Dubbed as the country’s best fashion magazine, MEGA recently celebrated Filipina women blessed with both beauty and grace as it recognizes that beauty is not only skin deep.
In their recent May, 2010 issue featuring singer Sarah Geronimo on the cover and still available on most newsstands, MEGA, a magazine that I have been fortunate to be a contributing writer in the distant past, reveals its annual 10 most beautiful women namely KC Concepcion, Agot Isidro, Maxene Magalona, Timi Gomez, Cris Albert, Mitzi Borromeo, Stephanie Kienle, Chicho Suarez, Joanne Zapanta-Andrada, and Stephanie Zubiri.
We’re all too familiar with movie and TV personalities KC, Agot and Maxene but what about the rest? Some of us know Joanne Zapanta-Andrada as a model and writer while the prominent family name of chef and model Stephanie Zubiri also rings a bell to many. And the others have also carved a niche for themselves in their respective social and career circles.
But more than what they do for a living, it is their social awareness that also made them qualified for MEGA’s most beautiful list. During the launch party of this special issue at Greenbelt 5, I was surprised to learn that each of these women are also actively involved in worthy causes.
Stephanie Zubiri is an active speaker for Dakila Artists Advocacy for Climate Change. KC Concepcion is actually a United Nations World Food Programme Ambassador. Entrepreneur Timi Gomez is a co-founder of Why Not? Forum.
FILA and TIVA CEO Cris Albert is a co-founder of Operation Compassion. Model, dancer and Philux General Manager Stephanie Kienle is an active member of the French Virlanie Foundation. Graphic artist Chicho Suarez is a supporter of the Victoria Court HIV Awareness Organization while Agot is also a supporter of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society.
And then there’s Café Scientifique coordinator Mitzi Borromeo who is also the founder of Creative Cross Border Productions. There is certainly more to these women than just their pretty faces.
It was former Beatle George Harrison who once said that “beauty lies from within” when he wrote his now immortal standard, Something. That’s certainly the case with these 10 Most Beautiful Women. Yes, there is something in the way they move.
Featuring the equally beautiful Sarah Geronimo on the cover, MEGA’s May 2010 issue also contains the much-anticipated Beauty Awards that showcases the best in hair, body, face, and makeup. Still on newsstands.
Original draft of an article I wrote for the Manila Bulletin in 2007.
NOT ALL HYPE The occasionally badly drawn girl is one fine actress
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
SHE’S not bad. She’s just drawn that way—sometimes.
In at least two top-rated teleseryes in Kampanerang Kuba and Walang Kapalit, Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson’s characters made life extremely difficult for lead stars Anne Curtis and Claudine Barretto. She was so effective in playing contravida that many fans of the shows found it hard to distinguish the actress from the character she’s playing.
“Maraming nainis because of my characters and I kinda expected that reaction when the roles were offered to me,” she admits. “But I wanted to try something different and they were such good roles so I just couldn’t pass up the opportunities.”
A member of ABS-CBN’s elite Star Magic stable of homegrown talents, the 25-year old actress has always taken the road less traveled as far as her choices of projects are concerned. A common trait that her characters, good or bad, shared, is that they were almost always headstrong, dating back to the tomboyish George in Tabing Ilog, her first major weekly drama series.
But far from the complexity of the characters she played, the real Jodi couldn’t be any more different. “Supersimple” is the word she uses to describe herself. “I’m not much into shoes, perfumes and clothes and I only buy when I need to. I wear what is usually asked of me during tapings and photo shoots. Kahit ano, basta okay naman, I’ll wear it. But after that, I just wear what’s comfortable like jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and slippers. I do have a few stilettos, though but that’s about it.”
Marriage and motherhood hasn’t changed her simple ways as well. “I don’t ask my husband to buy me fancy gifts,” she reveals. “For anniversaries and special occasions, we just go out and have dinner.”
Jodi admit's she is not big on cosmetics either as she looks naturally beautiful even without make-up. So when she was asked to endorse a new skin whitening regimen from Hype Skin Care, she was quite hesitant.
“I never tried any whitening product before as although hindi naman talaga ako maputi, I’m happy naman with my morena and tan complexion and I also have some concerns about possible allergic reactions,” she notes. “But Hype convinced me to first try their products out and I like that the results were visible after two to three weeks.”
It also doesn’t hurt Hype Gluta-C Whitening Soap and Hype Duo Lotion and Soap are in Jodi’s words “not sticky and easily absorbed by the skin.” These products which also contain Vitamin C and the powerful Glutathione anti-oxidant has maximum whitening and anti-aging properties while at the same time also providing adequate sun protection and much-needed moisturizing.
Small wonder why Jodi looks radiant and stress-free even as she now has her hands full despite her busy schedule that now includes a couple of modest business ventures. “We’re opening a salon soon,” she enthuses. “And I’ll soon be launching my own line of condiments. Oyster sauce, fish sauce, mayonnaise, hot sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, name it, we hope to have it.”
Jodi is also excited about two independent films she recently completed. “One is called Maling Akala and it’s directed by Pablo Biglang-Awa and Ronnie Velasco. It’s about a girl who was abandoned by her boyfriend after he got her pregnant. When she went to the province, she met this very kind guy who took care of her and even pretended to be her husband. But there’s a twist to the story kasi the guy is not really who she thinks he is.”
“The other indie film is Nars by Adolfo Alex, Jr. and it also stars Jennilyn Mercado, Jon Avila and Coco Martin. It’s the story of our nurses, especially those who decide to stay here.”
Jodi admits that money is never an issue when it comes to her craft. “I’ve always loved performing,” she declares. “When I was a kid, I wanted to join Little Miss Philippines, madalas naming pag-awayan ng mommy ko yan. I was always active in extra curricular activities in school. I joined dance contests, singing contests, cheering competitions.”
That’s why doing indie films and even theater was a no-brainer for her. “You don’t get paid a lot for doing indies but I did it just the same because I want to experience working with people who are very passionate about their craft. Theater is a little different in the sense that you don’t get a second take if you forget your lines. In the case of Beauty and the Beast that I did for Repertory, we were rehearsing everyday.”
Jodi loves the business so much that she’s not averse to doing anything that would showcase her talents. “If I get an offer to perform in a play for Teatro Pilipino and the role is good, I don’t see why not?” she nods. “When I was in the US for a while, I got bored and felt worthless. I didn’t want to watch TFC because I’d cry and get depressed when I see my colleagues.”
Yes, performing becomes Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson. And if the thought of seeing her play another menacing character would make many people’s blood boiling hot again, well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
“I’m supposed to play another contravida role in an upcoming teleserye but my producers decided that I lie low doing these roles for now,” she says. “Masyadong tumatak yung Walang Kapalit sa isip ng tao.”
LET’S welcome this long weekend with a bang. Okay, make that a big bang or simply Bangs to be more specific. This year, I have been very fortunate to be invited to contribute articles to the long-running woman’s magazine, Woman Today including pieces on relationships and yes, a couple of cover feature stories so far.
One of those cover stories involved the much sought after actress, Bangs Garcia, who is now showcased in one teleserye after another. She has quite a story to tell, as the feature below will reveal.
Photos taken from Bangs Garcia's Facebook pages.
SHE BANGS
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
IN the new and popular teleserye, Rubi, lead star Angelica Panganiban is being promoted as “ang nag-iisang bida kontrabida” (the one and only heroine slash villainess) in reference to her role.
Well, it’s a title that might as well be given to Bangs Garcia, Angelica’s fellow ABS-CBN talent. One of the hottest names in the industry today, the much sought after cover girl is a lot more than just a pretty face and a drop dead gorgeous bod as she deftly switches from lead to character roles with nary an effort.
Whether it’s the mysterious punk rocker Bangs in the sitcoms, Let’s Go and Gokada Go or the sexy Neptune agent in Palos or the scheming stepsister in Kambal Sa Uma or the unrequited and suffering lover in both Katorse and My Cheating Heart or even her current starring role as the self-sacrificing and hardworking Carmela in Magkano Ang Iyong Dangal?, the 21-year old doe-eyed morena never fails to come up with performances that like her name, leaves us with a big bang.
Originally known by her real name, Valerie Garcia, Bangs (yes, she got her current stage name from those sitcoms) was already a local ABS-CBN talent in her hometown of Davao City long before she got acquainted with the rest of us. Even though she was still a nursing student at the time in Ateneo De Davao, she was also the host of variety show, Kapamilya Sabado Party that was telecast all over Mindanao and also aired on ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel overseas.
“My parents wanted me to take up nursing,” she recalls. “But I actually wanted to take up marketing or any other business course at the time. In my school years, I was a member of our theater group, doing singing and acting and I was also a member of our dance club. I was also a runner-up in a Ms. Freshman campus beauty pageant at Ateneo and prior to my local hosting stint, I won in a Mindanao-wide talent search called Campus Idols.”
Not that all of those extra-curricular activites meant Bangs was a slouch when it comes to academics. A consistent honor student since she was 6, she nonetheless had a hard time fitting in during high school when a group of what she describes as “mean girls” tormented her for much of her four years there. “I was really small and those mean girls were big and one of them was my classmate so it wasn’t easy for me and my self-esteem was at a low point at the time,” she laments. “Everytime I go to school, I felt like nasasakal ako so I had to go outside and I was so emotional pa naman and get affected so easily. That was the time I started to participate in those extra-curricular activities, mostly involving entertainment.”
Thinking outside the box turned out to be quite a blessing in disguise for Bangs. Turns out a major sponsor of the Campus Idols she won was Close-Up. That eventually led to her big break on a national level as one of the finalists in that Close-Up To Fame reality search.
“I made it to the grand finals,” she beams. “What’s great about that search is that the four or five finalists who made it to grand finals were actually from Davao. Ang gagaling ng mga taga-Davao.” Bangs ultimately finished as runner-up in that reality search but that’s only because she wasn’t aware that she needs to heavily promote herself to get those all-important text votes that ultimately swung the tide in favor of the eventual winner.
Her Close-Up To Fame stint also led to an important chapter in her life as she was required to be in Metro Manila for the contest’s three-month duration. “It was the first time for me to be away from my family for such an extended period of time,” she fondly remembers. “I wasn’t allowed to bring any family member with me and I was just living with my fellow candidates. That’s when I learned how to be independent. Handling money, handling myself, being disciplined. I learned a lot.”
And because the search itself was called Close-Up To Fame, more fame followed afterwards for Bangs. She won another pageant, Miss Philippines Youth 2006 and landed her first sitcom gig in the GMA Network as Cindy Kurleto’s best friend in the Vic Sotto-headlined, Da De Di Do Du.
“I then auditioned for two more shows in ABS-CBN, Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition and Let’s Go but in the end, I chose to be in a regular show rather than compete in another competition,” she rationales. “And that’s when I became known as Bangs. The show was surprisingly a hit and people identified me so much with the character that well, eventually everyone started calling me Bangs and the name stuck.”
But even as she was maintaining a sweet and wholesome image, her sensual side did not escape notice. “Even while I was still in Let’s Go, I have already been offered to pose for both FHM and MAXIM but it wasn’t until I was given a daring role in Palos that I finally agreed,” she muses smilingly. “That was the time when I got my first kissing scene and unti-unti na kong tinatanggalan ng damit. But I only agreed to up to wearing a two-piece swimsuit.”
As the intriguingly named Sylvia Nazi (wotta name!), Bangs was an undercover agent and ex-girlfriend of Palos who continued to carry a torch for her former squeeze. “In Palos, people already thought I was a bad girl but I really wasn’t although my character was quite fiesty,” she says. “I guess that eventually led to my bad girl role in Kambal Sa Uma, which turned out to be a really big hit. That was a very challenging role for me but I enjoyed doing it.”
To her surprise, people didn’t actually hate her, at least not in the way they reacted negatively in public to other kontrabida actresses. “Walang nang-away sa kin, actually,” she quips. “I’m glad that people were more open-minded. In the internet, people hated my character but in person, they still adored me. I guess, people were able to distinguish my character and my person.”
In Magkano Ang Iyong Dangal?, Bangs landed the coveted role of Carmela originally offered to both Kris Aquino and Roxanne Guinoo. Describing her character as “someone who is more like me in real life,” how Bangs was able to relate to the role on a personal level is also the same reason why she is so effective in her portrayal.
Judging from the public reaction to the komiks-adapted teleserye, it seems like Bangs is now ready for prime time. But even as she has her sights set on her own starring role in the big screen. With a smooth-sailing path to success, it seems that her lovelife is taking a backseat in the process, something she herself doesn’t deny as she admits to not really seeing anybody right now.
“My immediate family is my priority,” she stresses. “We used to have a leather goods business that closed down so I helped my Dad, who is an engineer, get back on his feet. With my support, he was able to go back to Saudi Arabia where he’s working again. I’m really happy for him.”
As for that other or next man in her life? “Whoever he is, he should be smart. He should be a good conversationalist kasi madaldal ako para makasabay sya sa kin. Looks are really only secondary to me. I’m okay with someone who is not necessarily good-looking but he should at least be presentable enough in terms of how he carries himself, with the clothes he wear and of course, kailangan mabango. But that aside, it’s really his personality that counts the most.”
WHETHER we like it or not, the World Wide Web has changed the way we watch our favorite TV shows, thanks to sites like YouTube and Hulu.com, among others.
Back here at home, there have been quite a few attempts to make online entertainment more accessible to more people, especially the more mobile amongst us such as SmartTV (what happened to that?) and more recently, PLDT myDSL Watchpad, which has continued to improve since I wrote about its launch for the Infotech section of the Manila Bulletin last year.
Recently, PLDT myDSL Watchpad in partnership with Channel [V] brought us Musicfest 2010, a music festival featuring American Idol winner Kris Allen, Jabbawockeez and Boyce Avenue. Subscribers who could not make it to the shows in Manila and Cebu were able to watch it on live streaming video.
Just how much PLDT myDSL Watchpad has progressed since its launch? So far it seems to be chugging along pretty well. One big acid test that awaits it is how well will it cover the coming elections. In any case, here is an updated version of that October, 2009 news item that I wrote about it.
PLDT EXPECTS NEW WATCHPAD SERVICE TO REVOLUTIONIZE ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT
BY EDWIN P. SALLAN
MULTITASKING online suddenly got a lot more entertaining.
At least for subscribers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company’s myDSL broadband internet service, there is now one more reason to go online. With its recently launched Watchpad, users can now watch their favorite TV shows in streaming video for free even as they surf the web, check their emails, update their social networking status, write their blogs, chat in real time and play online games.
With Cignal HD as content provider, Watchpad is a revolutionary service that combines broadband connection with rich multimedia content. Initially available right off the bat are popular free TV and cable channels National Geographic, Cartoon Network, MTV, Pinoy Box Office, CNN, Animax Mobile, CNBC and GMA while newly-added networks now include MTV, PLDT, Living Asia, Bio, History, Crime Investigation, Tin Word, Go E! Entertainment and most recently, Channel [V]. myDSL subscribers only need to register at PLDT myDSL Watchpad's official site to get a username and password in order to access them for free.
“While it’s true that you can access streaming videos of your favorite shows in the internet from various sources online, what we did here at Watchpad is bring them all together under one online roof,” says PLDT Retail Business Group Head Dan Ibarra. “So our users can spend more time watching, surfing, chatting and blogging instead of searching the web for these show.”
And that’s not all. Watchpad is also introducing myFlicks, its own one-stop, commercial-free movie central channel which will show the acclaimed films of 2009 Cannes International Film Festival Best Director Brilliante Mendoza starting this month. Mendoza, who has so far directed a total of eight films, is the first Filipino to get this prestigious recognition at the annual film festival held in France.
During the press conference launching his inclusion in Watchpad’s initial entertainment line-up, Mendoza said he’s very pleased to see his films such as Serbis, Twilight Dancers, Masahista, Mamoro, Foster Child and soon, Kaleido and the award-winning but controversial Kinatay exposed to a wider online audience. The filmmaker pointed out, however, that since myFlicks is still subject to MTRCB regulations, only the MTRCB-approved cuts of his films will be shown in Watchpad.
For PLDT’s part, Ibarra and AVP Gary Dujali announced that aside from those by Mendoza, more acclaimed films from the country’s best directors are coming soon at Watchpad. Another exclusive Watchpad channel, myView, will feature special shows from popular celebrities like Isabel Oli who will discuss her fashion tips and Rhian Ramos who will dwell on her own celebrity status in myLife. Also in myView are the latest showbiz gossip from fashion designer slash musician Kate Torralba and respected industry scribes like Shirley Pizarro, Isah Red, Dolly Anne Carvajal and Ricky Lo, now known as myFoursome.
Dujali pointed out that the Watchpad service is not just limited to films and television but also the latest online games from LevelUp! Games. Initially available for Watchpad are CrazyKart and Hello Kitty Online Philippines.
With regards to the speed and quality of the streaming videos and overall quality of the service as a whole, Dujali and Ibarra are one in saying that while Watchpad is available to all PLDT myDSL subscribers, “the service is best experienced for those who are subscribed to Plan 1299 and higher.” Plan 1299 is also the minimum requirement for those who want to enjoy the streaming videos of available Watchpad entertainment in High Quality (HQ) resolution.
According to Ibarra, PLDT has a total subscriber base of over 1.5 million for both its wired and wireless broadband service. He said he expects this number to significantly increase with the introduction of Watchpad.
Dujali also reveals that there are plans to acquire 25 to 30 more channels to augment the service as it continues to be a hit with PLDT myDSL subscribers. He hinted, however, that just like cable TV providers, PLDT may also require subscribers to pay a premium for certain channels as well as special shows like the recently concluded Pacquiao-Cotto match available only on pay-per-view.
Here's the first TV commercial for PLDT myDSL Watchpad:
WHEN I started out as contributor for MAXIM Philippines, I was once asked if I had any suggestions on who to feature for our Male Icon section, Dick Israel was the first name at the top of my head. See, I’ve always been a big fan of of what I’ll always describe as “the classic character actor.”
The MAXIM editors then (Pierre Calasanz, now with Town & Country, Peejo Pilar, now with Men’s Health and Vlad Bunoan, also Managing Ed of Business Mirror) liked the idea. Our only problem was we don’t know where to find Dick Israel at the time. So, the idea was shelved.
Until last year when I found the actor in, of all places, Facebook. So I proposed the idea again to new MAXIM EIC Eric Ramos who gave me the go ahead to pursue it. So I added Dick Israel as Facebook friend, left a message for him that he promptly replied to and we finally got something going. Nice guy, actially.
And although I was limited by MAXIM’S Q & A Format, I thought I managed to come up with a pretty good piece.
Well, the actor and some of our readers apparently think so, too. Reposting this slightly tweaked feature now. Let me know what you think.
Pics taken with permission from Dick Israel's Facebook page.
DICK ISRAEL
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
Do kontrabidas really have more fun? The classic character actor gives us the lowdown along with other interesting career highlights.
Your Facebook profile says your real name is Ricardo Michaca and that you’re also a Mechanical Engineering major from Mapua. So how did you got into this business and who’s responsible for your screen name?
An uncle of director Francis “Jun” Posadas who was the assistant director of Maning Borlaza offered me and my three buddies supporting roles in the film I Love You Honey starring Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz under Tagalog Ilang Ilang Productions. Tony Martelino, a nephew of producer Atty. Laxa predicted I won’t make it far in this business and picked Carlo Romano instead as the most likely to succeed among the four of us. Well, I’m still here.
It was Deo Fajardo, the discoverer of Rudy Fernandez and Robin Padilla who gave me my screen name. Actually, the first screen name I used was Ariel Israel but Deo felt that Ariel was too soft for me. Since my real name is Ricardo or Richard, he told me to change it to Dick, the usual nickname for Richard. Israel was chosen because Israel was always on the news at the time because of the war between the Arabs and Israelis. It's also for instant recall, Israel being the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Have you always wanted to be an actor? Who were your favorite actors before you became an actor? Favorite movies? Directors?
I guess so because I was always exposed to Hollywood films in an early age because of my aunt who was a movie addict. Actors? I like Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando and James Dean in acting. Elia Kazan, Akira Kurosawa and Danny Zialcita are some of the directors I love. And I’m also big on satire movies.
Who gave you your first big break as a kontrabida?
My first big break as a kontrabida was given by Dr. Perez of Sampaguita Pictures in Kamay Na Gumagapang. In one of our press conferences, he told everyone “Watch out for this guy, Dick Israel, he's going to be the next Eddie Garcia.”
Who are your favorite among your fellow kontrabidas?
Lito Anzures, the guy who played the village dimwit in the original Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop Sa Balat Ng Lupa is my idol. I played the same role in the remake. Also Vic Diaz who did a lot of foreign films that was shot here is another favorite as well as Johnny Delgado.
At some point in their careers, your fellow kontrabidas were also given lead roles. Some like Eddie Garcia and to a certain extent, Max Alvarado were accepted as both heroes and villains. Others, like Paquito Diaz and Ruel Vernal, were less successful as leads. In your case, have you ever wanted to be a lead star at any point in your career? Did you ever come close to being one?
I don’t really mind kung bida ako o hindi. I actually played a lead role once in Danny Zialcita’s Escolta Mayo 13 Biyernes ng Hapon where I got nominated for best actor.
Probably the closest thing you ever came to a title role is Humanda Ka, Mayor where you played Mayor Antonio Sanchez. What was that experience like for you? Have you ever met the Mayor in person? And would you know what he thought of your portrayal in that movie was?
I met the mayor in court, hehe. He sued me, direk Carlo Caparas and the producers for paninirang-puri. Gayang -gaya ko kasi siya eh, hahaha. Yung 3/4 na tupi ng polo, dress watch at syempre yung buhok ginaya ko lahat. The case against me was dismissed by Judge Harriet Demetriou, though. She ruled that as an actor it's my right to characterize Sanchez since he was already a public figure.
You won Best Supporting Actor four times, that's quite a feat. But you're not always a kontrabida all the time, you've played sidekicks in such films like Pretty Boy Segovia with Daboy and that Epimaco Velasco biopic with FPJ, how do you find playing those kinds of roles?
As a sidekick, you are given a chance to suggest dialogues for the lead character which I do. I probably get these kinds of assignments because I make the character more real and lively with my suggestions and ad-libs although my directors are the ones who usually get the credit. So when it comes to roles like this, they always think of me because I make them look good, hahahaha!
These days, you play mostly father roles to younger stars like Diether Ocampo, Sam Milby, Bea Alonzo and Angel Locsin. What do you tell them by way of advice?
These young actors are serious in their craft. I just tell them be professionals. Always come prepared and avoid being late during tapings but I think they already know that.
You're also a big music fan. You play guitar even onscreen. In one memorable scene in Perfumed Garden, you and Michael De Mesa, playing brothers were loudly singing along to Neil Young's Helpless in the jukebox while drinking in a beerhouse. In another movie, you were wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career in music?
Yeah. During my teenage days, I usually jam and sing with my barkada’s band. I still do guitar jams on the tapings in between my scenes.
You're known to be a very likeable guy on the set and is also said to be quite close to the leading actors that you worked with like Rudy Fernandez and FPJ. Were you always this friendly in real life? To what do you attribute the ease in which your co-stars become close to you and even become your friend long after the shoot is over?
I think I’m not intimidating, for one. With me, what you see is what you get. I'm also close to the crew, the little guys in the film because for me there is no discrimination. I treat them all as my equal.
You did many rape scenes as a bad guy and bed scenes especially during the bold/pene era. Can you cite some of those memorable scenes to you for whatever reason?
The most memorable for me was the rape scene with Tetchie Agbayani in Pepeng Shotgun. I was protecting her private parts from being exposed. This was way before she posed for Playboy magazine.
You're said to be quite a chick boy yourself. You mentioned you used to hang out with Director Danny Zialcita, a known ladies man himself. Ms. Tetchie Agbayani also admitted you two had something going for a brief period in a book about her written by her late manager Franklin Cabaluna. What do you think is the secret to your appeal with the ladies? Do kontrabidas really have more fun?
Wala kasi kaming hang ups at saka, lalaking-lalaki kami, haha! During the time of Tetchie, I used to drive a 550 Yamaha dirt bike and a Renegade jeep. We just usually listen to the music of the Eagles back then, particularly specially Lyin’ Eyes. You listen to the music and you'll get what I mean.
What about foreign actresses like Miss Wales Helen Morgan, the runner-up to the Miss Universe pageant held here in 1974 and Barbara Ann Kaufman? Paano mo nahuhuli ang mga kiliti nila, so to speak?
I just try to be myself. If I can say it in a song, I’ll do it. With Ms Helen Morgan, who played the lead in Isang Gabi Sa Buhay Ng Isang Babae, I sang the music of the Moody Blues. Miss Kaufman naman was driving a 650 cc motorbike when we shot Perfumed Garden. I also had one that time so we got along just fine.
So do you believe nice guys finish last?
Not really, at least based on my experience. As they always say, when you're bad, you die when you die. But if you’re good and nice, you live forever.
IT is often said that the Lord works in strange ways. Director Scott Stewart apparently thinks so. What else could justify his own unique and yes, strange vision of Armaggedon where God sends his angels (yes, angels!) to execute his last judgment after he loses all faith in humanity?
In Legion, the angels unleash flesh-eating zombies (or were they the angels themselves?) to destroy all mankind. In a small diner somewhere in the middle of a New Mexico desert, they’re particularly after a young waitress (Adrianne Palicki) who is pregnant (out of wedlock, of course) with what a fallen archangel believes is the Earth’s only hope for survival.
The fallen angel in this case is Michael (Paul Bettany), who, as Biblical history serves, is the same one who drove a much earlier fallen angel by the name of Lucifer (not part of the movie in any way) out of heaven and into the gates of hell. This time, Michael is the rebellious one who questions his creator and has traded his wings in favor of guns (mostly the high-powered automatic kind) to protect the waitress and the rest of the ragtag group of not-exactly-the-saintly type of strangers (Dennis Quaid, Kate Walsh, Tyrese Gibson and Charles S. Dutton, among others) in this apocalyptic horror-thriller.
Oh, and the archangel supposed to take Michael down and execute (pun intended) the divine orders originally given to the former? He is none other than Gabriel (Kevin Durand), the same bearer of good news best known for telling the Virgin Mary (also not in the movie) about her immaculate conception in the Anunciation.
It all sounds very intriguing on paper and there’s a part of me that wonders what the guys downstairs (yes, the ones basking in all that fire and brimstone) think about the whole thing.
And contrary to what the unimpressed critics say, Stewart's, uh, creation isn’t half-bad. Shamelessly derivative, Legion will easily remind you of a whole lot of other films. The zombies, of course, refer to everything from Land Of The Dead to Zombieland. The strangers in the diner fending off an unknown threat recalls Ron Underwood’s little-seen smart thriller, Tremors. Michael protecting the waitress and her hope of mankind will remind you of The Terminator and the apocalyptic theme should also recall another Schwarzenegger title in End of Days, among other similar, uh, offerings.
Yes, you get a lot of movie in Legion and as entertaining as I found it to be, it is one of those polarizing films you either love or hate. One critic hit the nail in the head, though: “If you wanted logic, you should have taken one look at the poster of an angel holding a machine gun and walked the other way. Needless to say, if you take your scripture seriously, you also might want to avoid this one.”
Otherwise, enjoy. Down the road, I am willing to bet it is one of those movies that you'll love to pop the DVD from time to time or stay glued on your TV whenever it gets shown on HBO. It is that kind of pleasure, guilty or not guilty.
By the way, if the box office receipts of Legion are any indication, Scott Stewart (incidentally best known for special effects) seems to be on to something. His next film, Priest is about a warrior priest (Paul Bettany again) who disobeys church law by teaming with a young sheriff and a priestess to track down a group of renegade vampires who kidnapped his niece.
Whoa! I guess the Lord works in strange ways indeed. At least He does, in Scott Stewart’s world.
SOME critics who saw the recent re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes have accused director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Madonna) of cinematic blasphemy for turning what was largely a cerebral crimefighter into a swashbuckling action hero that author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never envisioned him to be.
Or so they say. Well, I never read any of those books and I never saw how Sherlock Holmes was portrayed in earlier films about him either. But a little sleuthing on my own part (okay, I Googled) revealed that the English filmmaker is actually more faithful to the original material than he is given credit for.
In addition to his more famous deduction skills in solving crime, the real Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr. in his recent Golden Globe-winning performance) had the brawn to match his brains, most of which were also depicted in the film. Yes, Holmes does pack a pistol and is equally adept at using swords, canes and riding crop as weapons. He is also formidable at martial arts and describes himself as a bare-knuckled prizefighter.
And just as he is portrayed in the film, the real, okay, original Sherlock Holmes also led a bohemian lifestyle and was heavily dependent on drugs, as certain scenes implied. It certainly didn't help that he was very good in chemistry and that his ally, Dr. John Watson (played here by Jude Law) is actually a doctor. Watson is also a war veteran and Law’s reading of the part is closer to Doyle's vision than the bumbling sidekick he was essayed in earlier Sherlock Holmes adaptations.
Either that, or both Ritchie and myself read the same Wikipedia entry. Comparisons aside, Sherlock Holmes, the movie, is a pretty enjoyable ride, with a plot that’s a lot less convoluted than Ritchie’s other known works. Even the critics who scoff at the so-called “comic book” treatment of a literary classic (think 18th century Batman minus the brooding persona and the Halloween costume) have grudgingly conceded it to be entertaining.
The movie begins with Holmes and Watson successfully preventing a human sacrifice ritual conducted by one Lord Blackwood (an eerily creepy Mark Strong channeling Andy Garcia), who was later arrested, tried and executed. But just as Blackwood promised Holmes before he was hanged, three more deaths are going to occur as the fiend’s body mysteriously disappeared from his grave shortly after his execution. How Holmes and Watson will save the day from a mad villain (the good old-fashioned destroy the world type, okay, destroy London at least) that seemed to have risen from the dead is where the rest of the film revolves.
In the middle of all this, Holmes also re-acquaints himself with Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams, radiant as ever), an old flame and femme fatale who is now in the employ of a nemesis that's familiar to old fans but won’t be fully revealed until the sequel.
Yes, there are crowd-pandering moments including a fistfight sequence straight out of Snatch, a CGI-effects aided thrilling chase scene that ends with a sunken steamship in a naval yard, a literally explosive cliff-hanger at an industrial slaughterhouse and a climax taking place on the still unfinished Tower Bridge (again, CGI-aided) that, among others, should keep Downey’s next project, Iron Man 2 in the audience’s minds.
Add the atmospheric score of Hans Zimmer, the largely dark and picturesque production values straight out of the London sets of Sweeney Todd and From Hell, the spot-on chemistry between Downey and Law as Holmes and Watson plus the faint promise of McAdams (hey, I like her, okay?) coming into her own in the next installment or so I hope. And oh, yes, throw in the brilliant deductive reasoning that the world’s most famous detective is known for and Ritchie has a nice film franchise equation that is simply too, uh, elementary (to quote Sherlock Holmes himself) for audiences not to figure out.
HAVING already won three Emmys and a Golden Globe award for his role as Ari Gold, the acerbic Hollywood agent in Entourage, Jeremy Piven was again nominated for the same role in the recently concluded Golden Globes.
Now on Season 6 and currently airing on HBO, Piven’s character remains a central figure in the hit TV series as Ari Gold is on pace to become more powerful than ever. You have to catch the ongoing episodes to know more, though.
Because for now, I’ll just leave you with a 2007 feature I wrote about the actor and one of TV’s surprisingly endearing characters for the i Section of the Manila Bulletin.
GOLD STANDARD
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
“THERE are no asterisks in this life, only scoreboards.”
Forget about that new James Woods courtroom drama, only a real shark like Ari Gold can say something like that in convincing fashion. Ruthless, relentless and always at the top of his game, Ari is the Hollywood agent that makes his client’s stars wildest dreams and sometimes, even worst nightmares come true in HBO’s hit comedy series, Entourage, now on its third rampaging season.
Based loosely on the Hollywood experience of acclaimed actor Mark Wahlberg who also acts as its executive producer, the Emmy award-winning Entourage takes a look at the day-to-day life of Vincent (Vince) Chase (Adrian Grenier), a hot young actor in Hollywood, and his entourage, three longtime buddies from his hometown of Queens, New York: his best friend and manager Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), his half-brother Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon) and his loyal pal and the group’s designated driver, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara).
But make no mistake about it. Ari Gold, who steals just about every scene he’s in, is the life of this party. Played with livewire tenacity by character actor (and frequent John Cusack sidekick) Jeremy Piven, the morally-challenged Ari is emerging as the, well, gold standard by which TV supporting actors are measured. And Jeremy has Emmys and Golden Globe trophies to prove it. Ari is an agent people either love or hate, well, mostly hate. A frequent name-dropper, he is well-known throughout the industry, and his clients know that even though he’s such a pain to work with, there's no better agent to propel them to the top.
“This show has been pretty far-reaching and so that's been an amazing experience for people to really take to it.” Jeremy enthuses. “And it’s interesting because my character has a certain energy and I think some people see me and they immediately assume that I’m going to have that type of energy so they give me back what I’ve given them. So they immediately are very abrasive with me. Guys will hug me, and smack me on the back, and yell and bark in my face. And it’s very interesting because I’ve really grown to realize that that’s not really the way that I want to be greeted. I’m not a fan of strangers barking, you know (laughs).”
Yes, Ari is wound up in such a way that the method of his madness lies is his unwitting sense of irony. Like HBO’s own Tony Soprano, Ari’s take-no-prisoners persona is somewhat balanced by his fierce devotion to his family. He may fear no man, but he certainly bows to the demands of his materialistic wife, who is nonetheless exasperated with his fast-faced lifestyle.
“If you want a Beverly Hills mansion, a country club membership, and nine weeks a year in a Tuscan villa, then I'm gonna need to take a call when it comes in at noon.” Ari snaps at the long-suffering Mrs. Ari, played by Perrey Reeves.
“I think there’s a lot of duality going on with us, so there’s an angel-devil thing going on with this guy,” Jeremy notes. “What’s just really fun to play is that he says the "un-sayable" and the unthinkable a lot of times, and then he has an enormous amount of love for his family. His wife wears the pants and at work he goes and crushes everyone. So that’s really fun to play.”
Ari’s relationship with “E”, Vince’s manager is also one of the series’ highlights. Eric's advice to Vince often agitates Ari, who feared that such advice could steer Vince towards the wrong projects. As much as they hate each other’s guts, Eric and Ari have entered into a marriage of convenience that has resulted in mixed blessings for Vince.
“There are certain actors that have a little Elvis-dust on them and they kind of blow up very early. And some of them may not have a lot of patience to read scripts,” Jeremy says. “So their best friend, they give the job to them and then their agent has to sit down with their best friend who’s maybe been in Hollywood for like 11 minutes and suddenly, he’s speaking to the best friend ‘cause he can’t find the actor. It happens all the time. And those moments are what’s interesting because this hot-headed Type A racking ball agent has to contain himself to deal with this, what Ari calls E, a ‘pizza boy’. So he’s got to deal with the ‘pizza boy’ while the real deal is off golfing somewhere. So he’s got to keep a lid on all that frustration, hence where you get a lot of the thrust of our show.”
A minor subplot and another marriage of convenience in the show is Ari’s relationship with his gay assistant, Lloyd (Rex Lee) who has pledged his “undying loyalty” to him after he got the Jerry McGuire boot from the agency that he helped build in Season 2. Lloyd's ethnicity and sexual orientation are the constant targets of Ari's venomous and often hilarious barbs, but as much as he hates to admit it, the cut-throat agent does rely heavily on Lloyd to handle the day-to-day minutiae of his work life and also knows that he needs his resourceful assistant to ensure the success of his career.
In Entourage, Ari’s willingness to go to great lengths, heights and even stoop to the lowest of lows to get what he wants for his clients, his family and more importantly, for himself is what keeps the show a must-see.
To keep tabs on Ari’s “scoreboard,” visit HBO Asia's official site here for Entourage’s schedule. Also, watch past seasons of the hit series on JackTV and etc Entertainment Central.
Here's the best of Ari Gold in 2009 (Warning: spoiler alert and some foul language may not be suitable for very young audiences):
REVISED and updated version of a piece I wrote for MAXIM Philippines in 2008. Yes, Desiree is the wicked mayor's wife in ABS-CBN's top-rated May Bukas Pa, now on an extended run.
SHE’S JUST DRAWN THAT WAY
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
Even though she’s made life difficult for many lead stars on the big and small screens including Nora Aunor and Judy Ann Santos (twice!), Desiree Del Valle insists that she’s really nice. She even admits to going out of her way to make an extra effort to be just a little more friendly when she’s seen in public.
Not that there’s little to like about the acclaimed actress who’s also blessed with one of the most beautiful faces in the business. There’s something about those expressive eyes, that meaningful smile and oh, yeah, those drop dead gorgeous lips that can easily catch and sustain anyone’s undivided attention. In an alternate universe, one that a lot of us would rather live in, Desiree could easily give someone like Angelina Jolie a good run for her money.
Here, many see Desiree as more of a vixen than a virgin. In the now defunct teen drama anthology, Tabing Ilog, her character was in fact the first to lose her cherry and was also the first to break the heart of her then onscreen and later offscreen sweetheart, Paolo Contis. Her portrayal was so good it eventually led to a streak of villainous roles that she continues to do to this day. She’s currently spoiling the party of the beloved Santino in the ongoing teleserye. May Bukas Pa.
While Desiree would be the first to qualify that what you see on film and TV is far from who she really is, there’s something about the free-spirited nature of her Tabing Ilog character that partly mirrors the real her, as also reflected in some of her career choices. Who else would dare accept the role of someone who does circumcision for a living in an acclaimed indie flick called, yes, Tuli?
In any case, if you think Desiree Del Valle belongs to hell, how many of you would still want to go to heaven? Yeah, we thought so, too.
Des, do you actually ask for these contravida roles?
Nooo! They just give it to me because they know I can pull it off. My features alone, if I don’t smile, I look mataray. They’d think when somebody approaches me to talk, I’d yell at them right away. That’s why when I’m out, I always make an extra effort to smile and be really nice. Because they think that’s who you are in real life.
But you like doing these roles anyway?
Yes. Like I was watching what I did in Ysabella. I like watching myself. I think it’s kinda vain but I want to see what’s kulang or sobra about my performance. I feel good when I see myself like in that series, I was pointing a gun at Juday’s character. I feel like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider in that scene, with all those action sequences. I like playing contravida roles, I really do. I like that, yung pumapatay ng mga tao, haha! But I’m not like that at all in real life. I always put my family first and think everything that I do is for them. I will never forget the values that my parents taught me
If you do ever decide to be a bad girl in real life, whose life would you likely make very difficult?
I don't know. I don’t have any enemies. I guess no one in particular but, if the time calls for a little bit of ass kicking I won't back down especially if it involves my family, friends and the significant other. I can very much take care of myself. I don’t think nobody will step on my toes because they'll regret even thinking about it.
Have you always wanted to be an actress, even as a kid?
Yes, I think I have. I’m the little entertainer during parties. I sing and dance for the guests. Sometimes, I play waitress. I give them a menu and I’d ask them what they wanted to drink, even though I can only offer them orange juice and iced tea. And when I was in prep school, I wanted to be a nun.
Desiree Del Valle wanted to be a nun? Sister Desiree?
I don’t know why. It’s kind of weird. I went to a Catholic school and I was active in choirs so I guess that must be why I wanted to be one. But only for a little while.
You first displayed your acting chops in Tabing Ilog. Your character was the first to do things a little different from the others.
My role there was aspiring to be an actress. I’m the one who’s dying to leave our province. Ako yung palaban sa kanilang lahat. That was the year when many young people were into Ecstacy and all those drugs, which was what was happening at the time, aspiring actresses who have to sell their bodies first and we were able to show that in the series.
As an actress, what spurs you to accept the kind of roles that you do? Not just the villain roles but also the ones like you did in, say, Tuli?
It’s certainly not about the money. It’s about doing something different and also about working with some really good actors like Bembol Roco and Carlo Aquino who was really good in this movie. In Tuli, I’m not a contravida. There, my father, Tito Bembol Roco is the town manunuli or the one who circumcises everyone there. Even when my character was a kid, I was already there at his side when he circumcised all these little kids so for me that was traumatizing, because those bagets were about my age and nakikita ko na yung mga pututoy nila.
Would you consider this a bold role for you?
I had a bed scene with Carlo Aquino but I had clothes on.
And he wasn’t circumcised yet at the time of that scene?
Yes, hindi pa sya tuli nun. But he still got me pregnant. After my character gave birth, I finally circumcised him.
All’s well that ends well then. This is the second time you’re doing a sexy photo shoot for a men’s magazine. You were 22 when you first did it three years ago, what was that like?
They asked me and I said yes, sure. I’m very comfortable wearing bathing suits. I love going to the beach anyway. Lingerie is a different matter. I won’t feel at ease wearing it at a shoot. For me, it’s too personal.
Were you nervous?
No, not at all. Everbody was asking me if I feel comfortable. I happen to know the photographer who was a good friend. It was easier because he knows what I can and cannot handle.
It’s been three years since that last shoot, what has changed in you physically?
None, really. I believe in all natural although to each her own. Me, I'm very much content with what God gave me and it's all just a matter of how you carry yourself.
Is sexy more about how you look or how you act?
If one has the confidence, that's sexy. No need for enhancements physically. I think it’s really all in the mind.
Let’s talk about relationships. You’re a battle-scarred veteran of several already. So what exactly do you really look for in a man?
He has to be really nice. It’s important for us to get along because I don’t like fights. As long as we’re on the same page on everything, it’s fine. If there are little arguments, we should talk about it right away. I can say this is what he should and shouldn’t be but in the end, it’s how we are together that counts the most.
The best date you ever had so far? The most bizarre?
My boyfriend and I had our anniversary coming up and we both made secret plans for dinner. We both knew that we were gonna have dinner out thinking not one of us made plans. But, he had reservations and I had reservations at a different place. We were both laughing because we were on the way to Makati. I told him to take a left but he kept going straight. To my surprise he had dinner plans already and the place was set up exclusively for just the two of us, haha. So, we ditched my plan and I told him that it would be my turn the following year. A year later, natuloy din ang plan ko. It's just sooo cute the way we surprise each other pero, lagi akong nahahalata. He also gave me a surprise for my birthday. I didn't have a clue. Again, he succeeded in surprising me as always.
You have other interests or plans you’d like to pursue other than acting?
Well, I love to cook. I might open a restaurant, who knows? But I have to be the one who’s cooking because I can’t teach. And I’m one of those people who are blessed with good taste buds. Like, when I eat at a restaurant, I can recognize the ingredients of a certain dish just by eating. I’d try to copy that at home and it would taste even better. My dad makes the best Chili Con Carne and he would make it really spicy and I love spicy food. I’d watch and ask him how he does it then he told me the ingredients and now I can make my own. Now that’s one of my own specialties.
Can you cook anything approaching an aphrodisiac?
Oysters! Oysters! Oysters! With champagne, chocolate, fondue anyone? You've got to love those sexy strawberries and chocolates. And nuts are good, too.
And here she is, having a swinging time on the dancefloor.
THERE are 32 rules in dealing with the undead in the United States of Zombieland, a post-apocalyptic America that has turned almost everyone into zombies after being afflicted by the human progression of mad cow disease.
Some of these rules, like Travel In A Group, Be Quiet and Know Your Way Out are pretty much self-explanatory. Others like Cardio, Double Tap, God Bless Rednecks and Enjoy The Little Things need to be further explained to the uninitiated.
For the four non-zombie characters (five if you count the hilarious cameo of a former Ghostbuster) of Zombieland, these are the rules that prevents them from becoming a special kind of Happy Meal in their quest for a zombie-free sanctuary. Yes, hilarious, because while there’s the obligatory eeew-inspiring gore, much of Zombieland is really designed for laughs rather than screams. It’s Dawn Of The Dead meets Road Trip as directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Only Tarantino is not at all involved in this film in any way. Newcomer Ruber Fleischer has crafted an exhilarating Tarantinoesque ride minus the excessive Tarantinoesque dialogue that the former’s works have been notorious for as of late.
Leading the charge for this zombie-busting mayhem is Woody Harrelson, who couldn’t have found a better comeback vehicle than this potential, no, make that guaranteed horror-comedy franchise. Not that the quirky actor was ever gone but after a string of largely forgettable supporting roles and equally forgettable cameos, Zombieland brings him back to lead star status and reminds us how electrifying (i.e. Natural Born Killers, The People Vs. Larry Flynt) his screen presence once was. Yes, even when he’s pretty much hamming it up here, he’s still way better than say, Vince Vaughn.
As the shotgun-toting Tallahasse obsessed with Twinkies (those golden sponge cakes with creamy filling that remains available only in the US) he bumps into Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg), who also incidentally came up with “The Rules” and reluctantly takes him in. Along the way, they encountered Wichita (Emma Stone) and her little sister Little Rock (Abegail Breslin), a pair of con artists who twice tried to leave them behind. Further along the way and in between all the looting, Little Rock’s driving lessons and a very special private screening, there’s plenty of zombie-whacking fun to keep our heroes preoccupied.
And Harrelson is also blessed with talented fellow cast members in Eisenberg (The Squid And The Whale), Stone (Superbad) and Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) who all could more than keep up with him. It certainly didn’t hurt that the script allows for more characterization than what is usually expected in a film like this. They actually have their own interesting back stories and yes, their character names are taken from places where they're identified with.
To emphasize how much of a thrill ride Zombieland is, the climactic sequence takes place in, where else, but in an amusement park. Director Fleischer is not looking to push any envelopes here and his film is not without its share of cliches. But with a fine cast, a clever script and okay, inventive use of graphics in punctuating the above rules, he has given us something that is, in the immortal words of the late, great Colonel Sanders, finger-lickin’ good. Pun very much intended.
YOU’VE seen this German composer’s name on the credits of countless films, many of them box office hits like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight that’s currently on heavy rotation on HBO and opening this week, Guy Ritchie’s big screen adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Hans Zimmer’s body of work pretty much speaks for his musical genius. And in 2005, I was fortunate enough to be granted a 15-minute telephone interview with him as part of the promotional efforts for Batman Begins, then a newly-rebooted comics franchise.
Since my piece came out in the i Section of the Manila Bulletin, Zimmer has done more memorable scores for films like Frost/Nixon, the Pirates of the Carribean and the Madagascar franchises and The Da Vinci Code and its sequel, Angels & Demons, either by himself or in collaboration with equally noted film composers like James Newton Howard, shown in the photo with him above.
In that 15-minute interview, Zimmer also talked about his desire to write score for videogames as well, which actually became a reality last year when he became involved in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a first-person shooter game for PC’s and gaming consoles.
Here’s a slightly-tweaked version of that 2005 article:
THE COMPOSER OF THE EVOCATIVE
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
HIS majestic brand of film music gave life and character to soldiers, gladiators, undercover agents, samurais and knights in shining armor, among other action heroes. Now Academy-award winning musical scorer Hans Zimmer brings new life to a different kind of knight, a brooding, dark vigilante who prowls the night and protects his city from underworld figures and criminally insane elements.
In a big way, Batman Begins is not just a prequel to a successful film franchise that presented the popular DC Comics superhero in a stylishly Gothic reinvention from the extremely fertile imagination of the prodigous Tim Burton. It is also thankfully not the disappointments that the last two installments were, which were helmed by the far less imaginative Joel Schumacher.
What the new film is is an equally fresh take on the origins of the Dark Knight with no less than Christopher Nolan, the director of the now cult classic, Memento handling the reins. Nolan is probably one of the few new filmmakers that can match and perhaps someday surpass the imagination and creative juices of his peer Burton.
And it shows in the choice of musical scorer. With an already impressive credentials that include such memorable scores for Gladiator, Crimson Tide, Black Hawk Down, The Last Samurai, Mission Impossible 2, King Arthur and The Lion King, where he won his only Oscar so far, Hans Zimmer is obviously a no-brainer for the job. Zimmer's oft-evocative film music deftly swings from gritty to melancholy to ethereal to frenzied and provides just the right kind of atmosphere for any given situation.
He is also a pioneer when it comes to fusing both electronic and orchestral elements as well as the Westernized with the indigenous. In his canvas, East meets West means a compelling clash of musical cultures that works well for his film projects.
For Batman Begins, the usually intense nature of Zimmer's music is tempered by the rather laid-back style of James Newton Howard (My Best Friend's Wedding, Runaway Bride, Pretty Woman), whom he personally asked to work with him for this project.
“I love James Newton Howard,” he candidly admits during a 15-minute exclusive telephone chat with this writer. “I’m a big fan of movies and I’m particularly a big fan of his work. I thought it would be really great to do this with a friend. When we began our work, we were simply good friends. Now we’re great friends. That’s how much I enjoyed working with him on this film.”
Working with a fellow artist on a certain film project is nothing new to Zimmer, who actually prefers to work in “a collaborative way.” In an interview with Stephanie Jorgl of Apple.com, he once said: “I’m not very ego-driven about being The Composer. Whoever brings in great ideas should be welcomed.” Besides, it “gets really lonely in the studio when you’re working on your own,” he admitted to us.
He has in fact worked with artists of diverse musical background. He was an assistant to fellow film composer Stanley Myers (The Deer Hunter) in his first film project, the Daniel Day Lewis-headlined indie classic, My Beautiful Laundrette. In Gladiator, which eventually spawned not one but two million-selling soundtracks, Zimmer played beautiful music with the eclectic Lisa Gerrard, she of the avant garde outfit Dead Can Dance.
His own Media Ventures music studio has also housed such composers and occasional collaborators like Mark Mancina, Trevor Jones, Steve Jablonsky, Geoff Zanelli, Trevor Horn and Klaus Badelt, among many others.
For Batman Begins, he actually invited Danny Elfman, who scored the Batman film series and a fixture of Tim Burton films. “When I started doing work on this project, Danny was in another building near my studio laying down tracks for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I told him, why don’t you come over and help me out with this. And he said, ‘I’ve done that, it’s your turn now’.”
Zimmer and Elfman are actually contemporaries, both having started as pop musicians for new wave bands back in the 80's. Elfman was actually the frontman of Oingo Boingo, a band best known for the dance hit, “Stay” and the theme song of John Hughes’ teen comedy, Weird Science. Zimmer, along with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, was a member of The Buggles, a one-hit wonder whose only hit was the chart-topping “Video Killed The Radio Star,” a song whose video earns the distinction of being the very first to be aired by MTV on its maiden broadcast.
So how does Zimmer compare his work in Batman Begins to that of Elfman’s, I asked. “I don’t,” he replied. “My job is to create and invent, not to do what he has done or revise or modify someone else’s work. What we did is Chris Nolan’s Batman, a totally new movie with a totally new approach.”
If he sounds annoyed with being compared to a fellow composer, well, he’s not. That last remark should not be taken the wrong way because the very genial Zimmer is far from disrespectful of another film composer’s work. He did say he is a big fan of movies and among his fellow musical scores, he cites Ennio Morricone, John Barry and John Williams as just a few of his favorites. “The music to Close Encounters of the Third Kind is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard,” he enthuses, “The CD soundtrack is something that I play all the time.”
And just as Danny Elfman is in his best element when he’s working with Tim Burton and James Newton Howard excels in films by Garry Marshall and M. Night Shyamalan, Zimmer’s finest work are those that he collaborated with directors like Ridley Scott, a frequent collaborator for films like Gladiator, Hannibal, Thelma and Louise, and Black Hawk Down; and James L. Brooks (Terms Of Endearment, The Simpsons) where his rather understated work in As Good As It Gets remains one of his all-time favorites. “With Ridley and James, I get to re-invent myself just like they do with every new project.”
Of course, there are also filmmakers that he prefers to not work with, given a choice. One of them ironically is a director he greatly admires, Steven Spielberg.
“Why would I ever want to work with Steven when that would mean that I won’t get to hear the beautiful music of John Williams complimenting his work?,” he argues. “In the same vein, what would be a film by Sergio Leone without music by Ennio Morricone?”
So how does a relatively new filmmaker like Christopher Nolan manage to get him to do Batman Begins? The Batman franchise is certainly the least bit that attracted him to the project. “The last thing I want to do is a Batman film,” he admits. “I don't have any particular preference as to what type of films I want to do music for. But Chris and I had a very interesting conversation about the project and the next thing I knew, I was already on board."
Asked if he is happy with his work on Batman Begins, Zimmer replied: “You know, I’m German and for us, happy is a very big word. We don’t use that word. The truth is, I always find some fault in my work and that inspires me to constantly improve and do better.”
When I told him that his work in Batman Begins pretty much approaches the grandeur and intensity of his award-winning work for The Lion King, Zimmer quips, “I guess I’m just very good with children whose parents die in their films.”
As for future endeavors, Zimmer is also a big technology buff and actually uses his own formidable arsenal of Apple-branded hardware including a PowerMac G4, a Powerbook, an iPod and Mac OS X for creating film music. I asked him if the emerging videogames medium is something where his work can be further appreciated, he said he’ll be thrilled to be a part of it in whatever way he can contribute. “But not because it’s a billion-dollar industry,” he qualifies. “I love technology so I’d like to be a big part of its exciting progress although I still don’t know how.”
Watch Hans Zimmer talk about his work on Sherlock Holmes:
YOU didn’t think I’d let 2009 end without another pretty face in this blog, did you?
Of course not, and seeing the lovely Cristine Reyes last night at Attica with some friends is a good excuse as any to dig up a cover story that I wrote on this lovely and talented actress for the December, 2008 issue of MAXIM Philippines.
2009 has been quite a roller coaster ride for Cristine. She made headlines as perhaps the most famous victim of Typhoon Ondoy but she still managed to end the year on a high note as the leading lady of funny man Vic Sotto in the current top grosser of the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival, Ang Darling Kong Aswang.
And here’s that MAXIM cover story, slightly revised. A little dated but still worth a browse.
Pics taken from Cristine’s Facebook fan page. If you want to see her MAXIM pics, you
’
re gonna have to buy the magazine itself. Back issues still available at Book Sale and Filbar
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s.
SPLITTING IMAGE
Ms. Cristine Reyes, 19, is driving us bananas
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
NOW on her fifth year in the entertainment industry, Cristine Reyes is still only in her teens—all 19 summers of it. This year, the younger sibling of the equally drop dead gorgeous Ara Mina has stepped out of Ate’s shadow and has come into her own as a lead star to reckon with.
And a pretty controversial one to boot. In between all the thumbs up that came with every performance, every pictorial, every appearance and just about everything else, Cristine Reyes was a relationship with a matinee idol that led to a public and rather ugly tiff with his estranged girlfriend.
It was a storm that Cristine has weathered quite admirably and now minus the supposed distractions has come charging into our screens, big, small and everything in between at full throttle speed. She has more than held her own against the equally formidable cast of the all-girl gag show, Banana Split including former MAXIM cover girls Angelica Panganiban, Roxanne Guinoo, Valerie Concepcion and RR Enriquez.
She was very impressive in both Ate, an acclaimed film produced by Ate Ara herself and Kahit Isang Saglit, the smash teleserye that also started Jericho Rosales and Malaysian Carmine Soo. And she is currently lighting up your prime time viewing in her title role in the teleserye remake of the genre-defining Ms. Eva Fonda, 16.
Underneath all these increasingly “mature” projects remains a surprisingly tech-savvy teenager who still acts her age by listening to her iPod and playing PSP and addictive videogames like Rock Band in between takes. A split personality? Well, you decide.
Back in the 70’s, Eva Fonda was one of the classic films that defined the “bold era” of sexy films, so how did you prepare for your role in the teleserye remake? Did you get to see the original film and discuss it with the original Eva Fonda herself, Ms. Alma Moreno?
Actually, I wasn’t allowed to watch the original movie because they wanted me to make the character my own. Yung hindi lang basta kinopya yung pagkaka-ganap dun ni Ms. Alma Moreno, who incidentally, has a cameo in our teleserye as the owner of a talent agency. There are differences between the two versions naman. In the movie, Eva Fonda was a sexy dancer while in the teleserye, I play her as a model.
So how sexy is your Eva Fonda compared to the original?
You can see me wearing a two-piece bikini pero hanggang dun lang talaga. This is prime-time TV so there are limitations. Ms. Alma Moreno was telling me that during her time, bold is not really bold as we know it now. Noon, nagpapakita ka pa lang daw ng legs, bold ka na.
This year, you got more attention than you probably would have wanted to. What was that like for you? How did you handle all those issues?
Of course it wasn’t easy. You’re damned if you and damned if you don’t. I didn’t want to be interviewed that much because I didn’t want to tackle these issues. When I just ignore them naman and just play deadma, sasabihin nila masungit daw ako. But that’s really who I am, tahimik at hindi palakibo. During tapings, when I’m not doing a scene, I’m just inside my car, play games with my PSP or play music with my iPod.
So you don’t really socialize that much?
I do naman. I always take my pamangkins to the mall or ask them to visit me at the house when I’m happy, sad or just plain bored. I go out with my best friend to watch a movie or simpleng pasyal lang. During tapings for Eva Fonda, we were all in one dressing room so there was plenty of bonding moments with my co-stars and the crew. Kulitan na kami pag madaling araw na, we’ll have a bet on what time the taping will finish for the day. In Banana Split, the mood is very light and fun and since we’re all girls, mas masaya.
Speaking of Banana Split, how comfortable are you doing comedy? Do you think you have the talent for it?
I think I do. I’ve been getting good feedback for my performance in the show. We had a sketch and Dr. Vicki Belo who was part of it at the time couldn’t stop laughing. She called up me up just to tell me, “Idol kita!” because of that sketch alone. That felt good.
You've been in sexy cover shoots before for other magazines, calendars and others. How does this particular MAXIM shoot compare?
I’m surprised how excited I feel doing this. I feel more comfortable than ever. I even had no problem eating unlike before. I don’t feel insecure at all about my body. I always believe that one is as sexy as she carries herself. Nasa pagdadala lang yan.
You were voted among the Top 5 in our recent MAXIM Hot 100. How do you explain your appeal and popularity with the guys?
I was in your Hot 100? Can I ask for a copy? I really don’t know why I’m popular with the guys. Tahimik lang kasi ako. I guess many guys like quiet types. Maybe it’s the mystery they find very appealing.
What do you find appealing in a guy?
He should be down to earth for starters. He should be God-fearing as well. And also neat but not too neat as in vain ha! I don’t want to be with a guy who is more vain than I am. What else? He should be very comfortable with himself because I know guys who are very insecure. Maybe a little sense of humor is also nice and a certain swagger. May konting dating at yabang pero hindi nya intention na maging ganun.
So what’s Cristine Reyes like when she’s in love?
Me? When I want something, I want my man to bring or give it to me right away. I wouldn’t call it demanding because I don’t mean material things. It’s more about the simple things like not keeping me waiting when he’s supposed to pick me up or simply admitting that he’s wrong when he really did something wrong. Little things like that are really very important to me.
And then there’s Café Scientifique coordinator Mitzi Borromeo who is also the founder of Creative Cross Border Productions. There is certainly more to these women than just their pretty faces.
