Sheng, Rodjun and Ruru seize the spotlight

BELMONTE. Sizzling production numbers.

Sultry singer (“Single”) and musical-theater actress (“Magsimula Ka,” “Katy!”) Sheng Belmonte is grateful for the encouraging feedback she got for her birthday concert, “3-2-1 Party,” last Nov. 23 at the Handlebar in Makati and, along with guest performers, Epy Quizon, Jason Farol, Rachel Mitzki, Viva Hot Babes’ Sheree and the Xzel band, we were there to celebrate it with her!

We were glad to see the “Pinoy Dream Academy” alumna strut her stuff as a solo act, because she turned out to be such an engaging performer who knew how to connect with her audience, and made her songs and production numbers sizzle—from the catchy Tina Turner medley to her estrogen-infused cover of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.”

Early this week, she released the music video of her latest hit single, “Ulan.” She’s set to begin taping for “Daddies,” a new sitcom on TV5.

Rodjun Cruz

CRUZ. Comes from prodigious show biz clan.

After shuttling between projects for ABS-CBN (“Juanita Banana”), GMA 7 (“My Husband’s Lover,” “Mrs. Real”) and TV5 (“Hey, It’s Saberdey!”), Rodjun Cruz is happy that he’s getting increasingly challenging roles that he can sink his thespic teeth into on the Kapuso network.

Like his younger sibling, Rayver, the 27-year-old looker is a triple threat. He can sing, act and dance (he’s a former “U Can Dance” grand champ)—and, why not? He and his brother belong to the prodigious show biz clan of the Cruzes: Their mother, Beth, is the sister of Ricky Belmonte and Tirso Cruz Jr. (father of Tirso Cruz III), while Sheryl, Sunshine, Geneva and Donna Cruz are their cousins.

Is he better at dancing than Rayver? Rodjun shares, “We don’t compete with each other, in fact, we even give each other notes. I taught Rayver how to dance, but his skills are extraordinary—he can replicate dance moves that he sees on the Internet!”

How do they make their complex terpsichorean combinations on “ASAP” and “SAS” look so easy? He discloses, “We make sure we don’t just do the choreography well—we also enjoy performing the number!”

Ruru Madrid

MADRID. Portrays grief-stricken teenager in “Above The Clouds.”

Ruru Madrid is also bound for bigger and better things. The 5’10” tall high school senior only turned 17 years old last Dec. 4, but he has already topbilled Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Bamboo Flowers” and Pepe Diokno’s indie drama, “Above The Clouds (Alapaap)”, about 15-year-old Andy, who loses his parents to Typhoon “Ondoy” and goes on a hiking trip with his estranged grandfather, portrayed by Pepe Smith which was screened recently at film festivals in Tokyo and Singapore.

The charming teenager recalls, “I was only 15 years old when we shot that movie, for more than two months and it was worth it! My character is a rebel who blames the world for his misfortunes. But, my dream role is to play—a superhero!”

Is Ruru romantically attached? He shakes his head, “I had three girlfriends before I decided to pursue acting but, school and my acting career are my priorities these days. I’m attracted to girls with a sense of humor, because I crack jokes all the time. I want to finish high school bago ako maabutan ng ‘K to 12’ Basic Education program!”