Alessandra stands firm on ‘no-love scene’ rule

Award-winning director Joel Lamangan describes his new film “Foolish Love” a different kind of romance comedy. Starring the unlikely tandem of Angeline Quinto and Jake Cuenca, this offering from Regal Entertainment has poetry as backdrop to the story.

Angeline plays a young woman who dabbles in poetry but she is not that good while Jake is the real poet. They bump into each other as Angeline was searching for her childhood friend Reynaldo dela Cruz who promised to be her forever after kissing her when they were ten years old. Jake pretends to be Angeline’s lost friend and they eventually get drawn to each other.

“She wants to get married because she is not getting any younger. She lives with her mom and her aunt who is nun. Her first boyfriend turned out to be gay and leaves her. When she met Jake, she really thought he was her friend,” Direk Joel relates. “But this movie has a different ending that you should watch.”

Direk Joel says Angeline and Jake have chemistry, which makes their scenes together work really well. “Angeline fits her role in the sense that she is searching for love. She was able to relate to her role. She is better here compared to our first film together. As for Jake, I never had any problem with him. I’ve worked with him before and he is a good actor. He can deliver what you need in a scene.”

Direk Joel also revealed that he auditioned for a role in Mike de Leon’s comeback movie titled “Citizen Jake.” He had worked as an actor in the films of other directors but he hasn’t had the chance to work with de Leon, so he is hoping to finally tick that off his bucket list.

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Alessandra de Rossi refuses to do love scenes for movies or TV projects. She is going to do anything for a role, except a love scene. After reading the script of “Sakaling Hindi Makarating” and learning that she had to do such a scene with “Till I Met You” star JC Santos, she told her director Ice Idanan that she was not open to executing the required scene.

But her director assured the actress that the scene will be done tastefully. “There is no need to show the entire love scene, but we just make the audience feel the moment,” her director told Alessandra.

In “Sakaling Hindi Makarating,” Alessandra plays Cielo, a strong-willed woman paralyzed by her own heartaches. She discovers herself by leaving her comfort zone as she obsessively follows the trail teased by postcards hoping to find love and freedom.

Also in the cast are “Ang Probinsyano” star Pepe Herrera as Paul, the shy and timid neighbor who falls for Cielo and JC as Manuel, the local boy who falls for the transient girl. Their short-lived relationship is a necessary detour in Cielo’s journey.

The film bagged the 1st Best Picture honors at the CineFilipino Film Festival 2016, where it also won Best Actor for Pepe, among other awards. “Sakaling Hindi Makarating” is produced by Unitel Pictures and is set for a commercial release beginning February 1.

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We got to meet some of the Miss Universe 2016 candidates up close at an event for members of the entertainment press as well as some bloggers sponsored by PLDT and Smart Communications at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia. The ladies were all stunning and certainly looked their best. But of course, Miss Philippines Maxine Medina is equally gorgeous.

We got to talk to Miss USA Deshauna Barber who said that Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach did a very good job as the reigning titlist. She also praised Maxine for being a gracious host to all the candidates. A reserve army unit commander, Deshauna added that what Pia did as Miss Universe is a tough act to follow and would be the yardstick of how the next Miss Universe will be measured.

She said being part of the Miss Universe competition is already a great experience for her. Of course, she would want to win the title just like the other candidates but she also wants to enjoy the experience of competing in the pageant along with the rest of the girls. Win or lose, being part of the pageant is already something she will cherish for a lifetime.

PLDT and Smart are among the major presentors and sponsors of Miss Universe 2016. The Miss Universe Organization and Solar Entertainment have partnered with PLDT, Smart and TV5  to bring the best viewing experience of the global beauty pageant. PLDT Home Fibr powers Miss Universe – world-class Internet for a world-class event.