“Desidido akong ipagpatuloy at ipaglaban ang kasong ito no matter how long it takes,” says Katrina when we visited her at the last taping day of “Langit sa Piling Mo” where they’ll shoot her death scene. “Not once akong nakarinig kahit na anong apology from them, so how can you forgive someone na hindi naman humihingi ng patawad. Para ngang ang liit-liit ng tingin nila sa’kin and we heard palalabasin daw na alam ko yung pag-vivideo tape sa’min, which is a lie.”
She’s glad that after “Langit”, she gets another show right away, “Koronang Papel” (formerly “Beauty Queen”), an original soap starring Iza Calzado. “Fan niya ako rito, then aagawin ko lahat ng tagumpay niya. Buti na nga lang may kasunod agad kasi dami kong binabayaran. Amortization lang ng bahay ko sa New Manila, P140,000 a month na and mga two years pa yun before fully paid. May kotse pa ko at machines for my spa na hinuhulugan. Kaya nga tumanggap ako ng shows sa U.S. in October, for added income. As much as possible, iniiwasan ko sana ito, even guestings sa game shows o sa Party Pilipinas. Kasi alam ng tao kung ano ang pinagdaraanan ko, tapos makikita nila ko roong nakikipag-game o kakanta-kanta, it’s not nice. Okay lang yun I act and play a role.”
How’s her working relationship with Heart Evangelista in “Langit sa Piling Mo”? “We’re okay. Heart really has a big heart. Lagi nga niya kong ini-invite sa bahay niya, but my life now is just taping then bahay na. I don’t even go out anymore. Hangga’t di ako nabibigyan ng justice, I don’t think magiging normal ang takbo ng life ko. I’m still undergoing counselling from two therapists and from my pastor up to now.”
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KEEMPEE DE LEON plays another gay role in TV5’s mini-series that starts tonight at 8:30, “Lady Dada”. “Pero iba ito kaysa sa other gay roles na nagawa ko na,” he says. “Sa ‘Bahay Mo Ba ‘To’, ‘La Lola’, and ‘Full House’, gay rin ako but di ako nagdadamit-babae. Dito, nagmumuher talaga ako as a drag queen at may lover pa ako, si Edgar Allan Guzman, na mas malandi pa sa’kin. Gay to gay kami rito.”
Before he accepted the role, he informed GMA-7 first. “Free lancer naman ako’t I have no contract with them, but out of courtesy kasi most of my shows were with them, nagpaalam muna ko and they gave me permission. For my role here, talagang nagpa-wax ako para matanggal lahat ng hair ko sa legs, sa armpits, sa dibdib. Ang sakit-sakit pala. Inabot ng isang oras. Tapos, ang paglalagay ng make up sa’kin, another one hour, kaya playing this role is really no joke.”
How does his 14-year old daughter view his playing gay roles? “Walang problema. Kasi when our dad (Joey de Leon) was playing gay roles, kami ng sister kong si Cheenee, natatawa pa nga kami when we see him na bading. Never kaming nagduda sa kanya and we never asked why he play gay roles. Ako naman, lumaking may bading sa paligid kasi my mom (Daria Ramirez), maraming gay friends.”
Has he ever tried a gay experience? “Never. May na-in love sa’king gay reporter at ninakaw ang briefs ko when I was still in my teens. Ang mom ko nag-react dun. Ba’t daw pati briefs ko, ninakaw pa?”
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WE WERE INVITED to the cast party of “Survivor Philippines Celebrity Edition” held last Monday to coincide with the show’s first telecast after “24 Oras”. The castaways were there with contestants from the past two seasons like Echo Caceres, Tara Macias, Suzuki Sadatzugu and, the only who has career among them, Justine Ferrer who’s doing very well as a reporter for “Tweetbiz”. Annabelle Rama, Eddie, Ruffa and Raymond Gutierrez were all there to show their support to Richard. Aubrey Miles was accompanied by husband Troy and brother in law KC Montero. Troy said next time, he’d be the one to join and he won’t let Aubrey join again as their son kept looking for her while she’s away for more than a month.
The pilot showed the 18 castaways arriving in Ranong, Thailand and, while still in formal wear, were hijacked by Thai natives who harassed them while they’re on jeepneys that took them away from civilization. Host Richard Gutierrez is shown arriving on the island on board a helicopter and does a daring stunt jumping from the chopper into the sea while in a wetsuit. All in all, it’s truly a very impressive start for the show and Richard impresses as an authoritative host who orchestrates the challenges. Karen de los Reyes quickly impressed with her witty observations that border on the cynical. The very exciting and fast paced pilot ended showing several castaways crying unabashedly, including macho guys like Jon Hall and Ervic Vijandre. You’d really want to watch the next episodes to find out what made them cry. Richard thanked their director, Monti Parungao, and all the castaways for all the hardships they all went through in coming up with a splendid show. From the looks of it, the show is a sure winner all the way.
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WE GOT to interview former champ Elma Muros at the cast party. She and husband George Posadas now teach and coach athletics at Brent and Jose Rizal University. “We help develop new young athletes,” she says. They have two kids, Clarisse Yvonne, who turned 18 on August 30 and was with Elma at the cast party for her birthday, and George Jr., 7 years old. A lot of people tell Elma she’s their bet to win because she’s very athletic. “I’m flattered, of course,” she says. “But hindi pa tapos ang botohan. We have to wait for three more months. Actually, I didn’t expect masasali ako kasi ang daming sikat na athletes, pero akong napili nila.”
Does she regret leaving her family to join “Survivor”? “Na-miss ko sila nang husto but wala akong pinagsisisihan sa pagsali ko as I really enjoyed it. Ang mister ko nga’t mga anak were the ones who convince ed me to join. Sayang daw ang opportunity. Wala akong napanood na ‘Survivor’ kahit yung international versions kaya I had no idea kung anong mararanasan ko sa isla. Hindi biro ang inabot namin doon. Galing ako sa hirap pero ibang hirap ang dinanas ko roon. Nagkasugat-sugat ang katawan ko. Pero siempre, if the Lord would will me to win, I can use the P3 million for my family, lalo na sa pag-aaral ng mga anak ko. Nang sa wakas, makauwi na ko ng bahay, matagal akong hindi lumabas, tinitingnan ko lang ang mga anak ko. Sobrang na-miss ko sila.”
