A few minutes before KC Concepcion arrived at Romulo’s Café for an expected no-holds-barred face-off with the movie press, those present were gently reminded to refrain from asking KC about her colorful love life. But the “warning†was trashed as soon as KC took a seat.
That morning, a story came out in this section that KC’s one-time boyfriend, Taguig City Rep. Lino Cayetano, is marrying Fille Cainglet, his volleyball-player-girlfriend of three months. So how does KC feel about it?
“I’m happy for him that finally nakahanap siya ng babaing katapat niya, that he has found his match,†said KC with a big smile. “I was waiting for the time na talagang makakahanap siya ng talagang pakakasalan niya. He has a position in politics so he needs a partner to support him because his job must be stressful.â€
What about Paulo Avelino, rumored to be KC’s current date, who has given her a real (not just plastic) Christmas Tree (something Paulo has reportedly never given former girlfriend LJ Reyes, mother of his love son Ethan Akio)?
“Can’t you be close to a guy without being romantically linked to him?†asked KC who added that, yes, Paulo did help her decorate the tree. KC has a mind to put a peppermint candy on top of it instead of the traditional star. “It has been my dream to have a tree like this talaga.â€
And Phil Younghusband, recently separated from girlfriend Angel Locsin (to whom, stressed KC, she’s not close even if they are both Kapamilya)?
“But I met him only once a long time ago,†protested KC.
It was Phil who floated in the media that he had a crush on Angel even before they met. Could it be possible that he’s doing the same trick on KC?
Isn’t it unfair to picture KC as taker of hand-me-down guys, two of whom are unwed fathers (Piolo Pascual and Paulo Avelino), when, beautiful and intelligent as she is, she can have far better eligibles as steadies (yes, plural)?
Anyway, talk about Boy Golden, a 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, with Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito as leading man (as the popular gangster already played by Lou Salvador Jr. and Rudy Fernandez; with Beth Bautista as titular character in Hindi Sa’yo Ang Mundo, Baby Porcuna, another movie based on the life of Boy Porcuna’s wife, mother of actress Deborah Sun).
Told that ER said in jest at a recent presscon that if KC lost in the Best Actress race, it would mean “dinaya siya,†KC reacted with a frown, “Did he really say that?,†adding with a laugh, “you know, mahilira lang ako sa mga katulad nina Eugene Domingo ay okey na. I never expected to win any acting award,†although she did win one (Best Supporting Actress for the ABS-CBN soap Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala at the 2013 PMPC Star Awards for TV), “sanay na ako sa Female Star of the Night award, hahahaha!â€
In Boy Golden, KC plays a dancer, described in the press kit as a “femme fatale,†and it requires her to do some sexy (well, by KC’s standard) scenes, such as the one that she shot for 39 hours on her first shooting day. The film’s director, Chito Roño, is noted for being realistic and KC had no choice but to toe the line.
“Before the shoot, direk Chito and our EP (executive producer) discussed what I was comfortable with and what I wasn’t comfortable with, so everything went well. I think direk Chito was happy with my work. Nakuha ko naman siguro ang dapat kong gawin for my character. My love scenes with ER are secondary na lang to my sexy scenes. As a dancer, I wore a stripper’s outfit — corset, fishnet, tanga. It took 39 hours because the sequence was shot from different angles.â€
Because her Boy Golden role called for action scenes, KC had to take a crash course in martial arts, but seeing to it that her character wouldn’t look tough like a man, but still ladylike the way Angelina Jolie essayed her Lara Croft role.
Incidentally, any advice from her dad, Gabby Concepcion, as far as her leading men are concerned?
“Nakakatuwa pakinggan coming from him,†said KC, about Gabby reminding her how actresses easily fall for their leading men. “I would tease him, ‘Bakit, ikaw, ano ang ginagawa mo sa kanila?’ I assure him that I’m 28 and I know how to take care of myself.â€
Asked how she felt about an impending plan to bring back the love team of his parents, Gabby and Sharon Cuneta (both happy with their new respective families), KC replied, “It would be weird. As a kid, I would see them together and then I would see them not together, so a movie with them together again would be surreal for me. I know what they had been through,†adding with a laugh, “kaya nga nandito ako ngayon, eh.â€
Briefly Noted
Ronnie Liang (photo, upper left) was guest performer (with Jimmy Marquez and G-Force at the recent shows of Anne Curtis (in photo with Ronnie) in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 15 and in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Dec. 13, for the Filipino communities. Aside from just releasing his new single, O Holy Night, Ronnie is also busy shooting Esoterica Manila (formerly titled Object of Desire), his first starring movie directed by Elwood Perez.
Morissette (photo lower left) may not have won The Voice title but her journey toward the realization of her dream is far from over, especially now that she’s part of the ABS-CBN Sunday show ASAP. “We believe in Morissette’s talent,†said ASAP business unit head Joyce Liquicia (in photo with Morissette). Aside from Morissette, the show also welcomes Tutti Caringal of 6CycleMind and Morissette’s fellow The Voice finalists Paolo Onessa and Klarisse de Guzman.
GMA Network announced the promotion and appointment of Lilybeth G. Rasonable (photo, bottom left) as senior vice president for its Entertainment Group. Rasonable, a Broadcast Communication graduate from UP, has been with the company since 1998 and has served as program manager, assistant vice president and vice president for Drama for the Entertainment Group. She was a key figure in the creation of the network’s hits such as Mulawin, Encantadia, Darna, Majika, Captain Barbell, Marimar, Dyesebel, Amaya, Munting Heredera, My Husband’s Lover and many others.
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