SARAH Geronimo and boyfriend Matteo Guidicelli are currently in Bali, a favorite tourist destination in Indonesia, to celebrate their sixth anniversary as sweethearts.
They’re just all by themselves, which means Sarah’s mom no longer chaperones her and they’re now allowed to go out of the country on their own.
Their fans are now hoping they would walk down the aisle soon, but both Sarah and Matteo have said they’re not in a hurry to settle down yet and build their own family. Sarah is just taking a short break from the shooting of her new movie which already has a playdate this coming October. We’re told it just needs two more days of shooting and it’s finished.
This is “Unforgettable,” the story idea of which came from Sarah herself and she specified she doesn’t want to have any leading man in it. She plays an autistic girl who has a dog as her best friend, so this is like those past hit movies about the unique relationship of a human being with a dog, like “A Dog’s Purpose,” “Marley and Me,” “A Dog’s Way Home,” “A Dog’s Journey,” etc.
Sarah travels with her dog to Baguio to visit her ailing grandmother, played by Gina Pareño. She believes that when her lola sees the dog, she will regain her good health as it has happened to her before. But Sarah takes the wrong bus and ends up in Ilocos, so she walks her way back to Baguio.
Along the way, she meets Regine Velasquez and many other guest stars. Also in the cast are Ara Mina and Meg Imperial as Sarah’s older sisters who are looking for her. This is written and directed by Jun Lana, who’s now scoring a big hit in the rollicking comedy, “The Panti Sisters,” the top grosser in the current Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. It’s really doing well at the box office and we heard it earned P13 million on opening day.
***
JM de Guzman is back on primetime in “Pamilya Ko.”
The actor wants to thank ABS-CBN for giving him another chance to return to something he loves, which is acting, because he is back on primtime .
“I’m really grateful that they gave me another opportunity to be part of the industry,” he says. “I play a very good role in ‘Pamilya Ko’ as Chico, the eldest of eight kids, but I am so unhappy because my mother is distant to me.”
And why is this so?
“May nangyari kasi noong bata pa ako sa isa naming kapatid, for which she blames me, kaya pinalaki ako ng lola’t lolo ko, sina Perla Bautista and Noel Trinidad. Kahit anong gawin ko para mapalapit uli sa kanya, my mother resists me kaya naiinggit ako sa younger brothers and sisters ko na nakikita kong mas mahal niya.”
He was linked to Barbie Imperial in his previous soap. Now, he’s being linked to Ria Atayde, who happens to be the daughter of Sylvia Sanchez in real life. “Good friends lang kami ni Ria,” he says.
“At this point, I’m not really ready to get into another relationship. Ngayon pa lang uli ako nakakabangon after what happened to me so sa work na lang ako naka-focus muna. Baka magtampo si Lord kasi binigyan niya ako ng another opportunity tapos sasayangin ko lang by being in love again. So, sa trabaho muna po ang concentration ko.”
***
Kim Molina is being launched by Viva Entertainment to full stardom in the comedy “Jowable.” But who is she? Her full name is Kimverlie Soriano Molina and she grew up in Saudi Arabia where her dad works as a dentist. She started as a front act singer to local artists who do shows in the Middle East. When she was 14, she won ABS-CBN TFC’s singing contest in the Middle East.
She then came to Manila to try her luck in local showbiz and first ventured into theater, doing musicals like “Tarzan,” “Carrie,” “Ghost,” “Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady” and “Rak of Aegis,” which was a big hit with her playing the lead role opposite Jerald Napoles, who became her boyfriend. They’ve been together for five years now.
She then branched out to TV, appearing in supporting roles in various ABS-CBN soaps. On the big screen, she did “Walang Forever,” “Camp Sawi,” “Dalawang Mrs. Reyes,” “Pambansang 3rd Wheel,” “Miss Granny” and won the Awit Award best female artist trophy for her debut single, “Naluluha Ako.” Viva feels she’s now ripe for stardom in “Jowable” playing the role of Elsa, a woman who is NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth). Did she ever expect to star in her own movie when she was in Saudi?
“Naku, hindi po. Lumaki ako watching TFC shows at ang gaganda ng leading ladies nila. Alam ko namang malayo ako roon. I came here to be a singer, pero dito po sa acting ako dinala ni Lord. I’m really overwhelmed and thankful sa break na binigay sa’kin ng Viva. Ako rin ang kumanta ng title theme song na ‘Jowable’ whose music video is now nearing 100,000 hits.”
“Jowable” is a movie that banks on irreverent humor and opens on September 25. Her leading man is Jerald. What does she find endearing in him?
“It started with good conversations. He’s very smart and one of the few people I can talk with hanggang mag-umaga na. He’s one of the most intelligent comedians in the country now,” shared Kim.
***
Darryl Yap is the 31-year old writer-director of “Jowable,” produced by Viva and the Facebook page VincenTiments.
Yap started with his own theater group in Olongapo called Sa Wakas that has staged various productions, from one-act plays to a stage adaptation of “Himala.”
He then shifted into short films and won award for “Squatterina,” “Oyayi,” “Bago Ako Lumipad,” “KPL,” “Mga Bagay na Hindi na Dapat Pag-usapan.” He has a degree in Mass Communication from Centro Escolar University and in public administration from Nanyang University Singapore.
He started “Jowable” as a short film about a woman begging the Lord to give her a boyfriend or jowa while drinking beer inside the church. He uploaded “Jowable” on FB’s VinCentiments page at 2 a.m. and by 7 a.m., it already got 1 million views. It had two sequels that proved to be hits also so he turned it into a full-length novel, which also was an instant hit.
Did he really cast Kim as the lead character in “Jowable”?
“Actually, when Viva told me they’re giving her a break, naisip ko, I’m launching her but she’s also launching me kasi first full-length film ko ito and first lead role naman niya. When we started shooting, that’s when I realized we hit the jackpot with her. She is sharp like an eagle and like a chameleon, ang galing niyang magpabago-bago ng emosyon from one scene to another,” said Daryl.