Kris Aquino (right) with Mark Leviste
Since the buzz du jour is Kris Aquino’s long-distance romance with Mark Leviste, I suddenly remembered when I met Mark through Ate Vi (Vilma Santos) in Batangas many years ago.
Back then, he wanted to woo KC Concepcion. The muy simpatico vice governor even asked me if I could hook him up with KC. But that did not materialize. With all due respect to Kris and Mark, I’m just writing this for throwback’s sake.
May their love story end all love stories.
Kath open to bonding with Cesar’s other exes
In last week’s column, I wrote about BFF Buboy’s (Cesar Montano) Mother’s Day lunch with the two hot mamas of his kids, Sunshine Cruz and Kath Angeles. I asked Mareng Kath if she’s also willing to befriend the other mothers of Buboy’s sons, Teresa Loyzaga and Sandra Seifert.
“If it’s God’s will, why not?” she quipped. “I’m open to bond with them if type nila.”
I also asked Kath for her advice for girls who are not keen on being friends with the ex of their partner. Her reply: “Don’t force it. It takes time. Eight years in the making ‘yung sa amin ni Shine,” she points out. “But it doesn’t mean that we were enemies before. That’s why, when we finally met, it was easy for us. No plastikan or awkwardness.
“If you think the ex is still hung up on your man, huwag muna. Keep praying that someday the situation will be OK. Buboy and I prayed to have a smooth blended family, and it happened ng kusa.”
Buboy, Kath and Shine are proof that there comes a time when one kind of love gives way to another.
Ruru Madrid (left) and Yassi Pressman
Rom-com hits rewind button
Watching Betamax and VHS is a thing of the past, but the movies we watched back then are on repeat mode in our memory bank. That’s why GMA Pictures and Viva Films have joined forces to recapture those days in the upcoming movie, “Video City (VC).”
Top billed by Ruru Madrid and Yassi Pressman, it tells the story of Han (Ruru), a film student who travels back to the ’90s, where he meets Ningning (Yassi), a woman who will change his life.
The fantasy rom-com megged by Raynier Brizuela is inspired by the famous ’90s video rental shop. As the film’s tagline goes, “Please be kind, rewind.” It will turn back the clock and transport us to the good old days, when we were not yet slaves to technology.
Here are quotes from Yassi (Y), Ruru (RU) and Raynier (R):
Y: After 10 years since Ruru and I last worked together, it’s great to see how he has grown as an actor. Pati physique n’ya, nag-improve. Nagulat ako! Lolong na s’ya (laughs)!
RU: Yassi was my first crush in the biz. She is sunshine in human form. We will take our characters to heart to achieve chemistry.
R: Ruru and Yassi were still babies during the heyday of VC in the ’90s, so it would be interesting to watch them pull it off as “batang ’90s” in our film.
Y: The ’90s icon I look up to is Madonna. If I could travel back in time during her peak back in the day, I would ask her what’s her formula for success and eternal youth.
RU: Our movie will make you miss prestreaming days. I prefer watching movies before, when we would rent VHS tapes for our family bonding time. Since the time was limited, lahat talaga nagsasama to watch bago ma-overdue ang tape.
R: Many love stories happened in VC. I had a crush on the receptionist in the VC branch I used to frequent. She ignited my passion for film because she always led me to where the best films were.
Tiffany Grey (left) and Sean de Guzman
Lessons from ‘Fall Guy’
Know your tribe so you will not get bad vibes. That is what “Fall Guy” (streaming on Vivamax) is all about. It is headlined by Sean de Guzman, Vance Larena, Marco Gomez, Quinn Carrillo, Hershie de Leon and Tiffany Grey.
Helmed by Joel Lamangan, it’s a realistic depiction of how the rich use their power to get away with anything, while the wrongly accused poor souls struggle to clear their names. When it comes to “power trip,” the rich are “frequent fliers.”
Here are quotes from Sean (S), Quinn (Q) and Tiffany (T):
S: My takeaway from our film is not to try to keep up with those who are out of your league. Don’t force yourself into a circle where you don’t belong.
Q: Direk Joel fine-tuned my acting. He told me that not all styles of acting suit all actors. Binabagay sa mukha. You must have your own identity. Know your angle.
T: Even if I didn’t win best supporting actress when I was nominated for “My Father, Myself,” it didn’t make me lose heart. My time will come.
S: I am overwhelmed by the best actor awards I bagged twice in film festivals abroad. But I also hope to win an award here because being recognized by my kababayan will give me a different kind of satisfaction.
Q: It is easier for me to act when I’m the one who wrote the screenplay. If I am not the writer, I have to go with the vision of the director.
T: Our film will remind the audience not to be social climbers. I stay away from people who are from a different world than mine.