When we talk about kiss-and-don’t tell actors, ALDEN RICHARDS takes the cake. There are actually no nasty rumors about ALDEN and to many of us, he seems to have a wonderfully blissful life by just being single. “As a private person, all moments spent with my family are precious and so are the times when I get to enjoy my hobbies like gaming and traveling,” ALDEN told us in a brief chat on social media.
So, isn’t he dating anyone at the moment?
I remember ALDEN saying ” I really fall for girls with long hair tapos not too thin, ayoko ng sobrang sexy. Kumakain ng burger. Ayoko yung kumakain ng salad.” Then he also mentioned a few years back – “By 30, I want to get married na.” Wait a minute, ALDEN was born January 2, 1992 and so that makes him 30 right now.
So, Will ALDEN get married now?
Alden has been romantically linked to Louise de los Reyes, Sam Pinto and Julie Anne San Jose.
I asked ALDEN what he likes best in a person. “I appreciate meeting people who are sincere and true to themselves. I also have a deep respect for hardworking people and those who are kind.”
What does he like best in himself? “I’m willing to work hard to fulfill my dreams. I work hard not just for myself, but also for others. I think being in a position where I can give back is a gift. I like making people happy, maybe that is why I became an actor. “
And what he always prays for? “I pray for good health for myself and my family. I pray for this pandemic to be over and I also pray for peace of mind.”
Meanwhile, we are waiting if and when he decides to have a permanent relationship with. And with whom.
Not Forgotten: Boyet Sison
The buzz is all over, look at those gigantic billboards popping up in metro manila put up by his friends. It is to celebrate BOYET SISON.
Who was/is BOYET SISON?
Described as the man who lights up every room he walks into with his inextinguishable joy for life, food, music, friendship and humor unxpectedly succumbed to cardiac arrest and kidney failure…Before the network’s franchise was denied by the House of Representatives in 2020, Sison regularly hosted sports news shows on ANC and DZMM or TeleRadyo. For 13 years, he co-hosted “Fastbreak” with basketball great and former senator Freddie Webb on Saturdays. On the ABS-CBN (ANC) news channel, he anchored “Hardball” for 14 years with sports commentator Bill Velasco. He was a part of TV Patrol’s Alam N’yo Ba….
His devotees recall that Boyet started spinning music at a very young age – was he 16? According to his first cousin Malie Javelona, Boyet worked @ Wherelse – the top disco scene at that time, then ventured with Louie Ysmael & started Stargazer, Louie Y’s – the where to go to hot spots in the 80’s & making him the most sought after DJ. Eventually he began covering sports, a PBA sportscaster for over 10 years at araneta coliseum.
When Kobe Bryant visited Manila, it was Boyet who had the scoop interview.
Boyet died on Holy Saturday, April 16th, after undergoing surgery for blocked intestines. He was nine days short of turning 59. His BFF defines Boyet as “someone looking young for his age since he acted like a kid, a precocious, cool kid, diminutive but confident, loud but funny.” Going live on Facebook just before undergoing surgery, Boyet confessed being worried about his first time to go under the knife. He’s never had a major ailment, he said, and then he asked his audience to please pray for him, adding that he loves us all. Let us keep Boyet in our prayers.
What does GINA love most?
At this point in her life, what does GINA ALAJAR consider most vaulable?
GINA: My grandchildren! I love being with them and spoiling them. I want to create more memories with them that would last a lifetime (She is Grandma to kids by her sons Ryan, Geoff and AJ Eigenmann.) It is the best part of my life now. I treat them as my barkada. Seeing them at least once a week, you wonder where the magic of it all comes from. I wish for a longer life because I want to see the milestones in their lives.
The roles she’d love to portray?
GINA: Now i like stories of long time friendships, characters na women of my age, yung pagbabago sa buhay nila mga ganun…
What she prefers – acting or directing?
GINA: I love both jobs, mas relax lang pag artista and yung challenge na creating a character for a certain role… sa directing naman, yung interaction with all the people involved in the production.
The toughest part of her work (both as an actress/director)?
GINA: As an actress, it’s the constant changing of costumes, memorizing lines (meron ng senior moments and walang masyadong practice haha). There are not enough meaty roles for women my age, oft-times repetitive roles.
As a director, the ginormous responsibility towards the material. For television, it is tough because of the pressure of finishing certain number of scenes on a single taping day.
Like us, Gina watches korean teleseryes – what makes them so popular?
GINA: Late bloomer ako when it comes to watching Kdramas.. i only started to enjoy it during the pandemic because of CRASH LANDING ON YOU… i have a huge crush on Hyun Bin and became a fan… so I do not miss all the teleseryes and films of Hyun. Then I started to watch other actors. I got hooked. I also love Son Yejin – she’s a great actress! So I wondered ano sekreto ng Kdramas and why are they so popular… may napanood akong talk between korean filmmakers and on our end Laurice Guillen and Jose Javier Reyes..They discussed about the the success of these Kdramas. The Korean film and tv industry really planned how to market their products like the inclusions of soju, samgyupsal, etc as part of their tourism They have a school for those who want to write and it is tough to pass it kaya napakalawak siguro ng mga stories nila kasi talagang nagreresearch sila. Looks like their script is not rushed. The budget is big, and their government supports the industry. They are detailed, marketing their country and culture through the years. The actors – most of them have college diplomas. Nag-aral talaga.
Can we compete with them?
GINA: Of course we can (being positive now), but it needs a lot of work. Sana nga.
We agree with GINA.
Korea’s strive for excellence might be another reason for the extent of Korea’s acclaim, but another trend in Korean cinema is the way Korean films are thoughtfully made, have consistently high quality, and rarely fail to entertain.
Remember when the film Parasite won the Oscars? Parasite made history winning the biggest prize in Hollywood, despite being a non-English language film from South Korea.
Emotions and experiences in watching Korean TV dramas motivate viewers to visit Korea. Some think that visiting Korea did not necessarily lead to interest in viewing Korean TV dramas, but participants who had a positive tour experience in Korea were more likely to be interested in Korean TV dramas upon returning home.
Another thing is the food. Korean televiewers are now familiar with Tteokbokki, Jjajangmyun, Patbingsoo (Korean shaved ice), Kimchi jjigae, cup ramen and soju. Here in Toronto, more Korean restaurants are opening – the favorites being Nakwon and Owl of Minerva.
Actually, one main purpose of some South Korean tourists is to meet their favorite stars of their Kdrama in person. Hindi ba?
Where is GIGI?
I remember DJHOANNA GIGI GARCIA in the mid-70s – pretty, young, vibrant, gifted with a singing voice and later became an actress. She is now in Los Angeles away from the klieg lights and just being herself, a private person.
If given an opportunity right now, would she consider going back to being an actress? Why?
GIGI: I now live a much simpler, quieter and contented life. My faith in the Lord has kept me grounded all along. My daughter Lady is a nurse – and I own and operate Helping Hands of Beverly Hills Home Care Agency. We provide dependable, reliable and trustworthy caregivers to senior patients with health challenges in need of optimum care. My background in the entertainment industry and politics has helped hone my skills tremendously in dealing with people from all walks of life.
What does she miss about film making?
GIGI: I only did a few films actually and some TV shows because I was much more concentrated on my singing career. Then I got involved in politics because the father of my two daughters was the mayor of a city in metro Manila. (Caloocan City) I was deep into being his First Lady with lots of government and private projects and activities.
What made her migrate to US? No regrets?
GIGI: When the Mayor and I went our separate ways, (but ended up the best of friends after. We were together for 17 long years) It took quite sometime for me to get back on my feet and restart my life. That’s when I met my current husband Vincent Kocher in 1999. We got married in 2001 and I moved to California by that time and we still are very much married to this very day. I am always optimistic. I am a survivor by heart and a warrior who never gives up. I serve a Mighty God that fights my battles. That’s why I am at peace.
Update on JANICE
You often see JANICE de Belen on you tube, cooking your favorite dishes but let us not forget she is an actress first and foremost.
What is the one movie role that she’d like to portray and why
JANICE: I no longer think of what roles i can play. Roles for my age are limited na. If there are good ones that come along even if the role is small, it’s my job to make it interesting and memorable.
Can she describe a stressful situation and how she handled it?
JANICE: I guess that would be my separation. I just faced it because I needed to move forward. (Note: Everyone knows she is once married to John Estrada. They got married in 1992 and were blessed to have four children. However, they separated in 2001 after the actor got linked to former actress Vanessa Del Bianco. Their marriage officially got annulled in 2004. And since then, while John remarried, she remained single. Being single now, she confidently expressed that she can do anything she wants because she doesn’t have any partner or a significant other’s opinion to consider or follow.)
Can she detail a mistake she made and how she reacted to it?
JANICE: I have made so many mistakes. We can’t prevent some failures from happening but we can take control of how we respond to these setbacks and be able to pick yourself back up and bounce back from them, that is important, and learning from them too.
Doesn’t she think of opening a restaurant? I remember a friend telling me about Janice’s first bazaar. All her baked goods were sold in half a day.
JANICE: Mahirap eh. I sell online too. Restaurant is too much of a commitment. My day job still comes first.
DAVID’s Two Loves
And speaking of two worlds, let me ask my good friend DAVID Farmer. What’s his preference – DAVID is both a lawyer and an actor as well.
DAVID: I love both for the different required skill sets and the variety of social interactions they each offer. Each feeds the other, a kind of a left brain/right brain balance. I’d also add directing as the perfect trinity, because of all the challenges it offers and the skills it offers.
Highlights of his life as an attorney?
DAVID: Each case is unique and challengin I have been practicing for almost 40 years, and it’s the best job I ever had. One of my biggest cases was representing Aloha Airlines in two Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and serving as a Chapter 7 trustee in many cases here in Honolulu. Coming up in November is another airline case in which I represent two former officers in a jury trial scheduled to last at least two weeks.
What makes an important actor?
DAVID: Actors at their very core are story tellers. Art, acting, and performance are expressions of life – our cultures, our worries, our love, our strengths, our weaknesses, and our existential curiosity. Acting is political and spiritual in equal measure. It can stimulate debate, educate, dissect life, or rise up against oppression. Also, Johnny Depp puts it this way: “The most important thing that an actor needs to do is not to act, but to react. That’s what it is all about, and you do one of the most difficult things in the world, which is to just be–to be in the state of being.”
More chat next issue dear readers – feel good and be good!
