Zanjoe truly in love with Bea

“Yes, I am in love with Bea,” Zanjoe Marudo admitted to Buzz co-host Toni Gonzaga when pressed if he is in love with actress Bea Alonzo. But even without verbalizing it, it is written all over his face that Zanjoe is so in love with Bea. His eyes and his smile say it all. He also admitted that he sees Bea as the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. And that Bea is also his best friend. For someone who is reticent and painfully shy, Zanjoe must be so in love.

So how is his relationship now with the beautiful actress? “Ako nandoon na ako. [Siya] malapit na yata, malapit na,” he said. He is also scared of losing Bea in his life. “Have you told Bea I love you?” Toni probed. “Yes,” he quipped.

Talks about the duo playing beautiful music together started last year but they were quiet and evasive. Now, Zanjoe and Bea are no longer conscious of the prying eyes of the public. It could mean that they are comfortable with each other. Last month, they were seen playing golf in Tagaytay. They arrived together and had a good time without trying to hide their affection for each other. 

Very recently Zanjoe and Bea flew to Paris. It was Bea’s first and Zanjoe (who has visited the place when he filmed Lovers in Paris with Piolo Pascual and KC Concepcion) stood as her tour guide. “Masayang-masaya iyong Paris kasi first time pumunta ni Bea sa Paris. Nagtrabaho kami pero isang araw lang naman. We stayed there for a week. We also took a side trip to Florence,” said Zanjoe.

Zanjoe is also happy he has fulfilled his promise to bring Bea to a garden restaurant in Paris where he, KC and Piolo once visited. “Mas romantic sana, gabi naman siya kaya lang alas nuwebe na may araw pa so pumapasok iyong araw sa loob ng restaurant so para siyang isang lunch.”

Both are busy with their respective careers, Bea is the female lead of Guns & Roses while Zanjoe is promoting his new movie Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi with Toni Gonzaga and Eugene Domingo and is taping his upcoming teleserye Hiyas with Mercedes Cabral and Megan Young.

Thank God for love! It makes the world glow and makes people sparkle — just like Bea and Zanjoe.

Celebrating the written word

The Manila International Book Fair lists upcoming movie adaptations no book lover should miss, as it celebrates its 32nd anniversary on Sept. 14 to 18 at the SMX Convention Center, and once again welcomes book lovers to celebrate the written word in all its forms.

Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman and James Gandolfini star in the adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s 9/11 novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The Hollywood version of the literary sensation The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is David Fincher’s latest enterprise, with The Social Network’s Rooney Mara as the punk genius Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

Fans of the legendary boy detective Tintin by cartoonist Herge are eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s CGI The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, voiced by a powerhouse cast of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig and Cary Elwes.

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road gets another adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart and Steve Buscemi.

Daniel Radcliffe returns to the spotlight in his first film role outside of Harry Potter, in Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, while Danny de Vito, Betty White and Zac Efron lend voices to Dr. Seuss’ environmental tale, The Lorax.

Fans are also holding their breath for Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen; the love triangle completed by Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

Man Booker Prize winner The Life of Pi by Yann Martel will be brought to life by Ang Lee (of Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame); while Peter Jackson returns to Tolkien with the classic LOTR prequel The Hobbit.  

MIBF runs from Sept. 14 to 18 at the SMX Convention Center, Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. MIBF is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. in partnership with Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc., Book Development Association of the Philippines, Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc., and Publishers Representatives Organization of the Philippines. For details, call 896-0661 or 896-0682, or e-mail [email protected].