Meet the cool chicks of the cool dudes

Do we smell romance in the air? Is there courtship going on? These were the assumed questions in a presscon held recently for Cool Dudes 24/7 starring Cogie Domingo, Danilo Barrios and James Blanco plus three new leading ladies Angeline Aguilar, 13, Jemaline Estrada, 15, and Glaiza de Castro, 13.

To these questions, the girls responded with a quick "Noooo," except probably for one who, during the interview, was being teased by her co-star friends.

Three gorgeous ladies said to be the next generation of Maricels (Soriano), Dinas (Bonnevie) and Snookys (Serna) this early rejects the mere idea of joining the boldwagon.

Sweet, nice and thoughtful, Angeline is a full-blooded Cancerian with smiling eyes and a fondness for collecting CDs. Witty Angeline’s motto speaks of her determination to make it through life: "Just do it because how would you know the result if you don’t try?"

Angeline has all her priorities in order. Her family is No. 1 and career comes next.

She prefers roles in comedy and drama. "I want to try all kontrabida and bida roles," she muses. She looks up to Claudine Barretto and would like to be like her someday. Asked who she wants to be paired with among the male stars, she excitedly answers, "Patrick Garcia!" She is a member of the ABS-CBN Talent Center that paved the way for her guesting in shows like G-mik, the Da Body en Da Guard and others. She wants to be known as the Dina Bonne-vie of the group.

Jemalene Estrada at 15 is deadset on proving her worth in the TV and the movies. For her, time is gold. The self described matrona of the group comes from Marikina City. Jem, as she is fondly called, is a GMA talent and has to her credit notable experience through the TV shows Kasangga, Kakabakaba and Love Stories.

Asked about her expectations and how she intends to reach her goals, she has only one thing to say, "Gusto kong sumikat and I’ll work hard. I want to be known in comedy and drama." The Snooky Serna of the group wishes for a healthy family and a busy work schedule. She considers Saturday her favorite day and sees Donita Rose as her model. For this budding young woman, career and studies are the main concerns. She hopes to be paired with John Lloyd Cruz someday.

Teased about James Blanco, her leading man in Cool Dudes, Jemalene says, "James is very quiet and what I like about him is the fact that he’s really caring. From the looks of it, there might be something brewing. Is there more to them than meets the eye? Jemalene shakes her head.

Lively and charming morena Glaiza de Castro, the Maricel Soriano of the batch, is also a GMA talent. She dreams of a role ala Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. True enough, Glaiza is nice, kind and jolly. This striking youngster at 13 keeps a busy schedule, with stints in MasterShowman, Kasangga and Maalaala Mo Kaya. At 12, she has appeared in a couple of commercials. Like Jem, she respects Donita and finds her magaling. Her focus today is on excelling in acting and finding a niche in the entertainment field.

Just like any teener, these girls enjoy malling, listening to music, collecting CDs and others. A typical day for them revolves around working and studying. Studying for them is still top priority, it being a fallback someday.

The trio knows that much as they hope to stay in showbiz, they will not be there forever. Armed with the will power to make a go of showbiz, they say they are ready for whatever it will bring, including intrigues.

Young as they are, family stability, peace and friendships are what they value. Being cool, to these three promising talents, is being true to oneself, their friendship and being in the cast of Cool Dudes.

Twenty years from now they see themselves married with at least one child, saying in unison. "We hope our career will still be as smooth-sailing as can be."