Jaclyn alomost backed out of ‘Ma’ Rosa’

“There is no need for a motorcade. The warm welcome accorded to me by the Kapuso, from the guards at the gate to the TV executives at the presscon is overwhelming. The presence of everyone here is enough to warm my heart,” said Jaclyn Jose, the first and only Southeasst Asian actress to win the coveted Best Actress plum at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival of France.

She welcomes the feeling that many people will certainly be curious about her after her international victory which put the Filipino among the great artists in the world.

Jaclyn left France Monday afternoon and arrived in the country at 6 p.m. She immediately attended the presscon that GMA-7 arranged for her victory, and of course, she brought along her award.

In the interview, Jaclyn said she was hoping that she could attend Cannes with her daughter Andi Eigenmann, also an actress. Since it was Andi’s first Cannes appearance, the star of “The Millionaire’s Wife” hoped that her daughter would be noticed.

During the awarding ceremony, Jaclyn said she didn’t expect to win best actress. It was already a giddy feeing for her to be nominated in the category, much more being announced as the winner.

“I didn’t realize that the award being called onstage was for best actress,” recalled Jaclyn. “I only heard my name called and they were loudly cheering for me. When I stood up, there was more thundering applause. And I didn’t know what to say in accepting my award. There were not enough words to express how I felt. When our premiere night was over, Direk Dante was in tears. The applause after the screening was about seven minutes long.”

She said it was an overwhelming night for her, hearing her fellow Pinoys express their happiness over the victory. “So even if my legs were aching, I approached them and asked if they would like to have their picture taken with me,” she said.

We learned that Jaclyn nearly backed out of the film because director Brillante Mendoza wanted her to lose weight for the role. “I told him I don’t want to because masarap kumain. But he came back to convince me and we did the film,” she shared.

Jaclyn hopes direk Dante will agree to field the movie as an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival in December.

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After winning GMA Network’s multi-platform boy band competition “To The Top,” Adrian Pascual, Joshua Jacobe, Louie Pedroso, Mico Cruz, and Miko Manguba – now collectively known as T.O.P (Top One Project) –launched their debut album under GMA Records at the Executive Lounge of GMA Network Center.

Their carrier single “Pag-gising” is included in the album, as well as four other favorites from their performances in the competition such as “Bakit Ganon,” “Alaala,” “Kaya Ko Kaya Mo” and “Somebody.”

T.O.P. also takes pride in making their first original composition “San Na.” Having imbibed the wisdom of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, the band is humbled to use what they learned to bring their best for the album.

Despite having different strengths, the five boys found their harmony in friendship and their drive to reach their dreams. Youngest member Adrian, 17, shares how fellow member Miko inspires him to sing with his heart.

“Dahil siguro ako yung pinaka-bata, sineseryoso ko po yung mga tinuturo nila sa’kin. Lalo na si Miko, siya yung nagtuturo sa’kin ng mga tamang techniques sa pagkanta,” says Adrian.

Miko M., 22, is the Music Man in the group who guides his bandmates with their vocals and overall musicality. Although too modest to admit, Miko is considered to be band’s leader for his mere talent and experience.

“Nag-start po ako sa choir, where I acquired an ear for music, says Miko M. “And then during college, my brother influenced me to join an organization that also taught me how to dance.”

Louie, 20, is tagged as the group’s bad boy, thus his moniker Medyo Pilyo. Playful in his tone, he admits initially getting into singing to impress girls.

“When I was a kid, napapanood ko sa TV na mas nagugustuhan ng mga babae yung mga lalaking marunong kumanta. As I was growing up, hindi na yung mababaw na concept na magpasikat yung naging reason ko. It’s about sharing what the music portrays and what you can do and to inspire others.”

The group’s good boy, Mico C., 21, shares how he found his own style. “I tried everything para mahanap kung ano yung bagay sa’kin. Kasi ‘di naman pwedeng gusto ko lang, tapos hindi naman bagay sa boses ko. Nangyari naman na na-enjoy ko yung jazz, at sa tingin ko bumagay siya sa akin and I learned to love it.”

Joshua, 22, was once an intern in GMA Records. After learning about the “To The Top” auditions, he was encouraged to try his luck and fortunately landed the top spot alongside his four “brothers”. Joshua believes that his strong vocals came from his roots as a rock band member.

“Nasa underground band scene ako noong high school. Pero sa tingin ko, nag-evolve yun habang tumatanda ako at mas na-appreciate ko yung iba’t ibang klase ng music until I became more comfortable with T.O.P.’s genre.”

T.O.P.’s album has been digitally released and is available for download on iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, and other digital stores nationwide. The physical album is now available at P199 in record bars nationwide, as well as through www.Lazada.com.ph.