|
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
To tell us what you think about Filipino Express Online or to comment on the stories published here, E-mail us at Filexpress@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MANILA --- From church choir to theater, from pizza lover to Greenwich endorser, Christian Bautista appears to be living the life of a true singing icon.
His hit singles “The Way You Look at Me” and “Hands to Heaven” have put him in the showbiz spotlight and thus earned him the heartthrob status. This has in fact landed him an acting stint for the upcoming ABS-CBN 2 soap,
“Kampanerang Kuba,” to which he will play as one of Anne Curtis’s leading men.
The young singer sees this as the best opportunity to embark on a new mission. That is, to inspire the youth. Already, a scholarship grant has been named in Christian’s honor by the Naga College Foundation in exchange for singing engagements. But he wants to do more.
“I want to be a role model, especially to the youth. I know I can guide them to follow their dreams and inspire them to be good role models to children.
“By all means, young people should always have fun, but they should also be aware that people can see what they do,” he points out.
Christian believes that being in the spotlight magnifies his character on and off the stage. He sees this as an opportunity to help get young people to make a difference.
Through his daily encounters with his young fans, Christian observes that today’s youth has become more involved in political, social, and even religious issues.
He doesn’t think that technology has completely taken the youth’s attention away from what is happening around them. The youth, he says, feel responsible enough to do something to help their family and themselves survive the economic difficulties facing the country.
While Christian is serious about his career, his family and friends know him to be a fun-loving guy -qualities that were instrumental in prompting corporate brands to tap him as an endorser. His lean frame is actually deceiving, for Christian played basketball and football before he entered showbiz. His clean, immaculate face has never changed, however, reflecting his honest and sincere personality.
Christian said he used to hang around a lot in the house with his family. Work has made him busier these days, however, making it a bit harder for him to stay at home. But if this is what it takes to give the youth a positive image to look up to, then Christian said he is more than willing to do the job.
“I used to be like other young people who do not see the value of genuinely helping others,” he said. “The things that are happening to me right now have made me realize that I have been given the chance to reach out and touch people’s lives.” (MNS)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MANILA --- Is it true Cindy Kurleto is a pain on the set of the “Haunted Love House” episode of “Love to Love” where she plays a ghost in love with Jay-R but who later falls for another ghost, Paolo Contis?
She knows they don’t have any advanced taped episodes for the show but she still had the taping packed up as she suddenly went to Austria to visit her father.
Also, we heard two personnel connected with the show have resigned because of her. The first one was the make up artist who was asking her: “Ma’am, do you have your own make up?”
The artist was asking this as some stars are very particular with the make up they use for their face and wouldn’t want to use the common make up used for other stars. But Cindy reprimanded her saying: “Why do you have to ask me that? You are the make up artist. You should be the one responsible for that.”
The second one is the wardrobe caretaker who forgot to bring her clothes on the set. Cindy wouldn’t want to come out from the dressing room and said: “That ugly bading forgot my clothes. Ugly bading! Ugly bading! Ugly bading!”
Cindy offended another person who she ordered: “Girl, bring my things over there.”
It turned out the girl is a young executive of GMA-7 who just laughed at her and ignored her. But even if Cindy is “pasaway,” there is no denying she is so beautiful these days and she has great chemistry with Paolo Contis. They look very good together in their scenes in “Love to Love.” (MNS)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MANILA --- Diether Ocampo says he has to be extra patient with Kristine Hermosa.
 “Kasi she’s so much younger than me, kaya dapat lang na ako talaga ang magpasensiya,” Diether said.
How would he describe his relationship with past girlfriends LJ Moreno and Andrea Bautista? “Si LJ, we’re both possessive. Gusto namin, kung puede, kaming dalawa lang. Parehong immature.
As for Andeng, marami siyang naitulong sa akin. She taught me a lot, at ngayon ko na-realize na tama pala siya. Kaya nga lucky si Kristine dahil when she met me, mas mature na ako, mas balanse na.”
In “Nasaan Ka Man,” he has a nude love scene with Katherine Luna and a rape scene with Claudine Barretto. “Katherine plays the daughter ng masahista ni Tita Gloria Diaz. Very sexy ang bed scene namin. Ang rape scene naman with Claudine, very brutal.”
Is it true his role as Ito is more demanding than that of Jericho Rosales so he is the one who shines? “Sa akin, okay lang kahit aling role. But I really like Ito, kasi extreme ang character niya as an antagonist. I had a one-on-one with Director Cholo Laurel to create the profile of my character para hindi ako maligaw as I play it. I suggested we make Ito obsessive-compulsive kaya very orderly ang room niya. Kapag hindi niya gusto, he rejects it. He’d say masyado nang malayo ‘yan sa character.
“First time ko to work like that with a director kaya ang ganda lumabas. But I have no conscious effort to overshadow Jericho with my acting.”
For his band, Diet is now promoting the single “Sa Ilalim ng Ulan,” a potential hit. (MNS)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MANILA --- Fans of the hit GMA-7 sitcom “Bahay Mo Ba ‘To” are wondering why Tessie Tomas is missing lately from the show. We heard Tessie is unhappy that the show is now more centered on the characters played by Keempee de Leon and Francine Prieto.
 She has complained to the writers and director about this as she feels all the other characters are now just mere support to Keempee and Francine. “Might as well change the title daw to ‘Show Ma Ba ‘To’ kung puro si Keempee na lang ang bida,” our source adds.
Someone connected with the production says that the writers cannot be blamed if they give more exposure to Keempee as the gay Harold and Francine as the beautiful but dumb waitress in love with him.
“Kasi sila talaga ang click nang husto sa viewers,” he adds. “Sorry to say it but when they’re not the ones in the forefront of the story, the show is not rating as highly. Sana maintindihan na lang ng ibang cast members na hot ngayon sina Keempee and Francine. Okay na ring sumuporta muna sila kaysa mag-flop ang show at mawalan pa silang lahat ng trabaho. At least ngayon, kahit nakasentro kina Keempee ang episodes, pare-pareho pa rin silang may regular weekly income.”
The show has no doubt revived Keempee’s sluggish career. Now, he’s even reprising his gay role on the big screen in Regal’s “Happily Ever After” where he plays a gay ghost enamored with Tyron Perez, who’s real love is Nadine Samonte, in the “Multong Bakla” episode.
As for Francine, she’s indeed hot so she’s now added into the cast of “Bubble Gang.” But Francine is also determined to finish her college studies, so this June, she’s going back to Adamson University where she is a third year psychology major. (MNS)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
