The Best and Worst Dressed at the Star Magic Ball 2014

It's again that time of the year when even ordinary people, like me, get to have their say about glam and fashion, thanks to the yearly star-studded ball of Star Magic/ABS-CBN. There were some artists, which fashion sense, leveled up, but there were more misses this year than last year.

First, let me take this off my chest.

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Woooowww... I can't get over this picture. Hands down, KimXi or the Kim Chiu and Xian Lim loveteam, watta fab pair.

They did not win, of course. This is the winning couple of the Fabulous Pair award - Piolo Pascual and Iza Calzado.

Instagram: Starmagicphils

Papa P, please get a haircut, like how you looked in your film with Toni G. I'm not sure about Iza's gown, it's not really something that is wishing for an award, but this may be part of the promo of their on-going series, Hawak Kamay.

The Couple of the Night, for me, if it is still going to be based on how they dressed, is real life partners, Jericho Rosales and Kim Jones.

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Jericho and Kim looked very regal. Real life sweethearts, Angelica Panganiban and John Lloyd Cruz won the award for being the Couple of the Night. To be fair, Angelica's make-up suits her and oh well, John Lloyd is a stunner no matter what he is wearing.

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The winners of the best dressed, according to Star Magic, are Paolo Avelino and Julia Barretto.

Instagram: Starmagicphils

I am not sure how to pick the best dressed for men since they all look the same haha! The difference only lies on how they carry themselves and there are instances when some men opt to really stand out from the rest, like Enchong Dee's unforgettable German Moreno inspired get-up last year and Daniel Padilla's red overall in an event with a black and white theme this year.

For the men, I'd go for Jericho Rosales, Xian Lim and Richard Gomez for the best dressed category.

CTO (cropped)

The best dressed among the ladies, for me, are Dawn Zulueta, Gretchen Barretto and Kim Chiu.

credits to Rappler (cropped)

If only there is an award for the sweetheart of the night, or the best dressed among teens, it rightly belongs to Janella Salvador. She looks every bit of a teenager, from her clothes, accessories, to her hair and make-up.

CTO (cropped)

Let's go to the worst dressed.

CTO

Come on, Bangs Garcia, you can do better than that. And why not bring Phil Younghusband at the next ball? You never know, but a gorgeous beau might change the appeal of your ensemble.

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The gown of Alex Gonzaga, for me, is too simple, for this big and glamorous event.

Hands down for the number 1 worst dressed at the 8th Star Magic Ball - it's Kristel Moreno.

The gown looks cheap and it is either she doesn't really look fit or there is a mistake with the camera angle. At least, many people would now wonder who you are, since I don't think she is that visible on TV, but sighs, all for the wrong reasons. Better luck next year =)

It Takes a Man and a Woman - It Should Have Ended with a Real Kiss

I just watched the third installment to the Miggy and Laida love story, It Takes a Man and a Woman, and I must say that my money was well-spent, just like with the first two parts of the film. It has been quite a while since I enjoyed a local rom-com film and as I expected, there was never a dull moment with this film. John Lloyd Cruz looked quite handsome and more macho than the other ABS-CBN leading men with defined abs, simply because he already has captured the hearts of his market, despite the negative publicity that continues to hound his career.

It was Sarah Geronimo who surprised me because she was able to act out her dramatic scenes in the film in a very effective manner. This will prove her detractors that given the right project and director, she can do so much more beyond being pa-tweetums.

What I did not like about the film:

• Isabelle Daza’s performance, especially during her breakdown scene when John Lloyd broke up with her. Her approach to her role was like “napadaan lang”. She’s very pretty though. She needs to learn how to come up with different expressions on her pretty face.

• There were a lot of scenes that could have been more meaningful had John Lloyd kissed Sarah on her lips for real. For one, on the elevator, after Laida has tendered her resignation, the proposal scene and, of course, the wedding scene. For the love of the character of Laida and to make the story more genuine and felt, Mommy Divine should have allowed Sarah to let the viewers see how much Laida loves Miggy with one meaningful kiss on their wedding.

• Sarah’s hair. There were lots of stylists who do better wigs that look more real.

• Laida’s dialogues during the wedding. Ang habaaaaaaaa…

What I liked most about the film:

• John Lloyd.

• The extended bloopers, of course.

• The proposal scene was something that only Cathy Garcia Molina could handle and deliver effectively.

• When Laida was walking down the aisle on their wedding and Miggy was narrating how this girl came into his life when he needed her the most.

It is only expected that this film is going to be a blockbuster. My most favorite though remains to be the first part of the Miggy and Laida love story, A Very Special Love. It had more humor and maybe I can totally relate to the Laida Version 1 more than the Version 2.0.

In Line with the Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador Rift over Gerald Anderson - Is It Okay to Date Your Best Friend's Ex?

In line with the latest happenings in the local showbiz scene, an interesting topic is now the talk-of-the-town at schools, in the offices, segments at shows like Umagang Kay Ganda, social networking sites and so many more.

Is it okay to date the ex of your best friend? 

When the news about the Kim Chiu-Maja Salvador rift broke out, I can totally relate with Kim. No one needs to ask, I just thought that I don’t think that any girl would want to be in the position of Kim. It may be okay if the Maja in the story is a mere acquaintance or a classmate or a former colleague, but if this was done by the person whom you consider the best among your friends, it can really get confusing and unfathomable on how could they do this to you.

I have read some articles, which commented that this only happened because Kim still has feelings for Gerald. Most of these articles were written by gays. I still have to see a woman write that this scenario is okay or a straight man. This draws me into the conclusion that for gays, they would be fine with it. Is it?

The scenario here is this. Gerald was Kim’s first love. She has suffered lots of heartaches, and even Gerald admitted that he has hurt Kim’s feelings over and over again. Kim used to be meek. She even defended this guy amid the Pauleen Luna issue even when Pauleen herself was posting pictures of Gerald and her together, along with the same friends (cohorts) whom he would always be seen whenever Gerald would have controversial pictures out with different girls, both from showbiz and out of the industry.

Kim was able to keep her silence. To get past the broken-hearted stage, she turned to Maja and told her everything about this person who has given her biggest heart break. As a best friend, you would think that Maja would always keep a safe distance from Gerald for hurting her best friend (the best friend who has showered her with material gifts and helped her to be noticed in the business where Maja has been stuck as a starlet for a long time).

Maja may be a friendly person and she extended the attitude towards Gerald, the one person who made her best friend feel like a trash at one point in her life. I don’t know what’s the real score between them. With Gerald’s history and reputation, he would not tell the truth even if he is already caught red-handed. He was seen with Pauleen at the time that he was still in a relationship with Kim.

Gerald said. Not true. He doesn't even know the girl

He was seen going out with Bea Alonzo, while his relationship with Kim was said to be on the rocks.

Gerald said. Not true. Bea was only his crush. (Yeah, I know, he was forced to admit the truth after Bea turned her back on him for not having enough balls to defend her against the detractors that were throwing the stones at the wrong person.)

He was seen being intimate with a non-showbiz girl while he was professing on screen his admiration for Sarah Geronimo.

CTO: Google and all original owners of the pictures above 

Gerald said. She was just a fan.

I already saw the teaser for tomorrow's The Buzz episode (January 13), so I'll add it here. Regarding Maja...

Gerald said. I would love to (court her) if she will give me the chance.

Court talaga? Based on the pictures and recent twits of sighting of these two, parang di na kailangan ng ligawan e =)

All these images can be found in Google. And I did not search for anything that relates to Gerald being linked with gay benefactors. I am not sure that I am ready with what I’ll find and a part of me still believes that he would not do that. Don’t tell me Maja was not aware of these brouhahas because all you need is to type Gerald’s name and name of the person whom you think he is dating or used to date, on Google, and you will see trails of this playboy’s favorite game – girls.

In my opinion, if Maja was a real friend of Kim, she would not dare date or even think of getting close to Gerald.

If the Gerald in the story was part of a girl-boy romance that ended because they realized that they did not click, but parted as friends and the girl still regards the boy highly, then I don’t see anything wrong if the best friend would later on enter the scene. The former girlfriend would even try pairing up the two if she believes that they are more right for each other.

Well, as we all know and also Mr. Google, the Kim-Gerald romance did not end the typical way. One was left badly hurting, while the other just went on doing what he does best – girl hunting.

To make the story more complicated, Maja was a good friend of Sarah as well. They may not be the best of friends, but they would always have good words towards one another and Maja even showed her support by watching Sarah’s shows.

If this happened to commoners like me, I would even be fiercer than Kim. After asking Maja to help me get through my trust issues, she would be the last person I’d think of who will break that trust. If I were Kim, I would not plead to the bashers to stop hating on the two. I will cheer them on. Haha!

On the part of Gerald, knowing that her ex girlfriend is the best friend of his current eye candy, he would have the decency not to make the latter fall for him, if he was sincere in saying that he was sorry for hurting Kim in the past. Well, I guess that decency is not part of Gerald's vocabulary.

I have read somewhere that Sam Milby asked John Pratts’ permission before he started dating or asked Shaina Magdayao out. The case here is that Shaina gave John a bad heartbreak for dumping him to be with John Lloyd Cruz. It is just that John also has the image of being a playboy, so I guess, he would not really mind this development.

Oh well, papel, is it really okay to date your best friend’s ex?

See related articles here:

Kim Chiu on Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson - And So the Story Goes

Fiercer Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, Lovebirds Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson, and Other Local Tsismis

Expecting a Pinkish White Glow Results for 24 7 In Love

I ought to write something about having a pinkish white glow skin, but first off, I want to share my thoughts about 24/7 In Love and Suddenly It’s Magic, which seem to be trekking the same path. Here it goes…

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I am wondering whether or not the latest offering from Star Cinema, which was co-produced by Star Magic, 24/7 In Love, was a hit or tragic like the last film that aired before its run – Suddenly It’s Magic.

Before I start ranting about my reasons why I won’t watch 24/7 In Love and why I am writing this instead of a piece about having a pinkish white glow skin, this is my take why Suddenly It’s Magic turned tragic. Oh boy, the movie poster was a disaster. It is as if they have spent all their resources on the leading man’s talent fee, whom most Pinoys know as the guy in the Thai movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, than his real or screen name. He may be cute and charming. The movie could have done better if it was given a leading lady with a solid following, like Kim Chiu or Sarah Geronimo.

Instead of choosing a leading lady (who has a pinkish white glow – maisingit lang) who looks good with just about anyone paired to them, they have tapped someone who looks better in grim roles, like Aswang, than in any stories that are light and aimed to make people feel in love and kilig. Some of Erich Gonzales fans, at the time of the movie’s promo, would argue that she was the first choice, so opinion-givers can no longer do anything about it. Now it was proven that we can do something and that is to decide not to watch this flop film. I know what they will say now – that the movie is still being shown in other countries or that Star Cinema already regained its money because it has sold the movie rights to its Thailand counterpart, and so on. Whatever they say, nothing can change the latest figures that this movie has created at BOM – it flopped and the magic really turned tragic.

Now on to 24/7 In Love – I have a feeling that this is headed the tragic route as well. It features the biggest artists of Star Magic, such as John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo and Piolo Pascual. It has the hottest loveteam that caters to teens and pre-teens, KathNiel and it was promoted as the comeback film of KathNiel predecessor, KimErald.

Its selling point, aside from the artists, was the compilation of seven love stories in one film. The downside to this is that, based on the teasers and trailers, all these stories are sort of “gasgas.” I no longer need to pay for it just to prove that I won’t enjoy the film. Oh well, I really won’t enjoy it because I am craving for Kim Chiu’s other loveteam, which is KimXi (Kim Chiu and Xian Lim), than the one that was featured in this movie. Of all the artists and their fan bases, I think that only the fans of KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) would seriously plan on checking this out, simply because most of them are young, but I don’t think that this will be enough to turn this film into a hit.

This is only my hunch though, that this is going to flop and will show box office results that is only a little higher than Suddenly It’s Tragic, er Magic. I’ll be very surprised, but happy, if I turned out to be wrong. Piolo needs a hit movie and the story of Sam Milby and Pokwang seems cute, but it is still not enough for me to brave the cinemas and watch Kim with Gerald Anderson, haha! Bitter! I know, right?

The good thing about this movie though is it’s movie poster. It was far beyond my expectations after the Tragic’s poster, but the two layouts for the 24/7 In Love film looked awesome. Kudos to whoever made these.

Back to my pinkish white glow article, but hoping that the next movie from Star Cinema would be better than these two. Is it going to be the MMFF entry, Sisterakas? Oh good Lord, not again hehe!

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Edit: December 10, 2012

Based on the figures at BOM, the gross of 24/7 In Love did not turn out to be as bright and shimmering as the number of stars that were part of its cliche stories.

Angelica Panganiban Vents Out on Twitter

Some like it hot, but some like it not. For sure, there must be a pretty good reason why Angelica Panganiban had chosen to vent out on Twitter regarding the issues with Derek Ramsay and John Lloyd Cruz.

For sure, this doesn't stop here. As of this posting, Angel is still answering some questions that are thrown at her. I adore this girl and I like her with John Lloyd. I really hope she finds real happiness that will make her forget all the pains and scars from her past that she's obviously still trying to mend.

My Wild Guesses in the World of Local Celebrities and Sightings

These are only my hunches and “kutob” with the current issues that I keep on reading about certain celebrities and recent showbiz happenings.

** Break na si Cristine Reyes and Rayver Cruz. Cristine, oh dear, you better shape up or you will regret being such a prima donna when the glam is over, the beauty has faded and you have no one left but yourself.

** The new show of Ms. Sharon Cuneta on TV-5 will fail to succeed. The concept is old and now that the Megastar is part of a new station, many people, this blogger included, want to see reinvention.

** The Coco Martin-Angeline Quinto movie will flop, as well as the Coco-Judy Ann Santos and Coco-Marian Rivera. Coco may be cute and he is lucky to have TV shows that rated quite well on TV. But does he have enough fans that are willing to pay to see him on the big screen? I want to be proven wrong.

** It’s Showtime will be axed soon. From the time that Vice Ganda dropped Ogie Diaz as his manager, many people have realized that fame has indeed gone on his head. Most people watch Showtime just because of the fun that Vice is able to provide. The show is lame without him. But with negative intrigues thrown his way, how long could he keep his composure to make his audience laugh still?

** SIR or Showbiz Inside Report, the showbiz oriented talk show (na nagpapaka-investigative journalism) hosted by Carmina Villaroel, Janice de Belen, Joey Marquez and Ogie Diaz, will also be axed soon. Ogie Diaz may be an effective comedian, but he is no longer a credible showbiz talk show host. He doesn't do his research and say his opinions about anything based on popular beliefs. As for Carmina and Janice, they are good in hosting talk show of different variety, but with pending issues still hounding their showbiz careers, they are not fit to be seen on shows like this. Joey Marquez, well, this is not his forte. This is one boring show na nagpapaka-intelehente, but fails miserably.

** In the reunion movie of Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz with working title, The Mistress, si John Lloyd ang kabit and si Bea ang nangangaliwa. Star Cinema is very fond of twisting the twist, like what happened to My Amnesia Girl na si John Lloyd pala ang may amnesia. The theme, by the way, if it will really focus on infidelity, is still “gasgas” at this point, after the success of No Other Woman.

** Lorna Tolentino may have realized now that money is not everything in showbiz. You have to take care of your staying power, hence it is a wrong move that she moved to TV-5 and did various series that look cheap, when she has always been given great roles when she was still at ABS-CBN. Look at what happened to Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez now. Even Helen Gamboa is now more recognizable than the Megastar, whose career is also suffering like what is happening with LT and will soon happen to Derek Ramsey.

My Local Celebrity Pairing Bets for 2012

Obviously, I am a Kim Chiu-Whoever her partner is fan. It only goes that I favor Xian Lim at the moment because they haven’t done solo TV drama and movie yet. After Xian, I hope that Kim gets paired with someone who is older and more mature, like Piolo Pascual. I want to see the contrast and for a change, see a film that tackles age gap in relationships from a different light.

Xian will also look good when paired with older leading ladies, like Judy Ann Santos or Claudine Barretto, if the latter will decide to come back at ABS-CBN or if ABS-CBN would accept her still. If ever Sandara Park would do a movie with Star Cinema, I think that Xian will also create an on-screen stir as her partner.

As per Gerald Anderson, it is only now that I am realizing that it will be quite promising to see him on screen with Bea Alonzo, but I don’t think that this is the right time for this team-up. There are many fans who still haven’t moved on from the controversies that these two have created when they fell for each other at the wrong place and at the wrong time (sounds like a movie premise already). For the meantime, I hope that he gets paired with KC Concepcion. I think that the pairing has the ability to prove that KC is only waiting for the right material and right partner to prove her bankability.

Bea Alonzo, although she’s not visible on TV, is doing a film, but as months go by, it appears as if this film is doomed (hopefully not). I wonder how an artist feels every time they had to re-shoot scenes that they have already done just because their partner had chosen to pursue their Hollywood dream and the replacement had chosen to move to another network. They can break the curse by bringing John Lloyd Cruz in. He is Bea’s reliable partner and the pairing has a huge following.

This is not a new pairing, but the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla team-up should be given a movie while it is still hot. And oh please, don’t let Kathryn wear her hair with bangs, like how she looks at the soap, Princess and I. She’s more beautiful with how she looked during her Mara Clara days, but her beauty really shone when she played the young Gretchen in Magkaribal.

It is tricky to find the right pair for Julia Montes. I really thought that she would not be able to pull it off with Coco Martin, but she did, with flying colors. I think that she really is the next Bea Alonzo. For these women, great acting, plus good looks are enough even though they don’t have constant partners.

There are two big Kapamilya stars who badly need reinvention, Vice Ganda and Sarah Geronimo. Vice has already proven that he can create blockbuster movies even without the help of other big stars. I wonder how it would look if the idea of pairing Angel Locsin with the man version of Vice Ganda would push through. I don’t think so. A good gay film will do, but no more slapsticks comedy, please.

I want to see a different Sarah Geronimo. Sarah who is acting her age and is experiencing real life and love troubles of women in their mid 20s. Just for a change, I want to see her serious side, yung pang award. It does not matter who her leading man is. Her movies, for as long as these are of good taste and quality, will earn whether she has a big star or a newcomer as a partner.

What about the stars from the other network? I think that at the moment, while GMA-7 has not yet found the formula to develop “big” stars, big in the sense that the viewing public will pay to see them on the big screen and not be contented being part of the percentage of the TV ratings, GMA Films should go back to their old formula. They ought to bring back quality films to the mainstream market. They have specialized on the genre before, giving people the likes of Muro Ami, Deathrow, Jose Rizal and so on.

That’s it. Just sharing some musings while I am working on certain articles that are harder to finish than this kind =)

P.S.

I love the current ad (as of this writing) on my blog's upper banner, kilig!

The End of Piolo Pascual - KC Concepcion Fairy Tale

I am sure that everybody was glued on their TV sets yesterday when KC Concepcion finally aired her side of the story on her breakup with Piolo Pascual. The interview was okay, but it did not answer the most intriguing aspects that will satisfy Piolo’s gazillion detractors. This one is better than when John Lloyd Cruz faced Boy Abunda with ex-girlfriend, Shaina Magdayao, just to add more puzzles to their already very confusing story.

I Heart KC

KC Concepcion has a big heart. She’s into charities, sharing her talent, time, fame and fortune to various charitable institutions and advocacy. This is one girl who seems to almost have it all. This may also be the reason why as much as she is loved by many people, there are also many who do not like her.

She is a princess and a darling, but this does not translate to hit movies, albums or TV shows. She still needs to work on making people more endeared to her. She cannot please everybody and she’ll go crazy if she’d try, but there are some things that she ought to learn how to change and adjust into, so that her detractors would see the other side of KC.

How will she able to pull it off? I don’t know. These are the times that we, ordinary people, should be thankful that we are not KC Concepcion.

I Heart Piolo More

This issue is quite painful not only to these two, but to some people like me, who adore Piolo. This only opened not only doors, windows, but also the littlest holes for Piolo’s detractors to throw unnecessary punches his way.

It was a sad timing that Joey de Leon was a guest on The Buzz when the KC Tell-All aired. He did not waste any time to hint and mock about Piolo’s gender as he always does whenever he pleases on national TV. They say that Mr. de Leon is an intelligent person, but his subtle mockery on the issue that he is not even part of made him look like the opposite of intelligent. Where is his dignity after all?

The sad fact is that there are many Joey de Leon’s out there who are not involved in the issue, are not being asked about their opinions, but freely give theirs, just so to prove a point that they are right about Piolo’s sexual preference.

Yun naman yun. They all want him to tell that he’s gay. Joey, who even cried on national TV, after being accused of being a rapist, should know better that whatever the truth is behind this issue, Piolo has a family and a son to protect.

Piolo has given us, the viewing public, excellent performance in most of his endeavors. He has done something wrong to KC. Problema na nila yun. He keeps on doing his job to entertain and please people who want to watch him, so wala tayong problema dapat sa kanya.

What we need to know is that they have broken up. That’s it. They ought to talk about this, sila lang. And when they are ready, they can opt to share to the public what they think we deserve to know about.

The issue has already gotten out of hand. Please, refrain from interviewing Sharon, especially these days when her daughter is still very much affected with what happened. And I hope that Joey de Leon will stop giving his malicious opinions about the matter that he is not even part of.

I am pretty sure that Piolo will be barged with more hurtful questions when he comes back from his show with KC in Japan. I am quite sure as well that he will be man enough to know what to say and what to keep to himself, to protect his loved ones, including his hurting ex-girlfriend.

Why Babe I Love You Got the PG-13 Rating

I did not intend to watch Anne Curtis and Sam Milby's Babe I Love You, but I was able to catch it, no thanks to my super makulit niece who has this biggest crush on its male lead. My niece asked me why the movie was rated PG-13. I told her that there may be some scenes like extreme kissing parts or the two leads trying to conceive a baby (believe me, this is the simplest form of explanation that you can give a child instead of saying that the actors are making out).

I am not a fan of the two so I ended up fighting sleep all throughout the movie. The storytelling and editing are very flawless. It looked like the director followed a strict storyboard from the first up to the last shot. The story actually tried to veer away from the norm by making Anne's character flawed, but the overall appeal is old. The material has already been used many times before and this film offered nothing new.

The directing was bland. It was uber boring. There were no scenes and shots that will leave you breathless, nor there were lines that you will remember for the longest time. Its only saving grace is Anne's portrayal of her part. She was very convincing and she was really good. You will forget her glamorous side as you watch the film because she was really able to transform into her character.

Ok, the theme may be for adults, hence the PG-13 rating. My niece was asking me from the start when will I cover her eyes for scenes that she was not allowed to see. I told her Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson's Paano na Kaya had more kissing scenes than this one. Maybe it got the PG rating so that parents can translate to the kids what Sam was saying. 90% of his lines were in English.

I am not a fan of John Lloyd Cruz but I get excited whenever I see him onscreen because he always delivers according to the role. And unlike Sam, John Lloyd knows the language of most of his audience. It will take many years before Sam can achieve such status because I don't think he is exerting much effort to be good at it.

Overall, this film is not for those who aren't fans of Sam and Anne. It was okay, so-so and very forgettable.

Star Cinema's In My Life - Something to Watch Out For

Wow, John Lloyd Cruz is the man! That was what I thought after seeing the full trailer of "In My Life" yesterday. He was so into his character. He was so gay - aaaw! Now this is the kind of film that has the makings of succeeding in the tilts. It was so natural. There seems to be no pretensions.

Unlike "And I Love You So," "In My Life" focused on the story so after seeing the trailer, you will know if you are going to watch it or not. "And I Love You So" tried convincing people that it was a good film by bombarding us with so many "too good to be true" dialogues and lines which were said by the characters in the film. As a moviegoer, I wouldn't be convinced to see the film just because Bea or Connie or Sam said the most cheesy line I have ever heard my entire life. They got so engrossed in looking for these lines that they forgot to market the film in a way that it would be appreciated by many, just like how "In My Life" is currently doing.

I haven't seen Bea's film and I don't have any plans. It did not offer anything new. Even Bea appeared to be old with the kind of story. We've seen same acting from Bea in her past films. They should have given her something different, like what they have let John Lloyd tackle in his new film.

But I may be wrong, maybe it clicked like what is being announced on ABS CBN shows lately. And even if it flopped, people would only attribute that to the fact that the movie wasn't shown on SM cinemas.

Another thing that makes "In My Life" a stand-out as compared with "And I Love You So" was the right pairing of John Lloyd and Ms. Vilma Santos. They owned the screen and the film that even if sometimes I get distracted by Luis Manzano's amateurish attack on his role, especially when he was crying to his mom (ampanget nya umiyak hehe!), I forget about him immediately after seeing scenes with both John Lloyd and Vilma.

The only thing that must be resolved right now is the conflict between SM and Star Cinema. They should act on it fast because they will both lose big time if "In My Life" will suffer from the same fate as "And I Love You So."

And I Love You So - Another Flop in the Making?

All those who think that the upcoming Star Cinema flick, And I Love You So, will become a hit, please raise your hands. This film is very important to Bea Alonzo's career. The first time she has tried to veer away with her team-up with John Lloyd, via Dream Boy with Piolo Pascual, it was a flop. This can be attributed to the fact that even they were big TV and film stars at the time, they did not have the magic and chemistry when paired up.

The other half of Bea (in TV and films), John Lloyd Cruz, was able to succeed even without his perennial love team. The John Lloyd and Sarah Geronimo team-up used the old kilig concept of love that opposites attract that made them Box Office King and Queen.

Now that Bea is once again trying to prove that she can make it without John Lloyd, I doubt that this film is the material for such goal. It would already be shown some time this month, but until now, I still can't get what the story is all about. What they are trying to market at this point is that Bea was bolder in this film, literally. I don't think that would help much to convince the female moviegoers that they should give this a try.

Sam, Sam, Bea is with Sam Milby in this film. I don't know about his fans, but I don't like his current appearance, especially his hair. He doesn't look tidy anymore. In terms of magic, Star Cinema could have tried to place Anne Curtis instead of Bea. The other leading man, Derek Ramsay, would not help much to the success of this film. The guy is plainly overexposed. He really has a good backer, er, manager, for him to land good roles both in TV and films even though he doesn't have as much following as his other contemporaries.

Star Cinema should really think hard about their lineup. After T2 did not do well in the tills, they've shown another horror flick, Villa Estrella. I suppose that the latter did not do any well in terms of earnings because I've never heard anything after it was shown. This was due to the fact that the actors of the said film are still not capable of making it big in films, because they also haven't proven their worth on TV either.

And now comes Bea's film, And I Love You So. Is this going to break the flop curse for Star Cinema? I think that Bea has enough following for the movie to earn some, but not as big as expected.

I just hope that Star Cinema would soon utilize actors that people want to see in films. Enough of Derek Ramsay and Jake Cuenca, please. And they should also be able to give memorable stories with unique plot points that will make people want to see the films after they have seen some snippets and teasers of these.

The Hits and Mistakes of ABS CBN's New and Existing Shows

Monday, March 30, ABS CBN introduced two new shows on its afternoon and primetime blocks. First up, Taiwanese drama, Hotshots, starring Jerry Yan, Show Lo and Wu Chun. Although the show can make you laugh once in a blue moon with Show Lo's antics that he has already shown with his other series, the pacing is too slow. I am not a basketball fan either, maybe it adds to the reason why I am only watching this to see more of Jerry Yan.

Pinoy Bingo Night, is boring. If not for Kris Aquino's too much effort to make the show lively, it will not do well even if they give out more prizes than its rival show. The concept itself is dragging. The rules and mechanics are very simple and predictable. There is nothing that the staff can do about it. They shouldn't have gotten this in the first place. You will only tend to watch it if you own a card and you are expecting to win, or if you are a fan of the celebrity player. There is no suspense element, like how it was with Deal or No Deal. It is boring. 1 Versus 100 will fare better than this one.

A quick note on May Bukas Pa. Yes, it is understandable that they want to stretch the story. But can't Santino be faced with situations and problems that normal children usually deal with? Why does he always get entangled with politics, broken families, poor economic condition of his locality, when in fact, he is just a child? My 4-year-old niece, who used to watch the show regularly, would now rather wrestle with me to use my PC to play the Bratz and Barbie online games.

End I Love Betty La Fea ASAP while I still regard Bea Alonzo and John Llyod Cruz with respect. The show is a trash. So it should be dumped immediately. And don't make this available on DVD. People are still waiting for the DVD release of Kim and Gerald's My Girl. It was a very good take on the original version and Kim Chui gave superior justice to the lead role. And I cannot say the same for ILBLF.

Speaking of Kim and Gerald, the story of Tayong Dalawa keeps on getting better. I am not a fan of Jake Cuenca so I am the saddest person on earth when they made it clear that his character is alive. But at least, I got to see him getting tortured like real. It was only during the time when he was able to act naturally, as if he was really scared.

As for Kim and Gerald, these two must be given a valuable movie project after this soap. Kim is very versatile but she excels in comedy. Gerald has proven in Tayong Dalawa that he can deliver quality drama performance. Such a good combination for something like Claudine-Rico starrer, Got to Believe or the Juday-Piolo hit, Till There Was You, or something even better.

Sarah Geronimo Must Be Careful in Choosing Her Next Leading Man

With the success of A Very Special Love and its sequel, You Changed My Life, everybody seems to be in high spirits that a new Superstar was born. People are raving about Sarah Geronimo, how great she is and how she was able to achieve so much. Even Inquirer's entertainment columnist, Nestor Torre, weighed in on who is more deserving to sit on Sharon Cuneta's throne, should it be Sarah or KC Concepcion. But is Sarah the real reason why the said movies hit on the Box Office? I doubt it.

Personally, I went to see the first film because of John Lloyd. But I didn't get a chance to see the second one, although it's still on my plans. And yet again, I'll be watching it because of the male lead and the story. And I'll be interested to see the film even if it was Bea Alonzo playing the lead girl, or someone of Sarah's age like Kim Chiu.

I don't really have anything against Sarah. She is bubbly and she always seems to be happy. And that is what people love about her. She's fun to see. But that I think is not enough for people to see a movie just because she's in it.

There are talks that Viva and Star Cinema are planning to pair Sarah with Gerald Anderson. Now you don't want to touch something that is not broken, which is the Kimerald love team. How do these two companies think the fans would react? This is not the same case with the John Lloyd-Bea team-up. This pair has done lots of films and has graced many soap operas with the two of them as leads before they were paired off with anybody else.

As for Kim and Gerald fans, it is only normal that they will react violently about the issue of the latter being paired with Sarah. Yes, they have done a movie together, a launching movie that was like a music video stretched for more than an hour. It was a bad story, bad direction and a bad choice of launching material for a team-up that has a solid following. Now they are proving their worth by acting the best that they can give through the soap opera, Tayong Dalawa.

With TD's success, Star Cinema should be given a hint that it is high time to let this love team prove that they can do onscreen what they have achieved on TV. They should be given a good material and not a mediocre one like their first film. Their entry on the Manila Film Fest was also successful. It could have been more successful if only it was not of a horror genre and if Ms. Tadyang of the Kapuso network was not part of the trilogy.

Instead of thinking who should be paired with Sarah next, Star Cinema should focus more on who should they pair up with John Lloyd. Sarah may be popular, but she definitely is still not a Superstar. She has the makings to be one. But she still has a lot to prove and she has to do something with her voice. She no longer sounds as good as she used to when she was only starting (overexposure?).

As for the third installment of her team-up with John Lloyd, the creative team behind it should come up with something really unique but still fun. After that, Sarah should experiment on more serious roles, like how Sharon Cuneta did on Pasan Ko ang Daigdig. And she should be given a chance to shine without a known leading man. If she will be able to pull it off, then by all means, give her the crown and the title of being a genuine Superstar.

Prove Me Wrong, Marian and Dingdong

GMA network is confident about their newest gems, Marian and Dingdong, enough to produce a film for this love team. The two rose into fame when Angel Locsin decided to leave GMA to what she (or her pa-kontrobersiyal manager) thought would be a better choice (but is proving to be disastrous). The team-up was warmly accepted by the public via the TV show "Marimar," despite their lack of good acting abilities.

Through time, the two keep on proving that they really have captivated the hearts of the boob-tube fanatics. They have been trusted with product endorsements as well. Their latter venture hinted that they are not that picky with the projects that they get. Marian looked like a bold star with her last ad for a soap or something. I can't recall because I always change the channel whenever she's on. And they have done ads for liquors and alcoholic beverages. I will not be surprised if they will agree on endorsing condoms in the coming days. But this is just my take on this.

Personally, I don't like Marian. There is something about her that turns me off. I stopped buying the products that she endorses. As for Dingdong, I used to like him way back his TGIS days. But through time, I still haven't seen him grow as an actor. He seems to be following the career path of Piolo Pascual. But one thing that he has to improve on is the reality that Piolo can act while Dingdong still has to do a lot of catching up.

I hope that Dingdong will really take his profession seriously. He will not forever look like a hunk. He has to show some real tears and poignant emotions before he loses the body that he is becoming more known for.

I cannot blame Dingdong though, or Richard Gutierrez for this matter. These two are popular stars of these days that lack the ability to convince people about what real emotions are all about. They are not still being given the right roles to hone their craft. They are continuously pampered with the kind of roles that their network thinks they can handle. Richard's non-acting prowess isn't that much obvious with fantaseryes or action fantasy series. Dingdong can just flaunt his hot bod and no one would mind if he is carrying out a sloppy performance.

GMA still has a lot to learn from ABS CBN in handling talents (but do not follow their lead in freezing their careers), especially those who are on the rise. John Lloyd wouldn't be where he is now had ABS CBN did not plan his career right. This also goes for Lloydie's team-up with Bea.

Unlike the Marian and Dingdong love team, John Lloyd and Bea took calculated steps in order to become successful multimedia artists. ABS planned what roles they must play, when they would be allowed to kiss on TV, then on films, when they would be given more matured roles, etc. This way, the two are becoming prepared and honed for the next roles that come their way.

With the Marimar duo, people have already seen them do everything on TV. They kissed, made love, kissed, shown off some skin, kissed and well, this is where they are good at, kissing.

What more can people expect from their film that they still haven't seen them do on TV? The only thing that is left for them to do is frontal nudity that I don't think they would be willing to do just yet. And knowing GMA Films' track record when it comes to love stories, the soon-to-be-released Marian-Dingdong film will be a familiar one and something that will not prompt the non-fans to pay at the cinemas just so to catch the film.

The non-fans are the people behind the success of films like "A Very Special Love." These are the people who are only waiting for good movies and do not really care about the stars. Yeah, Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz already have a following of their own. But the non-fans helped the movie hit its blockbuster status.

And how is GMA going to promote the film of Marian and Dingdong – Kakaiba? Maraming halikan? May bed scene? GMA may appear to be the number one network in Mega Manila. But Mega Manila is not the whole Philippines. And the sources of ratings are only composed of few households. Are these people who brought the pair to stardom on the little screen will be willing to pay their hard-earned money to see the team-up on the big screen?

I doubt it. But I am very much open to be proven wrong.