CEBU, Philippines - John Lapus is supposed to do his launching movie for Viva Films this year after signing up with them last March but the year is almost over but he has yet to hear from Viva when the project is pushing through.
Good thing is that he got offers to do movies from other film outfits. He was in the cast of the blockbuster movie "Temptation Island " where his performance as the gay Jonas merited good reviews.
John is set to start work in the movie titled "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," which is the entry of Regal Entertainment and TV5 at the forthcoming Metro Manila Film Festival this December.
He’s supposed to be in another Regal entry titled "Hototay" which was one of the official entries when the announcement of entries were first made and that was before Nora Aunor became the lead star of the film. But since Nora got sick and her schedule could not allow her to shoot for "Hototay," the film has been earmarked for release next year.
John is currently doing "Won’t Last a Day Without You," the return team-up of Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson.
Sweet (as John is fondly called by showbiz folks) is playing a deejay in the movie while Sarah, who is his protégée, gives love advices on Sweet’s program. "Magaganda ang advice niya at totoo pero may halong bitterness kasi parang sawi siya sa pag-ibig, until dumating si Gerald sa buhay niya," says Sweet.
This is the first time that Sweet is working with Sarah and Gerald in a movie and he’s proud to be part of this project which is being directed by Raz dela Torre, who was part of the writer’s pool of past movies of Sarah with John Lloyd Cruz.
Sweet is nominated in two categories in the forthcoming Golden Screen TV Awards to be held on November 29, Tuesday, at Teatrino Greenhills. He’s a finalist in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Gag or Comedy Program for "Show Me The Manny" along with Mike "Pekto" Nacua (Andres De Saya), John Fier (Pepito Manaloto), and Ricky Davao (Jejemom).
He’s also competing in Outstanding Showbiz Talk Show Program Host for "Showbiz Central" opposite Boy Abunda (The Buzz), Luis Manzano (Entertainment Live), Joey de Leon (Startalk), Pia Guanio (Showbiz Central), Raymond Gutierrez (Showbiz Central), Cristy Fermin (Paparazzi) and Ruffa Gutierrez (Paparazzi).
How does it feel to get nominated? "Ay super touched. To be nominated for two shows na talagang pinaghihirapan ko nang husto makes it all worth it," answered Sweet.
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Is TV5 determined to make big stars of its young roster of talents that they feature in the musical variety program "Hey It’s Saberday"? If they are, why did they pit it against Eat Bulaga, which is considered an institution when it comes to such format? Well, you don’t last more than 30 years if you are not that good.
Well, "Hey It’s Saberday" may show some promise as a variety program. After all, it’s being directed by Al Quinn, who is also an institution in the TV industry. But since this show features mainly young stars, we feel that it might get the attention it deserves if it is transferred to another time slot (let’s say an afternoon slot on a Saturday) and not be pitted against a giant like Eat Bulaga.
After all, there is no afternoon musical show that exists on TV right now. "Hey It’s Saberday" could be the counterpart of That’s Entertainment that spawned many new talents that are still making waves on TV up to now. The effort of the staff of "Hey It’s Saberday" will only go to waste if they are not being watched at all by the audience, whatever target audience they may have.
The show used to be aired on the 11:30 to 12:15 time slot and it could have been okay until the network decided to pit it against Eat Bulaga. Well, that is suicidal, if you ask me.
Nevertheless, the efforts of "Hey It’s Saberday" did not go to waste as it also got a nomination at the Golden Screen TV Awards, where they are competing against ASAP and Party Pilipinas for the category Outstanding Musical Variety Program. The production staff says the nomination is a big boost for their fledgling show.
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Senator Loren Legarda hailed the creation of the National Film Archives of the Philippines (NFAP) as nations celebrated the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27, stressing that Filipino-produced films and other audiovisual recordings form part of the country’s rich heritage.
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said that Filipino films not only show a glimpse of the country’s history and culture but also showcases the rich talent of Filipinos like Atang dela Rama, Gerardo de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, and Ishmael Bernal, who are among the Philippines’ National Artists for Theater and Cinema.
"Film is a huge part of our cultural and national heritage. Many of these works of art depict the Filipinos’ way of life. It is also a medium of communication which our talented directors, screen writers, actors, and film-related professionals use to narrate parts of our history," she explained.
"It is therefore lamentable that many of these films are no longer extant, which is why we welcome the effort of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to push for the establishment of the National Film Archives of the Philippines," she added.
The Senator noted that according to the archiving officer of the NFAP, of the estimated 8,000 Filipino films produced since 1919, only about 3,000 are extant, some of which are even in poor condition.
The FDCP aims to preserve what is left of these films, including the present Filipino movies that are being produced, through the NFAP, which will serve as the repository of these works.
"Audiovisual recordings are not just forms of entertainment, they also narrate stories that we can relate to and serve as anecdotes of our past, present, and sometimes even our future society. The preservation of these masterpieces is as important as protecting and promoting our indigenous peoples’ chants, dances, rituals and other forms of art," Legarda concluded.