BLIND ITEM: TINGIN yata ng isang sikat na komedyana sa programang interesadong kunin siya bilang mainstay ay “New Zealand”. As we all know, ang bansang ito (na kung tawagin din ay Land Down Under next to Australia) ay maraming baka. So, kung sandamakmak ang herd of cows, bu-mabaha rin ng gatas.
Araw-araw napapanood ang canned show na ito, twice a week ang taping schedule. But if all five weekday episodes were to be done in a day, mahaba na ang limang oras including breaks, costume changes and tsikahan. ‘Di hamak na mas maraming oras ang gugugulin if a star were to be in another program, say, teleserye that takes all of eternity to get a single taping done on a daily basis.
Rewind tayo sa komedyana. When offered to do the daily taped show, ang asking price ng hitad bawat episode ay—hold your breath and breast—P65,000! Multiply it by five, aba, tumatagin-ting na P325 thou a week ang assured income niya! That’s more than enough to pay TEN creative staff in a month!
Pero pursigido ang programa na kunin ang serbisyo ng hitad, makikipag-haggle daw ito sa “package deal” price. Sana hindi matuloy ang transaksiyong ‘yon, lest the program turn into a milking cow na sa Pilipinas naman ginagawa at hindi sa New Zealand, ‘no!
MATAAS ANG EXPECTATIONS ng Star Cinema sa kanilang opening salvo this year, showing one day before the Year Of The Rabbit begins.
Ang tinutukoy namin ay ang pelikulang Bulong. The fourth Chito Roño film with the said outfit na may temang horror. But unlike Feng Shui, Sukob and T2, horror-comedy ang genre nito with its lead stars Vhong Navarro and Angelica Panganiban who are both comedians (although mahusay rin sa drama ang huli).
Vhong is no alien to a lot of Roño’s movies, kabilang na rito ang Spirit Warriors, the closest that Bulong can get. Many years though, nagsama na sina Vhong at Angelica sa pelikulang Separada, but the latter was only eight years old.
Many years later, a more mature Vhong-Angelica tandem makes at an attempt at scaring their audience, and at the same time giving them a good laugh.
Kung bakit ganoon na lang ka-pressured ang dalawang bida ng Bulong ay dahil sa tagumpay ng tatlong entries ng Star Cinema sa nakaraang Metro Manila Film Festival: ang Ang Tanging Ina Mo (Last Na ‘To), Dalaw at RPG Metanoia.
Why the title? As superstitious mumbo-jumbos have it, kapaniwalaan nang puwedeng magbulong sa patay, oftentimes a wish that a dear departed takes to his journey far beyond ang anumang karamdamang tinataglay ng mga buhay.
Sa kaso nga lang ng mga bida, inclu-ding Bangs Garcia, sa totoong buhay ay may ibang connotation ang salitang “bulong”. Very much in love with boyfriend Derek Ramsey, and vice versa, mga sweet nothings ang ibinubulong nila ni Angelica sa isa’t isa.
PALIBHASA BIHIRA LANG kaming magkita, iniabot ni Mareng Ogie Diaz ang Christmas gift sa amin ng alaga niyang si Vice Ganda only last Monday.
More than Vice Ganda’s acknowledgment of our friendship, patunay lang ‘yon na hindi totoo ang kumakalat na tsismis na magsusunugan na sila ng mga tulay, or they have already burned bridges. As in any personal or business relationship, there will always be disagreements, pero ang maganda ay ang positibong kinalalabasan ng mga ito towards a common objective.
Kay Ogie na rin nanggaling that nothing lasts forever, but if one has to call it quits ay may tamang panahon para roon, huwag ipilit at lalong huwag ipanalangin.
To the tandem of Ogie and Vice Ganda, sana’y pareho kayong busy sa inyong mga career – either apart or together – para hindi n’yo maisip magbabu sa isa’t isa.
Eat, pray, love and look fabulous!
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
