Claims to fame–and attention

We usually don’t include commercials among the show biz month’s most striking standouts, but we’d like to make an exception this time and cite Luis Manzano for the string of unusual TV spots that he’s “starred” in of late.

He led off with his spot for a fast-food chain, in which he played all sorts of zany characters in a veritable rogues’ gallery of idiosyncratic types, culminating in a kid or dwarf asking for Luis’ autograph.

Next, in another plug for a fast-food and a communication outfit, he went the male/female route, shifting between genders in a fiercely funny way.

Finally, dad Edu Manzano has joined Luis in a third commercial in which they portray hugely-muscled and goofy wrestlers as they memorably promote—pancit!

If a spot’s goal is strong and instant recall, all three commercials involving Luis going solo or with his dad are uniquely successful and effective. Logically, they should result in increased sales for the products they promote, so—everybody happy!

As Luis slides into this new sideline in his performing career, we should remind ourselves of his “royal” lineage in show biz, thanks to his folks—no less than Vilma Santos and Edu Manzano.

In particular, Edu is “responsible” for Luis’ comedic bent (as well as his hosting acumen). For her part, “drama queen” Vi has memorably shared the silver screen with her son in “In My Life,” a moving drama in which Luis surprised everyone by playing the lover of—John Lloyd Cruz!

Nora Aunor, newsmaker

Another stellar newsmaker this month is no less than the Nora Aunor. What’s her claim to fame—and our impressed attention—this time around?

First, we’re blown away by the revelation that, in 2014,

Nora acted in five films! This is an unexpected and impressive feat since, not too long ago, most people had already branded the Superstar a has-been, and consigned her to ignominious oblivion! Where would we be now if we had short-sightedly and cynically chosen to believe them?

We’re happy to have been among the Nora “diehards” who stubbornly chose to believe that she still had some good movies left in her—and we trust that even better films are in store for her in 2015!

Above all, we continue to pray that she will finally get that oft-postponed throat operation in Boston to bring back her glorious and richly expressive singing voice.

The way we perhaps too melodramatically put it, Nora is our collective Ibong Adarna, so when she sings again, we shall all be the better and happier for it!

Nora is in the news again also because her controversial, gender-tweaking film with Vilma Santos, Danny Zialcita’s “T-Bird at Ako,” has been restored and rereleased. Here’s hoping that young viewers go out of their way to watch it, so they will realize how good some of our movies were, way back when!

While they’re at it, our film restorers and “rediscoverers” should also look into another Nora-Vi costarrer, “Ikaw Ay Akin,” an Ishmael Bernal film that was justly famous for its 12-minute “confrontation” scene between its two combative leads, in which the dialogue was eliminated in favor of amazing “eye language”!