Alden still doesn’t have Maine’s digits

CEBU, Philippines – Even though he has been in showbiz since 2010 and has in fact appeared in films, several TV series and has even recorded an album, it wasn’t until this year that Alden Richards truly became a household name.

He knows he owes that to AlDub, his phenomenal love team with “Queen of Dubsmash” Maine Mendoza, more popularly known as Yaya Dub.

“Everyday pag nakikita ko yung mga nangyayari, yung turn of events sa buhay ko ngayon, wala akong dapat ipagpasalamat kung hindi kay Lord sa blessings na binigay niya. Also to all the fans and supporters. Kung hindi sa kanila, walang AlDub,” Alden exclaimed at the media launch of AlDub as the new Talk ‘N Text Katropas Monday at Cocoon Boutique Hotel in Quezon City.

AlDub became an accidental phenomenon after both Alden and Maine joined the long-running noontime show “Eat Bulaga” this year. They were initially assigned to separate segments — Alden in “That’s My Bae” and Maine doing her dubsmash as Yaya Dub in “Juan For All, All For Juan.”

Then, Alden and Yaya Dub were paired in a 30-minute soap opera created for the “Juan For All, All For Juan” segment, dubbed by Joey de Leon as a “Kalyeserye.” Shortly thereafter, AlDub was born as the couple who communicated only through handwritten messages and dubsmash moments (audio samples of popular songs) that captured the imagination of viewers and netizens all over the country and even abroad.

Last Saturday, Alden and Yaya Dub saw each other again after meeting for the first time just a week ago during the “kalyeserye” storyline that saw both of them abducted and placed in separate vans. The event resulted in a rating of 39.5 for “Eat Bulaga” in Mega Manila according to AGB Nielsen, a new high for 2015 and over six million tweets for the hashtag, #AlDubTheAbduction, believed to be a world record.

“Kahit po kami, hindi namin maipaliwanag kung bakit nagkaroon ng ganung klaseng record ang love team namin ni Yaya Dub,” Alden quipped.

Naturally, it was just a matter of time before their popularity would extend to brand endorsements. Shortly after the two appeared in a TV commercial for McDonald’s, Alden and Yaya Dub are now the newest faces of Talk ‘N Text’s TNT Extend promo.

“Every day on their show, AlDub effectively shows us the great challenges of having limited communication with the people we care about. If there is a couple who can show the true value of TNT Extend, it is certainly their phenomenal split-screen love team who have captivated Filipinos here and abroad,” said Smart Prepaid marketing group head Evelyn Jimenez.

As AlDub has certainly turned him into an overnight sensation, Alden said almost all of his current activities are centered on the love team, even as he confirmed that he will be in the cast of “My Bebe Love,” the Metro Manila Film Festival entry that will be headlined by Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai delas Alas.

When asked if Yaya Dub will also be in the cast, Alden said, “Depende pa rin po sa management ni Yaya Dub kung makakasama din siya sa movie but I’m very hopeful.”

As for being too identified with AlDub to the point that fans seemed to have forgotten all the things he did in the past, including portraying Jose Rizal in the historical GMA teleserye, “Ilustrado” and his character Yago, the love interest of Marian Rivera in “Carmela,” Alden is confident that fans are still very much aware of them.

“People can still see those projects in the Internet and on YouTube. May mga nagre-request pa nga na ibalik kagaya nung ginawa ko sa ‘Magpakailanman’ which had a replay last Saturday. Hindi din naman ako magiging Alden Richards kung hindi sa mga past projects na yun. Sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa akin noon and until now, utang ko sa kanila ito,” he declared.

With regards to the prospects of AlDub becoming a real love team, Alden just smiled and said he doesn’t even have her phone number.

“Honestly, wala pa rin talaga. Tatlong digits pa lang kasi ang binigay sa kin ni Lola Nidora (Wally Bayola). Saan ka naman nakakita ng phone number na tatlong digits lang?,” he complained.

As for Yaya Dub, she continued to hide in her veil of mystery and skipped the Talk ‘N Text media launch. But she appears (without Alden for the meantime) in the first of a series of commercials. –InterAksyon.com