Showbiz Chika

Matagal nang soulmates ang turingan nina Luis Manzano at Annes Curtis kaya marami ang humahanga sa kanilang pagkakaibigan. Maging si Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto ay sobrang napahanga sa relasyon ng dalawa. “Hanga ako sa friendship nila, yung pagiging soulmate nila. Maski kapag nagpupunta si Anne sa bahay, I could say na ibang klaseng friendship. Ito yung friendship na tatagal hanggang pagtanda nila, kapag may nangailangan sa isa’ isa, laging nakahanda ang isa, and for that being the mother of Luis, I’m truly happy sana ay tuloy-tuloy sila hanggang pagtanda nila. May God bless your friendship kasi bihira iyan,” nakangiting pahayag ng Star for all seasons.

Sobrang proud daw ngayon si Ate Vi para sa lahat ng achievements ng kanyang panganay na anak. “I’m very proud of my son, kung saan siya nakarating, tinrabaho niya iyan. Hindi niya kami ginamit na mga magulang niya na nasa showbiz din. He’s a hardworking person, may determination sa sarili niya. Ang alam ko naman, nasa lapag ang kanyang mga paa. I’m very very proud of my son and I’m lucky to have him,” dagdag ni Gov. Vi.

Laging nakasuporta ang actress-politician sa bawat ginagawa ni Luis at parang barkada lamang daw ang turingan nilang mag-ina. “I don’t usually meddle pero kapag malungkot siya or masaya, lagi akong kasama. Sometimes I’m a friend, kabarkada ako, what’s up anak? Sometimes naman ay nanay ako, don’t do that lie low kay diyan anak. Lagi kaming may communication as in everyday, minsan thrice a day pa,” kuwento pa ni Ate Vi.

Nag-react din si Gov. Vilma sa isyung pagkakamabutihan daw muli ngayon nina Luis at ng ex-girlfriend nitong si Angel Locsin. “Ano man ang alam ko, I don’t meddle, let it be. If it’s meant, it’s meant. Kapag hindi naman let them be friends,” pagtatapos pa niya.

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Luis Manzano is looking forward to promoting his new movie Who’s That Girl which will premiere on March 7. Unlike their past movies where Luis tries his best to win Anne’s heart, in Who’s That Girl, it’s Anne who does all the chasing.

Admittedly close friends for the past ten years, Luis and Anne (who address each other by their respective pet names Manzano and Nippy) have maintained their strong bond throughout the years. Luis said that Anne is currently the closest girl to his heart. “Talagang sabi ko nga, she’s my soulmate. Napag-isipan nga namin na kung may female version ko rin na maiintindihan ako no matter what. Na alam kong kahit anong pinagdadaanan ko, alam kong nandun yung tao na yun para sa akin. Para kumbaga, ako din siya. So for me, that’s Anne. My soulmate,” he shared during the Who’s That Girl presscon held last February 4 at the City Best Restaurant in Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City.

The 30-year-old actor saif that even though they have had relationships with other people, it doesn’t mean that there is no chance of them ending up together in the future. “Kaya naming sabihin na tuloy-tuloy kaming ganito, tuloy-tuloy itong kung ano mang meron si Manzano at si Nippy. Pero sabi ko nga, no one can tell the future. Walang puwedeng magmagaling at kayang sabihin kung ano mangyayari pa. Sa akin naman, at this point, whatever we have right now is a very, very good foundation for the future, kung ano man yun,” he admitted.

Luis also shared that his friendship with Anne was not always smooth sailing. “May time na nung nag-a-ASAP kami, hindi kami nag-uusap. Best friends na kami nun. May mga tampuhang kaibigan rin kami na basta sa amin na yun kung bakit nangyari. Basta dumaan kami dun nung sa ASAP na magkakasama kami na literally ‘pag kinukulit ko sila Nikki (Gil) at si Iya (Villania), si Nippy nakatingin lang sa amin. Tapos ako mananahimik. Umabot sa puntong hindi na kami nag-uusap sa ASAP. Umabot kami sa part na yun,” he explained.

The Who’s That Girl actor said that it’s not hard to be friends with Anne because it doesn’t take a lot to soften her heart. But he admitted he also had to make an effort to get on her good side after a fight. “Pag may tampo yan, it’s very, very easy to make her smile. Eh dati nga, nag-antay nga ako ng alas-diyes ng umaga sa school niya. Akala ko kung nasaan siya, akala ko nasa school. Pinuntahan ko siya dun, yun pala wala! Puyat na puyat ako, so talagang nag-effort ako, nag-aantay ako sa labas ng school niya para lumabas siya. Para gusto ko maranasan naming yun maglu-lunch break date, yung ganun lang. Pero wala, hindi siya pumasok. Pagdating ko sa ABS-CBN ang init tuloy ng ulo ko! (laughs) Pero pagdating ko sa dressing room ko, may flowers siya para sa akin. Ganun, ganun kami,” he said with a smile.

Luis said he loves to make Anne smile especially when he knows she’s going through a tough time. “Si Nippy kasi ‘pag may mga araw na may pinagdadaanan or kung ano man, ‘pag masama ang gising, kahit gaano kainit ng ulo niya or irritable siya, ako wala akong pakialam, kukulitin ko pa rin siya, hanggang matawa siya, parang ganun,” he said.

Luis said that his friendship with Anne has only become stronger because they are also both there for each other even during times of heartache. “Ako naman kasi, kahit anong pinagdadaanan ko, nashe-share ko rin sa kanya. Minsan humihingi pa ako ng dasal mula sa kanya, kung puwede bang isingit niya ako sa mga prayers niya, whatever it maybe. Siguro something as substantial as my love life, eh sa pinagdaanan namin aabot din dun at one point or another dahil she’ll be a very, very constant part of my life. Sa akin yun ah,” he said.

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Iniintriga ngayon si Anne Curtis at itinatapat siya sa kapwa niya leading ladies gaya nina Angel Locsin, KC Concepcion at Bea Alonzo pero sinabi ng Fil-Australian actress na walang anumang kumpetisyon ang namamagitan sa kanilang apat. Aniya, nagsimula lamang ang intriga dahil kamakailan ay nagkaroon sila ng photo-shoot na magkakasama. “For me, it’s actually flattering to be compared with such beautiful ladies, to be part of such that league, this generation of leading ladies. Ako I’m flattered,” lahad ni Anne. “Nakaka-sad lang that people try to make an issue out of it or minsan fans nag-aaway-away. I just wish the four of us get along, sana ganun din lahat, wala nang negativity, (that) everyone could just be positive about it.”

Ngayong Valentine’s Day, sinabi ng aktres na magtatrabaho siya sa Showtime na bumalik na sa dati nitong oras pero may date sila ng kanyang non-showbiz boyfriend na si Erwann Heussaff after. “But I’m not the one whose gonna do the planning. I have no idea what’s gonna happen. Surprise daw.”

Sa kanyang previous interview sinabi ni Anne na ang kanyang first love ay si Oyo Sotto, young love si Richard Gutierrez at greatest love si Sam Milby. Sa ngayon ay masaya na siya sa piling ni Erwann pero ayaw raw niya itong bigyan  ng label. “I don’t wanna have expectations anymore, but I still hope. I can say that now I’m happy, and that’s all that matters,” aniya. “I don’t like giving titles. When you give a title that’s the end already, eh you are putting a period and a full stop. That’s why with Sam, greatest love coz it’s a title and saying it’s over. So with Erwann, I’d rather not give a title because I don’t want it to end. I don’t want it to stop. Just enjoy be inspired, be happy be positive, be optimistic about things. I hate negativity.”

Samantala, magsisimula na ngayong Lunes, ang Filipino adaptation ng Koreanovela na Green Rose at makakasama ni Anne sina Jericho Rosales at Jake Cuenca dito. Ipapalabas din sa March 2 ang kanyang pelikula with Luis Manzano na Who’s That Girl?, na produced ng Viva Films.

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Even though they were both unattached when they shot Baler, Jericho Rosales said it was not the right time to think of romance on the set of the 2008 film. Although Echo admitted he developed feelings for Anne over the course of the project, he said that they were both still healing from their former relationships.

During that time, Anne was still recovering from her breakup with Sam Milby while Echo split with longtime girlfriend Heart Evangelista. Now that they are being paired together again in the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean series Green Rose, Jericho said he has no regrets about not acting on his feelings for Anne two years ago. “I won’t say it’s wrong timing, I would say it’s not the time. It wasn’t the time siguro. Hindi ko binalak manligaw. You could say that may naramdaman ako. Kaya lang we were both healing and I believe that there’s a time for everything. Siyempre si God dapat yung healing power ng bawat isa. Hindi yung hahanap ako ng tao. I wanted to heal also,” he shared during the Green Rose presscon held last February 9 at the ABS-CBN compound.

The singer-actor said that even though he is still single and Anne is now in a relationship with model-businessman Erwann Heussaff, he knows he still made the right decision. When asked if he still has feelings for Anne, Echo declined to comment, which further fueled the press’s curiosity about how it felt for him to be working with her again. “Mahirap na magsalita, (laughs) basta I’m just happy na nakaka-inspire na katrabaho si Anne. There’s a reason to smile everyday, ganun. Siyempre she’s very beautiful, sino bang hindi matutuwa kung yung leading lady mo maganda, maayos at mabait pa, so who wouldn’t be happy? I’m just happy. Yun na yun,” he added.

Jericho said that as they finish up the last few shooting days of Green Rose, he has noticed a definite transformation with Anne with regards to acting. The two closely worked together on their scenes and tried to bring out the best they could from each other and further develop the material given to them. “We knew we have responsibilities. It’s a primetime show and we have children watching so we discuss things to the point na kung may physical contact ng konti kasi lovers nga kami so dun ko nakita yung dedication niya dun sa character and the responsibility and she can separate that and alam niya kung saan niya ilulugar yung sarili niya sa bawat position. As a professional, she knows when to put her foot down and she knows when to stop and when to go and alam niya yung situation, marunong siyang umintindi,” he said.

Even off-cam, Echo said that Anne has been nothing but a welcome presence to everyone. “As a person, mas nakita ko na malapit siya dun sa staff niya and sa staff namin. I don’t want to say it’s a natural charm eh. Parang love siya ng lahat, that’s it. Ganun. Ang gaan ng feeling and I love working with actors na walang kiyeme. So punta siya sa set, kain siya ng kahit anong pagkain. Medyo natanggal yung pagkailang ko,” he admitted.

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Anne Curtis explained that she was not surprised when she and the Showtime team heard that their program will return to its original timeslot—which is 10:30 a.m.—when Happy, Yippee, Yehey premieres this coming Saturday, February 12 at noon. “We knew that from the beginning,” explained Anne. The talent-search show was placed in the noontime slot after Pilipinas Win na Win bid goodbye last December 31, 2010.

“They asked Showtime very quickly at the end of last year to be noontime for three hours, so naloka kami," she said. "We took on the challenge given to us, but we were told naman back in December that it will only going to be until February, so it’s okay. Fight kami dyan.” The Fil-Australian shared that it was challenging for them to keep the show running for three hours every episode in a noontime slot.

Rather than being sad, Anne shared that she feels relieved that Showtime will be in the morning again because it is when their real target audience is available. “Kasi at least you know we’re back on the timeslot of young audience kasi if you’ve noticed the audience in Showtime, they’re all young, they’re students. Gusto nila nakakanood muna sila ng Showtime and then they go to school, kaya minsan naka-uniform sila [‘pag pumupunta ng show].”

She said that when Showtime’s timeslot was changed to noontime, many students reacted on Twitter and complained that they could not watch the show anymore because they needed to be in school during the new timeslot.

Anne was also asked for her opinion on Mariel Rodriguez’s return to hosting since she will be part of Happy, Yippee, Yehey. The two had a rift last year because Anne got involved in the Toni Gonzaga-Mariel issue. “I think that would be good,” began Anne. “They’re really pang-noontime and I think it should be given back… to them. She had a long break she needs to come back na.” The actress also stressed that she is on good terms with Mariel but did not elaborate.

Aside from Showtime and her endorsements nowadays, Anne is busy with a new teleserye, titled Green Rose with Jericho Rosales and Jake Cuenca and a movie with Luis Manzano entitled Who’s That Girl. “I don’t think I could ask for anything more,” said Anne on her career. “But if there is something more to happen, then I’d happily take it all in. I’m just taking everything in day by day [and] no expectations. I just want to be happy, [to have a] positive year. I wanna have a great 2011, and I wish the same for everyone else.”

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