showbiz!

everyday, i still get alerts from google about my former boss' internet exposure. i've been a subscriber to this service (which provides links to news, blogs, videos and any other internet content that carries the name of the senator) for almost three years now. even with my resignation from being a member of his staff, i remain loyal to my habit of browsing through stuff about him and the office online. this is how i learned of judy ann santos and ryan agoncillo's surprise wedding. the senator was one of the guests, while his wife stood as the maid of honor.

i usually don't give a hoot about philippine showbiz, but i just remembered a memory of ryan agoncillo and then my encounter with the newly-weds a few summers ago.

i was in college in UP, and me and my friends/dormmates were hanging out at tapika, a bar in katipunan where up-and-coming bands play (m.y.m.p. i believe started their career there, and i think they still play every once in a while). giselle, my then-roommate, suddenly started whispering frantically over our table to say ryan agoncillo entered the bar. ryan was a semi-celebrity then,known for appearing in the funny sprite tv ad, for hosting, and for being an atenista. he's a far cry from his present masa image of soap actor. when ryan entered that bar about six years ago, he was the sterling model of coňo. he was with a leggy, morena date and we had to stop giselle (who used to have a huge crush on him--mental note: contact giselle and rub this memory in) from boring a hole in ryan's direction with her stare. ryan and his date cuddled and whispered in their little corner of the world while we tried to ogle discreetly.

years later, in the thick of the 2007 senatorial campaign, i was assigned to the team that would produce one of my former boss' campaign ads. together with two other unitmates from the political communications group, we travelled south to a posh subdivision in cavite where we were to meet up with the creatives people, and showbiz couple ryan agoncillo and judy ann santos, who have been joining us in our campaign rallies and were there to shoot video endorsements.

i think i've said this before, and ask anyone who's had the same job as mine, being a member of the staff gives you every responsibility imaginable on earth. for this particular outing, it was to be on standby for any and every help the production team needs.

scenario #1. judy ann is inside the house, getting her make-up done while the crew sets up the lights and we wait for the director. i go to her to hand her her script. she gets the bond papers from me, reads the lines, and looks up to me to ask, "do i have to say kiko? can i just say kuya kiko? i'm more comfortable calling him that..."

scenario #2. this is the ultimate secret of my life. but in the spirit of the judy ann-ryan wedding, i'm outing myself. why not! :P the director shoots the video with judy ann. behind her is a man-made lake with a bridge. the director says, i need some movement from behind. he looks at me, to my horror, and to another officemate. the senator's niece volunteers. i give her a virtual hug for getting me out of the ordeal, only to hear the director say, "perfect. you three on the bridge!" i give him a pleading look, he promises us we'll be too distant and blurred to be recognized.

so, friends, behold my first appearance on film...as judy ann's extra. lol (oh, and giselle had a kick watching this. i really do need to remind her of ryan in tapika)



scenario #3. after a few takes, judy ann works her magic and we get dismissed. or so i think. the director readies ryan, for a separate video it turns out. we stay until past midnight, watching him read and reread his lines. cut after cut. he finally gets it right, and the director calls it a wrap.