Jerry Bruckheimer: 'The man with the golden gut'

Curtain-raisers:

• The sweet/wholesome actress is a teaser? That’s what one of her leading men is saying. The guy recalled that when they were shooting a movie together a few years ago, she would invite him to her home and, while her parents were fast asleep upstairs, they indulge in heavy necking and petting. And then, maybe overcome by guilt or fear, she would disengage herself from his embrace and, according to the guy, “would leave me bitin na bitin.” That’s as far as she would go — tease and tease.

• Now that he’s starting to make a name as an actor, a certain model/athlete seems to be suffering from amnesia. During a recent affair, he crossed paths with his ex-”papa” (a popular [male] designer). When a mutual friend introduced them to each other, the upcoming actor said, putting on a patay-malisya face, “I think I’ve met him in an event.” The designer kept his cool and a poker face, asking himself, “Has he forgotten the P3,500 weekly allowance I used to give him and the expensive accessories I bought for his car and other expenses as well?” They even had a “theme song” — yes, I Will Survive!

• There must be a good reason why a young actress (whom we’ll call Palau Laos) has become the object of a “hate campaign” from a group of her (bitter?) colleagues, two of whom suspect that Palau Laos “stole” their actor-boyfriend from them. Palau Laos was also the object of jealousy of another actress from the Kapamilya network. The Kapamilya actress resented it when her actor-boyfriend (later her “ex-husband”) was paying Palau Laos special attention, forcing Palau Laos to move to the Kapuso network. The actor-boyfriend (“D”) of a popular TV/movie actress (“M”) also once went crazy over Palau Laos and he got drunk when Palau Laos “spurned” him. Friends are teasing Palau Laos, “Ang haba ng buhok mo! Pinagseselosan ka ng buong bayan!”

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LONDON --”The man with the golden gut.”

No, I’m not the one who gave Jerry Bruckheimer that title; it was The Washington Post that did when it published a glowing article in praise of Hollywood’s smash-hit producer. Bruckheimer is the man with a Midas Touch.

In person, he doesn’t give you the idea that he’s one. He’s soft-spoken and so approachable that, a few years back during the press junket for one of his Pirates movies in L.A., Baby K. Jimenez (who has since migrated to Canada) and I went to the table of Bruckheimer (who was having a lunch break with some production people at the coffee shop of the Beverly Hillton) and asked if we could have photos with him. He obliged with a quiet smile.

I met Bruckheimer again last month in London for the press junket of Walt Disney Pictures’Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal (recently featured in Conversations with Ricky Lo).

I asked Bruckheimer what his formula is for a box-office blockbuster.

“I don’t have any formula,” he smiled. “It’s all gut feel.”

The figures tell the whole story. Here are some of Bruckheimer’s moneymakers: The Rock (starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage), $350 million; Con Air, $230 million; Armageddon, $560 million; Enemy of the State and Gone in 60 Seconds, both $225 million; Pearl Harbor, $450 million; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, more than $630 million; National Treasure, $335 million; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, $1.07 billion; and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, $960 million.

Staggering, isn’t it? So far, according to records, Bruckheimer’s films have so far earned, hold your breath, over $15 billion worldwide.

His formula isn’t a secret at all.

“Great stories, well told,” said Bruckheimer. “We love bringing audiences into new worlds they haven’t yet explored. Ancient Persia is one of the most wonderful of them all. It has such a rich heritage of imagination and fantasy, and we’ve tried to honor that in Prince of Persia. We tackle epic films...from Armageddon to Pirates (all three stars Johnny Depp) to Prince of Persia...all of them fall right in line with those kinds of movies.”

While the Pirates trilogy was inspired by a Disneyland theme-park ride, Prince of Persia is based on the popular video game created in 1998 by Jordan Mechner who wrote the movie’s screenplay, with Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as director.

Gyllenhaal plays Dastan, a rogue prince who joins forces with a mysterious princess (played by British actress Gemma Arterton, who was a Bond Girl in Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond) against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time. Ben Kingsley plays Jake’s villainous uncle.

Was Gyllenhaal his first and only choice for the title role?

“Yes, he is,” said Bruckheimer. “Jake is an actor that I’ve been watching and I wanted to work with for a very long time. He’s a wonderful actor, exceedingly handsome and a great gentleman. He is also incredibly dedicated. He did an amazing job training himself for the movie, putting on an enormous amount of muscle, fight training, sword-fighting, parkour training and horseback-riding. He worked out every single day of the more than 100-day shoot first in Morocco and later at Pinewood Studios in London.”

Prince of Persia is calculated to turn Gyllenhaal into the new action hero.

Asked if he’s planning for a Prince of Persia sequel, Bruckheimer again broke into a quiet smile.

“It remains to be seen.”

I suspect that he’s having that famous “gut feel.”

Briefly noted

• My recent nostalgia piece about my alma mater, Tabaco Pei Ching High School in Tabaco City, drew a lot of feedback from around the world where some of my former schoolmates are now living. To them (Cua Un Khing, Teresita Riosa and Lily Lao Tolentino), I say, “See you on Oct. 29-30 when Pei Ching celebrates its 90th anniversary.” Sad to learn that Lily’s mother, Chu Hong I (who taught Mandarin), died in Taiwan of colon cancer last May 15, at age 90. Her ashes were flown in and the three-day wake was held at the Funeraria Paz in Quezon City. Incidentally, for more information about the anniversary/homecoming, call Willy Ngo at 0927-480-5358 (Globe), 0921-486-5328 (Smart) or 0933-480-0758 (Sun); Madonna Riosa at 0917-805-5944, Gloria Tapia at 0928-600-9862 or Teresita Riosa at 0917-836-3845.

• Catherine Loria (photo), who was grand champion (junior division) at the 2008 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), is recording a song in Singapore. Catherine won second runner-up at a recent Youth Olympic Theme Songwriting competition in Singapore. The album is composed of the Top 10 Songs, including that of Catherine, and will be produced by The National Youth Council of Singapore. Catherine will participate in the Youth Olympic Games set for August also in Singapore.

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