KRISTINE Hermosa and Oyo
Boy Sotto looked in love when they attended the premiere showing of "Dobol
Trobol, Ready to Rumble," the first movie of Vic Sotto (Oyo’s dad) with the King
of Comedy, Dolphy. It premiered last Tuesday at Cinema 10 of Megamall.
Actually, it wasn’t just Oyo who arrived with a loved one.
Dad Vic came with girlfriend, Pia Guanio. Also present was Oyo’s first cousin,
Ciara who was with her boyfriend Jojo Oconor. She is the youngest daughter of
anti-drug czar Tito Sotto’s (Vic’s elder brother).
Ciara is in town for a vacation. She is now based in Las
Vegas, Nevada, where she is booked for a singing stint.
Her boyfriend, Jojo, is the nephew of "Eat Bulaga" producer
Tony Tuviera. Tuviera is the owner of APT Entertainment, which produced "Dobol
Trobol" with Dolphy’s RVQ Productions and Vic’s M-Zet TV Entertainment
Productions.
"Dobol Trobol," directed by Tony Reyes, was rated B by the
Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB).
***
Let’s meet two of the recent expelled scholars of the "Pinoy
Dream Academy II": Bea and Apple.
Bea, like fellow scholar and boyfriend Miguel who is still
inside the Pinoy Dream Academy, lives in Ayala Alabang.
While Miguel has experienced joining singing contests,
including the reality program "Philippine Idol" on ABC-5 where he failed to make
it, it was Bea’s first attempt to audition for a TV reality program, which aims
to develop singers into professionals.
"There were 10 of us na magkakabarkada who auditioned.
Sa group namin, ako ang pinaka-most likely na makakapasa.
"Singing has never been one of my talents. But I love
singing. I sing while in the banyo or while cooking," said Bea whose real
name is Beatriz Marie Muñoz.
Bea’s ambition is to become a chef. She dreams of putting up
a restaurant someday. Currently, she is taking up hotel and restaurant
management at St. Benilde.
Bea continued, "Nang mapili ako as scholar, I was
euphoric, to say the least. And I must admit that I learned a lot from my
mentors in the short time that I was in the Academy.
"I won a lot of friends, like Apple. She slept in the house
with me and I fetched her on the night she was expelled."
So, what are her plans now?
"Given the chance, I want to be a professional singer na.
But I would also want to try acting, if I’m given the chance," Bea answered.
***
Apple (real name, Ronelia Gagawin) describes her life as
awfully complicated. Thank God, she grew up sane.
She is the fifth in a brood of six. When she was one year
old, she was adopted by one of her mother’s brothers.
"Nabanggit niya raw kasi sa brother niya na kapag
babae ang kanyang ipinagbubuntis, ibibigay niya ito sa tinatawag kong
amam (mama spelled backwards).
"My amam’s gender is complicated. Despite the complication,
however, I had a happy and normal childhood.
"There were other ‘complicated’ persons in my life, my ‘ninang’
sa baptism who helped my kinagisnang parents look after me. E,
iba iba ang kanilang paniniwala sa pagpapalaki ng anak.
"When I grew older, I decided to learn everything they taught
me," Apple related.
Before joining the "PDA 2," Apple was in fourth year college,
taking up a course in accounting at the University of San Carlos. It is also
where her boyfriend studies.
Did she fall for Miguel while in the academy?
"I did not," Apple quickly replied. "Not only because Bea was
my best friend in the academy but also because I already had a boyfriend. He was
the first one I called when I was expelled from the academy."
Apple is not going back to Cebu soon. As a PDA scholar, even
if she has already been expelled, she is still under Star Magic, the talent
management arm of ABS- CBN.
She is more determined this time to really make it as a professional singer.
