Tumulak nitong Miyerkules ng gabi patungong US si Katrina upang maging bahagi sa pagpili ng mga lalahok mula sa LA at New Jersey para sa reality-based artista search na StarStruck na nagpasikat sa kanya.

Sa ginawang panayam ni entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas, sinabi ni Katrina na excited siyang tumulong sa susunod na henerasyon ng mga artista ng GMA 7.

“Siyempre po nakaka-proud kasi dito naman po ako nanggaling tapos marami din namang ibang tao diyan na kagaya din naman namin na napansin din kami ng StarStruck. So sa (mga nasa) US sa L.A., sa New Jersey sana po mag-audition na po kaya doon,” pahayag niya sa Chika Minute ng GMA news 24 Oras nitong Huwebes.

Handa na raw iwan ni Katrina ang role niya sa Rosalinda na malapit ng magwakas. At pagkatapos nito, magiging bahagi na muli siya ng nangungunang telefantasya sa primetime na Darna na pinagbibidahan ngayon ni Marian Rivera.

Tanggapin kaya muli ni Katrina ang role bilang kontrabida tulad ng ginawa niya sa unang Darna kung saan gumanap siyang “Black Darna?”

“Pagdating ko (from US) magta-taping na ako ng Darna sana abangan nyo po ako…hindi ko alam, actually hindi ko pa alam ang role ko, surprise na lang,” ayon sa seksing aktres.

May intriga noon na nagkaroon sila ng alitan ni Marian nang gawin nila ang MariMar. Puwede handa na ba siyang makasama muli ang aktres sa proyekto?

“After Marimar, siyempre nagkaroon din ako ng Magdusa Ka, tapos Gagambino nagkahiwalay kami (ni Marian) so ayun magkakaroon na naman kami ng chance na magkatrabaho, this time oo mas okey,” pahayag ni Katrina.  – GMA News.tv

The first film tentatively titled “Of All The Things” will reunite Aga with songbird Regine Velasquez after eight long years. The two previously paired up in “Dahil May Isang Ikaw”and “Pangako Ikaw Lang.”

The Songbird believes that the interim has allowed both of them to grow up as actors.

“Lahat kami nag-mature. May kanya-kanya na kaming working habits na tinatanggap na ng isa’t isa. So, we’re very relaxed actually,” she said in a taped interview aired on “Showbiz News Ngayon,” Oct. 3.

Aga shared that Regine has become even more of a better person.

“Ang nagustuhan ko sa kanya, ngayon wala na siyang….”Sabi nga ni honey…” Parang, iba ka na!,” Aga said.

Her having a boyfriend nowadays doesn’t mean Regine has set limitations when it comes to work.

“Hindi naman [na] ako 16 [years old]. Parang baligtad naman kung kelan naman ako tumanda, ngayon pa ako nagpaka-demure,” she said.
 
After completing his movie with Regine, Aga is all poised to film his first movie with Angel Locsin under the directorial supervision of Olive Lamasan.

“Our movie should have been shot first, but something happened, pero tuloy na tuloy na ‘yon. Naiiba ang proyekto,” said Aga about pairing with Angel.

Angel, needless to say, is excited with the new project.

“Nag-usap na kami. Nakakatawa si Kuya Aga kasi palagi siyang naka-tsokolate palagi. Ang taas ng energy. Nakakatuwa, nakakaaliw kasi Aga Muhlach, pero di mo akalain na ganoon pala  kadaling kausap,” said she.

Aga’s third project is another reunion movie; this time, with  Lea  Salonga.

The  movie will mark Aga and Lea’s third onscreen tandem, after “Sana Maulit Muli” and “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal.”

Lea reiterated her interest to work with Aga again in a movie when she was hailed World Vision Ambassadress in May 2009.

Her Aga-or-nothing stance is borne of her feeling comfortable around the actor. “It has to be Aga [I work with because] I know I will be taken cared of because acting is out of my comfort zone,” she said in the interview.

An Aga film festival coming soon? Yes! – mb.com.ph

Bubble Gang

In Tya Ring, a dying aunt is about to leave a 1 million peso-ring with her nephew but on one condition: He must search through an old and dilapidated hospital and bring back with him five keepsakes. A funny twist that will both surprise and annoy the nephew happens in the end. Tya Ring stars Michael V., Julia Clarete, Francine Prieto, and Iza Calzado.

The second flick is Dingdong Lang Ang Pagitan, a sexy comedy about the mysterious death of a hot plumber named Dingdong. The suspects? Dingdong’s neighbours who are both secretly in love with him: the closet gay, Buddy and the model-wannabe, Pam. Find out who murdered Dingdong in this scintillating comedy starring Ogie Alcasid, Maureen Larrazabal, Antonio Aquitania, and Dennis Trillo.

Last on the list is a spoof of a Koreanovela called Tim Song Ko featuring a love story that funnily repeats itself. Find out how two people challenged by their social differences still end up together even in the face of amnesia?! Laugh and fall in love over and over again in Tim Song Ko starring Ogie Alcasid, Michael V., Rufa Mae Quinto, Francine Prieto, Wendell Ramos, Jacky Woo, and Ms. Regine Velasquez.

Tya Ring, Dingdong Lang Ang Pagitan, and Tim Song Ko are especially written for the anniversary by BG’s creative team and mainstay Michael V. Experience an unbelievably funny movie experience that only 14 years of Bubble Gang can bring this Friday, October 30, after Survivor Philippines Palau on GMA-7.  – Pep.ph

The film also bagged trophies for Best Cinematography for Lee Meily and Best Story for Roy Iglesias.

However, it was Ed Palmos’ “Ay Ayeng”—a story of two friends who help educate a group of indigenous people in the Mountain Province—which brought home most of the acting awards.

Heart Evangelista won as Best Actress for her role as an Ifugao teacher, beating veteran actresses Sharon Cuneta (“Caregiver”), Judy Ann Santos (“Ploning”) and Dawn Zulueta (“Magkaibigan”).

“Ay Ayeng,” adapted from the novel “Maestra Ester” by Abdon Noviza, also took the Best Director award for Palmos, as well as the Best Child Actor and Actress trophies for Dominico Soriano and Jessica Mae Flores, respectively.

Allen Dizon was chosen Best Actor, edging out Aga Muhlach (“When Love Begins”), Jericho Rosales (“Baler”), and Richard Gutierrez (“For the First Time”). Dizon copped the award for his performance in the Joven Tan film “Paupahan,” about three intertwining stories set in a slum beside a cemetery.

Veteran actor and TV host German Moreno brought home his second Best Supporting Actor award, also for “Paupahan.” Earlier he won a similar trophy from the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC), organizer of the annual Star Awards show. Snooky Serna was adjudged Best Supporting Actress, again for “Paupahan.”

“Ngayon, Bukas at Kailanman,” composed by Louie Ocampo and performed by Sarah Geronimo for “Baler,” won for Best Theme Song.

The award for Best Screenplay went to Dennis Evangelista for “Paupahan,” while the Best Musical Score honor went to Jessie Lasaten (“Ploning”).

“As it turned out, competition had been stiff between ‘Ay Ayeng’ and ‘Baler,’” observed Famas president Eloy Padua. “We are thankful to all those who supported Sunday’s awards show, which was well-attended, compared to the previous years.” The Famas Awards is one of the four major film honors in the country. It has been handed out by a group of Palanca Award-winning writers and entertainment columnists since 1952. – Manila Bulletin

These are but some of the territories explored in the six entries in Cinemanila’s Digital Lokal competition.

Jon Red’s “Ang Beerhouse,” produced by actors Joel Torre and Ronnie Lazaro, is described as “a love story and social commentary” by the director.

“We can see the entire society inside a beerhouse,” he noted. “Everyone is there: from the corrupt and powerful to the wannabes and underdogs.”

Red attempted to capture the actual experience of bar-hopping in his film. “The goal is to have a relaxing and intoxicating experience.”

Red praises his actors Epy Quizon, Ryan Eigenmann and Gwen Garci as “great. They all pitched in their ideas and improvised. We shot in a rented garage and turned it into a girly bar which has since been converted into a chapel.”

Quite serendipitously, Christopher Gozum’s “Anacbanua” managed to immortalize Pangasinan before it was devastated by the floods brought by Typhoon “Pepeng.”

“It’s shot like a documentary,” explained Gozum who’s based in Saudi Arabia. “The film has no lines of dialogue. All the spoken lines in the film are from Pangasinan language poems or anlong.”

Gozum’s “interest in Pangasinan’s culture, history and literature” inspired him to make the film with the P80,000 cash prize he won in last year’s Cinemanila.

He worked with both professional actors (Lowell Conales and Che Ramos) and amateurs in “Anacbanua.” “Tristan Aguirre is my mother’s pupil in my hometown of Bayambang. He has no previous experience, but he looks confident and natural onscreen.”

In “Biyaheng Lupa,” Armando “Bing” Lao sought to recreate an 8-hour bus trip from Manila to Bicol.

“We shot inside a hot, cramped bus,” Lao recalled. “We had to use a tripod for the camera, so it took a while to set up.”

He tapped friends like Jaclyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Coco Martin, Angel Aquino, Eugene Domingo, among others, as his passengers.

Biggest challenge

Bona Fajardo’s “Iliw” is a historical romance that chronicles how “Vigan was spared from destruction during World War II largely because of the love of a Japanese officer for an Ilocano maiden.”

Vigan was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999, he said. “Vigan is a source of identity and pride for all Filipinos.”

Fajardo admitted that the biggest challenge was “to make an independently produced period film with limited time and budget in a picturesque place.”

Also, he had a Japanese lead actor (Hiroyuki Takashima) who didn’t understand Filipino. “We had two scripts: Filipino for the locals (led by Kaye Abad) and Niponggo for the Japanese. Plus, we also had Ilocano on the side.”

It was a virtual tower of Babel. “That’s the magic of filmmaking. In spite of the language barrier, we pulled it off.”

Ted Manotoc calls his film, “69 1/2,” as “the most artistic Filipino porn film.” Still, he pointed out that his entry features no nudity or sex scenes.

When the going gets tough, Pinoys rely on humor, he said. “I wanted to make a film about the stuff I’m proud of about Filipinos: our love of movies, for song and dance, and our ability to laugh in the face of anything life throws at us.”

Lito Casaje’s “Dolores” features a cast of newcomers. He describes it as a “coming-of-age film” as seen through the eyes of the titular heroine.

“Biggest challenge was to retell an old-hat story and make it look cutting-edge, different, more insightful and original,” Casaje said.

He explained that his goal was “to reinvent a story based on my own vision and world view. People have turned a blind eye on the issues presented in the film.”