Showbiz Chika

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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Box Office Queen Sarah Geronimo will soon return to the big screen with new leading man Gerald Anderson in the next Star Cinema offering Catch Me…I’m In Love. Coming from the success of her big screen pairing with John Lloyd Cruz, Sarah was relieved when she learned that many fans are excited over her new partnership with Gerald. “Kung nakikita nga ng mga tao na may chemistry sa amin ni Gerald, para sa aming dalawa, relieved kami. Masaya kami na ngayon pa lang meron nang natutuwa sa pagsasama namin.”

This project enabled Sarah and Gerald to get to know each other and become good friends—they even have pet names for each other. “Nagsimula ‘yun nung concert ko. Naririnig ko kasi na ‘yung mga tao ang tawag sa kanya, ‘Ge.’ Sabi ko sa kanya para maiba naman, tatawagin ko siyang, ‘Ge-Ge.’ Sabi ko rin na kung gusto niya, pwede niya akong tawaging ‘Sasa’ ha ha ha!”

The Pop Star Princess and the Action Drama Price have both been mainstay stars of ASAP for the past few years now, but the busy pace backstage of the program had prevented them from having the chance to sit down together and enjoy a friendly chat. Now because of the shooting days for Catch Me…I’m In Love Sarah discovered something about Gerald. “Very professional si Gerald. Kapag gagawin na namin ‘yung eksena mararamdaman mo talaga ‘yung dedication niya para mapaganda ‘yung eksena. Napaka-gentleman din niya.”

She added the despite the long hours of shooting, everyone on the set still manage to have fun. “Napaka-stress-free ng mood sa set. Kahit na napaka busy na namin lahat dahil napakalapit na ng play date, masaya pa rin kami lahat na nagtatrabaho. Masaya ang lahat. Kaya ‘Thank you, Lord!’ sa lahat ng aming katrabaho.”

With her wholesome image, Sarah has chosen not to do daring scenes and go sexy in her movies. But would she finally agree to do a kissing scene with her leading man? “Ha ha ha! Hindi ko po alam! Hindi pa namin alam pareho ang magiging ending ng movie. Ha ha ha!” Sarah laughed.

Sarah explained that at this point in her career she feels that she can still do away without kissing scenes. “Lagi ko naman pong sinasabi na, nagawa naman namin sa A Very Special Love at sa You Changed My Life [na walang kiss]. Sana dito magawa namin ng maayos.”

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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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Rayver Cruz is happy with the fact that girlfriend Cristine Reyes’s family is close to him and his family, to her. As a matter of fact, the actor’s family was present at Cristine’s birthday party last February 5.

While their relationship continues to grow stronger, Rayver said that he cannot say yet if Cristine is the woman he is going to marry in the future. However, he added that he is certain that the sexy actress is the woman who gives him happiness. “Bata pa kami. Mahirap magsalita ng tapos pero sa ngayon talaga happy ako sa kanya. Mukha namang tatagal kami. So far strong ‘yung relationship namin,” he explained.

He further added that he is the type who is loyal to the girl he is with. “’Pag nasa isang relasyon ka naman ayaw mo naman ang papalit-palit ng partner’ di ba? Kung tatagal naman kayo, kung pwede kayong tumagal ba’t ‘di naman. Pangit naman ‘yung paiba-iba. Hindi naman ako mabilis matukso. Kung may karelasyon ka, gusto mo loyal ka lang dun.”

Rayver also said that he is not the type who gets jealous of Cristine’s leading men in her projects. He went on to say that he respects his girlfriend’s work and he would not mind if she needs to do kissing or love scenes with her co-actors. “Pagdating sa trabaho never naman naging mahigpit,” he said. “Kasi work naman ‘yun.”

The actor also explained the issue that Cristine refers to Rayver’s mom as mother-in-law. He related that Cristine accidently referred to her boyfriend’s mom as mother-in-law in her recent interview but clarified that it was an honest mistake. “Hindi naman daw niya sinasadya, nahihiya na daw siya kasi lahat inaasar siya. Nalito siya siguro,” said Rayver. But he joked that he does not mind this and he quipped that it is up to Cristine if she won’t let go of him anymore.

In terms of career, Rayver has recently finished the teleserye Kristine Series which also starred Cristine and said that he is still waiting for his next acting project. At present, Rayver can be seen every Sunday on ASAP Rocks.

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It’s been two years since they first started dating and now that they admitted to their relationship, Melissa Ricks says it really was a big help that she and Green Rose star Jake Cuenca decided to be mum about it at the start. “Masaya ako na everything’s okay between me and Jake and masaya ako na ang tagal na namin na steady lang. Ang tagal namin na masaya and I think it was a good idea to keep it to ourselves for a while kasi nakatulong din yun na tumagal kami ng ganong katagal,” she shares during Empress’s debut last February 20 at The Grand Terrace in Quezon City.

The 21-year-old says that it’s not true that her parents were against her dating Jake. “My mom was never against it. My mom was just being a mom. Concerned sa akin. Siyempre they don’t want their little girl na magka-boyfriend. Pero she never disliked Jake or anything like that, walang ganun. Talagang ganun lang sila talaga. Any family na may bunsong anak na babae, siguro ganun talaga,” she explains.

Mel also admits that she feels flattered that Jake has been very vocal to the press about his feelings for her. “He’s very, very nice. I know sometimes it’s cliché to say na mabait ang isang tao pero ito talaga from the start mabuti na siyang tao hindi lang sa akin pero pati sa family niya, sa mga kapatid niya. He’s very down-to-earth and alam ko na mahal niya ako,” she adds.

Mel says that Jake is also a very open-minded boyfriend. They have both decided to keep their professional decisions separate from their personal lives. “He leaves my decisions up to me. Yung career path ko and career path niya, sine-separate namin yung career namin sa personal life. So I think that’s why na nagkakasundo din kami kasi we have our own thing eh. But we support each other in everything that we do,” she reveals.

But even if they are now open towards talking about their relationship, it doesn’t mean that they will divulge everything about it. “Oo masaya ako na alam na ng tao yung sa amin pero hindi ko naman ibibigay lahat sa mga tao. Sana they leave some for us pa rin, for ourselves na private naman. Ibigay rin naman nila sa amin yung konting privacy,” she says.

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