Several Actors Shine on GMA's "PULANG ARAW"

I've been trying so hard to keep mum about this series, I'm talking about GMA's biggest series yet, "Pulang Araw".

See, I think I've heard about it a few years ago and thought that it was going to be shelved. I'm so glad to be proven wrong today as it does the world TV premiere, right after it's launch through Netflix a couple weeks ago. 

When I heard of the story, I really felt how quite promising it would be. Delving in history, the war, the Japanese, and the personal/family complications... there's just a lot of things you can pull off from that. 

Here's a video of the red carpet event:

Then there's the artists portraying the role. Coming from the very successful "Maria Clara at Ibarra", GMA wants a continuation of the #BarDa pairing so they got David Licauco and Barbie Forteza in this show. Then a little about 10 years ago, they already told Alden Richards about it. This is also the first time he is being paired with Sanya Lopez, so there's a lot to see where their stories would go.

 

The first episode I could say had no SHORTCHANGING in the acting department. Since this is a backgrounder, the young versions of these four gigantic stars of GMA would take the spotlight. Aside from them, this is the time you'll notice how underrated RHIAN RAMOS is as she plays the mother of Barbie and Alden's characters (Adelina, Eduardo). Rhian Ramos as the mother of young Alden and Barbie is EXCEPTIONAL. She's feisty, didn't hold back raising arms for her son and daughter who got beat up, teased and bullied by other kids. She's a gem in this series albeit short-lived, it was enough to showcase who she IS as an actress. I'd give her a trophy today just for that, and I'm not even joking.

Aside from Rhian who stole the show (first episode), another person decided to tell us during the preview that he's a force to reckon with. His name is Aidan Veneracion, whom I often see in workshops under Ms. Ana Feleo (with or without reason, he comes voluntarily). Albeit new to the business as a Sparkle Teen, he's really outstanding in the first salvo. Another star is Cassy Lavarias who played the young Barbie Forteza. She has this innate charm to pull you in on her struggles. She cries like a legendary actress, but she's still a child... so imagine the things she can do in a few years. Heck, she'll give a lot of veterans a run for their money. She's that good. They could be the reason you'll love PULANG ARAW on the first episode, and  follow these individual stories through.

Here's the press conference on video, please enjoy!

 Here are some of the other stars to join the show!

See, this is not normal. I could just have seen the first episode to be just another episode, but no. PULANG ARAW deserves the attention NOW and in the next few episodes. The sweetness of relationships, friendships, and nationalism, mixed with the star power of the lead stars they've managed to put together in one show, how can you not love a story like this?! 

You need to watch the show, PULANG ARAW is now streaming on Netflix. The episodes will be out early in the platform, a few days before the one shown on TV and GMA subsidiaries. You don't need to deeply think about the story, you just have to have the heart to love it just like what they did to the people in their lives and this story. Imagine if it's going to be Alden, Barbie, David and Sanya's turn, they actually were phenomenal in the short instances they appeared in the first episode (Alden made the war scenes in the forest quite a visual feast!)

Make sure you watch it, because as far as I'm concerned, it's one WELL MADE series that deserves to be seen. It's realistic, excellent graphics (especially the planes during the war), funny in some places, and you'll love how.. in a way, shape or form, impress you even if you don't like it. It's that impressive!

Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal for "The Greatest Duets goes BROADWAY"

Gian Magdangal and Lara Maigue have been certainly turning heads with their various covers on YouTube. My personal favorite is their version of "Last Night of the World" from popular musical Miss Saigon (which will be staged in Manila soon btw). Before they turned into lovers, they've been good friends and just went over that line with good intentions.

Lara is a very talented classical singer (a Soprano) educated from UP College of Music, and has gone in different places across the globe to promote Filipino talent and music. Gian on the other hand has been seen in the musical theater arena, always takes lead roles for obvious reasons. Both are actors, performers in live and on television shows too.  On November 10, they'll be performing at the Teatrino Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan City. They properly call the show "The Greatest Duets goes BROADWAY" which is produced by GL Productions (their own production company). The premise is to take you to best Broadway musicals through the songs they personally hand picked to do duets with. I wouldn't want to pre-empt, but as far as skills go, these two are practically the most equipped to do that on stage and this intimate venue. As Gian states in previous interviews, one reason he got hooked with Lara is her natural ability to mesmerize anyone who would hear her sing. He on the other hand has exceptional singing and acting prowess, which he puts to good use.

According to Lara "It's the first time we are working on something together and it is a way to showcase our love for Broadway. My dream used to be with a full orchestra in Carnegie Hall, while he wanted to do it in The Sphere in Las Vegas. The new generation should know how relevant music is now. The magic of collaborating, we love seeing that. We are fans of Broadway musicals, it was a natural idea to come up with and we want people to enjoy it with us."

Gian adds "The first challenge is to do both hats as producer and performer. The team, the business, it's just the start and we plan to do something big next year. We want to make work happen, a lot of give and take, it's a part of learning together. "

"Our goal is to package this as two individuals doing shows, and perhaps, just showcase all duets. There are going to be few solos but it's seamlessly going to be a duet too so you are not going to be umay from it."

Tickets are sold at Teatrino Promenade via 09175130909 or GL Productions via 09663890156 or Ticketworld.com.ph. Go get them now as I'm sure it'll run out fast!

Universal Harvesters Incorporated Launches 2nd TOFARM Film Festival

I haven't seen this event last year, but it's always a good day to get acquainted with TOFARM FILM FESTIVAL as they create a new avenue for film makers to showcase their work on it's second year. Universal Harvester Incorporated's Executive Vice President Dr. Milagros How expressed her excitement as they are seeking talented individuals from all over the country, of which they just started the first leg this August 24-30, and starting the ones in Cebu and Davao this September and October too.

With the theme "Planting Seeds of Change" they want to take this year's festival to new heights to en-vibe the farmer's everyday realities and tell stories that reveal success, hard work, and life stories of those who belong in the agricultural sector. They are working in difficult regions, and the corporation has been also giving awards for unheard farmers who have been able to inspire others since a few years ago. They are doing something and that's a great deed in itself.

Festival and Famed Director Maryo J. Delos Reyes says "This came in a time where there should be an awareness amongst our people that agriculture, farming and the life around it should be regarded as a noble and honorable profession. Working on the theme Planting the Seeds of Change means the farmer needs to open himself up and imrpove his life, accept change and innovations so they could farm even greater and yield a film that talks about their lives, include this in the process. I enjoin hobbyists and producers before Friday at the TOFARM offices, accomplished forms with synopsis and a full length screenplay in Filipino. We will make sure everything will be impartial and be sure we are producing quality films."

In this year's festivities, the judges, the screening committee and organizers are going to pick 6 film scripts which would have a Php 1.5 Million grant to start off their projects and put it on the silver screen. The judges then will award the 3rd Best Film Php 300,000, 2nd Best Film with Php 400,000 and the Best Film with Php 500,000. There will be a Special Jury Award also amounting to Php 100,000. The winners will also take home the coveted TOFARM Film Fest Trophy, something only a few people posses. They already set a deadline on November 18, 2016 so if you are thinking of joining, you better have your entries submitted before that date.

For more information on how to join, please check out their official website www.TOFARM.org and their official Facebook Page TOFARM Festival Philippines. You may also reach them at info.TOFARM@gmail.com. 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

GMA Artist Center's Newest Faces!

If you wake up and see these faces in the morning, wouldn't your day be just complete? I know!

A few days ago, we went to GMA to check up the new line up of stars in Artist Center. I was surprised, shocked even to see that they look so promising right from the looks alone. I think I even remember seeing them on TV last January and some in commercials too. Let's check them out shall we? :)

Do you feel that you've seen him before? Meet that "Konti Lang" cutie guy from the McDo commercial... he's Kenneth Paul Cruz. Kenneth as most friends call him hails from Pateros, and it looked like he's very proud of it. He says he always stays out of the house, particularly on the streets and hangs out with his friends to eat balut. He's not too fancy and I find his boy next door look quite an asset. This guy also attributes his fame from his compatriot in the McDo commercial and says without him, he wouldn't be where he is today. Humble, funny and quirky at times, he'll surely be some possible John Lloyd Cruz in the making. He also says he'd probably do a good job if he also did some comedy programs in GMA as he feels comfortable with that. See what I mean by seeing someone promising? He's one of them and make sure you watch out for him in CARMELA as he plays Alden Richard's best friend from Manila. Oh by the way girls, he's single. You know what to do LOL!

You know, I too thought that she looks like Toni Gonzaga. She's Arianne Bautista. She's not related to the Revillas but it looks like she's got a lot going on for her. She also hosted Aljur Abrenica's birthday party with World Vision. Her edge is probably her personality. She's very bubbly and quite funny. She can really pass as what Toni Gonzaga is probably doing right now (the hosting and acting thing) but she can probably give the singing bug a bite later on. She just graduated with a Tourism course from UST. She modeled quite a bit and got well known in the car show circuit. She also has been in commercials; you probably saw her inside the car singing Sweet Child of Mine for a chocolate brand. She's also very nice to talk to which can be a very nice trait to have. I see they are probably offering a very well rounded team here since each of them are uniquely talented. Pretty cool!

 

Those dimples probably have killed someone. It is to die for. She's pretty no? Plus she looks a lot like Cristine Reyes. She's Stephanie Sol. She hails from Cagayan De Oro if I'm not mistaken. She's also done several commercials from Jollibee, crackers, toothpaste and others. She also is included in Carmela as Marian Rivera's best friend in the series. She was a little tensed at first, but she knew she had to do it. She's very pleasant to talk to. I felt like I was talking to Erich Gonzales when we interviewed her. She didn't have that feel of awkwardness at all because you'll love her quirkiness. You'll feel like you already have known her for a long time. She's not afraid to try things so as far as roles go she wants to do it all. She's probably going to be geared towards acting projects but says she will always give hosting a try. She registers really good on screen. She also got a few pointers from Marian Rivera herself when she did some scenes with her, and she's very thankful to GMA Artist Center for giving her these breaks. They probably have a lot planned for her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she also lands a lead role soon. Don't say I didn't warn you! :)

Ladies, meet the new Kapuso hunk James Wright. This Filipino Australian muscled guy doesn't look like any celebrity I know, maybe a masculine Gabby Concepcion? To each his own. He also appeared in the reality show Anak Ko Yan! which aired last year and hosted by Jennelyn Mercado. Anyway, he's actually the one I was really surprised to know. You heard that song played in Carmela? He actually sang that song which was composed by Vehnee Saturno.

Admittedly, he says he's not that fluent yet in Filipino. Although, judging from the looks of it he didn't have any problem singing this song eh? Prolly in a short span of time, he'll end up being with the ranks of Martin Nievera. His dream is to be the next concert king and probably an international singing sensation. He dreams big and that's a good thing. GMA Artist Center is probably also going to have him delve into more acting and singing projects. I've heard a record is in the pipeline if all things go into plan. GMA Records perhaps? Cool chap.

Binibining Pilipinas Number 4 and current Miss PAL 2013 is Nicole Donesa. Yes, she is a beauty queen. She's got some really serious similarities to Ms. Marian Rivera and hails from San Francisco. Even if she grew up there, she's blessed to have been raised by her Filipino parents learning the language; so she's pretty fluent in Tagalog. She also sang a couple of lines from that Frozen movie's soundtrack "Let it go!" and oh boy she looks and sounds perfect for theater. She also plans to join Miss World if all works well. She's also happy to have been able to work with artists from GMA as this has been a life long dream. I would definitely want to see her in a series, probably play an antagonist first or maybe a schizo or maybe a lead role in the future. She still has so many things to work on but she has so many things that she can already do. Talk about promising eh?

It looks like the challenge is up and GMA Artist Center is laying down their cards now. The newest and freshest faces of this network will spell what the future holds for their programs too. I'm seeing a bright one now. I sincerely hope they would be used to further strengthen what they currently have in the entertainment industry and get these guys and gals the stardom they deserve. Congratulations Arianne Bautista, Stephanie Sol, Nicole Donesa, James Wright and Kenneth Paul Cruz! Can't wait to see you guys get bigger and brighter on GMA!

For more information about their show:

Official GMA Artist Center

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Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

Hollywood Movies, TV and Actors

Hey guys! I’ll let you in on this one. I got the chance to check out http://www.moviesplanet.com this evening and found out some of the best films that online users rank as their favorite. I was not surprised because apparently they have the same taste as I do!

The best ones perhaps are obvious; The Lord of the Rings sequels is on top because a lot of people are fond of these periodic/fantasy based stories. The book itself was a best seller so why shouldn’t the movie do the same? I don’t know if it was part of Oprah’s Book Club but that really went skyrocketing in the box office. The Return of the King was my favorite too because of that very nostalgic scene where the White Wizard went back for a vengeance on the kingdom. The entire king’s horses and all the king’s men were there not just for the magic and might; the story was grand and the execution of the movie from book to the silver screen was great. Obviously millions watched it already and the producers have earned a lot from it too. I bought several copies of that because some of my friends took mine, it’s that nice believe me! I too am part of its followers, not to mention the Harry Potter series as well. These are the top movies.

I don’t know about the popular tv shows on their list though because most of them are just not my type. To tell you the truth I love the show “Gilmore Girls”, not because of the fine women they have on the show but because they talk fast and they are all witty to begin with. Their lines are so effective and I can’t contain myself to try and learn how to talk the same way. If I had a syndicated show, it will probably be on that level. Some sort of a high IQ high verbal talk in everyday life would be nice. I still love the Simpson’s and Bart though which is part of that.

Heath Ledger just won best supporting actor a while ago, the Golden Globes is definitely right in doing so. His acting skill as the Joker was incomparable. I felt afraid with his character really; to think he already passed away when these were shown. That made huge waves across Hollywood and it was good critics did not fail to recognize it. The life he had and its ending was tragic. This particular recognition says what he is all in all and he’s not just one of those famous actors, he’s one of the best!