The lead stars of the highly-anticipated ABS-CBN teleserye Princess and I shot scenes in the Kingdom of Bhutan (near the Himalayas) for the new series. In Princess and I, Gretchen Barretto plays a commoner who marries a king and will do everything in her power to have her son inherit the throne. Also in the cast are Albert Martinez, Kathryn Bernardo, Enrique Gil, Daniel Padilla and Khalil Ramos. Since the series revolves around the story of monarchs, expect the stars to wear modish costumes fit for royalty. The forthcoming teleserye will take viewers to various magnificent tourist destinations in Bhutan (which has been hailed as The Last Shangri-la) and give them a glimpse of its rich cultural heritage.
Princess and I joins the long list of television series partly shot abroad. Here is a list of soap operas which have been partly filmed in foreign countries:
My Binondo Girl — This is the story of Jade (Kim Chiu) who pretends to be her deceased brother Yuan to win her father’s heart. Some of the scenes showing Kim in her gender-bending portrayal, her first wedding to Xian Lim who plays Andy in the primetime series and the offices of the company owned by her Chinese father Chen Sy (Richard Yap) were shot in Hong Kong.
Vietnam Rose — This is Maricel Soriano’s first foray into soap operas. The story revolves around the life of Nguyen Dang Thien Yeu (Maricel), a Vietnamese boat woman who leaves her country after the war to forget her tragic past. In the Philippines, she rebuilds a new life as Carina Mojica Dela Cerna, a successful businesswoman whose husband (John Estrada) belongs to one of the most influential families in the country. Some of the scenes were shot at the Chua Vinh Nghiem Buddhist pagoda, the Lam Son Square, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Ben Thanh market.
Crazy for You — The romantic-comedy series was launched simultaneously on ABS-CBN and The Filipino Channel. It is the first television series about overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Tony Gonzaga plays Janice, a young woman working as a day-hire maid in Barcelona to support her family. One day, Janice is hired to clean a Filipino student’s apartment. She and her employer Wacky (Luis Manzano) never meet and only communicate through notes posted around the house.
Going MAD for music
Ateneo Law Batch ’88 brings MAD for Music, a concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.
MAD stands for “Make A Difference” — the rallying cry of the Ateneo Law Batch ’88. MAD for Music spotlights the songs that define each decade, from the late ’60s to the present. Hosted by Grace Lee and directed by Freddie Santos, the extravaganza will showcase the heart and passion of Basil Valdez, Pops Fernandez, Billy Crawford, Nikki Gil, Geneva Cruz, Kris Lawrence, Vince Bueno, Rage Band, Spirit of ’67, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Isabella Gonzales and Kuh Ledesma.
For details, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 and www.ticketnet.com.ph.