‘Ang importante, hindi nila nakikitang nagwawala ang mommy nila sa labas with other men.’ – Maui Taylor
MAUI Taylor was only 14 years old when she joined showbiz as part Viva’s stable of teen stars in such youth oriented shows as “TGIS” and “Anna Karenina.”
She then became a member of the Viva Hot Babes and was launched as a sexy star in “Gamitan,” a big hit so it was followed by more sexy flicks like “Hibla,” “Sex Drive,” “Huling Birhen sa Lupa,” “Bugbog Sarado.”
Then she got married and had two sons, Antoine and Matteo, now 10 and 8 years old. Her marriage to her non-showbiz partner lasted for seven years. In 2020, Viva revived her acting career in the comedy “Pakboys: Takusa.” “After that, tuloy-tuloy na uli,” she says. “I did ‘Gusto Kong Maging Porn Star’ 1 and 2. Then I did ‘69+1’ with Janno Gibbs, ‘Kaka,’ ‘Crush Kong Curly,’ ‘My Husband, My Lover,’ ‘Deception,’ ‘Pantaxa: Laiya’. Hindi ako pinabayaan ng Viva at tuloy-tuloy talaga ang projects ko.”
She now stars in the new Vivamax movie, “Haliparot,” that will start streaming on October 20. She plays the role of the mother of Aiko Garcia, who is being launched in this erotic drama about a mom and her daughter who share the same man, the hunky newcomer Matthew Francisco. She has a sizzling bed scene in the movie where she is shown topless.
Does she worry her sons might get to see it?
“Naisip ko rin ‘yun, but at this age of the internet, hindi mo naman na maitatago ‘yun.
Feeling ko, I can handle it kasi matatalino na ang mga bata ngayon. I think maiintindihan ng mga anak ko na part ito ng trabaho ng mom nila. I am just playing a role, a character.
Ang importante, hindi nila nakikitang nagwawala ang mommy nila sa labas with other men.”
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John Arcilla is best known as a drama actor who has won best actor awards both here and abroad for acclaimed films like “Heneral Luna” and “On the Job, The Missing 8.” But now, he can add game show host to his credentials.
The actor-turned-game show host has reason to rejoice as his new show, “Spingo” on TV5, is undoubtedly making its mark as the newest game craze that ignites TV viewing across the country. It currently continues to give away fabulously big prizes to both studio contestants and home players every day.
“I never really thought I’d be hosting a fun game show like this personally, so I want to thank all the viewers who watch and support our show everyday,” says John. “This really opened new doors for me at parang nagkaroon ako ng bagong career. Kasi dati, kilala lang ako for portraying villain roles, lalo kay Coco Martin. But now, very encouraging ang feedback ng audience sa social media sa my kind of hosting. Napakainit ang pagtanggap sa ‘Spingo’ ng viewing public at mas dumarami pa ang nanonood araw-araw, kaya naman mas ginaganahan kami to give away much bigger prizes in the show.”
To date, “Spingo” has given away over P3 million since the show premiered last month.
More studio players are also becoming big winners, including Alex Calleja who took home P910,000, Tuesday Vargas with P411,000, cosplayer Resty Siarez with P852,000, and E-gamer Trisha with P510,000.
“Spingo’s” edge is its interactive feature that allows home viewers to win by playing the game on the app while watching the show.
Five home players have already hit the blackout jackpot and took part in the grand prize of P100,000 per day, including Richard Mabua Rafols of Manila and Ma. Reyna Ocampo of Marikina who recently came to the TV5 studio to meet the hosts.
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Fil-Am writer-director Gerard Pizarro is making a TV series titled “Mt. Samat” to be shot in Bataan. He started as a lawyer specializing in civil and business litigation in San Francisco, California. He also did research and development for government agencies after 9-11.
But he also wants to tell his own stories and make movies, so he then turned to filmmaking and took up film at the San Francisco Film School, USC School of Cinematic Arts and American Conservatory Theatre. He then directed the movie “Blood on Canvas,” a legal thriller that won awards in the Michigan Film Awards, Honolulu Film Festival, Golden Ace Awards and Las Vegas Festival.
This is based on a true story he himself experienced as a practicing lawyer. “It’s about a young Filipina painter shot in the head but survived the shooting,” he says. “I visited her in the hospital. She was with her boyfriend when it happened. He claims she tried to kill herself, but I smelled something fishy going on, so I became her civil lawyer and we filed a case for her to get justice. You can now watch it on youtube and Google.”
Gerard will reveal the details of “Mt. Samat,” his latest project in the forthcoming American Film Market in Santa Monica, California on October 31. The TV series is based on the life story of his own father, Tony Pizarro, which came out as a biographical novel titled “The Man Behind the Uniform” in 2021.
His dad was born in 1940 in Orion, Bataan, then WWII broke out. The series will start in 1941 when the Japanese invaded the Philippines and will be a family saga showing his dad’s own experiences in Bataan, his move to America in 1959, trying to fit in and find his own place in the sun as an Asian in America, and raising his own family there. It’s an inspirational success story.
Gerard was born in the USA in 1966 and has visited Bataan a lot of times. He was impressed by the Mt. Samat Memorial Cross Shrine or Dambana ng Kagitingan that showcases Philippine heroism in World War II and this will be reflected in the series.
