Alden Richards (left) and Maine Mendoza
Expect Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza to make fewer appearances on “Eat Bulaga” as the popular “AlDub” love team’s first drama series is set to premiere later this month.
Alden and Maine, who will topbill the Kapuso soap opera, “Destined to Be Yours,” are now taping three times a week, according to producer Tony Tuviera.
He said the onscreen tandem would not be seen regularly in “Eat Bulaga” until after the show ends.
“They will return eventually. But for now, we will try to have them in ‘Bulaga’ at least once a week because the fans have been clamoring for them,” Tuviera—president and chief executive officer of Tape Inc. and its subsidiary APT Entertainment—said at a recent gathering with the press.
Despite this, Tuviera remains optimistic that his noontime variety show will continue to get good ratings.
“We cannot expect them to be always there. ‘Bulaga’ had been doing great, even before AlDub came into the picture. It is just that when they did, eh ibang klase ang nangyari (something else happened),” he observed.
“Many people were predicting that AlDub would not last longer than three or six months. But they are still here after more than a year,” he pointed out, debunking doubts about AlDub’s longevity.
Tuviera revealed he was planning another movie for Alden and Maine within the year, although there is still no concept or tentative play date at the moment. What is certain, however, is that the movie will not be an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
“[‘Eat Bulaga’ host] Vic Sotto may come up with an entry this year, and I do not want to go up against him,” Tuviera explained.
He finds the new MMFF rule requiring producers to submit completed films quite risky. He said: “Despite sending a finished product, there is no guarantee that you would get in the lineup. Gagasta ka nang malaki, pero hindi mo alam kung kailan magsho-showing. (You’ll spend so much but you don’t know when your film will be shown.)”