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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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Heart Evangelista has collapsed on the set of the teleserye, “Hiram,” which also stars Kris Aquino, Dina Bonnevie, John Estrada, Geoff Eigenmann and Anne Curtis.
Heart is now confined in the hospital due to exhaustion.
Heart actually has lately been working really hard. While taping for “Hiram” three times a week (lasting for as long as 19 hours a day sometimes), she also had to complete “Bcuz of U” so it could be finished in time for its playdate.
She also taped for her other weekly sitcom, “Tanging Ina, The Series.”
“Kahit bata pa siya,” commented a kibitzer, “bibigay at bibigay ang katawan niya. Kahit machine napapagod din.”
Heart actually need not work. Her family, the Ongpaucos, are successful restaurateurs. They have been advising her to slow down on her showbiz activities.
The same kibitzer added: “Kung sabagay, si Heart ang may gustong tapusin ang kanyang mga ginagawa kahit pagod na pagod na siya. Enjoy daw kasi siya. Besides, she doesn’t want to disappoint her fans.”
Few know that Heart used to think of herself as an ugly duckling. During her primary grades in the U.S., where the Ongpaucos resided before, she was the butt of jokes among her classmates because of her Asian look.
“Sometimes, I would go home crying,” she confessed in an interview. “It was when I started in showbiz that I learned how to enhance whatever physical assets I have. And it paid off.”
Today, Heart is considered as one of the prettiest and trendiest young stars in showbiz. She is one of the most in-demand endorsers among her contemporaries.
What does she do with her money? we once asked her. “I let my mom keep it,” she answered.
The youngest in the family, she still gets an allowance from her dad, who insists that she gets it even if she’s earning good money herself. (MNS)
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MANILA --- Rica Peralejo has just returned from a 23-day stay in the US where she did shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Union City, Chicago, Washington DC, Virginia Beach and Jacksonville, Florida.
Is it true she has now reconciled with Bernard Palanca?
“Not true at all,” she stresses. “Nagulat nga ako when I learned that he has also returned daw living in the house near our place. Where will he stay there, e bodega na ‘yon ngayon? In the States, I was able to do some soul-searching and I realized that more than anything else, I want to retain my individuality while in a relationship.
“We were on for four years and during that time, I felt I put myself inside a box. Whenever I’m not busy, we’re always together and I had no more time for myself. I explained this to him and I’m glad he understands me. Now, I want to experiment muna. Masaya ba ako kung wala siya? I’m in the process of finding out. Come June, I want to go back to college and get a degree. I want to major in journalism. Tama na muna ang commitment.”
How about the rumor that it’s Bernard who dumped her because he found out he’s an escort girl?
“You know, that’s ridiculous. Right now, I have three regular shows on ABS: ‘ASAP,’ ‘OK Fine Whatever,’ and ‘EK Channel.’ I also have a new movie, Canary Filmfest entry to the Metro filmfest, ‘Spirit of the Glass.’ Kung escort girl din lang ako, do you think magpapakapagod pa ako ng ganito and even do shows abroad?”
Last filmfest, her “Malikmata” was a big hit. She’s confident that “Spirit of the Glass” will also be a blockbuster.
“This is not a sequel but a totally different story. Dingdong Dantes is my boyfriend and one Holy Week, we planned to go on an outing with our barkada composed of Alessandra de Rossi, Paolo Contis, Ciara Sotto, and Jake Cuenca. We end up in a haunted house instead. I play two roles in the story: the character I play in the present and a woman who lived in the ‘50s na isa na ngayong ghost. Dusa pala gumanap ng dual roles because I have to wear two different sets of dresses and even my hairdo, iba rin. This is much scarier than ‘Malikmata’ and Marvin Agustin plays a surprise role that will also scare the viewers.” (MNS)
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MANILA --- Jomari Yllana has declared undying love, so far, for estranged girlfriend Ara Mina, with whom he had not spoken for about a month now. Jomari and Ara should have been celebrating their second anniversary as a couple on Nov. 23.
“I still love Ara 100 percent,” Jomari in an interview after a press conference to promote his Metro Manila Film Festival movie “Sigaw.”
“What I can offer her now is the best of friendship that she would experience in her whole life.”
But in a conversation with Ara using this writer’s cell phone, Jomari had only been civil to his ex, giving monosyllabic answers to her inquiries: “Yes, I’m okay.” "Are you okay?" "I don't have a TV show right now." "I'm doing an interview. Dalawa pa ito (There's two more interviews)." "You can call me in about an hour if you want to talk to me."
Earlier, Jomari said he would talk to Ara, "maybe after the movie ["Minsan Pa"] has finished its commercial run in theaters. He said he also needed a "closure."
Ara, however, called during the interview with Jomari, issuing an invitation to the premiere of the movie. This writer handed the phone to him.
The actor was visibly tense after the brief talk with Ara. Later that same night, Ara also saidt that she, too, felt the tension.
The tension was still palpable when Jomari called up, saying that he woke up feeling uneasy about what he had said during the interview last Sunday. Ara, too, admitted when she also called and that she was feeling tense about their movie's premiere.
During the interview with Jomari, the actor said he had a strong feeling that he would see Ara during the premiere. The movie's premiere was held in two theaters at Megamall last night.
Ara would be attending the 7 p.m. showing in one cinema, and Jomari would be watching the movie during the 7:30 p.m. showing in another cinema.
"So how would we meet?" Ara said.
But she also admitted that she was nervous about seeing him for the first time after their public breakup.
Jomari was just as anxious about seeing Ara.
"I can't eat," he said in a phone conversation. "I just got myself coffee and I'm now on my way home to dress up for the premiere."
It was only 3:50 p.m. when he said that.
"The traffic, you know," he reasoned. "I don't want to be late. And I want to come home early tonight."
In the interview, Jomari reiterated that Ara is the kindest person he has ever known. He said he's prepared to meet her and talk to her. Asked how he's planning to behave in front of her and what he would tell her, Jomari merely shook his head.
"If I plan it, then it wouldn't be real anymore," he said.
The actor, who's known for his brooding and angsty performances in off-beat roles, said he's now concentrating on his career. "Sigaw," a thriller directed by Yam Llaranas, casts him as a "mean, very bad guy, a killer... off-beat."
"I've waited for four years before I made another movie," Jomari said. "I did not like the scripts that were shown to me before. I was debating with myself for a year, two years if I would accept the movies that were offered to me, even if I wasn't happy with the scripts I saw. I told myself, there would be a role someday that would be perfect for me. I'm glad 'Sigaw' came, and 'Minsan Pa.'"
The 28-year-old actor said he's not averse to making another movie with Ara. "Why not? We're still very young. We're both professionals. We're both actors." (PDI)
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