‘And the surprising thing is that big names like Sharon Cuneta and Kris Aquino do not have that much followers as lesser known stars like Ivana Alawi and Alex Gonzaga.’
IVANA Alawi is a certified YouTube star. She has no less than 8 million subscribers in her channel. These days, there is no film industry at all since movie theaters have been closed down and there is also not much work on television since ABS-CBN’s franchise was not renewed and GMA cannot tape new episodes for their soaps, so they just air replays of past shows. Only the digital world really produces regular content with a lot of stars now having their own YouTube channels.
And the surprising thing is that big names like Sharon Cuneta and Kris Aquino do not have that much followers as lesser known stars like Ivana Alawi and Alex Gonzaga. Alex, like Ivana, also has 8 million followers, making her another bonafide YouTube star.
No wonder most young people today want to have their own YouTube channels. A friend was telling us that she nearly lost her mind when her own daughter told her she no longer wants to go to college.
She asked her daughter what she wants to do with her life and the reply she got was: “I want to be a YouTube star.” And now, her daughter doesn’t do anything all day but just monitor the YouTube channels of other people and then try to practice singing and dancing and hosting in front of the mirror all day like Ivana.
The latest video Ivana posted after she hit 8 million fans showed her going topless, with only her arms and hands covering her boobies. She says it’s her gift to her fans for the success she achieved in gaining 8 million followers. We’ll tell our friend to make her daughter follow the career path of Ivana. The only problem is that her daughter has a 36-inch waistline, so she might have to go to the gym first before testing the waters to be a YouTube star like Ivana Alawi.
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Tom Rodriguez was asked in “Unang Hirit” if he’s ready to face the altar with Carla Abellana and his answer was: “Okay lang ako. Kaso nung tinanong ko siya, her reply is definitely no.
Hindi ngayon kasi may pandemic. Siempre, she wants our wedding to be special.
“Ako, my only dream now is to be the one next to her. That’s my only requirement. Pero siyempre, I want it to be special for her.”
We’re sure there are other couples whose wedding plans have been affected by the worldwide health crisis. Everything now is so unsure.
Carla has a primetime soap with GMA-7, “Love of My Life,” which is enjoying high ratings. But she and the rest of the cast are not sure as to when they will resume taping for new episodes.
Meantime, when Carla was a guest in the online show, “Just In,” she shared the ordeal she went through when she got sick when they started taping “Love of My Life” last year. “I noticed that despite my dieting and working out, I continue to gain so much weight.
Nahihiya ako sa co-stars ko kasi very noticeable sa screen ang pagtaba ko at nasisira ang continuity ng mga eksena. It turned out I have a problem with my liver. Eventually, the doctors made the right diagnosis and now, I’ve regained my former weight. So we really should take good care of ourselves because health is really wealth.”
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We watched the first episode of Luchi Cruz Valdez’ new talk show on TV 5 “URL” or “Usapang Real Life.” The first part showed her being interviewed by Karen Davila of ABS-CBN who came to visit her at her home. They greeted each other by elbow-to-elbow.
“Ganyan na raw ang batian ngayon, hindi na beso-beso, para may social distancing,” she said.
Karen asked her about her late husband, Lito, who had a crippling stroke and became bedridden.
“It was hard, heartbreaking, I have three young sons to bring up. You have to rely on the Lord. But this is what marriage really is, true commitment when you say in sickness or in health.”
A year after her husband passed, she suddenly got sick with lupus nephritis. “Three months ako sa hospital, dina-dialysis ako. I had three surgeries. It affected my vocal chords which became spastic. Up to now, it takes me a great deal of effort when I talk because it’s a neurological disorder. But I never lost hope because I have God with me. My faith is what sustains me, and also, K-drama,” she laughed.
After Karen interviewed her, she presented her first guest: KC Concepcion. She asked KC how is it to live on her own?
“Masaya to have an independent life,” said KC. “You become stronger. You’ll learn kung paano ka dumiskarte mag-isa. But nung mag-lockdown, I wished sana may kasama ako sa bahay. So I turned to cooking and I had cooking collaborations on Instagram. ‘Yung guests ko, like Judy Ann Santos, Mamang Pokwang and celebrity chefs, tinuturuan nila akong magluto step by step.”
KC said she took a break from showbiz for three years and studied jewelry design. Early this year, she said she wanted to make a comeback and there were some projects waiting for her. But the virus happened and changed everything.
About her parents, she said both Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion now have their own families.
“May mga kapatid ako but ako lang ‘yung anak, nag-iisang anak nila. Ang bata pa nila when they had me. Now, I just want them to be proud of me,” and she can’t help but cry at this point.
