He’s thankful to GMA for giving him the chance to be paired with Heart Evangelista in “Langit sa Piling Mo”. “I enjoyed working with her. She’s very professional and a really good actress. The last two weeks of the show will be very absorbing kasi maraming revelations na mangyayari sa characters namin ni Heart as Marj and Rigo.”
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NADINE SAMONTE says her role as Shirley, the tormentor of Marian Rivera as Jenny in “Endless Love”, is the meanest villain she has played so far. “Marami na ngang hindi namamansin sa’kin dahil sa pagka-contravida ko,” she says. “It’s a very difficult role for me as she’s too angry, e hindi ako ganun. Cool ako lagi.”
Is it true there’s tension on the set between Marian and Bela Padilla? “I don’t know kung may tension or issue nga sa kanila. At kung meron man, ayokong makisali.”
But who’d she support, if ever? “I’m closer to Marian kasi we’ve worked na before in ‘Super Twins’, where she even played my mom, then in ‘Marimar’ and ‘Darna’, so we’re like sisters na. Siempre, mas kakampihan ko yung friend ko, although okay rin naman kami ni Bela.”
Is it true that the Luneta hostage taker cop is her relative? “Yes, second cousin siya ng mom ko. Actually, I was watching sa set yung hostage taking but I didn’t have any inkling na kamag-anak ko pala siya. The next day, my lola told me, samahan ko raw siya at may namatay kaming relative. Then I remembered noong bata pa ko, we used to visit them in Batangas. We haven’t seen them for a long time pero nakiramay kami.”
It’s said the relatives of her German dad are against her and her brother getting part of his property as inheritance. Has this been settled? “Yes, pero sa akin, bigyan man nila kami o hindi, okay lang. I work naman. Matatapos na nga yung pinagagawa kong condo sa Ortigas so mas malapit na ko sa Manila. Unlike now na sa Sta. Rosa, Laguna pa ako umuuwi and I do the driving myself.”
Has she really called it quits with her Chinese boyfriend? “No, kami pa rin. Hindi lang kami masyadong nagkikita as I’m so busy with ‘Endless Love’, but we’re okay. Five years na kami and we plan to get married in 2012.”
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CARMINA VILLAROEL says she’s quite content with her live in arrangement with long time partner Zoren Legaspi. “Kasi it’s no guarantee that when you get married, magtatagal na kayo for life,” she says. “But for the sake of those who keep on asking us kung kalian kami pakakasal, sige, pagbibigyan na namin sila. Zoren and I aren’t afraid na baka mauwi sa hindi magandang samahan pag kinasal kami, as we’re not conscious in counting the days ng pagsasama namin and we don’t even have an anniversary like other couples do, kaya wala rin kaming sine-celebrate kasi we just started as friends hanggang ma-develop nga and we had kids. 11 years na kami together but we feel no pressure at all. Pero kung yayayain na kong pakasal ni Zoren, okay lang sa’kin kahit nakapambahay lang kami and it’s a civil wedding. Hindi na ko naghahangad ng malaking kasalan sa simbahan na may magandang gown at kung anu-ano pa. Naranasan ko na naman yun before so yung expenses dun, we’ll just save it for our kids’ future.”
As of now, she and Zoren are just happy that their daily morning talk show, “Love ni Mister, Love ni Misis”, is rating very well and getting positive feedback from viewers.
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IN THE SECOND season of “Survivor Philippines”, a transsexual made it as a castaway and became first runner up, Justine Ferrer, who’s now a regular reporter in “Tweetbiz”. Now, in “Survivor Celebrity Showdown”, a gay standup comedian is also a castaway, Pretty Trizsa, who appears in an ABS-CBN soap. “Nagpaalam ako sa kanila at pumayag naman sila kasi I really want to join ‘Survivor’ kaya nagpapasalamat din ako sa ABS,” he says.
What insights did he get while in the island? “You should learn to count your blessings at dapat, di laging nagko-complain. Pati mga maliliit na bagay sa island, I learned to appreciate kasi nga deprived kami. Nawala ang pagka-vain ko kasi hindi puede yung retouch-retouch bago ka humarap sa kamera. Buti na lang at palaban ako at di yung tipong basta gumi-give up agad. Ang dami ngang ibang bading na nainggit sa’kin kasi ang mga kasama kong mhin doon, mga guwapo at ang gaganda ng katawan. Pero sa isla, kapag pagod ka at gutom, wala ka nang maiisip na ganoon.”
Did he feel out of place being the only gay in the island? “No. Sila ang naasiwa sa’kin kasi magaling ako. At saka hindi lang naman ako ang bading. Maraming bading doon.”
Among the other castaways? “No, doon sa staff ng show,” and he laughs.
Who among the males are his crushes? “One is Ervic Vijandre, kasi ang feeling ko, kasingganda ko ng ex niyang si Marian Rivera. Also, basketball player siya at naging player din ako noong high school so we have something in common. Ha-ha-ha! Tapos, si Ahron Villena, ang guwapo, maganda katawan, lahat mahuhumaling sa kanya. Then si Akihiro Sato kasi friendly siya, mabait, hindi isnabero. Feeling ko, pinagnasaan din nila ako.”
MR. FU or Jeffrey Espiritu says he feels hurt when some writers accused him of using Tim Yap for his own publicity. “Never sa akin nanggaling ang anuman about Tim,” he says. “Ako lagi ang tinatanong, like when I guested in ‘Paparazzi’ and when I had a presscon sa 103.5 Wow FM. Sumasagot lang ako. Ayoko na ngang sumagot kasi nilalagyan ng ibang kulay. Buti na lang nagkalinawan na kami ni Tim and he knows hindi ko siya iniintriga.”
Mr. Fu is a regular in “Tweetbiz” with Tim on Q Channel 11 and he also hosts “PO5” and “Wow, Meganon?” on TV 5 and “Stop, Look & Listen” on Viva TV. He’ll be featured in Enchanted Kingdom’s Halloween Special on October 31.
