JM DE GUZMAN and SUE RAMIREZ Define Love Differently in LASTING MOMENTS

Took a break from events and watched a movie premiere last night as one of my favorite actors JM De Guzman and talented actress Sue Ramirez star in a Director Fifth Solomon project called Lasting Moments. This is under PASSION5 Studios.

Before we went to the red carpet, we took the chance to interview them and Director Fifth bared how it was a little problematic to release a film like this because of the recent line of foreign films that are showing also in the same dates they planned. They had to adjust and had to compromise doing it in July 30th to make sure enough theaters could carry them, not the fault of theater owners as he said. 

Direk Fifth told us "The struggle of Filipino films is obvious, to see change, we need to talk about it so we could see what we need to help the industry, and its workers. I want to throw the question on how we can compete with foreign films. I understand the business, the malls on how they choose things where they could earn. We need the government help to not only survive, but have ample screens to show our work. We hope they could trust us, July 30 is going to be the date we are showing our work, this is a call for help. Lasting Moments needs to be seen."

Here's a glimpse of the red carpet where several friends of the lead stars and director also supported. We saw several Drag Race Philippines alumni and rumored Slaysian Royale cast. There were also several influencers and artists at the venue, and watched with us later in the evening.

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I've watched Fifth Solomon's previous films and I must say, this has definitely outdone those. He also wrote this, and evidently, this has been researched a lot because of the several things you would see in the movie. He took time to establish characters, but they'd give reasons later on about sudden outbursts between JM and Sue's roles. It questions your tenacity, of what lengths you would do when it comes to love and emotional impediments. The film also takes a jab on how one would quantify happiness, contentment and one's ability to measure it. 

Sue says "The topic is very sensitive, it's about silent battles. I hope people would be able to relate and understand this is a crisis. I hope the weight comes across the screen and the character. I'm so nervous, but the deeper meaning will be shown when you see the film. This is really a good film and we enjoyed making it, I hope people would go to theaters because I'm nervous if it didn't have days on the theaters."

JM says "I didn't really have a hard time doing this because I did a lot of research and I'm working with Sue. It's going to be relatively easy to understand what they are going through, without spoiling.. it's about remaining with the person and love. Sue doesn't act, she lives the character."

Here's the press conference on video:

JM and Sue really took their characters to heart. You'll have a bout of trying not to cry when they show closeup shots of them on screen. If there's a flaw, probably audio because there were several instances when I heard lengthy supposed quiet times that had high pitched sounds interfering (either from the movie theater or the actual edit).

Again, LASTING MOMENTS will show in theaters this July 30th. JM and Sue are phenomenal actors and there's no question, films that include them must be seen. See why folks beside be cried on some scenes. Congratulations to the cast, Direk Fifth and PASSION5 Studios!

An Actor's Actor: KHALIL RAMOS Wins Best Actor Award for Olsen's Day

Saying Khalil Ramos is on a roll is an understatement this first quarter of 2025. For starters, he was given the Puregold Cinepanalo Film festival's BEST ACTOR award for the film Olsen's Day, a film directed by JP Habac (who also won as the Best Director). I've had the the impression of him being an "actor's actor", someone who's been able to do it successfully.  

His stellar filmography, unquestionable knack for doing acting pieces, have taken the nod of film critics. The chance to talk to him today was certainly, an opportunity to pick his brain a little. He was capable, even impressed us by the way he answered questions. It felt he was on his toes the whole time, very eloquent, albeit being a semi-introvert.  

Winning this award doesn't mean he's going to be picky, he's always about the script, about the craft, and when asked, he didn't even expect this at all. He says "I don't think about it being a competition at all, even though it is a festival. This was something very personal for the Director JP Habac, and it's a big thing to be trusted with this kind of material. I felt my duties as an actor became bigger because of it. You want to tell this story the way he wanted it to. The process had to be more open when we made Olsen's Day. I was already happy that Direk JP was happy about my performance, but during the awards night, a few of us were only there. We were there to celebrate with everyone. Then I won, and even Direk JP Habac won too, so we were just ecstatic. This goes to show that when you pour your heart into the story, a lot of people would connect and relate to it." 

Rest certainly is a luxury for both Khalil and Gabbi. Khalil was working on three platforms at the same time. Aside from Olsen's Day, he was doing a Neflix series called "How to Cheat Death" with Gabbi, and "One Hit Wonder" with Sue Ramirez on the same platform. He's also in the 9 Works Theatrical production of "Liwanag Sa Dilim" as Elesi, a very interesting character trying to find his roots. He felt it was 2023 all over again because yes, he did a lot tooo during those times in different mediums.

He feels energized as an artist that he could do all these roles, working with different people, saying he loves what he's doing, tired but definitely fulfilled in artistry and passion. Here's our interview with him this afternoon:

If he feels he resonates with the character and the script, he would do it no matter how big or small the production is. If he likes the story, that gets precedence over other things. His schedule is super packed for sure that he had to decline a few opportunities, that's the only time he needs to decide.  He was doing three characters in one week (in January), which was crazy but did it by studying characters individually saying "At a certain point, you have to be as real as possible in your pursuit with the film. Sometimes your body doesn't know you're already doing it. You're commanding it, and your body just follows. If it's tired, then you've got to pull other tricks in the bag to finish it. I need to find another technique to be more effective. Your co actors especially in Liwanag Sa Dilim will influence your performance, and they've all been a breeze to work with."

 Khalil is still in "Liwanag Sa Dilim" at the RCBC theater til April 13th, and watch out for "How to Cheat Death" on Netfilx this April 2. "One Hit Wonder" will premiere around May. Khalil is just starting, I bet he's bound for more accolades with Olsen's Day as they plan to also put it in streaming platforms soon.

 

Fun Primetime Sundays with Jake and Sue in “Jack and Jill sa Diamond Hills”

New show, new ways to laugh and chill at a fun new sitcom produced by APT Entertainment will be seen on TV5 this coming May 14. It's called "Jack and Jill sa Diamond Hill" and stars sought after actor Jake Cuenca and the gorgeous Sue Ramirez. It's definitely high time that they do something new, and this come at an opportune time since we've suffered much during the pandemic, we really need reasons to laugh a bit at the comfort of our homes. Under the great Director John Lapus, this will surely be a riot and will put us all into a ride with comedy, action and suspense all in one!

Jake and Sue will play police officers who in order to solve a crime, will need to live together as husband and wife... thing is, they need to find the dangerous material "Happy P" and the perpetrator called S3xbomb, plus, they don't really like each other. That's where the problem ensues. The community in Diamond Hills is also full of interesting characters, and one of them could possibly be the one. They would need to choose between characters that Gardo Verzosa, Ms. Ara Mina, DJ Onse, new actress Nana Silayro, character actor Nico Antonio, DJ Jhai Ho (who did the voice overs too!), Hershey Neri, basketball star Willie Miller and a throng of other actors will make this mystery a lot more confusing for them.  

 

These two cops also need to do it in 3 months, a pretty short time when they've got a lot of investigating to do without blowing their cover. 

During the mediacon, Sue Ramirez told the press that she would want to return the favor because she has learned a lot these couple of years that she has worked with Jake. This time, she would want to take lead since she's got a lot of experience in doing comedy programs in the past. Jake has been so ecstatic since this is the first time that he's had his own sitcom to star in. Here's a few things we saw during the press conference:

Direk John Lapus didn't have a hard time directing Jake, Sue and the cast as they're very professional. They know they need to be ready once they are on set, and have to finish scenes efficiently while having fun with the others. They lamented how light the set was, and they hope you get to experience the fun they have in making this epic story for primetime.

Again, make sure you tune in to TV5 this coming May 14 during their prime time slot. It's going to be fun!

Fashion and Style on Viu Original's K-Love!

If you haven't watched K-Love yet and you're obsessed with style and fashion, you better take the trip on the Viu app because it's got one heck of an epiphany. Gone are the days of tacky and obvious costumes as the show K-Love showcases well thought out and styled pieces all throughout the show.

You've got the usual suspects Iza Calzado, Jake Cuenca, Sue Ramirez who's day and evening  ensembles impress even the critics because as seen, everyday seems to be red carpet day.

Iza plays Tia who's majorly into power dressing. She's the type who can make employees tremble but still exude chic even if it's tailored, one of whom you feel their presence as they enter the room. Jen on the other hand is a bit on the easy relaxed side, not too heavy on the makeup either and still, you know when they enter the space because they have so much confidence.

If you see Sheila, she's got that flair for dramatics. She always wears something new and bold especially because she's an influencer. From athleisure to evening gowns, she doesn't stop being fabulous!

Frances has a very bubbly and fun personality, where you feel she lives where it's sunny all day. Her staples are plaids, ribbons, funky hairdos and mimic baby dolls on a regular day. While Jay is the ultimate oppa who's into fine clean lines, not too scruffy, and very dapper. He's got all the nice things in the right places so if you love K-drama oppas, you might adore his persona here.

There's certainly a lot to look forward to in the next episodes of K-Love so if you haven't followed these fashionable men and women on the Viu app yet, you must do it now. It's a Viu original so you won't see it anywhere else!

K-LOVE: An Homage to Filipino KDrama Love

Filipinos are so passionate about a lot of things, and during the pandemic, they've been glued to TV sets and monitors just to watch their favorite K-Dramas. This love, is going to be showcased on a new series called K-LOVE, with stars Iza Calzado, Jake Cuenca, Sue Ramirez, Isabelle Diaz and Gabby Padilla.

This will be exclusively shown on the VIU platform and is created by VIU Originals. It's for K-Drama fans, made by fans and for the fans. It all makes sense on how the lives of Filipinos 20-30 years old will be mirrored in this story when they get to see their relationships, how they love, their disappointments,  and how close the story lines of K-Drama shows are in their lives. The fandom of Korean dramas, Hallyus surprise even the actors, when they discover their closest friends, their families all have their own show obsessions.

According to the writer, this is fan fiction as she is a fan of several shows herself. She was inspired by Star Up and Reply 1988. Here's part of the press conference this afternoon.

Iza Calzado, Jake Cuenca, Isabelle Diaz, Sue Ramirez, Gabby Padilla shares their experience making the show. 

K-LOVE will be shown on the VIU app starting October 14 and will be shown in other countries where VIU is available. If you're a K-Drama fan, lover or a silent one, re-live the kilig by watching the series on that date.

There will be previews which you can watch even without signing in on the platform, go do it now!

Come Ride the TNT Kilig-Saya Express

After bringing Thai superstars Nonkul Chanon, Gulf Kanawut and Mario Maurer a few months ago, the train never stops as TNT promises even more kilig and saya this month. You see, on July 19, 2021 at 8AM, the Kilig-Saya Express train will finally be running on the LRT 1 line. Together with that, they'll be giving away LRT-1 passengers a one way train pass to the first 500 riding on stations from Baclaran, EDSA, Libertad, Gil Puyat, Vito Cruz, Quirino, Pedro Gil, UN Avenue, Central, Carriedo, Doroteo Jose, Bambang, Tayuman, Blumentritt, Abad Santos, R. Papa, 5th Avenue and Balintawak Stations. To get this, you need to go to the TNT booth on each of these stations, I'm sure that'll be so much fun for commuters to start their Mondays on the right note!

Ms. Miriam Z. Choa the FVP and Head of Prepaid Marketing at Smart says "TNT wants to give the simple joys in life. These are just a few that spaks positivity and happiness that you can enjoy with our products and services. These Kilig-Saya Express free train pass will benefit up to 500 passengers per station on July 19. We want our loyal TNT customers to have memorable experiences, and this is just the start."

TNT with their brand ambassadors Sue Ramirez, Sarah Geronimo, Nonkul Chanon, Gulf Kanawut and Mario Maurer will also be featured on specially designed train units so you can ride the Kilig-Saya Express all day. For the select people who will also post their ticket pass on social media (FB, Twitter and IG) and use the hashtag #TNTKiligSaya, you can get up to 50% discount on your next Double GIGA Video 99 promo. This will be avavilable on the TNT booth, just show the post to the personnel and they'll give you that deal right on the spot.

Get updates on their channels too so make sure you like and follow @TNTph on FB, IG and Twitter because it's all there!

Ginebra San Miguel's Ginuman 2020 A Fun Event!

Thousands of people joined in the fun of this year's Ginebra San Miguel Ginumanfest 2020. Unlike the other years wherein there was merrymaking on the streets, in different towns and cities, the new normal forced us all to stay at home and celebrate here instead. Good thing these guys know how to party and yes, they did not shortchange anyone for entertainment. 

They started this livestream in the official Ginebra San Miguel Facebook page and broadcasted an online concert with a talk from the Barangay Ginebra Basketball team (which was so funny by the way), artists like Banda Ni Kleggy, Silent Sanctuary, December Avenue. 

Not only that, but after a few songs performed by the band, they got Ginebra girl Sanya Lopez sing Torete with them for the enjoyment of the online crowd!

Later on, Silent Sanctuary joined in and performed their greatest hits. Then after 3 songs, they got GSM girl Sue Ramirez to also perform, the online concert was just amazing!

Then for the finale, they got popular band December Avenue to end the festivities, then the piece de resistance, showing the new limited edition Ginebra San Miguel with the special edition frontliners design on the bottle. 

They say "Para Sa Tapang Na Tunay!" to make sure these unsung real life heroes get the recognition they deserve. This is good Ginebra! Hope you continue to inspire more people to help, hope we see each other in person during the Ginumanfest 2021!

See you!

Cuddle Weather Premiere + Red Carpet Shots

September 13 as part of Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino (a Filipino Film Festival) will be fun as there will be a ton of whimsical entries, one of which is Cuddle Weather. It starts Sue Ramirez and Raymond Bagatsing, bringing to life the story of Adela Johnson and Ram, two adult workers whose life intertwine. Their celebrity friends came in throngs to support the film and they didn't disappoint as we all enjoyed this R-13 flick.

Cristine Reyes

The Director of the film

Niño Mulach

K-Vlogger Krystel Fulgar

Kimpee De Leon and Moy Bien

Javi Benitez of Kid Alpha One

Jane Oineza who will be in another film soon

Kelvin Miranda and Angel Guardian

Direk Antonette Jadaone

Ria Atayde

Enzo Pineda and Michelle Vito

The film was funny, but concentrated on the realities of a worker involved in this industry. Their humor, is current and relatable. Ram (RK) is a sweetheart, as innately innocent he may be, he's got his own knack in caring for Adela Johnson. There's also that part where he cares for his family, sans this being a forsaken kind of work, it is lucrative and may add to their goals. There is also some parts of the film discussing the relationships and dynamics of a broken family. The film also involves a lot of learnings about the birds and the bees, how to safely do it and how to be responsible of yourselves. 

This may be an entry to the PPP but it's more of a romcom, in a different situation, in a different way of telling it. This isn't a drama piece, nor is it award piece, but given its merits, people could learn a lot, feel a bit of kilig, none of those adult innuendos either. You'll see some of that but it's not the whole story. 

It just feels good to watch. Make sure you do when it shows in 160 theaters nationwide!

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Sue and RK for Cuddle Weather

Another festival “Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino” is going to have some naughty entries courtesy of Project 8 Corner San Joaquin productions and Regal Films. Sue Ramirez and RK Bagatsing will play two lovestruck strangers caught in hustle and bustle red light district of Makati. She is a hustler, he was a previous plumber who had to learn the ropes on how to be to be a gigolo and yes he learned from the best. It’s been rainy, cuddle weather is in season, now even if it’s becoming a fun active thing now, they’ve become closer, close enough that it may actually spark a relationship.

Interesting to be in this scenario, are they capable of going into a real long lasting relationship? Or is that going to be a nono especially in an industry like this?

Sue says “I have accepted this when they pitched it because it was a timely topic. It’s not about workers, it’s about regular people. I was laughing reading the script, it’s a step to do roles that I’m afraid of and this is it. Surprisingly it was easy to do sexy scenes, we were put on the spot during the photoshoot and we didn’t feel malice at all, I mean it’s already 2019 and people shouldn’t put too much of a big deal about it. I don’t sexualize my own body, we all have differences and we should open our minds more, not to be overly insensitive. What we want, or what they want, we all have to respect each other’s preferences. Before we started, we did immersion, we had to talk to real people who work in the same industry. We saw their heart, it’s why Adela is like that. Our workshops involved how far we could push our maturity. When we arrived on set, we didn’t have any qualms anymore. We shouldn’t judge people quickly, we can change, if you want it you will have to do it yourself.”

RK adds “The last movie was in 2015, I focused in TV series and didn’t make one for a while, when it was offered they told me about the premise but I was so game even if there were some conflicts in schedules. In the even of photos and videos plus social media, we know there is a lot of material out there. If we have preferences, we have to respect that. I got to talk to an escort and his story is just unbelievable, we had to relate to them as they are very human. I hope people get to know the characters, it has more elements, it is a romantic comedy too.”

Now make sure you watch Cuddle Weather as it hits cinemas this September. If you want to see how Sue and RK become a funny, sexy version of themselves, maybe this is a relief from the usual romcom. Get to know Adela Johnson and Ram, they might be your best bet to learn the ropes of falling in love.