpleng pagpapaalala lang sa mga kababayan natin na dapat, tanggapin mo ang iyong sarili as you are, para mas kilalanin ka ng tao kung sino ka talaga.”
Some folks are now accusing him of making fun of Aetas because his lead character, played by Ella Cruz, is an Aeta girl who joins a beauty pageant.
“That’s not new to me kasi when I did ‘Tililing,’ I was also accused of making fun of the mentally ill, but when they saw the movie, they found out na hindi naman pala. Maraming ibang Aetas sa cast. Tinatamad na lang akong sagutin ang bashers sa social media kasi pabobohan na sila. Watch the movie muna bago nyo husgahan. Ella here is Angel and she becomes a source of inspiration, a ray of sunshine for her folks. She shows the resiliency of the Aetas. You know, in Olongapo, I have made friends with many Aetas and I respect them highly. Marami sa kanilang naging kaeskwela ko sa Olongapo where I was raised.
They welcome new technology. They have Viber, Facebook and Instagram. In Olongapo, they’re not even called Aetas anymore. Wala ng ganyang branding, kasi they’re really a part now of the community. May doctor sa kanila, may teachers, may businessmen. May kinuha kaming Aeta educators and tribal leaders as consultants sa movie and some of them even appear in ‘Gluta.’ Kaya payapa ang loob ko na wala kaming nilalabag o sinasagasaang sinuman dito.”
