Surrounded by comedians, the actress holds her own and proves that she is a versatile actress who can do drama and comedy with equal aplomb.
MAJA Salvador stars in a new comedy show about showbusiness, “Oh My Korona.” She plays Lavinia, nicknamed Lablab, whose dream is to go abroad but she inherits a boarding house called the Korona Residences populated by people who dream to hit it big in showbiz.
“Oh My Korona” is a project for TV5 of Maja’s own Crown Artists Management with her boyfriend Rambo Nuñez who says the idea for the show was hatched during the pandemic to entertain people during these challenging times we’re living in.
Supporting Maja in “Oh My Korona” are Joey Marquez as Louie, the manager of the Sunrise Talent Agency who wants to recruit Maja and RK Bagatsing as King Bautista, Joey’s godson and assistant who becomes Maja’s love interest.
Playing the five boarders who all dream of hitting it big are Kakai Bautista as Marga, the has been actress who still feels like a diva; Pooh as Gerry, who aspires to be a stuntman; Thou Reyes as Kobe, a former child star and wannabe rapper; Christine Samson as Layla, the sexy spaghetti vlogger; and Jai Agpangan as Betchay, the retoke girl who’s addicted to cosmetic enhancements.
“My co-stars here are all good comedians and I would like to thank them for helping me in my first attempt at comedy, lalo si Tsong Joey Marquez na comic veteran na talaga,” says Maja.
This may be Maja’s first sitcom but she displays excellent comic timing in the show’s first episode and she really stands out in her hilarious comic scenes.
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Carmina Villaroel is so fortunate that GMA-7 is always giving her a new project right and she’s never idle for a long time. Of course, she has her all year round show every Saturday morning with her family, “Sarap, Di Ba?”
Lately, she’s been doing one soap after another. Right after the afternoon soap “Babawiin Ko ang Lahat, she did two shows in quick succession. She did the domestic drama “The End of Us” with husband Zoren Legaspi in early 2022, and this was quickly followed by the primetime show “Widow’s Web.”
It has just ended a couple of months ago but Carmina is now taping a new afternoon drama series, “Abot Kamay ang Pangarap.” “Hindi naman katakataka kasi nagre-rate ang dramas starring Carmina,” says an insider. “She acts well, very professional, madaling katrabaho and never nagbigay ng sakit ng ulo sa taping.”
Carmina is paired with new leading men in “Abot Kamay ang Pangarap”: Richard Yap and Dominic Ochoa. Carmina will play Lynette and Richard and Dominic will be rivals over her affection. The supporting cast includes Jillian Ward as Carmina’s daughter, Pinky Amador, Wilma Doesnt, and the erstwhile king of reality shows, comedian Ariel Villasanta who’s now doing a drama series.
“I’m very grateful to GMA for giving sunod-sunod na good projects,” Carmina says. “I feel so energized kasi mga bago ang mga makakasama ko and I really enjoy working with Richard, Dominic and Jillian, so abangan nyo ang bagong show namin.”
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Arron Villaflor celebrated his birthday on July 5 and his best gift is when Viva got him to sign up a contract with them. He was discovered in the Star Circle Quest when he was a teenager in 2004 and did a lot of soaps where he played mostly supporting roles. What made him move to Viva?
“When the pandemic came, I didn’t work for two years,” he says. “Buti nga dumating ang offer ng Viva to do the series ‘Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin.’ A new door opened for me and I’m happy and excited to be working with Viva. Now, they’re offered to manage me sa Viva Artist Agency and they’re very collaborative about their plans for me.”
What is his role in “Wag Mong Agawin”? “I’m the son of a rich businessman. Tapos I have a relationship with Angeli Khang na empleyado namin then with Jamilla Obispo na kabit ng father ko, without knowing mag-ina pala sila. I have bed scenes with both of them.”
So how is it working with Angeli and Jamilla? “First time ko to work with them. Si Angeli, napakabait. Magaan katrabaho. Si Jamilla naman, kilala ko noon sa ABS, but first time din namin to work. Sa love scenes, I always ask them muna kunsaan sila comfortable at kunsaan sila naiilang. It’s a good thing both Jam and Angeli are both very professional.”
Has he seen Vivamax movies and is he ready to do what the other actors there are doing?
“Yes, I’ve seen them and yes, kinakabahan ako kasi bagong mundo ito, but basta kailangan ng story, kung kailangang nakahubad, I’m ready to do it. Basta huwag lang frontal, hindi ko kaya. And also, no Boys Love stories kasi I won’t be comfortable doing them.”
