NEWLYWEDS Alexa and Elvis Gutierrez embrace after the wedding ceremony.
PHOTOS BY NICE PRINT
Aside from something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue, celebrity couples also make sure to have something “Nice Print” when they take the plunge. The preferred video/photo studio of the stars covered its nth showbiz wedding recently, that of Elvis Gutierrez and Alexa Uichico.
They have been a couple for nine years. The most challenging time was when Alexa moved to the United States to study. But the long-distance relationship made their bond stronger.
The couple’s daughter, Aria, was born last September.
The Gutierrez-Uichico nuptials at Santuario de San Antonio and reception at the Blue Leaf Pavilion was a star-studded affair. The crème de la crème of showbiz and politics came in full force.
Best man Richard Gutierrez recalled in his speech that he, his twin Raymond, and Elvis were practically considered triplets as kids since they were born just nine months apart.
The groom’s mom, Annabelle Rama, said that Elvis (whom she fondly calls, “Taba” or “Bobot”) will always be her baby. During moving moments, Tita A lets her tender side show. Yes, it takes guts to be a Gutierrez. But underneath all that is a soft heart.
Here’s my one-on-one with Elvis:
What advice did your parents give you about marriage?
Always pray and let God be the center of our relationship.
What’s the best and the hardest part about being a Gutierrez?
Best part is we always stick with each other through thick and thin. We always get back on our feet after life knocks us down. Hardest part is the public scrutiny. But we understand that it comes with the territory.
How is your mom and Ruffa’s relationship these days?
It’s normal because they have always been this way. My mom is very protective and my sister is an independent woman so clashes cannot be avoided. But when you truly know them, you will realize how much they love each other. Don’t be surprised if they are best friends again tomorrow.
THE GROOM (second from right) with siblings (from left) Richard, Ruffa and Raymond
Hope for Jiro
My heart goes out to Jiro Manio. He is about the same age as my son, IC Mendoza. Both of them started in the biz as child stars. They worked in several movies together.
IC felt so sad when he saw Jiro roaming aimlessly at the airport. All IC could do was hug him. As IC’s caption on his Instagram post of his picture with Jiro goes, “Okay lang may pagdaanan. Huwag mo lang tambayan.”
I remember how I marveled at his performance in “Magnifico.” Jiro has it in him. His raw talent is such a terrible thing to waste. I asked his mentor, Maryo J. de los Reyes for his sentiments about his former ward.
Direk Maryo responded, “I took care of him for years. I did my best. He really needs professional help. I will always be around for him. But I am not as young as I used to be so I can no longer take the stress of watching over him full-time. So many of us in the industry are willing to help him. He should get rid of the doubts in his head and help himself, too.”
I really hope that we’ll witness the rebirth of Jiro Magnifico soon!
Movie marathon
With just two clicks, enter the no-TV zone where you can watch what you want at any time with iflix, the country’s biggest library of video-on-demand content.
In tandem with the nation’s biggest multimedia networks PLDT Home and Smart, iflix was launched at a perfect time since it recently secured content deals with giant Hollywood studios. This means that on top of existing 11,000-plus hours of TV series titles and updated catalogue of Hollywood, European and Asian releases, shows like “Sherlock,” “Doctor Who,” “Homeland” and “The Big Bang Theory” are now part of iflix’s growing library.
(Visit www.iflix.com for details.)
Ariel Fermin, PLDT EVP and Consumer Business Group head, said, “With all these titles included in our power-packed lineup of reliable Internet services, your choice of entertainment device deserves its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
Lights, camera, movie marathon!