CALISTA Conquers Araneta Coliseum with World Class Concert!

I was excited, let alone impressed that the girls from CALISTA was having a concert in Araneta Coliseum last April 26, 2022 in Quezon City. I was also glad that Liza, Denise, Anne, Dain, Elle and Olive would finally have their debut as a girl group, they've been working for years just for this... and they deserved that crowd that attended event called "VAX TO NORMAL" which they dedicated to frontliners during the pandemic. The pre-show was good as they started with several talented singers from Tyrone Escalante Artist Management. 

 

 

 

Then the show started.

The stage was something off international concerts, I felt that if this is just the introduction of CALISTA to what will happen in the future, they'll surely be a force to be reckoned with in the PPOP and international pop scene.  They did their latest single RACE CAR which they launched a month ago.

 

 

Yeng Constantino started it with a rock vibe singing a few of her songs including "Chinito" and 'We Will Rock You" which is a cover song from Queen (loved the setup with Calista). Elmo Magalona did a sentimental rap number singing songs of his Dad the late Francis M. Good looking dance prince Kenneth San Jose was a discovery, he was intense and impressed A LOT of people during his bit. I must admit, I'm a fan now of that guy. They brought out CALISTA's knack for performing, these are different genres they are playing with but they definitely making a mark in the first few minutes of the show.  

Stars in their own right, Darren Espanto was oozing with appeal as he made strides on the dance floor together with the ladies of Calista. The dance showdown with AC Bonifacio was also exciting, it made me think we've got a really good future ahead of us in terms of artistry because at this age, they're really very spirited dancers. Andrea Brillantes on the other hand was super fun to look at, extra bubbly and even enjoyed the dance number with Calista. She also endorse Leni Robredo by simply showing her outfit to the crowd, it's pink and that's a plus in my books! All in all, we've got a gem in our hands with Calista. They've proved with this concert that the Filipino is indeed world class! I don't know what's going to be next for Calista, but judging from their answers in the short press conference they had after the concert.... they're doing something even bigger in the next few months. I hope you get to follow them on their social channels so you can get to know them even more. They're continuing to inspire more teens to follow their dreams, I want to see them do international festivals and concerts because this one that they did in Araneta needs to be seen elsewhere. If you want to see clips of the concert, head on to my TikTok account, just search @kumagcow. 

Here's a clip of their interview after the show!

Congratulations on conquering the Araneta Coliseum CALISTA! I'm sure this is just the start!

 

 

Elmo, Janella and Kiko for My Fairy Tail Love Story

When news broke out that Elmo was transferring to ABSCBN I distinctly remember fearing how he would handle his career because I’ve always seen him partnered with singer Julie Anne San Jose. But it looks like ABSCBN had good plans for him and tried a lot of formulas - but it looks like this one with Janella Salvador actually worked. Enough that a huge following followed thereafter, and this partnership is where they’re banking on to also watch the film MY FAIRY TAIL LOVE STORY.

This will happen on February 14, a nice time to actually be with someone over a very promising plot much like the famous Little Mermaid piece which has been done countless times, so many different ways in different countries. This mermaid film however is fun, playing with the thought of falling in love with one guy when there’s actually another one who really cares for you. You’ve probably watched a couple of films produced and directed by Perci Intalan and know how he’s been able to interpret these stories outstandingly, so I and most of the people who know him expect even more in this installment.

Janella says "Swimming like this requires training because the tail is heavy and I couldn't just swim the normal way. At first when it was pitched to me I was already imagining things, I was shocked I was going to do it and I feel very blessed this is happening. We were swimming once and we used adhesive but I felt it was slipping, I felt it was off. So I immediately asked for them to stop filming and covered myself. Elmo was already bleeding in one scene but he didn't complain, he was that good and dedicated. Elmo and I really got to know each other more, we learned a lot of things about each other even if we were different from characters. We need to concentrate on work. I had claustrophobia, I was so nervous but I saw the scenes and it was so nice under there, I wanted to become a mermaid after that. Moana and this is different, when I met them it was a high, but this one had me be overwhelmed, I get humbled."

Kiray adds "I'm like the frenemy here but I'm inlove with Elmo, who wouldn't like to be paired with him and Kiko. You must watch Elmo and my scenes because it's different. We prepared for it, and I was always asking for him to come out and I hope the fans don't take me seriously because I'll be all over Elmo. Comparing Elmo to Kian, Enchong or Derek, I think I'm more into Enchong, I feel Derek is my Tito. Enchong kissed like he was going to eat my eyes."

Elmo says "I felt Kiray wasn't really acting anymore. I now appreciate what scuba divers do, it's so beautiful down there and really diving that deep I understand why they do it."

Kiko adds "The cast loves each other, that's why we are always bonding. We had to make the threat believable, something not realistic because anything can happen in a tale. I asked Direk what I could do because I'm not really a singer, but I trust the Director."

Direk Perci says “Janella is a born Disney Princess whilst Elmo is a very spirited singer. Both of them on screen will be a treat because they complement each other. You’ll love how they’ll be on screen and feel they’re meant for each other. Ours would be a different mermaid story, in the hopes that if you see Janella, Elmo and Kiko on screen, you wouldn’t forget them and experience their love story. I was blessed with a very dedicated cast, their energy was just different especially Kiray at 3AM. I was really happen that what I wanted to envision for the film happened. I guess even if it's already told so many times, we had the chance to tell it differently, I would have wanted her to sing the whole time but they played around thinking about what new things we could inject from it. The core of it is a happily ever after, a love story, but a bit more complicated. I feel it's already good that the ones who watch the teaser actually appreciate it. It has to be animated, even if it's not a cartoon. It's not a coffee table story, it is just inspired but totally a different story. This is a different time.”

They also will be with Dimples Romana, Dominic Ochoa, Kakai Bautista and a whole lot more. It’s also rates G so you can bring kids along, it has some elements of fantasy of course. It is Graded B by the cinema evaluation board so you’ll love it on Valentines day!

KUMAGCOW

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Kapuso Instadate: Ken Alfonso, Janine Gutierrez and Elmo Magalona

Here's Part 2 of our Kapuso Instadate Night!

Then this guy came in. Ladies, hold on to your panties for Ken Alfonso.

He's the new guy in town. He's not just "a pretty boy", but he's a d@mn good singer. Ken Alfonso has been in the industry for just a few years. He's a product of famed beauty queen maker Mercator Artist and Model Management and now co managed by GMA Artist Center. He told me that he used to work for a pharmaceutical company, I uttered Med Rep? He said "Yes" and we laughed because I got that vibe from him. I have a lot of friends who are in the same field, I think they have pretty good looking guys there and I'm not surprised he got discovered. Anyway, I felt at ease talking to Ken.   

"I started with tons of commercials with Mercator and luckily last year I was offered this last August so I had to quit my old job. I'm a part of the afternoon series "Kailan Ba Tama Ang Mali" (i.e. How can something so wrong be so right?) and it's my second show after Dading (which I now remember he played the man who used to push Bejamin Alves to do a lot of things!) where I played Martin. This time in KBTAM it's going to be different because it's actually not close to my personality. I'm going to be the one to always push Dion Ignacio to do not so good/evil things. So in essence, almost all the conflicts will actually start from me (then he laughs it out). I'm like the fire starter. 

In KBTAM, I want the people to take away that if once in your life, you should try and do something that would ultimately make you happy. Even though we're going to get other people in trouble, or situations, at the end of the day you should do something for yourself and make that decision. Right now, I haven't had the chance to do that. I'm not committed to anyone, I'm very single. I'm glad there are brands who trust me to model for them like Uniqlo, and they sponsored my travel show. I hope my hosting and travel thing goes a long way because I see myself headed there."

Ken Alfonso is pretty new at this but he's making headway with cover songs, new shows and more appearances in events elsewhere. He's doing a good job, but I bet he can do even more. I hope GMA keeps him very busy. He's got the body of a demigod and perhaps, someday he'd be able to use that to his advantage when the right show comes. I hope I get to see him too in the next few months for news of new shows, that'll be a good thing.

Then we went to the sweethearts! Here's Janine Gutierrez first!

The first time I got in touch with Janine Gutierrez virtually was during the Bench Universe fashion show a couple years back. Like then, I felt she was very kind, very humble and soft spoken. Even on this evening where we were going to talk to these stars, she didn't know I was the one who sent her some runway shots back then, but I told her about it now LOL. Anyway, we've met a couple of times already because of their hit shows and this recent one called More Than Words whom she still is with the love of her life Elmo Magalona. Although very tired, they still had the gusto to attend this Kapuso Datenight with us so I kinda felt so bad they didn't get enough sleep because they ended pretty late the night before (read: Wawa hay!). 

When I asked about the last taping of More Than Words, Janine says "Actually we have another taping day on Friday because we still have a lot of scenes, they added more I think so there, we had to do more. I'm super sepanx in general. I learned so much from the show, everything was so unexpected. I thought we were going to be on preprime but it turns out we were at the primetime slot. Aside from that, the look of Ikaw wasn't really planned to be like that. We just taped one day and I looked very ordinary, but they said we had to re-shoot, and do it again. They changed my look, they changed everything. This show was like random things that just came together in a way. I believe that everything happens for a reason and it's just so fun to note that it all worked out quite beautifully in the end. 

We also super appreciate the efforts of our fans. They really let us know that they like the show, and really that's where we wanted to be... to know that our effort get appreciated by other people who watch it, where they also take away something good from it." 

When asked about what she learned from the character of Ikay, she said "You should be confident, you should stand for your principles. Ikay is a very strong person, whilst I'm shy and non confrontational. So now, I kinda realize that it's okay to fight for things as long as you're not stepping on someone else's toes, and as long as you're not hurting anyone in the process." and I totally agree with her!

Then here's the guy she (and everyone else) adores! Elmo Magalona!

If there's a word I can genuinely describe Elmo, it's super mabait! (good mannered). The English translation wouldn't even suffice. I know I've only seen Elmo only a few times but when we talk, I get the vibe that he's very sincere in everything he says, the way he looks at you actually speaks, and you could continue talking and get lost because it's like he's looking at your soul. I might be getting ahead of myself here but that's what I felt at this time. Poor Elmo didn't get enough sleep after his taping (4 hours or less) and he was apologizing if he looks a little bit tired (because he was) but he knows they're almost at the end of the show in a couple of days, and that was the sad reality too.  

When asked how he was "I'm good, I'm good, kinda tired because we came from taping and finished late, so my day is just starting. I got to sleep maybe...5 hours, so it's like my day is starting pa lang."

I asked "How do you think has the whole show impacted everybody?", he said "Of course it's big because this is in prime time. The pressure was also big because it was our first time here. We learned a lot though because there are tons of veteran actors also in the show. We just took our time to learn a lot from them. My character is kinda bipolar, he's kinda sensitive but he never thinks about the other persons feelings too. He met his ex accidentally but he didn't really know what happened in the first place. Later he learned, it was the heart condition. Then she went off again without explaining things so that's one of my characters frustrations. It feels like he's oversensitive, but he's also warm hearted when it comes to the person he loves. Story wise, I learned that if you get this kind of amnesia, even if you don't remember who they are or what they do, when you see them, when you look into their eyes, they're kinda familiar to you. It's possible to say that even if the mind forgets, the heart will never do." insert "nganga" action here LOL!

I couldn't even fathom how deep these guys are. For what it's worth, I like Elmo for who he is and how he's still so kind - and got his feet on the ground after all these years. He's still the same boy you knew for years now, with some improvements of course. I bet he's not just being admired by his fans for his looks, I think it's more of because he's the kind guy who connects with you, and you can't teach that in any school.  

Thank you so much to Relik Tapas Bar in the Fort for having us. Thank you also to GMA Social Media team for making a very fun event so we can tell how human these stars are to ordinary people like us. I almost felt like spending a few hours with them was fun, I wonder how their own loved ones must have enjoyed being with them their whole life. I hope I was able to tell this story with justice, just like the rest of my entries. I also hope readers get to at least enjoy the tell all, straight from the artists' mouth! :)

 

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Kapuso Instadate: Enzo Pineda, Stephanie Sol, Juancho Trivino and Ashley Ortega

If you had the chance to date a GMA star during Valentines day, who would it be and why? What would you ask them? How would you feel if they were right in front of you? Well, we just got the answers to those questions when the GMA Social Media Team arranged these gorgeous hunks and ladies an intimate night with us bloggers. It was really fun to get to sit down and talk with them after all the shows they've done in the Kapuso network. I'd really want to get to know them behind these glamorous facade. Well okay, this isn't really a romantic date. We're starting with one of GMA's good looking guys Enzo Pineda.

 I've interviewed Enzo in the past and I can say he's a good friend. It was kind of easy to talk with him since he's very open and doesn't make a fuzz about him being a celebrity and all, he's really humble.

When I sat down with him, he was in character. He made me comfortable by getting Nate into the picture. It's his character in More Than Words which is ending this week. During this week, his character is going back to the picture and he'll be with Ikay again as he got drunk during some scenes. He'll be shocked about the change of Ikay and it's a very funny scene. He says "It's something hard and emotional for Nate. He's a type of guy who would give everything for Ikay. You've seen how his love developed for her and there's like a 180' turn into someone that's loving and caring, but still maintains that attractive bad boy look that everybody loves with his character. Nate is someone who has a hard exterior, but has a soft heart. I did have a phase when I was the bad guy but I like that. There's a transformation of the character and I like it because the viewers react on my character, it makes them think.

I do have movies that are coming up, definitely indie but it's more of an acting piece. I'll be going around the Philippines again so I have tons of regional shows starting next week, please don't forget also that I have another Bench campaign that will come out pretty soon. After More Than Words, I'll be training again for my first Triathlon, hopefully summer I'd be able to compete. I've done Aquathlons, a couple runs, I hope I'd be able to that in the next few months. I want to do that race on my birthday, I want a marathon, it's good that I keep myself very occupied when I'm taking a break from work. That feeling is good, it's that feeling of constantly achieving something.

When asked about his girlfriend and how I see them so happy on Instagram, he says "Ever since, I've been very serious with girl friends. I like taking relationships seriously. I'm really happy and I'm so lucky to really have someone like her." now isn't he sweet?! Awww Nate, oh Enzo, you are awesome!

Next one's the beautiful Stephanie Sol.

Steph is such a sweetheart. Whenever we meet on events, she never fails to say hi and acknowledge me when she can. She's also in several shows on GMA but when I asked about it, she was a little sepanx about it, of course it's More Than Words. "Last taping day was yesterday, so it was like two scenes for me. It was fast but it was very emotional. We had all the units together, we had the cast together, we prayed and said our good byes during the company call. It was a sad day for me, but I know all good things must come to an end. We do seldom meet but the production and cast is like family, we have dinner together, we watch films together, we even have a Viber group and we're very close. I don't know how we'll still keep in touch but I'm sure we're all going to have that in the back of our minds. We might have different schedules, so that's hard. They haven't told me yet what plans they have for me but after the show, I'll get their feedback and wait for meetings. I hope I did get to impress them with what I had to offer during this show.

I'm co managed by Artist Center and Ms. Becky Aguila. We haven't really have spoken about it but she really takes care of me. She's very hands on, spot on because she watches us. I want Belle to be remembered in the show as "Rebellious for a Reason", and hope that with her in the show people would still appreciate her." Steph adds. For what it's worth, I think Steph is a diamond in the rough. She's a very promising actress and she's just starting. I hope GMA continues to give her more breaks especially this 2015. A change of character? Perhaps real soon, but for now we're happy about what she's doing. I hope she also finds a pairing with someone too.

Then we got to the table of Juancho Trivino.

Ladies love him. I'm not surprised. Juancho Trivino is around 6'1, well built, a bit moreno and everything that a person who would categorize a perfect guy with "Tall, Dark, and Handsome". I bet underneath all that is a chiseled german physique and a soft heart somewhere. He's got a very positive demeanor but he could switch into a tough guy if he wanted to in seconds. That I think is what would make him a good actor. Am I too assuming? No, I don't think so. I just felt it that evening when I got to talk with him a little better.

"I'm still in Bubble Gang, and yes I was surprised they let me sing in that show (I saw him in Istambay). The feedback was great but now, I'm going to do a new youth oriented show that will be called InstaDAD. It's going to show on Sundays and will be something like Teen Gen. I'm going to be here with Ashley (whom I'll be featuring in a little bit) and this is a new pairing. Ashley is really nice, we've got so many things in common and I find her really really pretty. We've known each other even before the show. I didn't hesitate accepting this show, I'll be here with Gabbi Eigenmann and he'll be the Dad of three girls. In the social media age, this show will be part of that enlightenment of reality. It'll be like a modern day Dad. I want to be an example on this show, that even if I'd end up doing something really bad in the show, I'll be showing how to be a good son, a good brother too. It's going to start with Ashley and me having a relationship. So people really should watch out how things happen, as I'm really excited about it!" he says.

Then we got to talk to Ashley Ortega.

Well this is officially the first time I'm seeing Ashley Ortega. I thought I've seen her before but I realized just now that it was only for a former series Dormitoryo. She was with other GMA stars and I learned that night that this is their first official pairing.

I got her to introduce herself so we get on to what they're doing. At first glance, I thought she was a bit older but heck I was surprised that this girl, is only 16 years old! "I started showbiz 2 years ago. I started in Philippine Fashion Week and that's where they basically discovered me. I was younger back then and walked for SM Kids two years ago. I wore clothes for tweens, auditioned and got in regularly through that. I'm currently managed by ICONS, Bebong Munoz and Artist Center. Right now, I'm in KBNTAM or "Kailan Ba Naging Tama ang Mali" playing the sister of Max. I didn't know it was going to be this big and felt it was only going to be on the sidelines, but when I read the script, I had so many lines and so much exposure, which was nice! So I'm so happy. 

Then I got to InstaDad also, which is a youth oriented show. There's a lot of twists here and there plus they got us to play something like rich kids (that you may consider a little spoiled!) of Beverly Hills. We have tons of hashtags in regular conversations so it's really going to be fun, and a lot of people would really be able to relate especially the teens. We even have our own instagram where we're going to post actual things we're doing in the show. There are nerds, jocks, different kinds of personalities. Our Dad here is Gabbi Eigenmann and with the three sisters, three different personalities, I'm little Ms. Perfect but one day I'll get pregnant, so that's where the story is going to start. That's also the place where Juancho will come in. I haven't really worked with Juancho yet but I've been able to go with him in workshops. He's a very nice guy, good looking. If you're asking if I'd like somebody like Juancho, like more than friends, (pwede naman she says) yes of course because the guy is very kind and he's very well educated too." then I wished to see more of her in other shows in the same channel of course. She's very pretty and I think I like her! If Juancho and Ashley become something else soon, they would really look good. 

 

To be continued:

For Part 2 of our series (Ken Alfonso, Janine Gutierrez and Elmo Magalona), just swipe right for the next story on your phones or click on this link!

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

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Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

Glaiza, Yasmien, Kris, Elmo and Janine for the GMA Rockeoke Night

I'm not a singer, nor am I the greatest performer on stage. So the thought of going to a Rockeoke Night was just something not the nearest thing in my mind. GMA had bloggers invited to Selda Dos, a place around Visayas Avenue... making all my nightmares come true haha. I thought it was just going to be some binging and drinking but when we arrived and saw a stage in front, I said WHOA. Oh no, we're going to sing. I immediately settled and pretended no one would see me if I'm just going to eat in a corner or something, but no.. they whispered to my ear... hey you'll be singing with Kris Bernal later, be ready. I just said "Oh no!"

Stars from GMA suddenly came one by one. They said hi, everyone was gorgeous that night. We sat down and interviewed them one by one. It was pretty hard because aside from that we had to celebrate the night and break the ice by having them sing on stage for the Rockeoke part of the evening. Check out gorgeous vampire Glaiza De Castro.

Then check out when awesome Yasmien Kurdi and gorgeous Kris Bernal took the stage.

We had so much fun. I'm not going to show the video of me singing of course. I also had the other people delete videos where I'm singing, or else haha!

Kris Bernal

I love Kris Bernal. It was quite noisy when I interviewed her but we survived it. We talked about her show with Dennis Trillo and Rocco Nacino called "Hiram na Alaala" (Borrowed Memory). It's been faring very good in ratings and I guess that's part of the reason why they're ending the show in the other station. 

Kris says "I'm okay and I'm happy. We really have to perform quite well in ratings because we've worked hard in this show. If you only knew how much pain and anguish I've thought about just to cry buckets of tears for my role here, I had to make it my motivation. Almost every taping, I have to cry. I cry almost every day and it's kinda draining. I get the emotions from the character and emotions from everyday life. I haven't experienced getting married or getting that much heartbroken but I easily get attached to friends and I get motivation from that instead. The good feedback I get from social media and everyone I know makes it all worth it. That part is very fulfilling. 

Working with Dennis Trillo was a dream, just the thought of having this MHL star and working with him on his next project made me very thankful. He had a choice of working with any actress but he chose me. That point alone made me very thankful. I always see him give 100% and I had to go where he is and I get a lot of good feedback from people. 

Dennis is actually very quiet on set perhaps because he's doing "method acting". I couldn't talk to him, I was too shy and sometimes we only meet when we have a scene. Sometimes I get intimidated but I think he felt that. Today, we get very comfortable and bond while in the shoot. 

I easily can get detached to my character. Sometimes when I get depressed, I actually save it so I can use it for a scene. I don't think about it until I need it there. I don't like the feeling but I can use it on scenes, sometimes I also get drained but I always do my best. I have zero love life, but I do have a lot of suitors (then we laughed) but for now, I am so picky because I don't want relationships that would just waste both our money and time. I want someone that I could spend my whole life with. I don't just go to dates, I choose them wisely now. The perfect date for me is being happy the whole day, I go out with friends, I pole dance and I work out. I escape through books too so I read a lot when I'm at home. 

The scenes now on "Hiram na Alaala" will be more conflicted. I already fell in love with Dennis Trillo's character because all the good things I see with the character of Rocco before was already with Dennis. All his memories, all his traits, I wanted that with Dennis. When Rocco comes back, that's where I'll get very confused. This Ivan will have Otep's persona, I will not know who I'll choose because I've already fallen in love with Ivan. If there's a choice and had my way, I will choose Otep over Ivan, because I want to have the original one."

Kris, thank you for bearing with me while I try so hard singing with you on stage. I got too shy. Thank you for the experience! We rock! :)

Yasmien Kurdi

Yasmien Kurdi was very pretty that evening. She's doing Mother roles now much like her compatriots in GMA. She's happy to work with new ones in Yagit more so because she sees these kids are very promising. She thinks so highly of them and wants to see in a few years how they will fare when they get more matured. "Yagit" is directed by Gina Alajar and Yasmien says "I've worked with her numerous times as my mother on shows and she's so naturally caring with the kids and us who are in the show. She doesn't stress us out, she's cool and chilled. She's good vibes all day because that's the environment that will also be good with the kids. It's a little hard shooting this show because we always get flooded in the location, even our tent gets affected. It's stressful and trains go by every now and then. It's all good though, I've prepared quite well and enjoyed this experience. The kids are all very good, they don't complain about things too much because the crew and the Director takes care of them.". "Yagit" replaced hit show "Dading" on GMA Afternoon Primetime. It was awesome singing with you Yasmien! Hope you get to record a few songs again this year or perhaps early next year.  She's doing voice modulation therapy and making a different technique in the future. She'll have Filipino love songs in the pipeline. She's also got great plans for her kid if ever they plan to have her in showbiz. You're really doing good.

Speaking of albums and Dading, one of my favorite interviewees was there. Glaiza De Castro just arrived from her "Vampire ang Daddy Ko" (My Dad Is A Vampire) series that's shown weekends on GMA. She's back in the show and promises several more good scenes on the comedy series. Aside from that she's planning to release an independently produced album called Synthesis which she's planning to do real soon. 

She says "Vampire ang Daddy Ko" for is a little refreshing, at least I won't be doing drama for a while and do more challenging things in comedy. It's been a while since I've last taped an episode for them and I'm still trying to catch up. Aside from that, I'm busy with Sunday All Stars and I'm focusing on my album which I've long wished to be launched. We're still promoting it and printing more. It's a long process and I'm not in a hurry. I want to be sure with everything because it took me years to make this happen. The making also took a long time, it's got 8 tracks mostly originals. I have some songs which I also wrote with my friends. It's a personal one, finding your passion, pursuing dreams, heartbreaks, the typical things that a person of my age goes through. Although I'm not sure what genre it is, this is a fusion of my influences so I don't want to box things and keep it eclectic. I made some of the songs 4 years ago, as an outlet, as I was influenced by The Sundays. 

My friends were helping me a lot and I had to learn how to do this by collaborating with other people. Along the way, we recorded, we jammed, all the songs we've done on this album is very personal. This is what I've been doing in the background all along. I wanted to do this. Synthesis came from Benjamin Alves, a concept where all my friends helped me with this. Angelica Panganiban, Alessandra De Rossi, even Chynna Ortaleza helped me make songs and artworks for the album. It was just a cool term, it represented all the works from different people and I am producing it. I am just the one putting it together but the content is mostly done in collaboration with my friends. It's hard, and it's a journey. You'll see what we've arranged to include in the album, I've also got one in a music video. We're trying a lot of things and it's going to be personal also for the people that will hear it. Your passion, your calling, you will feel that the will of the Lord will happen."

Glaiza is very multi faceted, she's doing it all. I wish her all the success in her future endeavors and I hope we get to be invited when her album gets launched. Thank you Glaiza!

My Twitter exploded the moment I posted a photo of these two love birds. Yes, Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez have admitted it already. I'm extremely happy for these two, more so for their fans who have been waiting to hear the obvious. I haven't really interviewed them quite seriously in the past, it was more of promoting some brands they endorsed and I hoped to get something from them this evening. 

I asked them about their upcoming show "More than words". Elmo answered "It's a brand new show that would make you fall in love and giddy because it's very light and very much a romantic comedy. I think they saw something different with us and that's why they planned to back the pairing. We came from Villa Quintana which was more of drama and very heavy. On this one, our characters will be very different especially on the part of "Ikay" played by Janine Gutierrez. It's really very different."

Janine added "We've shot only a few days. The story is very different, especially our characters who are in a wholly different situation. Isagani and Lynette was where we were used to. Our scenes had so many funny moments, and the romantic ones too. I'm excited because we get to spend more time together as a pair as compared to Isagani and Lynette who only met when there's trouble in the family." 

Janine also thanks everyone who also gave her good feedback on her stint in Ms. World but as for joining the pageant, she's really not thinking of doing that in the near future, nor is it anywhere near her mind. She says "Right now it's really not in my plans, I'd rather focus on my career and on the show. I'm not really into pageants. It's something new for me, I don't have any blog but I know how powerful blog are. Since my character is not that popular in school, I get to do my fantasies inside that blog and have it published on a regular basis. That's where I get to meet my ideal guy, I created this fantasy world. I enjoy making my dream boy Hiro."

Elmo says "Hiro is the young man that Ikay created in the show. Was he just a fantasy or was he a real guy? We don't know, that's the confusing part that you should watch out for in the show. There are parts where you'll see him in a dream sequence and it's funny when it comes true. That's the forte of our Director, something romantic and something funny... something light and a joy to watch. There's always the pressure because we are going to be in the primetime block. It's a different experience all in all. I'm so happy that we're together in this follow up show, it doesn't happen everyday."

Janine added "It's different also because we also got to record songs. I'm happy because I get to be with Elmo who's really used to doing this. (Elmo interjects saying how beautiful Janine's voice is then they laughed) It's fun and I'm so happy that we were given the chance to actually sing the theme song for this show. Plus, it's an original song. Not that song in the early 90's."

Elmo is so happy that they get to work with Leni Santos and Rey PJ Abellana who was a pretty good pairing also in the 80's. They will also be working with veteran actress Jaclyn Jose. There will be a lot of them in the show that will have a little blend of their own love stories, so they hope a lot of people would be able to watch it. I asked how they feel about their fans who are over the top when supporting them,  Elmo says "Yeah I know, from events, from online support, they're always there to participate and make the events themselves. We didn't really expect that to happen. That's really not our goal to begin with but seeing them support us since we started, it feels good that they continue to support us." then I asked why Elmo seems to be bigger and bulkier now, he joked that he'll be in magazines soon and perhaps he'll show a little skin/get more topless in the show. Then we all laughed.

It was a nice evening to spend with Elmo and Janine, they were really fun to chat with. I really hope I get to talk to them more in the coming weeks and see how they feel the show is faring. It'll be a hit for sure. Thank you so much to GMA Social Media for everything! You know who you are! :)

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Janine Gutierrez and Elmo Magalona for More Than Words

Janine Gutierrez's Birthday Celebration at Centerstage Timog Avenue (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

I wasn't able to attend this one because I was a tad late. I still remember the time I shot Janine on the runways of Bench a couple of years ago, she wasn't as visible then but she holds a lot of promise. She just celebrated her 25th birthday and I've seen how happy their fans were in social media knowing one thing that was announced on this day. Yes, Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez are now officially ON. They are boyfriend and girlfriend, something that their fans have long been waiting for.

Elmo Magalona and their fans surprised Janine with a birthday celebration! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo Magalona and the Janine-Elmo fans celebrated her birthday at Centerstage in Timog Avenue in Quezon City. Mind you, the fans did this event on their own, I guess that's how much they love these two. I've seen some of them during their other events and if you see them talking about Janine and Elmo, you wouldn't be surprised that they do these things for the pair.

Cakes and presents all prepared by Janine Gutierrez's fans! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo told me during an interview that they had the best fans. Sometimes they are almost too shy about the big things they do, but ultimately they are very thankful about the support and loyalty that they give them. They can't thank them enough. Now that they are also going to play Ikay and Hiro on their new soap "More than Words", they hope their fans sternly support them on that too. Janine plays a blogger who begins to write about her wishes for the perfect guy. This turns out to be mighty close to Elmo's character in the show. This is a light romantic comedy project so it is a bit different from the projects they had in the past. If you remember Villa Quintana, that was heavy drama, and they always get beaten up since the characters are undergoing family conflicts, the usual rich against the poor. This however is going to be somewhat hopeful, more of the fell good kind of love from Ikay and Hiro which you should definitely watch this coming November. Also in the show are Enzo Pineda, Mikoy Morales, Stephanie Sol, Coleen Perez, Mayton Eugenio, Jaclyn Jose, and the 80's love team Rey "PJ" Abellana and Leni Santos. For more information about the show, please do check out the social media channels below!

For more information about their artists:

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Julie Anne San Jose - Deeper

Julie Anne San Jose - Deeper

She was busy entertaining reporters when I arrived at Centerstage in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. I think I''ve covered some of her events in the past for a clothing line but we never really got to talk this much during that event. I glanced at her from this view and saw someone gorgeous, someone pleasant even if I haven't really gone this intimate for an interview before. I remember how crazy people were trying to get news of her over on Twitter and it was not any different during this blog conference. I mean, who wouldn't be startled with someone this talented and nice looking. She's Julie Anne San Jose after all.

Then when she started singing, everyone paid attention. Her undeniable power, finesse and intensity just flourished with each song she dished out of that Karaoke machine. It was effortless and who would believe something this good would come out of that venue. To top it all, everyone was a little shy I think of asking her questions. So I did the next best thing KUMAGCOW can do, I hosted the show haha. Well almost, I just started asking questions holding the microphone up... like a TV show and sure enough, everybody else followed suit. One of the questions mostly asked was about Elmo Magalona because I'm sure everybody misses her pairing with the rap royalty's son. I felt that she was a little ahmm.. uncomfortable. 

Perhaps it's probably because she's been asked of it too many times. Although when I asked her, for the record... they're still really good friends and there are no rifts between them at all. I guess, being in that love team was really special to her but she had to depart from it so she could find a way to make it in the industry on her own. She also wants to be versatile so she can go to other programs without depending on the team up. After all, she's got the talent to back it up. Maybe she just doesn't want it to be saturated, having too much might make the audience a little tired of them. It has its pros and cons but she chose to be without the pairing, she's still there after that and she's even got a new album out... was it effective? I think so. I also saw that the fans still supported her til now and they've got careers that individually have become successful.

I delved much of my questions about her album and how it came about. She's been planning about this album for a long time and she presented a couple of the tracks to GMA Records this year. She's got several compositions. Although she wasn't technically trained in writing notes and all, she's got natural talent in music which she learned from lessons and her father. She knows how to play a variety of instruments too and that helped a lot. Her compositions were all written differently, but mostly it's a combination of writing the lyrics and making the accompanying music for it. When she submitted the songs, she lets the arrangers make the changes so if the lyrics or melody won't fit, they would make the necessary adjustments to make it the best possible song for her. She doesn't mind if they change the flow of it as long as the idea is there, or if it encompasses what the lyrics meant for Julie Anne. She's also happy that she was given free hand to do this and she feels that they trust her. She hopes that now more that ever, people would continue to see her and her music better than the last time she had an album. She sang one of those heartbreaking ones which she dedicated to a past love... we melted.

She's got one heck of a year and this new album would be something that she could share for people who love her, her songs and those who just want to feel love in so many ways again. This is Julie Anne San Jose's album called Deeper. Get it out on stores now.

For more information about his album:

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