John Lloyd Cruz early retirement na from showbiz

Early retirement???!!!! Any fan who got a chance to watch “It Takes A Man and A Woman” recent press con may have felt alarmed when the much loved and admired actor revealed that he was considering early retirement from show business. Whhhaatttt???!!!!

During the press con, a question was presented to Sarah G. and JLC, asking them what important lesson they learned from the movie or their characters. I was surprised to see the usually composed and happy JLC, break down into tears as he shared the important lesson he learned from a character who said to him, “Just be a good person.” JLC went on to explain how character Miggy always wanted to be the best, number one but in the end was that good enough to make you happy.

An emotional JLC said, “In the end, in the end, sa lahat na nangyayaring maganda, ng yaman, ng success. In the end, sasabihin sa ‘yo, just be a good person. Yung lang, that’s all that matters, just be a good person.  Lahat, secondary. Just be a good person.” Here’s a clip of press con.

JLC was later interviewed on The Buzz and after viewing video messages from his leading ladies, he was once again in tears. Boy Abunda finally asked the actor, if he was really going into early retirement. JLC explained that he still has not reached the quality of life he wants which means to have more time with his family and the people he loves and overall making better choices in projects, etc.

I have to admit, I felt for him. He is after all one of the most hard working actors in the industry right now. It felt like his unyielding crazy work schedule, overexposure and fame have taken a great toll on his own personal life. Sounds like what JLC needs is a good break. He deserves it! More power to you JLC! Mabuhay!

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Rich Man, Poor Man

I’m still having A Beautiful Affair teleserye Gen and Leon withdrawals! But not too worry, looks like Jeepney TV is playing one of JLC and Bea’s old teleserye, “It Might Be You”.  Take a look at JLC’s post.

In addition, Piolo Pascual gave hints in a recent interview that JLC and him might work together in a new series called, Rich Man, Poor Man. JLC’s  FB post confirmed this as well. Wonder which of the  two will play rich man and poor man?  Lucky Piolo gets to work with both Angelica (currently in Apoy sa Dagat) and JLC.

In the meantime, I end this post with behind the scenes footage of ABA in Tokyo, Japan. Enjoy ABA fans!

Kilig Factor!

I think JLC and Sarah G. still got it. I just saw official It Takes A Man and A Woman music video today and pure kilig! Too cute! Can’t wait to see the movie! Here’s the music video 🙂 Enjoy!

Romance in the Making

I’m a big fan of the John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo tandem. In the true die-hard fans world, the hope still is, that Bea and Lloydie end up together in real life and have their happily ever after. But looks like what happens onscreen between these two stays only on camera.

On the otherhand, I’ve noticed some opposition now and then from fans not so much when it comes to JLC’s other onscreen leading ladies but more for his off screen real life leading ladies and love interest. Take for instance, Shaina Magdayao who I thought got the worst reception from the public for being JLC’s girlfriend then. Their relationship seemed plagued with scandals and malicious speculations that in turn led to the end of their relationship.

And now, his new main squeeze is the once engaged to Derek Ramsay, beautiful and talented actress, Angelica Panganiban. The two chose to be tight-lipped about their budding romance and I thought rightfully so after all the constant unwanted prodding from the press.

I have a small theory that while JLC and Angelica were busy doing movies and tv projects together and occupied by their bf’s and gf’s respectively then, I think somewhere in between those plotlines were subtext messages of their future paths eventually meeting again at the right time to bring them together. I guess the hopeless romantic side of me would like to think, this was one that was written in the stars.

I made a little video compilation below of a couple projects they did together that hopefully proves my point. I’m happy for JLC and Angelica. They make a cute couple! Don’t you think?

And the 2013 PMPC Star Awards Best Actor goes to…

Looks like a tight race for this year’s 29th PMPC Star Awards Best Actor and Best Actress Nominees. My personal favorites John Lloyd Cruz (Best Actor nominee) and Bea Alonzo (Best Actress nominee) have been both nominated for their lead roles in their movie, The Mistress.   Check out the list of contenders below. 🙂 (Some of my other fave actor/actress nominees are Eddie Garcia, Dingdong Dantes, Coco Martin, Gina Alajar, Angel Locsin, Jodi Sta. Maria and Angelica Panganiban.)

Movie Actor of the Year

John Lloyd Cruz (The Mistress)

Dingdong Dantes (One More Try)

Jeorge “E.R.” Estregan (El Presidente)

Eddie Garcia (Bwakaw)

Coco Martin (Sta. Niña)

Aga Muhlach (Of All The Things)

Jericho Rosales (Alagwa)

Movie Actress of the Year

Gina Alajar (Mater Dolorosa)

Bea Alonzo (The Mistress)

Nora Aunor (Thy Womb)

Angel Locsin (One More Try)

Angelica Panganiban (One More Try)

Vilma Santos (The Healing)

Jodi Sta. Maria (Migrante)

*The awards ceremonies will be held at the AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on March 10, 2013, Sunday, 6 p.m. Followed by a telecast on March 17, 2013, on ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best.

There’s no denying that JLC is as versatile as an actor gets when it comes to portraying a variety of characters and successfully doing it. Who can forget memorable characters that left an imprint in our hearts like, Eli  from “Maging Sino Ka Man”, to Noel in “In My Life”, Allan in “Miss You Like Crazy” and Eric “JD” in “The Mistress”. His portrayal of these characters are a testament of his true talent and effortless ability to uniquely bring true life to each character and always finding a way to keep us entertained and relate to each one of them. So his nomination comes as no surprise, his work speaks for itself. Best of luck to you JLC and fellow nominees!!!

It Takes A Man and A Woman and A WIG!!!

The countdown begins as the much anticipated 3rd and final installment of  the characters Miggy and Laida’s love story will finally be unveiled at the end of March 2013.  It’s been two years in the making for the much awaited reunion of JLC and Sarah Geronimo on the big screen and the excitement in the air is clearly evident, check out the loyal AshLloyd fan’s website, see the post on a planned blocked screening.

The first time I saw JLC and Sarah G. in action was in their movie, A Very Special Love. JLC looked pretty dapper playing a rich boy and Sarah G. was cute as a button. I enjoyed Sarah G.’s comedic timing and endearing presence but I couldn’t get my head past the mop stuck on her head, or should I say wig! Thankfully, her performance made up for it and the wig was soon forgotten. Plus JLC’s presence was a good enough distraction. Who can forget his rendition of Smokey Mountain’s “Kailan” song and how his big round eyes followed Laida around the room. Who cares if he sang a little off key, those eyes and these two put together definitely equaled super KILIG in my book.

In their second movie, You Changed My Life, I noticed Laida’s wig got bigger and the story line had a love interest twist with Rayver Cruz coming into the picture. I thought the kilig factor was still present but not as evident as the first movie.

I recently got to see It Takes A Man and A Woman preview online and was disappointed na hindi nag-level up yung hair ni Laida. I guess this look stuck to her. I guess I wouldn’t mind the wig if the hair stylist did a better job of making it look like it was really her hair. But at the end of the day, I love watching this pair perform together. I’m hoping a screening of their movie becomes available here in California or I’ll have to wait for the dvd to come out.

P.S. I also enjoyed watching their MMK team-up called, “Kwintas” (via youtube) and wouldn’t mind seeing them work on a sitcom together too. They’ve been throwing hints around of possible tv projects together. Wouldn’t be a bad idea.

So what’s the verdict, do you guys like Laida’s wig? You already know my vote.

Miss You Like Crazy…First Encounter

Growing up in the Philippines, I watched a handful of Filipino movies in the theaters but always found their themes to be overly melodramatic, often times trite and the acting completely O.A. (overacting). I left in the early 90’s to join my family in the States. Fast forward, two years ago, I found myself uninspired, bored and feeling homesick. And there I stood in front of our library’s foreign dvd aisle thumbing through sleeves of endless “Tiyanak”  and “Shake Rattle and Roll” Filipino horror flicks. Really this is all we got?! Then, a familiar title called out to me, “Miss You Like Crazy”. It reminded me of  Natalie Cole’s hit song back in the late 80’s. Next thing you know, I’m humming the tune in my head, “I miss you like crazy, miss you like crazy. Ever since you went away, every hour, everyday.”  I quickly looked over the dvd cover and read the short synopsis and headed to checkout.

I hadn’t seen a Filipino film in ages and my expectations were not high, I just wanted to be entertained. As a matter of fact, the actors in this film were completely foreign to me. The last film I saw starred Richard Gomez and Regine Velasquez. What ensued next on screen totally caught me by surprise. Gone was the predictable plot line, 0r the overacting. I enjoyed the approach the director took in confrontational scenes where the expected screaming matches were absent and the subtlety was enough to make a strong statement. I was completely taken by the lead actors natural chemistry on screen and effortless portrayal of a story I felt was nowhere close to the Filipino films I grew accustomed to seeing.

More surprisingly, I was feeling pretty smitten over the film’s leading man who I soon came to know as John Lloyd Cruz. He was nowhere close to being the typical Filipino pretty boy types like Sam Milby or Piolo Pascual. What he does have on screen is charisma and the kind of sex appeal that sneaks up on you. And his eyes have a way of communicating true emotion that effectively reels in the audience without trying so hard.

The success of this film was clearly not a sole undertaking. It truly was a collaboration of a talented group of artists. Bea Alonzo who portrayed the lead female character (Mia Samonte) is equally talented and beautiful in so many levels. Director Cathy Garcia-Molina and their screenwriters, I thought did a pretty good job in creating a modern westernized inspired movie plot to work in a Filipino backdrop. It was truly refreshing to see a good quality Filipino film for a change.  It’s certainly made me a fan. Enjoy the music video below.