Latest list of hunches–and potential hits

ROSALES AND ALONZO. Should topbill a drama series together next year.

Some producers say that our peeks into incipient trends help them figure out the lay of the land in show biz, so here’s our latest list of hunches—and potential hits:

We’re feeling bullish about the new teleserye, “The Second Wife,” because it topbills the consistently exceptional Bea Alonzo. It’ll be interesting to see how she “clicks and clashes” with her costars, Ian Veneracion and Iza Calzado.

Also thespically promising is “Never Ever Say Goodbye,” because it topbills Jericho Rosales. In our view, Bea and Jericho are the best “maturing” actors on TV these days.

Come to think of it, Jericho and Bea should next topbill a drama series together. Just watch the thespic sparks fly! Perhaps in 2017?

Possible distraction

The less than spectacular showing of “Love Me Tomorrow” is being pondered over by mainstream producers because it indicates that coming up with a hit movie is more complicated than just coming up with a popular stellar cast (Dawn Zulueta, Piolo Pascual, Coleen Garcia) and putting it in a generational and triangular love drama.

A possible distraction may have been the fact that ostensible oldie but still golden goodie Dawn doesn’t look all that elderly—so, to put her in a “May-December” love story with Piolo, who himself is already in his 40s, doesn’t feel “generational” enough. Thus, viewers couldn’t get all that excited about a relative nonissue.

It’s instructive to recall that, when the same May-December card was played by the film, “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” the female lead was the decidedly mature Vivian Leigh, and her boy toy was the then new screen discovery and hunk, Warren Beatty, who was only in his 20s!

That made their “love conflict” clearer and much more believable, hence that film’s success. It was so popular that it was produced again in 2003, with Helen Mirren, Olivier Martinez and Anne Bancroft topbilling.