Star Magic artist Maymay Entrata had to pause and gather her thoughts for a few seconds before answering the question about her and co-star Kisses Delavin being tagged as new-generation Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos, respectively.
A curious showbiz reporter raised the question because the young actresses are playing the characters named Nura and Velma in the feel-good original series Alamat ng Ano that hilariously depicts the face-off between two rival actresses as they fight each other to become the leading lady of a foreign leading man. The episode currently streams on iWant.
It’s a common knowledge that Maymay and Kisses both have a strong following, on and offline. Their legions of fans are ready to engage in a word war when someone objectively, or otherwise, commented on their idols’ performance or even on just the way they dress up. That’s how rabid their fans are.
“I’m taller than the Superstar but other than that, I don’t have any qualities that people can use to compare me with her. I am nothing compared to Nora Aunor,” Maymay answered in Tagalog.
“We’re glad that people notice us. We’re really thankful for that. But artists come and go. After five years, there will be another batch of artists who would take our place and who would be more popular than us. Nonetheless, we take that as a compliment,” Kisses responded.
The two shared how taping for an entire day felt like a horseplay because they just enjoyed the experience. They also admitted how working with someone you know and someone you have already been friends with made the whole process even more pleasant.
“We’re good friends, it’s just the fans that pit us against each other. And our being good friends makes us enjoy what we do,” said Kisses while sharing her memorable experience taping for an episode in the iWant original series.
Alamat ng Ano was one of the original series highlighted during a recent press event that introduced the latest shows of Indigital Productions, ABS-CBN’s digital content production unit that produces content exclusively for the streaming platform iWant.
The laugh-out-loud show, which makes fun of ordinary things by humorously exploring and formulating their origin with each episode, also features an ensemble of Kapamilya stars, including Donny Pangilinan, Melai Cantiveros, Ejay Falcon, Jake Cuenca, Donna Cariaga, AC Bonifacio, BoybandPH, Nico Antonio, Denise Joaquin, Ketchup Eusebio, and Dominic Ochoa. Narrating each episode are the comedy duo of Jobert Austria and Nonong Balinan, who play a talky “barangay tanod” and his sidekick.
After producing three original anthology series for iWant, Indigital Productions unveiled another set of original series to be streamed exclusively on the digital platform.
Indigital delves into the effects of technology and the need for real human connection in its newest original Touch Screen, which starts streaming today. It is a three-part anthology headlined by Janella Salvador, Pokwang, and Denise Laurel and tackles how people interact on and beyond their screens and how it affects relationships.
In the episode Wittyrella, teen fan girl Mandy (Janella) uses Twitter to get her celebrity crush to notice her, but finds herself in a feud with a famous three-word tweet account, only to realize that the person behind the account is someone close to her.
Pokwang, meanwhile, plays an old-school househelp who has been with a family for many years in “Vixee vs. Inday,” then finds herself neglected and undervalued when the father brings home a fully functional smart gadget named Vixee.
Online dating also takes centerstage in It’s A Match, where an app developer (Joseph Marco) uses a dating app for hook-ups, encounters one of his conservative managers (Denise Laurel) on the app, then makes a bet with his officemates to make his boss fall in love with him.
With original shows that go beyond telling traditional stories, Indigital Productions aims to provide quality Filipino entertainment made by independent film directors and content creators such as Gino Santos, Jon Red, JP Habac, Mark Meily, Mikhail Red, Lem Lorca, Dondon Santos, Noel Teehankee, Richard Somes, Ronnie Velasco, Topel Lee, and Victor Villanueva.
iWant and Indigital also went the edgy route when they dropped Hush, which features erotic drama stories and three sexy icons namely Mica Javier from It’s Showtime’s GirlTrends, Gwen Soriano, and Haiza Madrid.
Also included in Indigital’s roster of upcoming original shows are Crimes of Passion, Six Feet Diner, Adam & Ed, Papa App, Trip to Quiapo, and Little Big Trio.
iWant is one of the digital initiatives of ABS-CBN, the Philippines leading media and entertainment company, which is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties.
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An ally of local film industry
Senator Sonny Angara recognizes the potential of local motion picture production to create jobs and grow the economy, which is why he’s one of the fervent supporters of local cinema and even lobbied for the approval of Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) 2019 budget.
The FDCP, headed by its chairperson Liza Diño, is the lead agency for film in the Philippines ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented in the country and abroad. This agency is under the Office of the President.
“Around 815 screens are open nationwide. However, only an average of 70 local films a year are produced compared to 220 foreign films released and shown in the Philippines,” said Angara. “Mas sasaya ang industriya at mas maraming film workers ang matutulungan kung mas maraming pelikulang Pilipino.”
Meanwhile, it was a mini-reunion for Pop Royalty Sarah Geronimo and the reelectionist senator when the two did a shoot for a political ad in January. The 30-year-old singer once again has chosen to endorse the politician who also advocates lowering of taxes and promote social justice.
This is the second time that Sarah G is endorsing Angara who was elected to the Senate in 2013, placing sixth with 16 million votes.
“I’m so happy to be with Kuya Sonny again. People already know how I give my all-out support to the Angara family since before,” Sarah said.
She added that her heart is close to the Angara family. She first collaborated with the Angaras when she sang the campaign jingle for the late Senate President Edgardo Angara during the 2007 elections.
“I wouldn’t think twice if Kuya Sonny would seek for my help because I admire his works that concern education, and senior citizen welfare,” the pop star affirmed.