Michelle Branch and Jojo in back-to-back concert

CEBU, Philippines - Bianca King wants to study photography and she wants Dennis Trillo to do the same. “You should see the photos he has taken,” said Bianca at the presscon of Luna Blanca, where she stars opposite Heart Evangelista. “Cellphone nga lang ang gamit niya pero ganda-ganda na ng pictures niya.”

Even if she’s busy with her acting assignments, Bianca says she’s taking an extra effort to take care of her relationship with Dennis. “Para hindi siya maapektuhan ng mga intriga,” added the lead actress of “Broken Vow” which is also doing very well on the GMA afternoon block. The show is a top-rater.

“I think I have found a nice formula to balance my work and my lovelife. I intend to keep it that way.” Bianca signed a two-year contract with GMA 7 last year and she doesn’t see herself making the jump to another station. “GMA 7 is taking good care of me so I don’t see any reason why I should leave the Kapuso network.

“Even if I would be offered an impressive amount, I probably won’t be enticed to leave. Hindi naman ako pinabayaan ng GMA. What I like about them is that they are giving me good projects na iba’t-iba. Like a have an afternoon drama (Broken Vow) and then I also have Luna Blanca. Magkaiba ang roles. In Broken Vow, I play a rape victim while Luna Blanca has shades of fantasy,” said Bianca. When she first saw the teaser of Luna Blanca, she secretly wished to get one of the roles. She was happy when she got the role of Luna even if she would be deglamorized.

She is not afraid being stuck in mother roles (she is a mother of a young girl in Broken vow). She treats each role as a challenge, as a way to hone her acting chops.

She concedes that her role in “Broken Vow” is one of the hardest acting assignments she has portrayed. “Sobrang hirap ang dinaranas ko sa role kasi aside from being a rape victim, I am now a battered wife kasi masyadong seloso si Roberto (played by Gabby Eigenmann). For every role that I get, I always get excited. It feels as if I am being given a role for the first time. I always do my best to be up to the challenge.”

She’s playing the older counterpart of child actress Jillian Ward in Luna Blanca that’s why Bianca plans to visit the set and watch Jillian at work. “Kasi bubbly ang character ni Jillian (Luna) so gusto kong makita ang nuances niya so I could adopt it when it’s my turn to play Luna. I have a bubbly side when I am with my friends but I also have a serious side. I want to tap my bubbly side and show it to the public,” said Bianca who is living alone in her house which she bought two years ago. Her parents live abroad.

“I am of age now to live on my own life. I take care of paying my own bills. Plus I have friends who sleep over once in a while because I have a guest room in my place. My friends are welcome to sleep over and keep me company.”

Also keeping her company are her two dog poodles. Bianca also likes baking and cooking. She taught herself to bake only recently but she loves cooking ever since. She shares that her peanut butter cupcakes are very good and whenever she bakes, she gives half of what she bakes to Dennis. “He likes my peanut butter cupcakes and carrot cake,” she said.

She uses organic ingredients for her cakes like organic flour and she uses fruits as substitute for sugar. She has asked GMA News TV if they might be interested to put her in a cooking show as she would love to be in one.

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American singers Michelle Branch and Jojo are returning to the Philippines for a two-night concert in Manila and Cebu on June 7 and 8, 2012.

Bringing them to Manila is the talent booking and promotion company N91Live, which brought Grammy Award winning artists Timbaland and special guest Justin Timberlake, in 2010. The decision to bring Michelle and Jojo to the Philippines was reached after surveys among Pinoy lovers indicated the clamor for the two artists.

“The response on the surveys we did was very encouraging,” said Jun Lorenz Mamangon, CEO of N91Live, at the press conference organized for the concert at Chef Laudico Bistro, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, last Saturday, May 19.

The concert producer said they did a lot of polling on Facebook and Twitter, aside from running some contests in the Philippines to test the market. There was a very good response that’s why they decided to do a back-to-back concert featuring Michelle and Jojo.

The concert producer said they are happy to bring back Michelle and Jojo to Manila and give their Pinoy fans another chance to enjoy their kind of music.

Singer-songwriter Michelle entered the music industry a decade ago. Among her hit songs are “Everywhere,” “All You Wanted,” and “Goodbye To You.” She earned nominations in the Grammy Awards for her songs “Are You Happy Now?” in 2004 and “Leave the Pieces” in 2007.

She collaborated with popular Mexican-American rock guitarist Carlos Santana for the song “The Game of Love” which garnered a Grammy nomination.

She has four albums to her name and two others with her band called The Wreckers. Michelle first performed before a Pinoy audience in 2002.

On the other hand, Jojo first visited the Philippines in 2010. At that time, the pop/R&B singer was a special guest at the Changing Lives concert of Timbaland, which was held for the benefit of the Typhoon Ondoy victims.

She released her self-titled album in 2004, which includes her first chart-topping single titled “Leave (Get Out).”

In 2006, she was named National Female of the Year at the Boston Music Awards for her song “Too Little Too Late.”

Michelle and Jojo are performing at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu on June 8. (FREEMAN)