Now you see them…
Gelli de Belen
Thanks to some ongoing teleseryes, we’ve had the good fortune of being reintroduced to some “now you see them, now you don’t” talents on TV.
Topping our list this season is Mari Kaimo, who’s long been “unseen but not forgotten” on the tube, but has now happily resurfaced on ABS-CBN’s “The Better Half,” in a father role.
Mari used to be well-regarded as a good-looking, intelligent, urbane and educated TV news anchor, but he’s retired as a broadcast journalist, and is apparently giving TV acting a go.
He does well in his new assignment, and his career shift isn’t really that big a surprise to us, because his spouse, Enchang Agudo, is a good actress and comedienne in her own right.
We hope to see more of Mari after his comeback TV stint ends.
Come to think of it, Enchang should also go back to acting, because she’s really good!
Also in “The Better Half” is another long-absent talent, beauty queen-turned-actress Joyce Ann Burton, as Mari’s wife.
She, too, passes muster in her character role, with her strong features and textured speaking voice serving her in good stead.
The upcoming fantasy-drama series, “La Luna Sangre,” topbills Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, but its supporting cast is also noteworthy.
It’s the dramatic comeback of Richard Gutierrez, and also features talents who aren’t seen on TV all that regularly, like Gelli de Belen and Princess Punzalan.
For its part, “Destined to be Yours” was enlivened by the participation of “occasional” TV actors like Ronnie Henares, Marco Sison, Luz Valdez and Marita Zobel.
Henares is a particularly notable talent because he imbues his occasional TV appearances with an energy and texture that isn’t usually seen on the local small screen.
As for Marco, his key claim to fame is as a singing star, so his character portrayal here is a welcome departure for him.
Fact is, he isn’t entirely inexperienced in this regard, having also done well as an actor in stage musicals like “Katy!” and “Pag-ibig sa Bayan.”
While we’re happy that these senior or “senioring” talents have resurfaced on TV, we hope that some truly iconic stars can be “persuaded” to make their thespic comebacks this year.
Our list of iconic “druthers” is led by the great Rosa Rosal, who’s had a long and celebrated career, but could still have some memorable portrayals to gift us with.
Also iconic and much-missed is Mona Lisa, Lino Brocka’s “signature” senior star, who figured so powerfully in his best dramas, like “Insiang.”
The grand dame is now in her 90s, but when it comes to the truly great, as far as TV-film buffs are concerned, hope springs eternal.
Then there’s Hilda Koronel, who’s now based in the United States, but could be persuaded to face the cameras again, if the script offered her is that good!
