Rhian Ramos: A natural celebrity

A lot of people may have been wondering, "Who's that girl with Richard Gutierrez in GMA's latest primetime blockbuster Captain Barbell?" and just as much may have been thinking to themselves, "I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before "

Because indeed they have. Remember that TV commercial for the McDonalds McJelly Trio-the one where the girl eating a McJelly bumps into a guy then starts to float like an angel? Yup, that brown-haired, brown-eyed willowy beauty is Rhian Denise Ramos Howell, or simply Rhian Ramos, all right. Now you tell yourself, no wonder she looks familiar. And it helps that a lot of people think she looks like a number of female stars, the most popular opinion of which is that she looks a lot like Richard Gutierrez's former flame, Anne Curtis.

Rhian now plays the role of Leah, the childhood friend of Teng (Captain Barbell's alter-ego, also played by Richard Gutierrez) who will become his love interest, in the first-ever television serialization of Mars Ravelo's well-loved Pinoy superhero "Captain Barbell" on GMA-7.

Entering show business was something that the sweet-faced 16-year-old resident of Muntinlupa City has always wanted to do, but she never really thought it would happen this soon. "The job picked me," she says. What she initially planned was to focus on her modeling career at first while attending high school in De La Salle Zobel. And yet, everything sped up for her when GMA Films and GMA Worldwide Inc.'s Annette Gozon-Abrogar noticed her in her sundae commercial. She auditioned for the part of Captain Barbell's love interest and fortunately bagged the part.

Some speculated that things came so easy for her being the niece of GMA Artist Center AVP Ida Henares, but Rhian shares, "I just went and auditioned, and I didn't tell them that I am her niece. They only found out after I got picked."

Rhian seems to fit in Philippine showbiz so easily, what with her candidness and easy charm. At the press conference held to launch the TV series, the witty daughter of Gareth Howell and Clara Ramos answered questions confidently, without a trace of hesitation or coyness whatsoever. She good-naturedly bantered with big-time stars and showbiz talk show hosts Richard Gomez and Paolo Bediones as they teased her onstage, gave witty responses to the members of the press who were quizzing her about a potential romance with her leading man Richard, and dealt with intrigues thrown at her without losing her cool and poise. She also gamely posed for pictures with the members of the crew after the event, throwing aside the bouquet of flowers she was holding to be able to make wacky poses before the camera, to the delight of the people around her.

A star is born, so to speak, and with the natural celebrity that she is proving herself to be, Rhian will surely go a long, long way. The girl who was first seen floating on the sundae commercial sure is floating on cloud nine now, given the opportunities that are coming her way.

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Before the Starstruck craze swept the nation, Pinoys were going gaga over them. And for the first time after 22 long years, the stars of the movie Bagets shall reunite on GMA Network's late night no-holds-barred program Showbiz Stripped.

This Saturday, June 10, the program's host, entertainment expert and editor Ricky Lo, will take a rare trip back in time in the episode "Bagets, 'Di Namin Kayo Maforgets!" Witness as Bagets alumni Aga Mulach, Herbert Bautista, Francis Magalona, Eula Valdez, William Martinez, Yayo Aguila, Raymond Lauchengco, Ramon Christopher, Jobelle Salvador, JC Bonnin, and Cheska Inigo uncover the past and admit to the truths which viewers will hear only for the first time!

Only Showbiz Stripped can bring together the former teeny-bopper idols of Bagets in an exclusive feature, proving once more that "Showbiz Stripped lang ang may kaya."

Showbiz Stripped airs every Saturday night after Hokus Pokus on GMA-7.

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Catch the making of the upcoming movie "Kapag Tumibok ang Puso (Not Once But Twice)" starring Sen. Bong Revilla Jr., Ai-Ai De Las Alas, and reigning Ms. International Precious Lara Quigaman on GMA-7 this Sunday, June 11, at 10AM.

Witness how they created this romantic comedy flick, which is sure to draw crowds to the theaters soon. In the film, Bong Revilla Jr. plays Marco, an OFW whose wife, Sarah (Precious Lara) unfortunately dies suddenly and whom donated her heart, which was transplanted to Love (played by Ai-Ai).

Love is a horrid and cruel person, yet when Marco met her, he fell head over heels in love with her in spite of her many shortcomings. What could have made Marco fall for such a forbidding woman? Is it possible that he is still attracted to Sarah's heart, which now belongs to Love?

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