Showbiz Chika

Until now there are some people who still refuse to believe that Bea Alonzo and Zanjoe Marudo are really dating since it was too soon after the former’s controversial romance with Gerald Anderson. But the dramatic actress was quick to say that she’s not merely on the rebound and she’s very happy right now with Zanjoe. “Hindi ko sasabihin yun [that Zanjoe helped her to move on after her failed romance with Gerald]. I wouldn’t put it that way. It’s different. Dumating siya (Zanjoe) sa buhay ko… He’s there hindi para pawiin yung sinasabi mong kung ano mang pain from other experiences. This is another chapter in my life na hindi rin kailangan [idamay] kung ano pa yung nakaraan. Right now, I’m happy where I am,” she stated during her contract signing with Star Cinema last night, March 7.

Bea refused to say, however, where their closeness is heading even though they’ve been constantly dating since late last year; mainly because she doesn’t want to make promises that she couldn’t keep. “Hindi naman [sa I don’t want to put a label on it]. It’s just hard to commit right now kasi madami ako ginagawa. It’s hard to say to that person na this is what I want to offer you, lalo na kung hindi matutupad kasi you have lots of things to do, madami kang responsibilidad. So kung ano lang yung, halimbawa, meron akong available time, I want to spend time with him, i-invite ko siya. Yun lang ginagawa namin.”

When asked if they’re exclusively dating, Bea replied that Zanjoe is the only guy who’s courting her right now. “Alam mo, we don’t want to talk about kung anong estado namin. We'll just go with the flow right now. We’re happy being with each other’s company and it’s been fun hanging out with him, yun ang mas importante. Although busy na ako at busy na rin siya ngayon. Mas parang madalas kami noon magkita. Pero mas maganda kasi every time we see each other, mas masaya [kasi mas exciting at mas madami kayong makwekwento sa isa’t isa].”

Bea was also surprisingly vocal about how she and Zanjoe spend time together and how he often showers her with gifts and flowers. “I am not aware of the things that I do differently with him. I don’t think of it too much. Kung anong natural na lumalabas sa akin, yun lang. And I think yun ang mas maganda e, kung ano yung totoong ikaw, kung anong napapakita mo sa tao, kung nagko-connect kayo, yun ang mas maganda and I think its working. But yes, dumadalaw siya, pumupunta siya [sa condo], susunduin niya ako tapos lalabas kami. We do a lot of special things together, so special that I cannot share it with you,” she cheerfully added.

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Now that she and Azkals striker Phil Younghusband have admitted they went out together with friends, Angel Locsin said that she was able to get a very good first impression of the controversial football athlete. “We’re friends. Lumabas kami. Nasa getting-to-know-you stage pa rin naman. He’s very nice. He’s a gentleman,” she said.

During the March 6 launch of Marck Nicdao’s Vantage book and exhibit at Greenbelt 5 in Makati City, Angel admitted that it’s been a challenge to find the opportunity to spend time with Phil again. “Parang ang hirap eh. Ang hirap na very public yung nangyari ngayon so ang hirap rin mag-comment. Nung lumabas kami, napag-uusapan namin yung family ko. Hindi ko pa siya nai-introduce sa family, wala pa. Kasi ang labas namin with friends, yung punta namin sa firing range, ganun lang. hindi pa talaga yung alis-alis talaga,” she added.

The sexy actress also chose to shrug off rumors that claim that Phil has some vested interests in showing his romantic intentions for her. “Kasi parang ayoko na sumagot ng mga issues na baka ginagamit lang ako kasi hindi ko alam kung paano sagutin yun. Tsaka sabi naman niya hindi. And ako nasa industriya ako na palaging may mga ginagawang kuwento at nasasaktan ako ‘pag may mga ganyang kuwento tungkol sa akin na masakit nga naman. So bibigyan ko siya ng tiwala para dito, kung ano yung sinabi niya, papaniwalaan ko kasi siya yung sangkot talaga dito, hindi yung mga gawagawa na kuwento ng ibang tao lang,” she stresses.

With regards to the recent controversy involving Angelica Panganiban and an Azkals fan on Twitter, Angel said she is not taking anybody’s side, but she can empathize with fellow celebrity’s concerns for making a comment like that. “Ano kasi, I understand Angelica because I know that she’s a big fan of football talaga and siguro wala rin ako sa position para mag-comment pero I understand her. Mabait naman si Angelica eh. Siguro nami-misinterpret lang ng mga tao,” she said.

The 25-year-old actress said that she knows that this year is crucial for Philippine football because at the current rate they are going, the Azkals stand a chance to perform well at the World Cup Qualifiers in June. “Sana wala na itong ganituhan kasi kung gusto talaga nating suportahan ito na first time lang  may representative ang Philippines sa World Cup if ever. So sana wala na rin mga stressful na issues na makaka-distract sa goal nila. Wala lang, parang kasi, wala ako sa position to comment. I respect Angelica because I understand, she’s a big fan of football,” she said.

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At the photo shoot of the upcoming remake of the teleserye Mula Sa Puso, Enrique Gil denied that he and Erich Gonzales are an item, something which the actress had also previously refuted. But Enrique admitted that Erich is special to him. “Siguro special na, ‘O sige ano na, ingat lang ha.’ Siguro para sa akin, good friends [kami]. Baka sabihin niya ang kapal ng mukha ko [mag-assume] so good friends,” he said about their relationship.

The aspiring actor added that he does not even regularly call her nor sends her text messages. “Crush lang naman. Masaya lang,” he said vaguely. Enrique said that they did not go out last Valentine’s Day because they both had work that day. “Hindi ko tinanong [kung pwede kaming lumabas]. Siyempre nahiya rin ako,” he said.

In Mula sa Puso, Enrique will reprise the role of Michael, which was previously portrayed by Diether Ocampo in 1997. This is Enrique’s biggest break so far. The young actor shared that at first, he did not know how big the series wa going to be. “Nung una kasi parang, ‘Uy yes, another project!’ Tapos [sinabi sa akin], ‘Alam mo ba napakalaking project nito dati?’ Sabi ko, ‘Wow. Parang anlaki talagang opportunity nito,’” said Enrique. He admitted that he felt pressured when he learned this fact, but is nevertheless eager to start working. “Nervous nang konti. Gusto ko nang mag-start ng taping. Madaming taong nagmahal sa show na ito at sana I won’t let them down. Sana ma-surpass ang expectations ng tao. Tsaka anlaking pressure kasi Mula Sa Puso ito.”

Enrique also shared that he has no plans of watching the original teleserye because he would like his portrayal to be fresh and not just a rip-off of the original. “Ayokong ng the same vibe. Gusto ko ‘yung interpretation ko kay Michael iba. Gusto ko ‘yung sarili ko, para maiba naman.”

In preparation for his role, Enrique said that aside from acting workshops, he took up Tagalog lessons to be more comfortable with the vernacular. He also went on to say that viewers can expect a different Enrique because he intends to show a darker side of himself since the original character was a protagonist with a twist during the latter part of the show. “Hindi na ako ‘yung nagpapakilig ‘pag sumasayaw. They will see a different side of me. Hindi lang ‘yung happy-go-lucky.”

Enrique said that he looks up to Aga Muhlach and John Lloyd Cruz and hopes to follow in their footsteps. “Gusto ko si Aga sa All My Life. I liked his movie. Si John Lloyd ‘yung My Amnesia Girl medyo pa-comedy ng konti.”

Mula Sa Puso, which is slated to premiere in March also stars Lauren Young and JM de Guzman and features the TV comeback of Dawn Zulueta, Ariel Rivera, and Eula Valdez on ABS-CBN.

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After his much-publicized relationship with Imortal star Angel Loscin ended over two years ago, Luis Manzano has decided that he wants to take a different route when it comes his next girlfriend. But the actor-host was quick to clarify that this does not mean he will no longer entertain questions regarding his personal life. “I’m not saying that I’ll never answer issues. Hindi ko sinasabing never niyo maririnig ang opinion ko. I’m just saying na kung ano man yung natitirang personal, eh ginagawan ko ng paraan na mas kaya kong sabihin na personal na talaga siya,” he said during the premiere of Who’s That Girl last February 28 at the SM Megamall cinemas.

Up until now, there are still speculations on the real reason why he and Angel called it quits. “Kasi kami ni Angel, may mga phase kami na dinaanan eh. Without expounding, ayoko ng dagdagan pa yun. Whatever Angel said, siyempre hindi naman siya sinungaling pero let’s just leave it at that,” he added.

The Laugh out Loud host said that he is happy with his new mindset and hopes the public will understand his need to be more private about his personal life. “In-explain ko na gusto ko naman subukan ito kasi everyone knows me as a very, very outspoken person. ‘Pag tinanong niyo ako tungkol sa love life, mauuna pa akong sasagot. Kahit tanungin niyo ako sa kahit anong bagay, ako yung unang magsasalita. But I was reading this article where Kevin Spacey was being asked about his sexuality. Parang ang ganda nung sinabi niya na, ‘I don’t need to talk about it.’ Sabi niya it was his choice if he wants to talk about it. Sabi ko sa sarili ko. Pretty much 99.9% of my showbiz career, ako yung unang-unang nagsasalita. So subukan ko muna itong magsimula sa .1% kung ano yung mas nakabubuti sa akin,” he explained.

Luis, who admitted that he and his Who’s That Girl co-star Anne Curtis had dated in the past, said that their relationship has developed into one of the best friendships he has in life right now. “Dating each other was one of the best mistakes namin. Kasi we had one of the best results na puwede mangyari after a breakup or kung ano man yun,” he said.

But still, Luis can’t deny that Anne is one of the most attractive faces in showbiz today. “Sabi ko nga, she is the epitome of sexy. If I rate her from 1 to 10, she is 8,004. I was asked earlier kung ano yung na-a-appreciate ko sa kanya, tinuro ko talaga from head to toe, she exudes sexiness. Kahit nga hindi ngumiti yan, kahit na nga kumakanta yan na ang pangit eh, ang sexy pa rin tingnan. One of the very unique aspects of our relationship is naiintindihan niya yung mga ganyan about me,” he said.

Despite almost showing his entire physique in one hilarious scene in the movie, Luis always chooses to downplay his charm with the ladies. “Ako yung unang-unang magsasabi hindi ako guwapo pero makulit ako. Sabi ko nga, one thing about how I am, alam ko naman na hindi ako guwapo pero makulit ako. at alam ko yung mga babae, gusto nila na pag minahal sila yung puwede nila makasama habang buhay. Eh yung panghabang buhay na ganun, what better way to spend the rest of your life than smiling and laughing kasama ang mahal mo na makulit?” he said with a smile.

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Lauren Young bagged the much-coveted role of Olivia Pereira in the remake of Mula Sa Puso after beating out 120 stars who also auditioned for it. While the 17-year-old could hardly believe her luck, she was also grateful to be given such a big break after five years in the biz. “Siyempre it feels very overwhelming talaga. I’m very happy and nervous at the same time. I worked hard for this one. Hindi lang naman siya binigay sa akin. I went through the audition process, nag-workshop pa ako. So feeling ko naman I deserve it din kasi pinaghirapan ko naman. And since binigay nila (ABS-CBN management) ito sa akin, I’m going to show them that I do deserve it,” said Lauren during the cast pictorial last February 28.

It was Mula Sa Puso which catapulted Claudine Barretto to stardom back in the late ‘90s. When asked if she’s ready to measure up to Claudine’s acting prowess, Lauren said that she’d rather focus on giving her character a fresh twist this time around. “Siyempre ‘di mo naman maiiwasan yun kasi si Claudine ‘yan, ako si Lauren lang. People are always going to compare me to the original one. To top that, it’s Miss Claudine Barretto pa. It just adds more pressure on me. But if there's no pressure, it’s not worth it kasi you need pressure din to give you that push.”

Lauren further shared that she’s excited to work with her leading men JM De Guzman and Enrique Gil. But she’s set on keeping her relationship with both of them on a professional level. “Ako kasi ‘pag trabaho, trabaho. Ewan ko lang kung si JM ganon. But if you can’t help how you feel, e ‘di you can’t help how you feel. Pero as much as possible I want to keep it professional. Mas close ako kay Enrique. Actually, si JM I only met him nung nag-audition kami. Unlike Enrique, we have common friends like Giggerboys so matagal ko na siya nakakasama.”

The fact that she’d get to work with veteran actresses like Dawn Zulueta and Eula Valdez was something that Lauren appreciates as well. “I like working with people who are more experienced because they teach me things. I know what to do and what not do. It’s basically a learning process. Nakaka-pressure knowing na mga magagaling at respetado yung mga makakasama ko. Pero nakatrabaho ko na si Ms. Dawn, naging nanay ko siya sa MMK (Maalaala Mo Kaya) dati. She’s easy to work with and we have good chemistry sa work. Handa na rin ako masampal ng bonggang-bongga ni Ms. Eula. If they need it in the script at kung ikagaganda naman ng storya, go lang ako,” Lauren added with a laugh.

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