LOTLOT de Leon is now managed by Leo Dominguez, so she currently has the same manager as her eldest daughter, Janine Gutierrez.
Balot, as she is fondly called in the industry, is now one of the country’s most reliable character actresses, She won an international best supporting actress award from the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival as the mom of a problematic college student in the indie film, “First Sem,” and she also won Metro Manila Film Festival best supporting actress for the horror flick, “Kubot: Aswang Chronciles.”
She’s now busy doing a new movie, “On the Job 2” with Erik Matti (who also directed her in “Kubot”) where she plays a crusading journalist. And she’s also in two new mini-series. One is an international project, “Almost Paradise,” shot in Cebu, with Dean Devlin as executive producer.
“It’s about an American law enforcement agent in the Philippines with ten episodes and I appear in episode 6. Nag-audition ako and sobrang kaba ko kasi it’s the very first time that I auditioned for anything. I shot for them for five days.”
The other show is for iWant, “The Beauty Queens,” where she gets to play the role of a lesbian for the first time. “The script is beautiful, so I agreed to do it. Ako ang lover ni Miss Gloria Diaz, who plays a former Miss Universe, which she is in real life. She used to be married to a man and they had two daughters, Maxine Medina and Winwyn Marquez and one son, Ross Pesigan, na puro naging beauty queen din kasi nanalo sa gay beauty pageant ang only son niya.”
Invited at Lotlot’s press con was Lolit Solis, with whom her daughter Janine had a brush after Janine reacted to the news that Sen. Bong Revilla (one of Lolit’s wards) is back into acting with an: “Oh God.”
Lolit lambasted Janine but Janine chose to keep quiet. It was Lotlot who made a reply defending her daughter without mentioning Lolit at all, but Lolit quickly backed off, saying she understands Lotlot’s situation as mom.
At Lotlot’s contract signing, all’s well that ends well for her and Lolit. They quickly buried the hatchet, but not in each other’s back. Lolit even heartily ate a lot of the paella served for lunch and also brought home a whole kettle of left over paella. What did she tell Janine when it happened? “Wala. I cannot dictate on her not to give her own opinion. She’s a grown woman and in this day and age of social media, everyone is entitled to express himself. Lahat naman ng mga anak ko, sinabihan kong before you say anything, pag-isipan nyo munang mabuti. And my daughter, matalino naman at mabait pa, so she knows to express herself on her own.”
It’s an open book that she and her adoptive mom, Nora Aunor, are currently not in the best of terms. How does Lotlot feel when her mom tells some people she is closer to Matet?
“Okay lang naman. Basta alam ko, mahal pa rin niya ako.”
When the last time she saw her mom?
“Actually, I can’t remember. Matagal na.”
We tell her she must attend the press con of Nora’s new show on GMA-7, “Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit.”
“Para magkita na kayo,” we add.
***
Kris Aquino was palpably emotional when she posted a message for her mom in her social media account. It was the late President Cory Aquino’s birthday last Saturday (also Chinese New Year) and Kris wrote an open letter addressed to her, pouring into it all the pains and heartaches she experienced in the past year.
“Happy Birthday, Mom. You would be so proud of Kuya Josh & Bimby. Kuya got your generosity & kindhearted ways, and Bimb got your levelheadedness & mature sense of responsibility.
“The year that went by, I know I stressed you much more than a person in heaven deserves and I’m so sorry.
“When it was one crisis after another & I felt so lost, I realized how much you took on.
You’d set everything aside for us, your children, because that’s just how you were, when life was being harsh or cruel, or whenever I lost my way, you’d be there to help me set things right & get back on my feet.”
Kris also talked about the health issues she experienced last year, with her visiting doctors at regular frequency, but she’s confident her mom continues to intercede for her good health and well being. Meantime, there are talks that Kris, who was absent on the big and small screens last year, will certainly be back this year with a regular show.
“Basta gugulatin na lang niya kayo,” someone close to her says. “Inaayos na.”
Well, we’re sure her loyal fans are eagerly waiting for her much touted comeback. But wonder how Kris feels now that her ex-husband, cager James Yap, is reportedly also separated from his Italian live-in partner, Michela Cazzola?
We heard that they have yet to officially announce or admit their estrangement in public, but the couple have already mutually agreed to do co-parenting for their two children. No need for divorce or annulment since they were never officially married.
***
Jinggoy Estrada looks like he lost a lot of weight at the press con of his comeback movie, “Coming Home,” held recently at Discovery Suites.
“Nagpapayat talaga ako bago humarap uli sa kamera,” he says. “Nag-diet ako and lost 10 pounds in one month. My last movie was ‘Ang Tatay Kong Sexy’ with Maja Salvador in 2016. It’s a comedy, this time, drama naman itong gagawin namin about a dysfunctional family. It is full of good values about love, forgiveness and acceptance. I play Benedicto Librada, an OFW sa Qatar married to Sylvia Sanchez and we have six kids. Habang nakatira ako sa ibang bansa, natukso ako and I will have a mistress named Mercy, played by Ariella Arida. I’m happy to be back sa first love ko, ang pag-aartista.”
The movie is produced by his own Maverick Films in cooperation with ALV Films of Arnold Vegafria, written by Gina Marissa Tagasa and directed by Adolf Alix Jr., with some scenes to be shot on location in Qatar. Playing his children in the movie are Edgar Allan Guzman, Martin del Rosario, Shaira Diaz, Vin Abrenica, his own son Julian Estrada and his half-brother Jake Ejercito in his first movie role.
***
Migo Adecer is so fortunate that right after “Sahaya,” GMA-7 now has given him a new show right away, “Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday.”
Migo plays the lucky role of Cocoy, the charming city guy who comes between sisters Barbie Forteza as Ginalyn and Kate Valdez as Caitlyn.
He quickly had a follow-up project when his co-stars in “Sahaya,” Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali, do not have a new assignment yet with GMA. It seems he and Klea Pineda, winners of the sixth season of “Starstruck,” are both just hitting their stride now. But last year was not really good for him after he got arrested to a minor traffic accident, right?
“Yes, it was bad, but I guess it’s an experience that I have to go through kasi I learned a lot from it. Grabe ang journey ko to maturity and adulthood, but it prepared me for a lot of things. …”
