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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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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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MANILA --- Jolina Magdangal is now in the US for a vacation in Los Angeles, California then New York where she’ll meet up with boyfriend, Atty. Bebong MuÒoz, who’s doing post-grad studies there and is also working.
She thinks it best for her to recharge abroad now that her two shows on GMA-7, “Love to Love” and “Starstruck” have just ended. One writer kidded her: “Baka naman magpa-secret marriage na kayo while you are there?”
“I don’t think I’d ever resort to that,” she said. “Marriage is something one should be proud of and I’d like to do that in the Philippines and share it with my family and friends.”
If ever she’d get married, she’d request her groom that they live in Manila as she’s not used to life in the States.
Upon her return here, she’ll record a new album for GMA Records. A new film for GMA Films is also lined up.
What’s her reaction when she learned that her former ka-love team, Marvin Agustin, has gotten someone pregnant with twins?
“I can only wish him the best and pray that his twins will be both healthy and normal. Sana maging kasing cute sila ng daddy nila. He is blessed to have twins. Marvin naman has always been very responsible kasi he’s always helped his family, so I’m sure he’d be a good father to his twin babies!” (MNS)
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MANILA, March 17, 2005 --- Judy Ann Santos has announced that she’s taking a month-long break from acting right after her teleserye, “Krystala,” ends.
“I want to recharge myself,” she says.
Judy Ann plans to go to the US to unwind. She has asked her talent manager, Alfie Lorenzo, to give her a free schedule for at least a month.
A new teleserye awaits her when she comes back. She will also do movies, one with Aga Muhlach and another with Piolo Pascual.
Judy Ann reportedly is willing to co-produce with Regine Velasquez the movie co-starring them with Aga. The three of them believe they owe it to their audience to do the movie because it is “one of a kind.”
The Aga-Regine-Juday movie will have Joyce Bernal at the helm. The movie with Piolo, says Judy Ann, is still in the planning stage. She’s keeping her fingers crossed that the project will push through because it has been quite a while since they were seen together in the big screen.
So how’s her lovelife? We asked Judy Ann, who’s turning 27 in May. “What lovelife?” she laughs. “If you want to know if I’ve finally found special someone, wala pa rin. I hope that he is just around, though.” (MNS)
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Yes, Willie Revillame is shouting Wowowee! with a distinct ring these days for a very good reason: He just married model and one-time (2000) Bb. Pilipinas semi-finalist Liz Almoro in civil rites last March 9, with Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos officiating. The “secret” ceremony, witnessed by a handful of people very close to the couple (including Willie’s mother, Liz’s mom Clavel, and Golden Lions couple Donna Villa and Carlo J. Caparas), was held at Mayor Vilma’s residence at Green Meadows Subdivision in Quezon City.
Liz is beautiful, smart and intelligent, now taking her Master’s Degree. And rich. She owns Nuvo Restaurant in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. She has showbiz connections. Her mom Clavel co-produced the Chavit Singson bioflick with Donna and Carlo.
“Suwerte naman ni Willie,” said the Funfare DPA. “Mayaman na at matalino, maganda at mabait pa si Liz. I was surprised when I heard the news because Liz had just broken up with her long-time Cebuano boyfriend Glenn Soco.”
Willie has his own house and can give Liz a comfortable life. It’s his second marriage. The first, to Princess Punzalan, was annulled. Princess herself is reported to be getting married in May.
The Funfare DPA said that Willie and Liz met through a mutual friend.
“Willie was badly smitten,” the DPA said. “It was love at first sight. When he met Liz, Willie was overheard telling a friend, ‘Ito na ang babaing pakakasalan ko.’ As far as I know, sinagot siya ni Liz last February.” PS
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MANILA --- Do you still remember the controversy at Manila Film Festival in the 1990’s — the “switching” of winning envelopes that involved Lolit Solis, Nanette Medved and Gabby Concepcion? Last week’s Star Awards, believe it or not, allegedly had another cheating incident, only it was bigger this time.
Sources said that Piolo Pascual should have received the Best Actor plum on Saturday’s Star Awards for Movies—and not Dennis Trillo. But then again, not really, because Trillo rightfully deserved the title for his role in Aishite Imasu 1941.
Could it be true that Mayor Vi was named best actress just so she wouldn’t back out of hosting the awards night?
This somewhat confusing account came straight from some members and officers of the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC), the award-giving body that, for the first time, held its awarding ceremonies in a disturbingly tight and compact venue—at the Cinema 5 of the new Gateway Mall in Araneta Center, Cubao.
The buzz was going around the very night of the awards, when yours truly joined some PMPC officers and members at a restaurant in Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City, following the traditional after-awards ceremonies dinner.
According to this hub, they are certain that there were at least 13 votes out of the 25 authorized electors who voted in favor of Piolo Pascual, nominated for Milan.
They were the same 13 who boldly raised their hands to counter PMPC president Joe Barrameda’s proposal—during pre-voting deliberations—that Piolo be kicked out of the list of nominees.
Reason for this was the supposed revelation of PMPC officer Allan Diones that two people from ABS-CBN 2’s Star Magic, the network’s talent management arm, gave him an envelope containing P5,000 so he would vote for Piolo and not for Dennis.
“If those 13 dared to get their balls out for Piolo, why wouldn’t they write his name in their secret ballot?” reasoned out one of the officers, who felt they were cheated throughout the awards selection process this year. “How dare Joe Barrameda say there were only 9 votes for Piolo and one or two more for Dennis that made him win over Piolo?”
Diones, according to our informants, mentioned the names of the ABS-CBN people who allegedly gave him the envelope in one of the network’s press conferences, a few days before the PMPC members cast their votes.
Our informants recalled that Diones even mightily announced during their deliberations that he would return the money to the ABS-CBN guys.
But when some pro-Piolo PMPC officers and members asked the network guys if they did give Diones cash in exchange of his vote, they denied having done so. And when told that Diones was set to return the money, the network guys quipped, “Well, that would be manna from heaven for us!
Allan [Diones] would have to shell out his own money since we didn’t give him anything that he can return to us.”
Meanwhile, Barrameda has denied in an interview with another broadsheet columnist that there was foul play in Trillo’s win. “Why are they assuming that the 13 persons who voted to retain Piolo as a nominee automatically voted for him in their secret ballot?” he was quoted saying in Filipino.
This is just one of the controversies that hounded the 2005 Star Awards Saturday night. Another is the alleged leakage that Barrameda gave to some Vilmanians as early as Saturday morning that their idol would be named best actress. Barrameda was supposed to be the only one who knew the final results late Friday night, after the secret ballots were counted.
There are talks that Barrameda had to see to it that Vilma Santos bring home the trophy. Why? It was allegedly the condition she asked just so she would host the awarding ceremony along with Pops Fernandez and, initially, with the actor-Senator Bong Revilla, as well. Barrameda and the awards producers, Airtime Marketing, reportedly panicked when they learned that the senator had to back out for an urgent trip to the United States. And so, the PMPC president and the event producers had to see to it that Santos decides not to back out herself.
Meanwhile, the Noranians are up in arms not just because their idol lost to Santos. The loyalists were on a rampage because on the cover of the souvenir program, the slot for Nora Aunor’s film Naglalayag was allegedly replaced by a photo of deposed president and former actor Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Again, Barrameda was thought to be behind this ploy.
Part of the cover was a filmstrip in which the titles of the finalists for best picture were printed. Aunor’s Naglalayag was supposed to be on the leftmost part, and therefore on the No. 1 slot.
The PMPC’s explanation for having done so was because Estrada was given a tribute that night for his contribution to the film industry. The films listed were Milan (which won “Movie of the Year” or best picture), Mano Po 3, Aishite Imasu (Mahal Kita) 1941, Minsan Pa and Sabel.
Oh, yes, some PMPC officers and members are also questioning how Erap’s son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, won as Darling of the Press when no one even nominated him during the deliberations.
The young Estrada received the award along with Malou Choa-Fagar, an executive of Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) behind the long-running noontime Eat Bulaga on GMA 7. What most of the voting members knew was Choa-Fagar was going home with the trophy along, and would not tie with anyone. The funny thing was, during the awards ceremonies, Estrada’s name was called out first. Since there was only one trophy available for the category, Choa-Fagar was empty handed after she went up the stage.
The awards ceremonies were aired over RPN 9 on delayed telecast. On the TV screen, the stage looked spacious, thanks to the wide-angle lens. However, at Cinema 5 of the Gateway Mall, the stage was actually narrow and tight. It could seat only 500 people. A lot of fans had to sit on the stairway, while others patiently stood along the sides of the stage.
The venue is actually a movie house; it is not a theater for live productions so it neither had a backstage nor a dressing room. We heard that the dancers who had costume changes had to use the comfort rooms.
Airtime could have chosen a more spacious venue with appropriate facilities for a live production. But then again, according to our source, the PMPC president could not refuse the favor from Araneta Center’s to help them promote the Gateway movie houses. Apparently, the PMPC had held film screenings there for free. MT
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