You'll Need Towels for Tears: FAMILY MATTERS this MMFF 2022

If you've been seeing trailers left and right for Metro Manila Film Festival 2022 happening this month, you probably remember this one by Cineko Productions (under Mayor Enrico Roque). It was able to touch the hearts of so many Filipinos in the trailer alone as it delved into the story of a FAMILY. 

Francisco and Eleanor are in the geriatric age, and got sick, requiring much care and attention from their family, but the eldest had to go find love elsewhere. This forced the other siblings to step up the plate, but the couple chose to do things their way, butting heads as the patriarch still wants to be taken cared of by his wife Eleanor which she thankfully obliges to do so later on the film. It's played by Noel Trinidad and Ms. Liza Lorena, plus an ensemble cast which includes Nonie Buencamino, Agot Isidro, Mylene Dizon, James Blanco, Nikki Valdez, JC Santos, Ina Feleo, Ketchup Eusebio and a throng of other actors that put their trust on this MMFF 2022 entry.

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

I asked a few unconventional questions during the press conference specifically on some parents making an investment out of their children. Also, I tried to see what they think of how Filipinos make it an obligation for family to take care of them in their older years. I was impressed how Mylene Dizon answered it after stating the differences, saying the care Filipinos do come from a place of LOVE rather than it being embedded in culture overall.

It is no surprise that those who have seen the trailer already shed a tear or two as this film comes from the same people behind "Miracle at Cell #7" that won awards and box office success in previous MMFF years. Will this prove to be a sure fire formula to success this coming December 25th? You're going to see a lot of actors vying for the Best Actress role and might need to compete with Ms. Liza Lorena. The ensemble cast is also a tough act to follow since they formed a real family doing this movie.

It's going to be a very interesting awards night and you might be looking at another successful entry when you watch "Family Matters" during the MMFF 2022 days. This is Directed by Nuel Naval and written by the prolific Mel Mendoza-del Rosario. They warned us and said this time, tissues won't be enough for your tears, bring towels!

SEAN DE GUZMAN Ready to Break Limits of Genre with FALL GUY

It was such a pleasure to see fresh faces for the upcoming Joel Lamangan masterpiece "Fall Guy" (this is still their working title). In a grand story conference this evening, producers Ms. Len Carillo of 3:16 Media Network and John Bryan Diamante of Mentorque Productions had us see a glimpse of this upcoming movie written for the screen by famed Troy Espiritu.

This stars the good looking Sean De Guzman who also starred in previous Joel Lamangan film "Anak ng Macho Dancer" (Son of the Macho Dancer) which was his launching film during the first quarter of last year. He also did Bekis on the Run (Gays on the Run), Huling Baklang Birhen sa Balat ng Lupa ("The Last Gay Virgin on the face of the Earth" which have yet to be shown on theaters) and Island of Desire on streaming platforms.

He says "Honestly, when I was informed that I was going to do FALL GUY, I was nervous, I had self doubt because the role was super heavy. I knew that I really have to work on how I portray the role as it is very different from the films that I've made in the past. It delves more into drama. You can say this is my attempt to crossover to a different genre. Not that I'm quitting making those kind of films, I just want to take on different roles and learn from them. I wouldn't want to put limitations,  Who knows, you might be seeing me in action films in the future."

Direk Joel says "I am the one who went with him on his journey as an actor. Why did I choose him? Because I saw potential as an actor, intrinsic traits of a good one. It can be developed into something big as a lead for a film. That's what I see in Sean. When the opportunity came for me to make a film for him, I didn't bat an eyelash. After working with him in previous projects, I can say he will deliver. I've seen his growth as an actor and this movie will surely showcase his versatility. I have never doubted that from day 1. This is a good story of a young man who didn't like where he came from, because they're poor, and this is what happens if they follow a life with lies. I know Sean can do something like this, and people can learn from it."

Aside from the films mentioned earlier, Sean has also been busy with other films and series under the Vivamax brand. He also made mention of how he's really eager to work with Cloe Baretto of whom we've interviewed a couple weeks ago. They've been friends for a while now and just joked around about who wanted who. Needless to say, they've been looking forward to do a project and this has just come in to fruition.

 

Vance Larena is also part of this project

FALL GUY also stars Ms. Glydel Mercado, the legendary Shamaine Buencamino. Also in the cast are Vance Larena, talented actress/writer Quinn Carrillo, Marco Gomez, Karl Aquino, 80's icon Ms. Tina Paner, Jim Pebanco, Pancho Carrillo, Mark Cardona, Tiffany Grey, Azekah Alvarez, Nisa Ortiz, Hershie de Leon and Itan Rosales. As you can see, they're not shortchanging you in the acting department, you'll be seeing another Joel Lamangan film that's worth watching when they finish the shoot. Follow their social channels to know more about the project.

Chinita Princess "The FUNtasy Concert"

Our lovely interviewee today is the one and only Chinita Princess Kim Chiu who's having a concert entitled "Chinita Princess: The Funtasy Concert". This is in celebration of her 10th Anniversary in the industry and her birthday. She promises to fill up the Kia Theater in Cubao Quezon City on April 9, 2016 8PM and tickets will be available through Ticketnet Online. Ticket prices will be Php 4,240 for the VIP Section, Php 3,710 for Orchestra, Php 1,590 Loge and Php 1.060 for Balcony. 

During the presscon Kim expresses how light this concert is going to be and admit's she's more of a performer, not much of a singer but she promises fans that people will enjoy the show from the start. The opening will be full blown and will have the GFORCE elements in it. There will also be cables, cranes, liftings, drops which you'll never expect in a Kim Chiu performance. She adds "I want to thank everyone who's here and I hope you get to watch it on April 9 because it's a special night for me. We sold out VIP tickets and we only have a few for the other areas. Thank you to my fans who still are supporting me all these years!"

Congratulations Kimmy! 

KUMAGCOW

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Jollibee Asks: What's Your Story?

I'm just like you, just like anybody who grew up in the Philippines who spent a couple hours of their lifetime to be in a well loved hamburger chain that started in this country. I always had several treats, birthday parties and sorties held in the Diamond Cubao branch when I was a kid, let alone just about any of their other branches in the metro where I had to cover events, attend my godsons and goddaughters birthday parties, or be with family because I love Chickenjoy and my Dad loves Palabok above anything else on their menu.

You see, just about anybody has their own #KwentongJollibee, and this year Jollibee is thinking of you. They wanted their commercials hit it right home, to be close to where your heart is, and touch you, your lives when you least expect it. Take a moment to sit down and prepare your tissue/napkins because this might change you. This is in celebration of their 38th year in existence.

Make sure you watch all the videos:

Here are highlights from the Premier Night

How about you? What's your #KwentongJollibee?

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Erich Gonzales and Daniel Matsunaga for "Be My Lady"

I've been waiting for this show to actually materialize as I've been hearing about it early last year. Word of it being filmed surfaced around the third quarter of last year which included Erich also being in a small accident (oh yes that got me worried!). My favorite Kapamilya actress didn't have a lead role since Two Wives (which I religiously watched btw) and had just done few support roles for the LizQuen starrer Forevermore.

We we're invited a few days ago to the Grand Presscon of her new one called "Be My Lady" which she stars with real life boyfriend Daniel Matsunaga. It's the first offered show from ABSCBN this 2016 and it couldn't come at a better time since it's almost valentines day. That to me just spelled romance, light drama which this series is all about. They also mentioned love in unexpected places, interracial relationships which they say is going to really be something that OFW's and your relatives living elsewhere would be able to relate to. 

We got them on video, this was during the press conference at the 14th Floor of ABSCBN's ELJ Building:

Singing the theme "Be My Lady" was Jason Dy which the producers say was a fresher, younger take on the song.

Join Pioneer's Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition

Do you have the knack for telling stories? Do you have the talent and play with words? You might want to think about submitting an entry to Pioneer Insurance's Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition as you can get to win Php 25,000 in cold cash and insurance coverage for yourself. Imagine putting in your work into something that could eventually be a material for a play, having actors and actresses utter those same words for audiences to enjoy if it's that good.

You must be a college student, 15-24 years old, a Filipino and have the passion for writing. If I were still that young, I would have submitted mine. But since I'm already 25 this year LOL.. anyway, it would really be a good stepping stone if you want your writing career to have a jumpstart. I heard there are several entries already and with the Virgin Labfest Tours going to schools, I wish they get inspired more so they can get those materials out there for the ordinary Filipino to enjoy.

Go to http://www.storieslab.ph to know more about it.

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Wattpad Presents: Jenny and the Magic Arinola

I guess people are already waiting for a new Wattpad Series episode this week because they played replay episodes last week together with the Sea Games. As usual, TV5 is offering a new play and flavor to make the fans of this show a little more faithful in finding love in unexpected circumstances. You wouldn't believe this one because aside from the "love story", they're bringing in some magic.

It's been a while since we've seen Alex Castro on TV. Right now, he's doing Pasion De Amor in ABSCBN. His political career hasn't ended yet and he's planning to go for a higher post next election season. This time, he's in TV5 doing a Wattpad episode as a Genie. Yeap! You might see a little skin, that's given... I mean who wears those arabian looking outfits once they pop out of the lamp right? Oh... and that's another thing, they're not actually using a lamp for this episode. The title of the week's book is "Jenny and the Magic Arinola". So just imagine how funny it'll be when he comes out of that thing... they told us it's not just going to be the normal smoke on some instances LOL!

Isabelle De Leon on the other hand has been appearing in Wattpad Presents for a couple of times now. She's also starred in several shows in the Kapatid Network of which one is noted, remember Trenderas? Isabelle is a spirited singer, and she can do ballads, pop to rock without any hitch. Among her many accomplishments, she's considered to be one of the TV5's prized singers and actresses and I think she's even a triple threat. She's putting her singing prowess aside and wore poor girl's clothing on this episode as Jenny. She's about to beat those who have hurt those in the past with the genie's help, but what if she ended up in love with him too?

Ella Cruz and Bret Jackson on Wattpad Presents: Hot and Cold

We're now here at the press conference of Hot and Cold, this coming week's episode in Wattpad. They've been really gambling in the combinations of actors and this time, wait to be charmed by Ella Cruz who skipped stables just for this show. She's also going to be paired with Viva and TV5 artist Bret Jackson who'll be like cat and dogs during this week's installment. 

This book is authored by Marielicious who's also here, consequently on the table beside me. She also did the big one entitled "The Magic In You" which starred Mark Neumann and Shaira Mae, TV5's premier teen love team. They're promising a good story without getting to fancy, realistic and something people can relate too. 

Bret plays a guy who's basically an @-hole and had a certain incident where they had to fight over a single book inside a bookstore. He felt he won over him but ended up getting beaten up by Ella's friends later on, forcing him to give her the book. During that time, Ella's character had simply grown fond of him, she found the little things he does to make that linking grow a bit more.

Ella has been loaned to TV5, but she's really happy to have had the chance to work with a teen segment because Wattpad produces some of the most romantic and heartwarming stories during this season. 

As for connections, I obviously have seen them very sweet during the press conference and the people from the production have been witness to how sweet they have become in the past few weeks. Bret even goes the mile and says that somehow, he's gone quite protective of Ella in the short span that they've worked together. He says "Ella is a ball of energy and you cam see how playful she is right now during this presscon, that's her in real life. I do have some movies coming up but I can't announce anything yet, but it's going to happen real soon." 

Ella also says "The first scene we ever shot was actually the final scene so we had to become comfortable with each other. When I looked into Bret's eyes I could see how nice it is, it's in a different color and he says it depends on his mood while I on the other hand had to use contact lenses. My character here is a little on the fancy side, maarte if that's a trait and of course I had to be really talktative so I could be fun with Bret's character. I tried and succeeded to make him laugh in all the scenes so I think we did a pretty good job." 

They also have branded this love team as BrElla/UmBrElla and you'll be seeing the sweet scenes on Wattpad Series Presents Hot and Cold by Marielicious on TV5 everyday at 9PM. 

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

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