New series plays it bright, blithe–and naughty

EVANGELISTA (WITH TRILLO, LEFT). “Surprising” career move.

GMA 7’S new drama series, “Juan Happy Love Story,” is a relatively fresh take on the overproduced program format, which has lost much of its ability to surprise and delight due to sheer repetition.

Many teleseryes take themselves, oh, so seriously, giving viewers the sinking feeling that they’ve seen it all before—and are about to see it yet again!

The new series chooses not to belabor the obvious and overused, and instead play it relatively bright, blithe—and naught.

It topbills Dennis Trillo as an inveterate and unrepentant playboy who enjoys his serial chase of lovely women, but light-footedly avoids getting tied down!

Winsome woman

For her part, Heart Evangelista is cast as a winsome woman who’s about to teach the series’ resident lothario a lesson he’ll never forget!

It’s a “surprising” career move for her in the light of her marriage to a potential national leader, so some people are making a big to-do about it.

For our part, however, the now “maturing” star has impressed us of late with her “independent” moves. She’s simply doing what comes naturally—namely, not going by others’ expectations, just by what she feels is right for herself at this stage of her life and career.

Alternative career

We came to this realization when Heart surprised us a couple of years ago with her pursuit of an alternative career as a visual artist. We have many stars who paint, but Heart and Kuh Ledesma have been really good at it, and pursued it with focus and determination—hence the exceptional results.

Heart’s career in the visual arts is doing well, not just locally but regionally. So, we hope she continues to pursue it, despite her marital obligations and time-consuming acting assignments, like her new, “naughty” teleserye.

—About the show’s naughty part, some of the “heavy lifting” in that regard will be done by the series’ third lead, relative newcomer Kim Domingo.

But, Heart certainly isn’t about to cede the show’s sizzle to Kim, because she still has a lot going for her in that department. —Particularly, when it comes to the script’s witty lines, which need a woman to knowingly intone them to hit the maximum “hugot high!”