JULIA Barretto is directed for the first time by Cannes film fest winner Brillante Mendoza in Vivamax’ “Bahay na Pula” which streams on February 25. So how is it?
“I feel like he has changed my life,” she said. “I was so excited working with him. We had a lot of conversations and I learned so much from him as he’s very generous in sharing with me the things he knows about work and life.”
She said she actually avoids doing horror films. “I’m really scared, but I welcomed the opportunity of working with Direk Brillante and the story is really good. But the moment I step in sa bahay na pula in Mindoro where we shot it, I felt goosebumps agad. It was creepy talaga. I had to jump out of my comfort zone to make this horror film.”
In the film, Julia plays Jane and Xian is her husband named Marco. They go to Mindoro to sell the ancestral house that Jane inherited from her grandmother. Jane immediately feels a scary vibe upon entering the house. She then meets her ex-boyfriend, Marco as Anton, and something is rekindled between them while the evil around them seems to spread leading to some horrifying events.
How is it working with Xian and Marco?
“It’s fun shooting with them and also the production team on location in Oriental Mindoro. Para rin kaming nagbakasyon.”
How does she and her inamorato, Gerald Anderson, plan to spend Valentine’s Day (which was yesterday)?
“I have a scheduled wisdom tooth extraction on Valentine’s Day so we’ll probably just celebrate it na lang the day before.”
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“First Lady,” the sequel to the hit “First Yaya,” has a much bigger cast so they had two different press cons. Lead stars Gabby Concepcion and Sanya Lopez headed the first press con. Included in the second press con are the supporting cast led by Glenda Garcia as the scheming reporter Marni Tupaz who will team up with Alice Dixson in bringing down Gabby Concepcion as president, Maxine Medina as Lorraine the assistant secretary who now becomes the PR of Melody, Cassy Legaspi as Nina (the first daughter of Gabby), JD Domagoso as Jonas, Thia Thomalia as PSG Lt. Valerie Canete, and the three former First Ladies who are meant to help Melody become a good First Lady but actually want to humiliate her: Isabel Rivas as Allegra Trinidad, Samantha Lopez as Ambrocia Bolivar and Francine Prieto as Soledad Cortez.
Of the three former First Ladies, Isabel Rivas is the alpha female and leader of the trio. “My last soap was ‘Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit’ sa afternoon prime,” she said. “Napanood ko kasi ang ‘First Yaya’ at nagustuhan ko so I was glad when I heard may season 2. I’m now so happy to be in it.”
Is it easy for her to bully Sanya Lopez?
“Actually, hindi. Kasi nga mabait siya in real life, napakadaling pakisamahan, kaya mahirap apihin. But she’s a good actress. Ang bilis niyang maapektuhan kapag inaapi namin at madaling mapaiyak.”
Samantha Lopez, formerly known as Gracia, is also enjoying herself as First Lady Ambrocia. “Nagpapasalamat akong sina Isabel at Francine ang mga nakasama ko as the former First Ladies kasi ang ganda ng team work naming tatlo,” she said. “First taping day pa lang namin, naging magka-vibes kami agad na lahat.”
At 39, Francine Prieto is the youngest of the three ex-First Ladies. She was last seen in GMA’s horror afternoon series “Hanggang sa Dulo ng Buhay Ko.” “That was more than two years ago pa so I’m glad nabigyan uli ako ng assignment and it’s on primetime,” she said.
“I’m having fun in ‘First Lady.’ Nagkasundo agad kaming tatlong ex-First Ladies at maganda ang individual stories ng tatlong ex First Ladies, kaya abangan nyo.”
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‘ABS-CBN itself experienced this when the Lopezes regained control of their network after the Marcoses were ousted in 1986.’
All the speculations about the so called Villar TV that will replace ABS-CBN are actually worthless. We can’t help but laugh at some of the presumptuous stories coming out that are all imagined.
It’s said Willie Revillame will be the head of the new Villar channel and he’s now pirating some stars to join them. It’s also reported that so many talents are now sounding off to him that they are available to work with him and the Villars. But Willie himself denied this and said: “Hindi ako nanunulot ng sinuman.”
There’s also a rumor that Toni Gonzaga, who resigned from ABS-CBN’s “Pinoy Big Brother” after her high profile participation in the Bongbong Marcos rally, is sure to transfer to Villar TV to host a drama anthology show similar to “Maaalaala Mo Kaya.” Aga Muhlach and John Estrada are also said to be moving to the Villar channel, along with broadcasters Korina Sanchez and Anthony Taberna.
But like what we’ve said, all these are just useless speculations. As Willie himself declared:
“Niluluto pa.” After all, it’s not that easy to put up a new TV channel. Just because you’re getting big, big stars does not mean your shows will rate.
Manny Pangilinan proved this when he took over TV5. He recruited so many big stars like Sharon Cuneta, Nora Aunor, Derek Ramsay, Aga Muhlach, but none of them succeeded in putting TV5 on top. So, eventually, he bowed out from the race after losing the billions he invested in his quest to be an entertainment mogul.
So if and when Villar TV starts its operations, it will be an uphill battle as it is like they are giving birth to a new network. ABS-CBN itself experienced this when the Lopezes regained control of their network after the Marcoses were ousted in 1986.
A big help to them then was Mother Lily who lent them her Regal Babies and her production people during their rebirth pains. It took a while before the Kapamilya network recaptured its supremacy in the industry and Regal also helped them in putting up their own film company, Star Cinema, that eventually became the numero uno production outfit in the country.
