The kind of man Carla Abellana wants

Abellana (right) with Gabby Concepcion in “Stolen Life” —GMA NETWORK

Stolen Life” (SL) takes a different spin on the cliché “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” The show, which premieres on Nov. 13 at 3:20 p.m. on GMA Network, is headlined by Carla Abellana, Beauty Gonzalez and Gabby Concepcion. It’s the story of a woman whose life is “robbed” through astral projection.

Carla’s short-lived marriage to Tom Rodriguez is somewhat like the title of her new series. Married life was snatched away from her just like that. But their breakup turned out to be a breakthrough for Carla. She found a way to bloom amid the gloom. Now watch her soar.Here’s my chat with Carla:

Since SL deals with astral projection, if you could enter the body of any famous person, who would it be?

Katy Perry. I am a huge fan of hers and I’ve always been curious about what it’s like to live her life.

What kind of Carla will we see in SL?

A kontrabida. I’m playing two characters who are polar opposites. Aside from my usual api-apihan role, they will also see me get furious, act evil and be heartless.

What kind of guy would make you want to fall again?

Someone who has integrity and is respectful.

After being single again, what have you learned?

That life often throws you curve balls and life isn’t really fair. Many times, your life plans and expectations will fail, so it’s best to just surrender everything to God and let him take the lead in your life.

What’s your advice to women on mending a broken heart and moving on?

You are not alone and at the end of the day, you have God and yourself. God’s got you and you will surely get through this. Cling to God, your family and your best friends. No matter what, never give up on yourself. It’s time to respect and love yourself first.

Carla Abellana

Are you ready to accept suitors or would you rather stay single for now?

I’m enjoying single life, yet I don’t want to close my doors to suitors.

Mirroring real-life situations through ‘delicate’ scenes

McArthur “Direk Mac” Alejandre bagged best director once again at the Wallachia International Film Festival in Romania for the Vivamax (VM) movie, “Selina’s Gold.” He was already recognized by the prestigious award-giving body last year for the VM movie “Silip sa Apoy.”

Direk Mac shares VM’s vision to create films that mirror real-life situations and be fearless in exploring even the most delicate scenarios.

Here are quotes from Direk Mac:

At this phase of my career, I am no longer a commissioned director. But I am grateful for those years I launched stars like Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera and Alden Richards. I am happy that with VM, I can do the material I want to do [where] 90 percent of which is written by my best friend, National Artist Ricky Lee.

Morality must not be imposed. For those who pass judgment on VM movies, they have a right to their opinion, but it doesn’t mean that it’s valid to me. When you judge, it’s really more a reflection of you than the person or material you are passing judgment on.

I almost retired from filmmaking before the pandemic, but it was Ricky Lee who convinced me to stay. He told me that I still have so much more to share and that we would do it together.

Mac Alejandre —VIVA

After over three decades in the biz, I have crossed from TV and movies to commercials. When I started, money was a motivating factor because we were poor. Now, all I want to do are films that matter to me.

When Ricky and I have creative differences, we argue until we break the barrier and the “diamond” comes out.

Digital technology has democratized filmmaking. It’s now accessible to everybody. In a way, it has become easier, but the time for studying the craft is shortened.