| Subject: Regine by day and night |
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BY EDGAR O. CRUZ
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Date Posted: 15:21:36 09/13/03 Sat
Author Host/IP: 62-184-adsl.dial-pool.digitelone.com/202.138.184.62
Regine by day and night
BY EDGAR O. CRUZ
Friday, 06 20, 2003
For the last two weeks, the showbiz industry has basically been at a
standstill. Besides the Manila Film Festival, there's nothing much
happening. I'm referring to the production side of the business, not
the distribution side. This is because it's the start of the new
school year and everybody's attention is naturally diverted to
scholastic concerns. With the rainy days setting in, the summer movie
season is over.
Of course, the week before this period, three giant movies opened
(Star Cinema's Ang Tanging Ina, FPJ Productions' Pakners, and Imus
Productions' Ang Kapitbahay). Naturally, there would be a slowing
down of business afterward. With school-opening-related expenses, and
with Ang Tanging Ina having scooped a whopping P140 million during
its two weeks of showing, moviegoers would not have as much
purchasing power.
Only Star Cinema has two movies in principal production, the Sharon
Cuneta and Aga Muhlach movie and a prequel of Moral as megged by its
original director Marilou Diaz Abaya. Neither Viva Films nor Regal
Entertainment are shooting any movies, although Viva Films has the
Ace Vergel starrer, Masamang Ugat, in the can. Mano Po 2 is still to
begin shooting. Even the production of bold movies with its low-
budget/high return of investment appeal to producers has stopped.
It seems Regine Velasquez is the only viable entertainment figure
these days. Last Monday, she had two presscons: at lunchtime, she
launched Search for a Star at GMA for Viva Films, and at dinnertime,
she attended the victory party of Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigan Ka for being
MMF's top-grosser, also for Viva Films. In the last two years, at
least, such day-and-night press activity for a single star has not
happened.
For sure, this indicates Regine's high-end status in the
entertainment industry right now!
Regine by day
Regine hosted the launching of Search for a Star which is co-produced
by Viva Television on GMA-7. Viva TV used to air Star for a Night
when it was still a block timer at IBC-13. Also hosted by Regine, it
produced Sarah Geronimo as its first champion. Now that Viva TV had
ceased to be an IBC-13 block timer, it reformatted the singing
contest as Search for a Star and moved to GMA-7.
Regine, herself, is a product of singing contests. After Mang Gerry,
her father, brought her to Leyte after giving up his construction-
engineering job, bringing the whole brood with them, he started
training Regine at age five while immersed in seawater. Such training
sessions would run for as long as six hours. It ran for six years.
When she was 11 years old, she started joining singing contests.
After making the rounds of local singing contests where she would
always emerge as winner, she joined Bagong Kampeon, the famous talent
show on television. From this humble start, she rose to become a
successful singing star and movie actress with hit albums and sold-
out concerts and a big box-office draw with films like Wanted Perfect
Mother, Dahil May Isang Ikaw, and Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw.
Search for a Star is Regine's contribution towards-helping
undiscovered talents shine. It will start airing tomorrow, Saturday.
The weekly competition gives newcomers a chance to showcase their
talents with the guidance of experts in the entertainment industry.
After a period of one year, the winner adjudged as the best of them
stands to get P1 million in cash plus other prizes.
Contestants go through various stages of audition, after which, those
selected to join the show are given advise on what to sing, what to
wear and how to project themselves on stage. Though there are experts
tasked with doing this, Regine takes it upon herself to give some
pointers if needed or make them feel at ease before the camera.
Regine by night
As of Wednesday, Regine's starrer with Christopher de Leon and
Dingdong Dantes, Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka continues to be MFF's top-
grosser. For sure, this calls for a celebration and as is the
practice at Viva Films, it gave a victory party with the movie's
female star and hip director in attendance. In the case of Pangarap
Ko Ang Ibigin Ka, Regine and director Louie Ocampo were present.
Written by Mel del Rosario, the movie tells the story of a woman who
does everything possible to win the love of a very special man.
Regine is Alex, a kooky painter and dealer in previously owned items
who has fallen for widower Raffy. Christopher plays Raffy, a serious,
very proper businessman unable to get over his wife's death. How he
finally realizes that he has also fallen in love with Alex is what
the movie is all about.
As the victory party was just that, a celebration, it was mostly
dining and talking that transpired. Mang Gerry, Regine's dad, sat in
front of me and began an intimate talk. After talking about how he
trained Regine as a child to be a singer, he revealed that he's
willing for Regine to have a child out of marriage just for her to
have a child. He adds that she's pushing 34 years old and it's about
time she gave birth before it's too late for her.
"I'm a practical person," he explained. "It's better for Regine to
have a child without benefit of marriage rather than have a husband
who would abandon her later. I'm very much for Regine to get married,
but the problem is men are afraid of her because of her stature."
Regine poo-poohs the idea, but Mang Gerry shared that he has sort of
convinced her mom to it.
Mang Gerry revealed that one of the guys who would like to court her
is Paolo Bediones. But he's afraid to make the first move because
he's intimidated by Regine's status as a singer and financial
standing. He calculated that Regine's worth is P50 million which does
not make her rich as to be classified as rich these days, one must
have at least P100 million. She added, "Being a millionaire is not
enough. If you have one million these days, you can spend it in a few
days!"
This aim to be rich was the reason Regine got rid of personal manager
Patty. When she decided to manage herself, she promised former
manager Ronnie Henares that she would not replace him with another
manager. Effectively, Regine became her own manager, getting Patty to
be her personal manager. Taking over her place is Cacai Velasquez,
her younger sister whose husband is Regine's musical director. Mang
Gerry explained, "Marami na kaming pinayamang tao. It's about time
kami naman ang yumaman."
I might have just managed a kiss and exchange of pleasantries with
Regine that night but, for sure, I got to know her more intimately
through the stories her father told me.
- The Daily Tribune
http://tribune.net.ph/20030620/life/20030620.lif_buzzstation.html
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