Kids of the ‘80s like me grew up watching the iconic sitcom, “John & Marsha” (J&M), topbilled by Dolphy and Nida Blanca. Cignal Entertainment gives the show a different spin in TV5’s “John & Ellen” (J&E), starring John Estrada and Ellen Adarna, which premieres at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24.
After Ellen’s hiatus from show biz during the “John Lloyd Cruz chapter” of her life, it’s quite exciting to see her back on the scene. My good friend, John, is all revved up for “J&E” since he misses doing comedy.
John is a natural comedian. When we hang out, he totally cracks me up with stories about his snoring problem, how he “stalked” his wife, Priscilla Meirelles, after she won Miss Earth, and many more hilarious anecdotes.
We all need a good laugh these days. Let John and Ellen turn your “bad trip” into a nonstop laugh trip.
John Estrada
Here’s my chat with John:
What excites you about working with Ellen?
It always gives me an adrenaline rush to work with different actresses for the first time. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ellen. I like that she’s frank and candid. With her, what you see is what you get.
While working with Ellen, how will you avoid falling for her charms?
By not ever forgetting that I am a happily married man (laughs). But seriously, Ellen is also not that kind of girl who will get into that. We both respect each other and our jobs. ‘Ika nga, trabaho lang, walang personalan.’
Are you prepared that your wife Pri might get jealous of Ellen?
Pri isn’t the jealous type, and she knows the complexity of my job. That this is all part of show business. She might get jealous if I’ll give her reasons to get jealous, but I will make sure not to do so.
From left: Derek Ramsay, Ruffa Gutierrez and Ellen Adarna
What’s the score between Ellen and your best friend, Derek Ramsay?
It’s a very new friendship between Derek and Ellen. Their pics together that were circulated online were taken during the dinner that Derek hosted for us. We were all just having fun since most of us haven’t seen each other for so long. Biglaang get-together lang.
Derek is like a brother to me, and Ellen is my leading lady. So whatever it is, it’s really just between them—out na ako doon. Matatanda na sila. Alam na nila ginagawa nila (laughs).
What makes “J&E” different from “J&M”?
It’s a new take on the Filipino family dynamics. We have a different set of audience from “J&M,” so we have to make it fresh to keep our viewers engaged. What do you love about “J&M”?
I loved it because it centered around a typical Filipino family, how we can inject humor in challenging situations, and how we stick together through everything.
How do you feel about reprising Tito Dolphy’s iconic role?
I have no illusion of being a better “John” than Tito Dolphy, I just want to give justice to the role and give it the respect it deserves. Comedy is my first love because my first ever project was “Palibhasa Lalake.” I hope the audience will appreciate my fresh take on the role.
What if one of your daughters falls for a guy who’s not financially stable, just like the story of “J&M” and “J&E”?
My role as a father is not to hold my children back or live their lives for them. My job is to love them enough for them to make good choices and find their own way in life. All I can do is give them sound advice.
GMA’s ‘Serbisyong Totoo’
As the year 2020 proved to be by far one of the toughest that tested the Filipino spirit, GMA Network soldiered on to deliver “Serbisyong Totoo” as it remained as the Filipinos’ top news and free entertainment source.
Based on Nielsen Philippines’ Total Philippines data for 2020, the Kapuso network reached over 98.5 percent of TV households, with an estimated 84.1 million viewers. In addition, GMA Public Affairs reached 10 million subscribers on YouTube.
This 2021, its mobile digital TV receiver GMA Now will be launched following the successful launch of the Affordabox. It is also set to broadcast the NCAA Games. A variety of content is available on its digital channels, Heart of Asia, Hallypop and DepEd TV. Bravo, Kapuso.