IAN VENERACION was reported recently as having problems with his 23-year old marriage to Pam Gallardo (they have three kids), but he disproved this and said all such rumors are just fake news made by perverts.
“I don’t want to dignify lies made by people who are exploiting our personal lives for their entertainment,” he says.
He adds that the first few months of the lockdown made him even much closer to his wife and kids.
“I enjoyed the time na nasa bahay lang kami because of Covid. Wala silang choice kundi watch movies with me and do endless conversations. I really enjoyed it.”
Ian is now very busy with two TV shows, the sitcom “Oh My Dad” shown on TV5, and a new web romcom, “Brody and Brandy” with Iza Calzado.
Now, he’s also in the concert “Virtually Yours, Kilabotitos” with Ogie Alcasid, to be staged at Music Museum and aired on KTX,ph on March 26. This is produced by A-TEAM (Alcasid Total Entertainment & Artist Management). So how is it working with Ogie?
“It’s certainly an honor kasi bata pa ko, napapanood ko na siya,” he says.
To which Ogie retorts: “Hoy, mas nauna ka sa’kin sa showbiz, ha.”
Ian laughs: “Yes, kasi I started as a child actor in ‘Joey & Son’. But seriously, I owe Ogie, kasi he produced my first concert in Music Museum na ‘Ian in Color’.
"I’m really an actor and I never thought I’d be singing in public, but Ogie trusted me at nag-guest pa sila ni Regine (Velasquez) sa concert ko. Then he said, mag-concert kaya tayong dalawa.
"I felt he really welcomed me in the music industry and very supportive siya kahit na siya, totoong singer ever since. I truly admire his love for music.
"Serious siya in his attention to detail sa areglo, sa timpla, sa mixing, he’s very particular, and I really appreciate that.”
So how did his career as a singer start?
“Dun sa show namin ni Bea before, ‘A Love to Last’, dun ako unang pinakanta. Hiyang-hiya ako noon. But now, kumapal na ang mukha ko. Nakipag-duet pa ako kay Regine at kay Zsa Zsa (Padilla), so I’m really enjoying it.”
He’s excited to sing with Ogie in ‘Kilabotitos’.
“We will do a lot of duets. He’ll play the piano, I’ll do the guitar. I like his classic songs, like ‘Nandito Ako’. Let’s see kung kakantahin niya sa concert namin at makiki-jam ako sa kanya, so abangan na lang natin. We really share the same kind of music.”
He adds that they will share not only their music but also their humor.
“Even our jokes, pre-internet humor, so we have the same wave length, kaya abangan nyo ang banter and jokes namin. The audience will certainly enjoy our kulitan, humor, asaran. We share stories about fatherhood, our families, our children.”
Ogie is 53 and Ian is 46 and they agree they have a more mature crowd.
“We’re proud of the generation where we come from, the 70s and 80s, and we enjoy reminiscing about the past. But even members of today’s generation will enjoy our concert and our homage to Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Spandau Ballet, Hall & Oates and other icons of our era.
"And mind you, this is not a bahay-bahay concert lang. It’s a full concert setup sa Music Museum with a band, the real thing. May special documentary pa kung paano namin binuo ito, with our rehearsals and interviews. We assure you na masisiyahan kayo.”
Enjoy “Kilabotitos” right in the comfort of your homes on March 26, 8 PM. It will be available worldwide and tickets are available at ktx.ph for only P1,200 (full concert plus a documentary on the making of the show).
With just one ticket, your whole family or barkada can watch together, sponsored by Katinko Oinment/Liniment as gold partner, with silver partners PLDT, Pascual Lab, Potencee, C-Lium, Ascof Lagundi, Oracare and Conzace.
