Promising actors in ‘Diary Ng Panget’

Andre Paras was quite nervous during the first shooting day of the upcoming movie “Diary Ng Panget.” Nevertheless, the fun-loving 18-year-old said, “But I easily recovered, my role being like that of a ‘kenkoy,’ a funny character.”

In “Diary Ng Panget,” Andre plays the role of Chad, a handsome and sensitive student of Wilford Academy, a school for beautiful, smart but mostly snobbish students. “I did not need to act, I just played myself,” Andre related.

Andre joined an acting workshop for his first ever movie role. “Perhaps I can make acting as my career, do action movies, but for now, I would like to do comedy roles. Comedy is natural for me,” he said.

He is determined to finish his college course. “That’s my promise to my parents. I need a diploma, a fall back. When you are finished with acting, you have a sure place to go.”

In the film, Andre is paired with Yassi Pressman, who plays beautiful, down-to-earth Lori. “My character is so in love with Lori that he even had to enlist the help of Eya (played by Nadine Lustre),” Andre related.

Eya, an ordinary-looking but hard working girl, needs a second job to sustain her expenses though she is a scholar at the Wilford Academy. She gets a job as the personal maid of Cross Sanford (James Reid), the arrogant son of a multi-millionaire businessman, who is very much in love with Lori.

Cross dumps so much on Eya. He does not care about her at all. In return, Eya calls Cross “panget,” or ugly.

Life becomes brighter for Eya when she meets Chad and Lory. But will she be able to free herself from Cross? Or would she fall in love with him instead?

“Diary Ng Panget,” based on 19-year-old Pinay fiction writer Denny’s Wattpad.com hit and 2013’s best-selling serialized novel of the same title, is directed by Andoy Ranay and written by award-winning Mel del Rosario.

It is Viva Films’ second attempt at revolutionizing local filmmaking via adaptations of favorite literary pieces.

“Diary Ng Panget” opens on April 2 in local theaters.

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Last Performance For ‘Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuwela’

Lawyer-actor Vince Tañada, president and artistic director of Philippine Stagers Foundation, announces the last performance of “Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuwela,” a three-act musical about the life of the founder of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio.

After a 10-month run all over the country with a total of 452 performances, breaking box-office records, Philippine Stagers Foundation is ending its 12th season with an invitational gala performance of the musical to be held at the Adamson Theater at Adamson University, Manila on March 22 at 5 p.m.

“The musical honors the Great Plebeian in songs and dances with the purpose of utilizing the power of the arts in molding the minds and inspiring the hearts of our youth,” Vince said.

Vince is also planning to re-stage “Ang Bangkay,” his Palanca Award winning play this summer.

He also finished filming his second indie movie “Esoterica Manila,” directed by Elwood Perez, who also directed his first indie movie “Otso.”

His performance in “Otso,” which he wrote in collaboration with Direk Elwood, won for Vince the Best New Movie Actor Award at the PMPC Star Awards for Movies.

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Fundraising Event Set

“Fans On The Ramp,” featuring the hand fans collection of Filipino-Spanish Maria May Pioquinto Montealto, will be held on March 22 at 2 p.m. at the Asociación Benéfico Cultural para la Promoción de Filipinas y Espana (ASPROFIL ) Center at the Town and Country Heights Subdivision, in Brgy. San. Luis, Antipolo City.

Montealto, who hails from Iloilo, founded ASPROFIL in 1995 as a non-profit association legally registered at the National Association Registry Office in Madrid, Spain, with the aim of promoting Filipino values, tourism trade, culture and the good image of the Philippines while helping protect the rights of poor children and their families and abandoned old people.

The association’s most important project is the construction of the ASPROFIL Center, the groundbreaking of which was held in February 2006 and attended by Mayor Miguel Angel Camara, City Tourism Councilor Isabel Valcárcel and Councilor Remigio Lopez who all traveled to Manila all the way from Spain.

ASPROFIL will also give children free reading and writing lessons in Brgy. San Luis, as well as occupational training for adults in cooking, embroidery, craftwork and others.

Proceeds from the “Fans On The Ramp” will be used to fence the ASPROFIL Center.



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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 21, go to former Central Bank Gov. Gabby Singson, Ben Pangilinan, Carmita Francisco, Francis Sacay, Estela F. Nabong, Venus Duran Robinson, Len Aligayo, Charity Yude-Salvador, Yulo Soliano, Anthony Yupangco, Gerald Gapud Pongpong, Lilia Henson Cruz, Marlili Villegas, Mon Crespo, Junne Quintana, Jeron Teng and Lotlot de Leon…