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Archive for January, 2007

Celebrities, TV & TV Shows

Iza Calzado, Enchanted With Her Tele-Fantasya Roles

By Phoebe Dorothy Estelle

Iza CalzadoIza Calzado, currently starring in GMA network’s hit TV tele-fantasya Atlantika, started out as a guest teen star in the defunct youth oriented show “Click”, but her short-lived stint in the said program led to continuous showbiz tales.

Many believe that she acts like a veteran actress and is lucky enough to do challenging projects. Despite the fact that most of her TV assignments in GMA 7 cater young adults she still impresses entertainment authorities with her dramatic prowess.

Iza won her first ever heroine role through the soap opera “Te Amo” with the Argentinean actor Segundo Cernadas. A beautiful face with talent and charisma that’s why she was suited to play a rural Cinderella who falls in love with a runaway Prince.

Amihan the Queen of goddesses in “Encantadia” was the hit character she marked last year for the fantasy- driven market. In that tele-fantasya she worked with other Kapuso stars like Diana Zubiri, Jennylyn Mercado, Yasmien Kurdi, Mark Herras, Karylle, Dingdong Dantes and with Cogie Domingo and Sunshine Dizon in “Kung Mawawala Ka”.

Doing “Atlantika” keeps her busy these days. The success of her reel partnership with Dingdong Dantes goes on and on here. After being the deity of air in Encantadia and “Etheria”, she’s the candidate to be the princess of the civilization under the sea in this top rating series.

Iza discloses the she really dreamed of being a fairy as a child. “I’ve always had thought of fairies, parang Mariang Makiling, I visualize in all white.”

Somewhat Iza fulfills her dream through acting both in small and big screens where she can be not just a fairy, but a passable goddess, villain, sea creature, madwoman or any character she would choose to play.

In the past Iza never thought that she would be an actress. But as a daughter of TV Director Lito Calzado, the hidden beauty soon surfaced as a commercial model, which became her ticket to stardom.

“I consider myself really lucky dahil after the Panteen commercial, they got me.

Iza adds that good opportunity was her earlier blessing because she didn’t have to join any talent search or reality shows that can make or break a young talent.

Watching local movies or TV shows was not her habit before but she admires the dramatic styles of Maricel Soriano, Hilda Coronel and especially Caridad Sanchez.

“Kapag napapanood ko siya (Ms. Sanchez) tuwang –tuwang ako. Sa Tabing Ilog pa siya dati noon,” Iza said.

Iza Calzado's tele-fantasya rolesWhen it comes to dream roles Iza wants the offbeat ones just like a madwoman or drug dependent. Incidentally on her first movie this year, “Blackout” with Robin Padilla, she would be a prostitute in Singapore.

“Si Johnny Depp saka si Leonardo Di Caprio parang napaka-intense nila,” Iza’s answers to her most fantasized leading men. For local counterpart she’s looking forward to working again with Piolo Pascual. They played an estrangeg couple in the flick “Milan”. Aside from Piolo she’d be thrilled to have a movie or TV project with Jericho Rosales, Dennis Trillo, Jay Manalo, and Victor Neri as she really marvels at their acting ability. But of course, Richard Gomez and Aga Muhlach would definitely be part of her A-list.

Looking forward five years forward now Iza wishes, “Hopefully nandito pa rin ako or sa Hollywood.”

On the the other side of the glitz and glamour of showbiz, the Atlantika lead star admitted that she is a homebody gal. “I might go shopping ‘coz I love to shop if not that’s when I stay home. Lalo na kapag nagtitipid ako that’s when I watch TV, I watch MTV, and lot of videos.”

And little that we know, Iza has another talent waiting to be tapped– dancing . That is why if given a chance to have a dance special she imagines dancing to her favorite tunes.

“Gusto ko iyong fusion ng Hip hop and Jazz. Actually kung may special kaka –karerin na natin lahat. Kung magsasayaw ako ng Latin gusto ko si Ralion Alonzo. Kung Hip-hop sila John (Prats) at Mark (Herras) kung artista ha! Pero basta magaling iyong dancer bakit hindi.”

Crazy, Candid, and Insatiable are Iza Calzado’s description for herself. She’s insatiable always starving for new learnings, growing as an individual, and not to leave out for sweet pastries and chocolates.

05 Jan 2007 Syobis Pinoy 0 comments

Celebrities, Special Features

Regine Tolentino: The Makings of A Diva

By Excel V. Dyquiangco

Regine ToletinoAt first glance, no inkling of her inhibitions showed, even as projected onscreen. But 28-year old actress-dancer-TV host Regine Tolentino admits, she truly was a shy girl.

What changed her? And how did this contribute to her success as a morning show host, as endearing wife to former actor Lander Vera-Perez, and as a doting mother to two wonderful children?

At the tender age of three, Regine had studied ballet for ten years in her hometown in Anaheim, California. It was her mother’s dream. “My mother, who also loves to dance, claimed I first started to dance before I could walk,” she said with a laugh.

“It also helped when I started ballet, but of course, hilig ko din talaga. From then on, I wanted to try out everything – from tap dancing, ice skating and even cheerleading. I was very persistent in trying out all of these things and I kept on pushing my mom to let me join all of these activities. After ballet, the idea of dancing, in general, actually didn’t come from her. I was more influenced by my friends and peers in California but of course, it all started when I had fun dancing ballet.

It was when she was still in high school when her parents convinced her to come home to become a ramp model. “I didn’t even finish high school there,” Regine says. “Umuwi ako at dito ko na tinapos ang high school ko.” But when she arrived here, everything changed.

At 16, she instantly was lured into the limelight. She first got a glimpse of the showbiz world when she visited the set of That’s Entertainment, where she was supposed to join the cast. But then, as Regine felt, she was just too shy to join. Yet show bizness truly beckoned. She was watching Sang Linggo nAPO Sila when she was introduced to Mr. Johnny Manahan, or simply called Mr. M, the star builder of ABS-CBN, and immediately was drafted to join what was then known as Star Circle Batch 1. Along with the likes of Rico Yan and Maricel Morales, it was what she considered as the starting point of her career.

This finally erased her “shyness” attitude. “Nakakapagod talaga noon,” Regine says. “Ang daming project na binigay at talagang wala kaming pahinga noon.” Along with workshops now and then, she had gone through almost every show at ABS-CBN, from Palibhasa Lalaki, ASAP, Game na Game na and Keep on Dancing, in which her skills and styles in dancing were noticed. This also paved the way for her to become known now as a dancing goddess.

So, considering that she had gone through almost every show and had done well as an actress, a TV game show host and a dancer, among all of these, which is the most difficult part to do?

“Heavy drama,” she says with a laugh. “I am a happy person and I just couldn’t motivate myself to cry. I even have to call my husband and he’ll be the one to motivate me.”

After seven years at ABS-CBN from 1997-2002, she decided to switch stations and got her first assignment at GMA as a host at Digital LG Quiz with Paolo Bediones. From then on, she stayed and now has shows like Unang Hirit on GMA and Shall We Dance on ABC 5.

What is the hardest thing that she had gone through as an actress?

“The rumors,” she says. “I heard that I first got pregnant before I got married, or had affairs with married men. Of course, these weren’t true at all. But with the support of my family and prayers, I was able to deal with all of these graciously.”

02 Jan 2007 Syobis Pinoy 0 comments