Little Vilma, Little Nora

Curtain-raisers:

• I’d like to say "Hi!" to Tim Evans and his family in L.A. Tim, a Fil-Am, is with the US Immigration at the L.A. airport. I met him on my trip to L.A. last week. Tim said that his family, especially his Filipino mom, are avid readers of The STAR (in the Internet), especially the Entertainment section which, he said, keeps the Evanses posted on the latest in showbiz. Keep on reading, Tim!

• An eyewitness said that when Regine Velasquez watched Barbra Streisand’s concert last week in L.A. (she purposely went there for that), she was seated on Row 7. Well, if you paid $3,000 (per ticket), why shouldn’t you be? Said the eyewitness, "The most expensive ticket actually cost only $750 per but some patrons voluntarily gave more as donation to Streisand’s cause." Regine was with two companions with whom she did last-minute shopping at the elite Beverly Hills before she rushed to LAX for her PAL flight back to Manila. If you can afford it, enjoy it!

• Food for thought for today –

• From Piolo Pascual: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5,6). Piolo’s "sermon": "Depression is one of the most common emotional ailments. One antidote for depression is to meditate on the record of God’s goodness to His people. This will take your mind off the present situation and give hope that it will improve. It will focus your thoughts on God’s ability to help you rather than on your ability to help yourself. When you feel depressed, take advantage of this Psalm’s anti-depressant. Read the Bible’s accounts of God’s goodness and meditate on them."

• From Dr. Welson Yap: The saddest quote comes from one of the funniest men ever born on this planet – "I always like walking in the rain so no one can see me crying..." – Charlie Chaplin.

• From Joji Dingcong: Have you heard the story of a little girl and her father who were crossing a bridge? The father asked the girl to hold on to him but she asked him to hold her hand instead. When he asked her, "What’s the difference?," she answered, "If I hold your hand, I might let go. But if you hold my hand, whatever happens I know you will never let go of me." Joji’s "sermon": "Such amazing, strong faith from a little girl! In seemingly hard and trying times, and when we feel so alone, God is still holding our hand. We just have to remember and recognize His presence."

* * *

Batang Vilma Santos at batang Nora Aunor.

That remark, heard at the press preview-conference of Inang Yaya with Maricel Soriano in the title role, was in reference to the two child stars of the movie, Tala Santos and Erika Oreta, playing the daughter and ward respectively of Maricel.

Tala is dark and Erika is fair, so like Ate Guy and Ate Vi.

They were asked if they like Nora and Vilma.

Tala shook her head.

Erika said her favorite is Tita Maricel.

To which Maricel laughed, "Reregaluhan ko ang batang ito."

Well, kids tell it like is.

Right after the Q&A of the presscon, Tala and Erika were all over Big Buddha restaurant at the Greenbelt in Makati City, where the press people had their dinner. The press could hardly get hold of the two girls as they turned the place into a playground.

The ladies – and some men, too – of the press said that Unitel producer Tony Gloria should have provided them with tissue papers. Inang Yaya reduced them to tears.

The ending was especially touching, when Maricel has to choose between Ruby (Tala) and Louise (Erika). Will she join Erika and her parents (Zoren Legaspi and Sunshine Cruz) in Singapore, where she’ll earn big money, assuring her daughter of a good future? Or will she remain with Tala in the Philippines and face an uncertain tomorrow?

That’s the dilemma of many a Filipino mother, especially those working abroad.

Another touching scene is when Erika’s Lola (Liza Lorena) falsely accused Tala of stealing her apo’s necklace. Erika came to Tala’s defense, saying, "Lola, I gave it to her. She saved my life."

There’s a scene in Inang Yaya where Erika is drowning in a pool and Tala comes to her rescue. In reality, Erika is a good swimmer and Tala had to learn how to swim for that drowning scene.

At the end of the shoot of Inang Yaya, the two girls hugged each other and cried. They have become such good friends.

The staff, led by neophyte directors Pablo Biglang-awa Jr. and Veronica Velasco, husband and wife in real life, also felt sad. They said it was such a pleasure to work with Maricel, the two girls, and the other stars.

Velasco also wrote the script, based on her own experiences as a mother and those of her friends.

Tala and Erika were chosen for the roles from hundreds of children who trooped to Unitel to audition. But let the two directors relate the search for Ruby and Louise.

Tony related how they found "Ruby" and "Louise":

Ruby: Seven years old, morena, speaks Tagalog, swims and bikes, is adventurous and strong-willed.

Louise: Seven years old, mestiza, Inglisera, spoiled but sweet.

In truth, nothing was simple in casting our little girls. We spent several weekends from December to March auditioning numerous aspirants.

We first spotted Tala Santos, who plays the role of Ruby, at her father’s birthday celebration. Tala is the daughter of theater actors Roence Santos and Soliman Cruz. When she initially auditioned for Ruby, Tala was both shy and uncomfortable. Despite her obvious unease in front of the camera, we decided to call her back. During final VTR, Tala outshone others with her subtle, quiet acting. Though so young, she manages to communicate sincerity effortlessly. To illustrate how determined Tala was in playing the part of Ruby, she did not know how to bike or swim before filming began. Annoyed at us for considering using a "double," before the shoot ended, Tala learned how to bike and swim just for Inang Yaya.

Erika Oreta, who plays Louise, was referred to us by Propaganda makeup artist Jay Lozada. He mentioned working with a little girl for a TV ad who was very professional. When we first met Erika, she was all business. A veteran of a number of TV commercials, she can even sing and cry at the same time. Not only is Erika pretty and adorable, she is also level-headed. Her studies are her priority. Erika’s parents, Fina and Frederick Oreta, tell us their daughter is Top 1 in her class. Erika excels in everything she does. During her drowning scene, we repeatedly had to remind her not to swim.

Fr. Corsie’s healing sked

And here’s Fr. Corsie Legaspi’s healing schedule for December:

• Dec. 2 – Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., at the Sta. Quiteria Elementary School, Baesa, Caloocan City;

• Dec. 8 – Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 noon, at St. Paul College, St. Paul Road, Pasig City (near ULTRA);

• Dec. 11 – Monday, 1 to 6 p.m., at the Lakeshore Subd., Mexico, Pampanga (NLEX before San Fernando);

• Dec. 13 – Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m., at the Coming Home Retreat and Meditation Center, Binakayan, Cavite.

(For further inquiries, call Somil at 046-434-8759 or 046-878-0069, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays.)

* * *

E-mail reactions at [email protected]