posted by Chuchi at 5:18 AM
The March 2009 issue of YES! magazine listed the most powerful names in the entertainment scene over the past 15 months. The list covered all bases, including network executives and behind-the-camera players being cited for their influence in the cutthroat industry known as show business.
Making it to the Top Five were Willie Revillame, Kris Aquino, John Lloyd Cruz, Robin Padilla and Marian Rivera. The list couldn't cater to the taste and liking of everyone, of course. And so, editor-in-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon encouraged you, our dear PEPsters, to place your own list of celebrities outside the Top Five names cited in YES!
"We may not be able to please you all, but we give you the chance to have your say. Let us know who you think should have been included through our online affiliate, the Philippine Entertainment Portal," wrote Ms. Jo-Ann.
We asked you to justify your choices by citing the reason why your favorite celebrity should be in the list. Fan votes are based strongly on popularity and personal opinion, meaning that no definite criteria were set by the PEP editorial team for this survey.
PEP tabulated the number of votes from March 29 to April 22, accumulated by every celebrity mentioned by the PEPsters to come up with a different set of Top Five.
We considered only celebrities not listed in the YES! Top Five, thus explaining why Marian Rivera—despite garnering the most number of votes from the members—is not mentioned in this list.
LORNA TOLENTINO. The widow of the late action great, Rudy Fernandez, may not have been very active for the past couple of months as she tried to put her life back in order. Despite her absence from the public eye, many felt that the poise and grace shown by Lorna in the face of personal tragedy was admirable and worth following.
"Without batting an eyelash, I would say, Lorna Tolentino... hands down... and pagkakaiba lang niya is hindi siya publicity hungry," cyperpsalm said, "simply because of all local artists she's the only one worth emulating."
REGINE VELASQUEZ. Before belting-out became a regular vocal exercise by contemporary singers, there was Regine Velasquez brandishing her powerful pipes with equal ease and precision. At 39, the Asia's Songbird has definitely done it all—from record sales to hit singles to awards and accolades.
Regine even proved that she's made for acting and even hosting. With years of experience and knowledge of the music business tucked under her belt, Regine currently co-owns the record label IndiMusic with her boyfriend Ogie Alcasid.
As jess0904 explained: "For me she is not only powerful but influential among new singers. She is a legend and therefore deserving to be part of the list. She rose to fame because of pure and incomparable talent."
MARICEL SORIANO. That actress Maricel Soriano could well afford to take a break away from the limelight is proof of her worth as an actress. To be exact, Maricel has always been around. The only difference is that the Diamond Star isn't the type who would go out of her way to grace TV talk shows and do interviews left and right.
Year 2009 promises to be relatively busy for the critically-acclaimed actress as she will be seen in ABS-CBN's series, Florinda. Maricel just recently made her presence felt through the horror film, T2.
"Maricel Soriano! Siyempre... walang ingay pero steady and one of the highest paid pa. Mabili sa mga movie producers at may gana pang pumili at tumanggi!" lawrenzo reasoned.
DINGDONG DANTES. It has been a long and rugged journey towards matinee-idol status for Dingdong Dantes. But it definitely was worth the entire ride. Since his reinvention as a mature actor in the 2007 primetime hit series Marimar, Dingdong finally earned the attention and recognition he rightfully deserves. Together with screen partner Marian Rivera, Dingdong emerged as one of the hottest young actors of today with projects continuously flooding his way.
1truepep noted, "Becoz aside from being one of the hot male stars of today his values and intelligence make him someone you look [up to] in world of showbiznizzz..."
SARAH GERONIMO. The box-office success of Sarah Geronimo's two movies with John Lloyd Cruz made her a certified crossover star. Sarah's onscreen charm was easily grasped by the public, who at first were cynical whether the young belter could easily deliver lines before the camera. The revenue returns of A Very Special Love (2008) and You Changed My Life (2009) silenced the critics for good.
"The fact that her influence spans the entire age demographic of the Filipino people and is not limited within the country surely says something about her. She commands respect not only from the people her own age or those younger but even from people who have attained success way before her. People from all walks of life, from social class C to A have admired her unparalleled success in the midst of her gracious humility," offered entrepgirl.
by Napoleon Quintos | April 29, 2009 9:45 AM
Lorna Tolentino is the latest celebrity to guest on May Bukas Pa where she will be playing Santino’s (Zaijan Jaranilla) real mother. ABS-CBN.com spoke with Lorna during her taping for the teleserye and the actress revealed a few details about her role. “Ako dito si Miriam. Hinahanap ko ‘yung anak ko na ninakaw ng family driver namin seven years ago. May lead kaming nakuha na nasa Bagong Pag-asa ‘yung anak ko. May tatlong bata, lahat seven-years old, tiningnan namin. Si Santino, kahit hindi siya nakalagay dun sa listahan na ibinigay sa amin, pero dahil alam ng mga pari na nawawala din ‘yung magulang niya kaya nagpa-DNA test. After that, nag-positive ‘yung result kaya nalaman na anak ko nga si Santino.” However, Lorna quickly said that there are still some unexpected twists in the story that viewers must definitely watch out for.
Lorna’s April 18 episode for Maalaala Mo Kaya marked her official return to acting after the death of her husband Rudy Fernandez June of last year. The Grand Slam actress said that she is very happy to get back to work, but she found the story of her MMK episode quite a challenge. “Okay naman ako to work pero ang mahirap lang dun sa MMK was karamihan ng eksena ko e mabibigat, siyempre dahil din sa story.” She added that she is still getting used to the demanding taping schedule. “Nangangapa pa rin ako. Siyempre hindi na rin ako ganun kasanay sa puyatan kaya madalas nalo-low battery na ako kapag nagmamadaling araw na. Pero sinasanay ko na ‘yung sarili ko.”
Lorna signed an exclusive two-teleserye and two-movie contract with ABS-CBN and Star Cinema last November. Next month, she will start taping for the teleserye Dahil May Isang Ikaw which also stars Gabby Concepcion, John Estrada, Chin-chin Gutierrez, Jericho Rosales, Kristine Hermosa, Sid Lucero, and Karylle. A veteran TV and film actress, Lorna believes that making herself busy and constantly being around people is somehow helping her recover from her grief over her husband’s death.
However, Lorna confessed that there are nights when she would still cry because she misses Rudy terribly. Her sons Rap and Renz, thankfully, have helped her cope as she moves on with life. Widowed at 46, Lorna is not completely closing her doors on finding new love. The actress said that she acknowledges whatever God plans for her. However, Lorna still has no plans of getting into a new relationship in the near future.
Catch Lorna in May Bukas Pa, weeknights after TV Patrol World.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
STAR BYTES By Butch Francisco
Lorna Tolentino
(Fourth of a series)
This is the second to the last of my series on celebrity homes and lifestyles.
A loving home ’til the end
When Rudy Fernandez was still alive, one of our favorite topics of conversation was house design. Maybe this started because we once had the same architect: Samuel Dario.
Rudy apparently believed in investing in real estate. When he was still single, he already had his own house in White Plains — and so did Lorna Tolentino, also in the same posh subdivision. Instead of just letting Lorna move to his house after they got married — or him moving to hers, he built another one in White Plains and this is where his widow and their two children, Ralph and Renz still stay almost 10 months after he passed away. (Lorna’s house they left to her mother, while Rudy passed on his White Plains property to Mark Anthony Fernandez with LT’s blessings.)
I know the Fernandez home on Fernsville very well. To the left, as you enter the main door, is the den, which is the most used part of that home, next to the bedroom, of course. Fully air-conditioned, the den used to have wall-to-wall carpeting in blue, but now has a shiny wooden floor that is easier to maintain. It is there where the couple keeps their showbiz mementoes — acting trophies they won from various award-giving bodies. But more than his own acting statuettes, Rudy treasured the most the Asian Film Festival trophy his father, director Gregorio Fernandez, won for Higit sa Lahat in 1956.
Across the den is the formal living room, which is hardly used because they entertain friends mostly in the den, especially those close to them. Then there is the dining room with the dinner table where Rudy had his place of honor as head of the house. Beside it is the covered lanai where those who cannot be accommodated anymore in the den are entertained.
Upstairs are the bedrooms and the access to get there is a staircase that is not necessarily grand like in most homes of movie stars. It is merely functional — nothing fancy.
At the back of the house is a swimming pool, a later addition. It is actually on a property that the couple had been renting in the last two decades. Rudy had always wanted to buy that lot behind them, but the owner wouldn’t sell.
Some four years ago, the couple had a renovation done on the house and I was upfront enough to ask Lorna why they had the place remodeled and yet they left the powder room in the den the way it was from the time the house was built in the mid-‘80s.
During that decade, the fashionable toilet bowls and washstands came in olive green, blue, pink, cream and even black, which leaves ugly watermarks (now everything is back to white). Theirs was in very dark brown and they didn’t bother to change it for some reason.
Immediately, the couple had the powder room in the den redone and they suffered once more through the renovation. While they were going through the inconvenience of it all (noise, clutter and all), Lorna complained to me how difficult it was to have the workers back again, but at the same time acknowledged the fact that, yes, the bathroom there had to be remodeled.
In time, the den had to be overhauled once more and transformed into a hospital room when Rudy was eventually brought home from Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital in his dying days of summer last year. It was where he breathed his last — in the presence of his loving wife and children with whom he shared that beautiful house that was home to them for many happy years.
Lorna Tolentino
(Fourth of a series)
This is the second to the last of my series on celebrity homes and lifestyles.
A loving home ’til the end
When Rudy Fernandez was still alive, one of our favorite topics of conversation was house design. Maybe this started because we once had the same architect: Samuel Dario.
Rudy apparently believed in investing in real estate. When he was still single, he already had his own house in White Plains — and so did Lorna Tolentino, also in the same posh subdivision. Instead of just letting Lorna move to his house after they got married — or him moving to hers, he built another one in White Plains and this is where his widow and their two children, Ralph and Renz still stay almost 10 months after he passed away. (Lorna’s house they left to her mother, while Rudy passed on his White Plains property to Mark Anthony Fernandez with LT’s blessings.)
I know the Fernandez home on Fernsville very well. To the left, as you enter the main door, is the den, which is the most used part of that home, next to the bedroom, of course. Fully air-conditioned, the den used to have wall-to-wall carpeting in blue, but now has a shiny wooden floor that is easier to maintain. It is there where the couple keeps their showbiz mementoes — acting trophies they won from various award-giving bodies. But more than his own acting statuettes, Rudy treasured the most the Asian Film Festival trophy his father, director Gregorio Fernandez, won for Higit sa Lahat in 1956.
Across the den is the formal living room, which is hardly used because they entertain friends mostly in the den, especially those close to them. Then there is the dining room with the dinner table where Rudy had his place of honor as head of the house. Beside it is the covered lanai where those who cannot be accommodated anymore in the den are entertained.
Upstairs are the bedrooms and the access to get there is a staircase that is not necessarily grand like in most homes of movie stars. It is merely functional — nothing fancy.
At the back of the house is a swimming pool, a later addition. It is actually on a property that the couple had been renting in the last two decades. Rudy had always wanted to buy that lot behind them, but the owner wouldn’t sell.
Some four years ago, the couple had a renovation done on the house and I was upfront enough to ask Lorna why they had the place remodeled and yet they left the powder room in the den the way it was from the time the house was built in the mid-‘80s.
During that decade, the fashionable toilet bowls and washstands came in olive green, blue, pink, cream and even black, which leaves ugly watermarks (now everything is back to white). Theirs was in very dark brown and they didn’t bother to change it for some reason.
Immediately, the couple had the powder room in the den redone and they suffered once more through the renovation. While they were going through the inconvenience of it all (noise, clutter and all), Lorna complained to me how difficult it was to have the workers back again, but at the same time acknowledged the fact that, yes, the bathroom there had to be remodeled.
In time, the den had to be overhauled once more and transformed into a hospital room when Rudy was eventually brought home from Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital in his dying days of summer last year. It was where he breathed his last — in the presence of his loving wife and children with whom he shared that beautiful house that was home to them for many happy years.
Abu Tilamzik
NABIGLA yata si Lorna Tolentino nang mag-taping sa isang episode ng Maalaala Mo Kaya kamakalawa.
Isang martir na asawa ang ginampanan ni LT kaya madugong iyakan at bugbugan ang inabot niya.
“Ang dami ko pa namang nakareserbang luha, naubos yata,” natatawa niyang pahayag.
Dalawang araw ang taping niya, pero sa unang araw pa lang ay nagkasakit na siya dahil sa sobrang pagod sa mga mabibigat na eksena.
Nanibago siya dahil mahigit isang taon din siyang hindi nakapag-taping o umarte sa harap ng kamera.
Natutuwa si LT sa magandang trato sa kanya ng mga taga-ABS-CBN 2. Pinaghahandaan na ang teleserye niya kasama sina John Estrada at Gabby Concepcion.
Baka matuloy din ang guesting niya sa May Bukas Pa.
Kasama ni LT sa MMK sina Albert Martinez at John Wayne Sace.
Nagulat si LT kay John Wayne dahil napakagaling daw pala nitong umarte. Hindi siya nahirapang makapaghugot ng tamang emote dahil sa galing ni John Wayne na kaeksena niya.
Hindi siya makapagpigil, talagang pinuri niya si John Wayne sa galing nito sa pag-arte.
NABIGLA yata si Lorna Tolentino nang mag-taping sa isang episode ng Maalaala Mo Kaya kamakalawa.
Isang martir na asawa ang ginampanan ni LT kaya madugong iyakan at bugbugan ang inabot niya.
“Ang dami ko pa namang nakareserbang luha, naubos yata,” natatawa niyang pahayag.
Dalawang araw ang taping niya, pero sa unang araw pa lang ay nagkasakit na siya dahil sa sobrang pagod sa mga mabibigat na eksena.
Nanibago siya dahil mahigit isang taon din siyang hindi nakapag-taping o umarte sa harap ng kamera.
Natutuwa si LT sa magandang trato sa kanya ng mga taga-ABS-CBN 2. Pinaghahandaan na ang teleserye niya kasama sina John Estrada at Gabby Concepcion.
Baka matuloy din ang guesting niya sa May Bukas Pa.
Kasama ni LT sa MMK sina Albert Martinez at John Wayne Sace.
Nagulat si LT kay John Wayne dahil napakagaling daw pala nitong umarte. Hindi siya nahirapang makapaghugot ng tamang emote dahil sa galing ni John Wayne na kaeksena niya.
Hindi siya makapagpigil, talagang pinuri niya si John Wayne sa galing nito sa pag-arte.