Mildred Patricia Baena

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

It's Confirmed! MARIAN RIVERA - OUT, RIZA SANTOS - IN sa Dolphy-Vic Sotto Movie

Hindi na matutuloy ang young actress na si Marian Rivera sa Dolphy-Vic Sotto movie. Si Marian sana ang gaganap na leading lady ni Vic at anak ni Dolphy.

Pero as of yesterday, March 24, naiba na ang casting. Out na raw si Marian at ipinalit sa kanya ang Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 ex-housemate na si Riza Santos.

Ayon kay Duds Santiago, PRO ng Viva Entertainment, hindi pa niya alam kung tinanggap na ng Viva Artist Agency, na siyang humahawak sa career ni Riza ang project. Pero alam ni Duds na nakipag-meeting na ang producers ng Dolphy-Vic movie sa mga Del Rosario.

Upto this time, wala pang formal statement ang manager ni Marian na si Popoy Caritativo sa hindi pagkatuloy ng young actress sa project. Pero malamang na ang schedule ni Marian ang rason kung bakit hindi na niya matatanggap ang project. Magsisimula na kasing mag-taping si Marian ng Dyesebel sa April 2. Sa Palawan ang location ng pilot episode ng Dyesebel. Ang balita ay one week silang mag-i-stay roon at baka ma-extend pa.

Sa Friday naman, March 28, ang scheduled first-day shooting ng first team-up nina Dolphy at Vic sa pelikula. Kahit makabalik ng Maynila si Marian, ang Dyesebel ang kanyang magiging priority.

Wala pa ring title ang movie nina Dolphy at Vic Sotto to be directed by Tony Y. Reyes. Bukod sa main cast at kay Riza, si Ryan Agoncillo pa lang ang alam naming kasama sa pelikula na matagal nang hinihintay ng marami.
If ever, first movie ni Riza ang Dolphy-Vic film project. Big break ito sa beauty queen at sana nga ay simula na ng magandang takbo ng kanyang career.

Kahit wala pang pelikula at regular TV show, controversial na rin si Riza nang ma-link siya kay Mark Bautista at nitong huli ay kay Will Devaughn, na nakasama niya sa PBB.

KRIS AQUINO, Nakunan!

Isa na namang trahedya ang dumating sa pamilya Aquino.

Isang araw pagkatapos niyang i-announce na may colon cancer ang kanyang ina na si dating pangulong Corazon Aquino, nakunan ang talk show host at aktres na si Kris Aquino.

Nasa seven and half weeks na ang kanyang dinadala. Ito sana ang ikalawang anak ni Kris at ng mister niyang si James Yap at pangatlo pagkatapos nina Josh (anak ni Kris sa aktor na si Phillip Salvador) at Baby James.

Ito ang text message na ipinadala ni Kris sa ilang malalapit na kaibigan:

"Dr. Pastorfide [Kris's doctor] already ruled that I had miscarriage. My gestational sac has collapsed and my ovum is blighted. This I'm sure is part of God's will because He wants me to be able to give my mom the best care and as much time as possible without any health concerns of my own."

Nakumpirma ang pagbubuntis ni Kris noong March 13 sa taping ng kanyang game show sa ABS-CBN na Wheel of Fortune.

Monday, March 24, 2008

MARTIN NIEVERRA Joins SOS (Society of Seven) in Las Vegas Show

Martin Nievera joins Society of Seven (SOS) as the group begins looking for a new home.

That subhead of a show review of the ongoing SOS show in Las Vegas with Lani Misalucha and, yes, Martin Nievera, should ring merrily for Martin diehards.

A clipping of the review from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, bylined MikeWeatherford, was e-mailed to me by Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre (news editor of The Filipino Reporter) who announced that the SOS and Lani (but minus Martin) will perform at Showboat Casino in Atlantic City (New Jersey) on May 4, produced by Drs. Ramon and Ching Legarda of Group Ole.

Said Edmund, “I want to share the review with your readers.”

Here it is, in full, headlined Martin Nievera and Lani Misalucha team up for stellar duets from the Josh Groban songbook:

They almost waited too long to figure this out.

The Society of Seven is a tourist institution in Hawaii, but has battled for years to maintain a high profile on the Strip.

Martin Nievera, the son of one of the Society’s original singers, likewise had tough luck trying to transfer his momentum to Las Vegas. He’s “The Concert King” of the Philippines, and at 46, can still pack arenas there. But it has been hard to push beyond that base to a wider audience, and formal singers not named Groban or Bublé aren’t a hot commodity these days.

So, perhaps inevitably, these two have joined forces. Something Nievera has waited his whole life to do, he tells the audience. But guess what? The show closes at the Flamingo on April 13. Magician Nathan Burton takes over the afternoon berth in the showroom. SOS will go on tour and try to find a new home on the Strip in September.

That still gives them six weeks to demonstrate the potential of their combined force to future casino hosts. The show is instantly stronger, even though it’s a bit tentative and a little like a shotgun wedding.

Nievera restores the stellar male voice the Society has been missing since the death of longtime member Gary Bautista in early 2006. The showy singing has been left up to female star Lani Misalucha, but nothing quite replaced her duets with Bautista.

When Misalucha and Nievera serve up the inevitable rendition of The Prayer, or Somewhere from West Side Story, there’s no better singing in any ongoing show on the Strip.

Sure, a few of us would like to see if Misalucha could handle more nuanced vocals, maybe something jazzy to balance the full-throttle dynamics. But business is business, and the real mystery is why a show so perfectly attuned to American Idol and Groban’s song catalog would meet any resistance on the Strip. Perhaps many people, like a certain woman I live with, look at the ads and mistakenly assume the group does a Hawaiian-style show with grass skirts and island music.

Instead, the SOS formula has always been to balance Broadway singing with the ’60s show-band tradition of costumed impressions and cross-dressing. Nievera is willing to dive in, offering what may well be the world’s first comic spoof of Groban and gamely putting on the dress to be one of the Supremes to Misalucha’s Diana Ross.

For better or worse, the impressions and spoofs all fall in the first 45 minutes, ranging from co-founder Bert Sagum as Little Richard to Misalucha as Celine Dion, Beyoncé and Britney Spears (a bit that really should go on hold until the real Brit seems less precarious).

Then the show turns the corner, and it’s basically all serious from that point on. A better blend would avoid Excessive Wig Syndrome followed by sudden withdrawal, something all TV doctors caution against.

Nievera hit the ground running this time. But if he and the Society are still a packaged deal in September, it will be time to bring in an outside director. Call it “Keeping up with the Scintas,” the only other full-time attempt (unless you count Danny Gans) to court customers from the pre-Pure era of Vegas.

The Scintas were wise to sit down with new producers and dissect every element of their Las Vegas Hilton act, though the changes ended up being more subtle than drastic. Likewise, it’s time for the Society to back up and rid the show of accumulated tics, such as co-founder Tony Ruivivar repeatedly thanking the audience for coming, which leads to False Finale Syndrome. (He’s covering for quick changes backstage, but why not talk about the history of the group or something?)

And while it’s cool that Nievera follows in his father’s footsteps by doing an impression or two, the rest of the group could follow the lead of his pop hits medley and say, “We’re good in our own right too.”

Moments such as the group’s offering a cappella backing to Misalucha’s version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot give you high hopes for what they could come back with in September if they think this thing through.

Source: rfl, philstardotcom

17th Season of U.S. Reality Show "Survivor" Currently Shooting in Camarines Sur, Philippines?

Nasa Pilipinas nga ba ang next season ng U.S. reality TV show na Survivor?

Ang Survivor, a CBS reality show credited to Mark Burnett, ang isa sa dalawang shows that sparked the reality-TV concept around the world. The other one being the game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

There have been at least 20 international versions of the game show na first produced in Sweden. But the U.S. version is the most popular and lost lasting. Hosted by Jeff Probst, the first Survivor season was taped in Borneo with Richard Hatch as its first winner.

Airing na ngayon sa U.S. TV ang 16th season ng Survivor taped in Micronesia with the theme Fans vs. Favorites, kung saan ten past superstars (or fan favorites) of the previous seasons compete against ten self-confessed super fans of the series.

For its 17th season, nagtapos ang application noong January 24, 2008. Casting and pre-production are being done in Los Angeles. It was reported that production would start late June 2008.

Ngunit nitong nakaraang Holy Week, tourists and even local vacationers—including some celebrities—at pati na rin ang ibang mga mismong taga-Gota Beach sa Agirangan Island na part ng Caramoan Peninsula sa Camarines Sur were not allowed to enter the said beach resort to do their Semana Santa vacation. Doon daw kasi nagsu-shooting ang next season ng Survivor.

Among those who were around during the shoot na hindi rin nakapasok, nasabihan silang Celebrity Edition ang format ng next season ng Survivor. They were told that among the contestants are Jean Claude Van-Damme and Alicia Silverstone.

Walang ibang makapag-confirm nito sa amin specially the inclusion of Van Damme and Alicia, lalo pa't taliwas ito sa official news ng Survivor na June pa ito sisimulan at may pa-audition sila—meaning non-showbiz type of contestants.

Former President Cory Aquino Diagnosed with Colon Cancer

Inanunsiyo ni Kris Aquino sa pamamagitan ng isang official statement kaninang hapon, March 24, na ang kanilang ina na si dating Pangulong Corazon "Cory" Aquino ay may sakit na colon o colorectal cancer.

Halata sa tinig sa Kris ang tindi ng problemang kinahaharap ng kanilang pamilya habang binabasa niya ang official statement.

"Our mother had suffered from an episode of high blood pressure and difficulty in breathing followed by fever during the week in between Christmas and New Year. Since that time, we became concerned because of her consistent cough, loss of appetite and noticeable weight loss.

Our mom wanted to know what was wrong with her, and with her family by her side, she submitted herself to a check-up and several tests. The results showed that our mother is suffering from cancer of the colon," pahayag ng emosyonal na si Kris sa official statement ng pamilyang Aquino.

Ayon kay Kris, desisyon ng kanilang ina na sabihin sa publiko ang kalagayan niito dahil naniniwala pa rin ang dating pangulo sa kapangyarihan ng dasal.

"Desisyon po ng nanay namin na mag-release kami ng statement, para maunawaan ng lahat ang kanyang kasalukuyang kalagayan. Nakikiusap po kami na sana maintindihan ninyo na kailangan ng aming ina, kagaya ng lahat ng pasyenteng nagpapagaling, ng panahon ng katahimikan," sabi ni Kris.

Humingi rin ang pamilya Aquino ng time of privacy dahil sa karamdaman ng dating pangulo.

"It's very difficult time for our family, most especially for our mother. We respectfully ask that she be accorded her privacy. Our mom remains a believer in the power of prayer. We ask you for your compassion and for your prayers," pahayag ni Kris.

Ilang linggo na ring kumakalat ang balita na may matinding karamdaman si former Pres. Aquino. Sa katunayan, naospital siya noong December 2007 dahil sa high blood pressure.

Ayon sa ilang pag-aaral, ang colon at rectal cancer ay ang ika-tatlo at ika-apat na pangunahing cancer-related deaths sa Pilipinas.

Si Cory Aquino ang biyuda ng pinaslang na Senator Benigno Aquino. Naging presidente siya ng Pilipinas noong 1986 matapos mapatalsik sa puwesto si dating President Ferdinand Marcos. Napili siya bilang Woman of the Year ng Time Magazine noong 1986.

Kasalukuyang nasa ospital ngayon si dating Pangulong Aquino na ngayon ay 75 years old.

LUIS MANZANO at ANGEL LOCSIN Magkasamang nag-Semana Santa sa Bangkok

Sa NAIA pa rin last Maundy Thursday, siguro naman ay hindi na magdi-deny sina Luis Manzano at Angel Locsin sa tunay nilang relasyon, na ayaw pa nilang aminin dahil magkasama silang umalis papuntang Bangkok, Thailand, para roon palipasin ang Holy Week.

“Boracay boy” itong si Luis pero siyempre, mas maganda iyong ang kasama mo ay ang iyong lady love at hindi kasing dami ng tao sa Boracay ang nasa Bangkok. The same is true with OMB Chairman Edu Manzano and girlfriend Pinky Webb, na nakita rin sa NAIA.

Nagkita kaya ang mag-amang Edu at Luis? Sa Singapore naman kasi pumunta sina Edu at Pinky para doon palipasin ang Holy Week. Bumalik na rin sila kahapon, Easter Sunday dahil maaga ang trabaho nila this morning sa Umagang Kay Ganda ng ABS-CBN.