RICHARD Gutierrez moved to ABS-CBN and the first role he played was that of a vampire in the soap “Luna Sangre,” then he played a prince from another world in the comedy “Fantastica.” He’s so happy to now finally do a more realistic role in a straight drama, “Unbreakable”, where he plays the leading man of Bea Alonzo and Angelica Panganiban.
“I really missed doing dramatic films,” he says. “And I’m very thankful to Star Cinema for giving me the chance to be a part of a great project like ‘Unbreakable,’ kasi first time ko nakatrabaho rito sina Bea and Angelica and also our director, Mae Cruz Alviar. I’m truly proud to be part of this team.”
He’s also happy with the character he plays, Justin, the husband of Bea who later causes a rift between her and her best friend, Angelica.
“Justin is a very challenging role,” he says. “He’s quite complicated. Malayo siya sa totoong ako but I enjoyed it.”
Chard says he was shooting everyday that his eldest son, Zion, started complaining about not seeing him enough. “Usually kasi, magkatabi kami matulog, so hinahanap niya ko.
While I’m working, it’s good my dad, his lolo (Eddie Gutierrez), tinatabihan siya sa pagtulog kasi wala rin si Sarah (Lahbati) at nasa Europe. Sinabihan niya si Mommy (Annabelle Rama) na he wants to talk to our director about my absence.”
Richard says his wedding to Sarah will definitely take place on March 14, 2020. Why did they choose to have their wedding in March?
“Kasi March is a special month for us. We got engaged in March 2017 when I propose to her while we were in a snowy mountain in Switzerland. Kai, our second son, was also born in March. Then everything aligned. We were checking the dates, our availabilities and everything aligned for March so hayan, we’re getting married in March.”
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Roxanne Barcelo says this year has been a difficult one for her but it’s also full of blessings.
“Last June, while my parents were vacationing in the US, nadulas ang dad ko sa banyo, nabagok ang ulo, na-stroke, he never recovered and passed away in July,” she recounts.
“Mahirap ang pinagdaanan ng family namin noon. Malaki ang gastos but buti na lang, maraming tumulong. We miss my dad so much up to now. Soon after that, dumating naman itong offer na movie, ‘Love is Love,’ where I play the lead role. Bale naka-three movies ako this year, along with ‘The Panti Sisters’ and ‘The Art of Ligaw.’ Being busy helped me in coping with my grief over the tragic loss of my dad.”
She played KZ Tandingan’s lesbian boss in “Art of Ligaw.” Now, in “Love is Love”, she plays an even more controversial role. “I play Winona, who has long been based in Japan. Fiance ko roon si Neil Coleta as Wacko. Nang umuwi ako ng Pilipinas, pinasalubong niya ako sa airport at ibinilin sa best friend niya, si JC de Vera as Anton. Habang magkasama kami, little by little, Anton falls in love with me. But then, he discovers something in me and so he questions himself about it.”
Aside from the love story of Roxanne and JC, the film features the love affairs of other couples. Rufa Mae Quinto plays Roxanne’s best friend who has been deceived by so many men she now decides to experiment and have an affair with a “paminta” or straight-acting gay, played by Marco Alcaraz. Another important character is Greta, the gay owner of a resort who acts as an adviser for many of the characters. Greta is played by Raymond Bagatsing with so much flair and he has a longtime lover in the movie, played by Jay Manalo, who admitted in the presscon that he has really had affairs with gays before.
The trailer of “Love is Love” shows JC de Vera asking his dad, Johnny Revilla: “Dad, kapag ang lalaki ba, pumatol sa bakla, bakla na rin siya?” This is because he found out that Roxanne in the movie is formerly a gay man who had a transsexual operation. The ultimate message of “Love is Love” is that love knows no gender.
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Ai Ai De Las Alas is a judge in “The Clash” and among those who were eliminated is Tombi Romulo, an admitted tomboy. When Ai Ai had a presscon for the fifth renewal of her contract with Marikina Food Corporation, makers of Hobe Pancit Canton, Palabok, Special Bihon and Hobe Express Instant Bihon, Tombi was there and sang two songs for the press. Ai Ai declared she’ll help Tombi in her singing career. We thought she no longer wants to manage anyone after her bad experience with Ex Battalion.
“Alam nyo naman ako, wala akong kadala-dala,” she says. “After Ex Battalion, heto, si Ex B naman ang i-ma-manage ko. Ex B for Ex Babae, dating babae. I believe kasi in her talent sa pagkanta. Basta sana, maganda ang attitude niya at wag siyang magluluka-lukahan.”
It’s good the big boss of Hobe Noodles, Bob Co, is good enough to give Tombi a chance for exposure in their presscon. He says their company is very satisfied as the sales of their product really went up after they got Ai Ai as endorser.
“Matagal na ang Hobe, which means good taste, but when we got her, mas tumaas talaga ang sales namin,” he says. “She’s the ideal and perfect endorser for our brand as she is a caring wife and mother herself, kaya fifth time na niya to renew her contract with us.”
About her plan to get pregnant again, this is put on hold. “For health reasons. Kasi lahat ng kinakain ko ngayon puro organic. My doctor says na kapag nagbuntis ako, I will have to take synthetic medicines at baka hindi mag-agree sa katawan ko ngayon so the baby might suffer. So wag na lang daw at kawawa naman ‘yung baby.”
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Janella Salvador has obviously moved on from her traumatic experience with her last relationship. After all, she has a hit TV soap, “Killer Bride,” and her new movie, “The Heiress,” where she plays the title role, is now showing in theaters. It’s said Markus Paterson is making her happy and smile a lot these days.
“Yes, I admit na napapasaya naman niya ako,” she says. “But at this point, I just don’t want to share a lot about him. When you see us going out together, basta alam nyo na ‘yun. Before, I was very open and it didn’t do me any good, so I’m just more careful this time.”
Well, it’s obvious something serious is going on between them as Markus has already introduced her to his family and she was there at his mom’s birthday celebration.
“Na-meet na rin naman niya ang mom ko (Janine Desiderio) and dad ko (Juan Miguel Salvador), so okay lang, no problem at all,” she reveals. “Noong last birthday ng dad ko, he was also there to celebrate with us.”
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Martin del Rosario turned 27 last Monday and he celebrated his birthday on the set of “The Gift” with all his co-stars and the crew. He plays the villainous Jared and he’s glad viewers hate his guts in “The Gift,” calling his character as pure evil.
“For me, it just means effective ako sa ginagawa ko as a contravida kay Alden Richards in the show kaya okay lang kahit magalit sila,” he says. “Sa social media, minumura nila talaga ako. But it’s fine with me na magalit sila, pero sa role ko lang at hindi sa akin mismo, ha. Mabait naman po ako sa totoong buhay, promise.”
