Toni Gonzaga puts heart, soul in relationship, says BF

"She's the best, for me."

This was how director Paul Soriano described his girlfriend, television host-actress Toni Gonzaga, who celebrated her birthday Saturday.

"She put her 100 percent, heart and soul into this relationship just to make me happy, to make me feel secure, to make me smile," Soriano said in a taped message.

"The best has just begun. I'm here, I'm gonna journey with you throughout everything," he added.

Aside from Soriano, Gonzaga's celebrity friends and family, including her grandfather who flew from the US, also greeted her.

A teary eyed Gonzaga, who spent the holidays in the US, shared that she requested her grandfather to come home so that she could spend her birthday with him.

Toni Gonzaga not leaving the Kapamilya network

Television host-actress Toni Gonzaga firmly denied reports saying that she was leaving ABS-CBN allegedly because of dissatisfaction.

Gonzaga said she was not transferring to another television station, saying that in the first place the Kapamilya network has lined up many projects for her this year.

The actress, who celebrated her birthday Saturday, added that she is “happy” in ABS-CBN.

“Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa ABS-CBN. Talagang naging ganap akong artista sa ABS. At may gagawin pa ako this year sa kanila so hindi ako pwedeng umalis,” she said.

Toni Gonzaga clarifies issues that came out during the holidays

Sa pagbabakasyon ni Toni Gonzaga, kasama ang buong pamilya, sa Amerika last holiday season, samu't saring mga intriga agad ang lumabas tungkol sa TV host-actress-singer.

Una na rito ay pagkakalabuan daw nila ng boyfriend na si Paul Soriano. Ikalawa ay ang napipintong paglipat daw ni Toni sa ibang istasyon dahil sa kakulangan ng mga proyekto na ibinibigay sa kanya ng ABS-CBN.

Sa panayam ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) kay Toni kahapon, January 11, sa dressing room ng ASAP '09, ay binigyang-linaw niya ang mga isyung ito.

"Regarding kay Paul," simula ni Toni, "I left na malungkot dahil hindi siya nakasama in States. But I left with a happy heart dahil may babalikan ako pag-uwi.

"Siguro kaya may mga issue na ganyan, kasi hindi kami masyadong napagkikita. Hindi rin kami nagpapa-interview. For me kasi, I think sapat na I was honest enough to admit na I have a boyfriend, I'm committed now. Tapos hindi na ako nagpa-interview about it para hindi na nakakalkal."

Last Friday, January 9, lang nakauwi si Toni from their vacation. Hindi nakasama sa nasabing bakasyon si Direk Paul dahil bukod sa lakad yun ng buo nilang pamilya, alam ni Toni na may sarili rin namang pamilya na dapat makasama ang boyfriend sa special occasion na yun.

"Galing kami ng L.A., New Jersey, New York," kuwento ni Toni. "Family lang, exclusive for family, it's our first White Christmas... Bonding, updating sa mga nangyayari sa amin, so talagang excited kami nun. 

"Actually, gusto sana naming isama siya [Paul]. Kaya lang, siyempre Christmas and New Year is panahon para sa pamilya. Puwede naman kaming mag-spend ng Christmas namin every day."

Gab Fab: Vhong, Toni triumph in new romcom

Cathy Garcia-Molina has fans and by that I don’t mean those people who don’t miss the movies of certain directors because they’re fans. Molina’s fans cheer and even bring their own streamers, as if the director is some much-hyped and much-photographed high-profile actor. I witnessed this myself during the recent premiere of My Only U

from Star Cinema.

Then again, such reaction shouldn’t be surprising. Cathy has been churning out fan-friendly films, from last year’s blockbuster One More Chance, which cemented John Lloyd Cruz’s rep as a bankable movie actor; and Close to You, which launched the movie career of Sam Milby; to, more recently, the widely popular A Very Special Love, which gave Sarah Geronimo movie-star bragging rights.

For her latest outing, My Only U, Cathy’s fans cheered her at the premiere of the comedy starring Vhong Navarro and Toni Gonzaga. The movie has been rated “B” by the Cinema Evaluation Board, allowing it to receive a 50-percent tax rebate.

The movie is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Winona (Gonzaga), a bitter person who has lost hope for the future—that is, until she meets Bong (Navarro). He has always had feelings for Winona but could never summon the courage to do anything about it. Until a ghost comes in to provide assistance. The movie packed with wild and wacky antics—and then, there’s the surprise ending which, of course, I won’t give away.

What I will say is that Vhong Navarro, as usual, is a comic genius. His comedy is very Pinoy—slapstick, very emotional, sprinkled with a bit of wit. He’s no Hugh Grant but Hugh is English and so while his movies will never muster lines at the box office of Starmall, Vhong’s will.

Vhong even shows a dramatic side in the movie and while that scene is filled with clichés, Vhong’s brilliant acting saves it—and according to Vhong, direk Cathy helped him fully understand his character. I won’t be surprised if Vhong brings his own streamer for Cathy at the premiere of her next project.

Meanwhile, another comedy I got to see recently is Pineapple Express (screened exclusively in Ayala Cinemas), from Judd Apatow and stars Seth Rogen and James Franco. It’s typical Apatow—nasty dialogue, scenes that are borderline obscene, but with a certain smartness informing the entire proceedings.

Pineapple Express is no different.

Denton (Rogen) is a mailman who spends his days delivering subpoeanas and buying dope from his trusted dealer Saul (Franco). The two try out the latest weed variety, called Pineapple Express, and then Dale witnesses a murder on his way from their pot session. Before long, the two are pursued by hitmen, cops and the whole world.

The movie zips along with abandon and it remains hilarious even if by the middle it gets loopier and disconnects with the plot. Apatow movies have never been about plot, after all. It has always been about witty dialogue, the sly ripostes between the characters. The movie is pointless but it’s so funny that you wouldn’t mind. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud scenes, such as the madcap car chase and an out-of-control ninja scene. But what is shocking is that, in some scenes, you’d even sympathize with the pothead characters.

What is also special about Pineapple Express is that it does what the three Spider-Man blockbusters failed to accomplish: make James Franco a star. Franco is a very talented but underrated young actor. He has always amazed me with his talent, but I’m now blown away by his range showing us his sterling comic skills in this movie.

There will be no Oscar nominations for this movie, I’m quite sure, but if you want to just laugh the days away, then watch Pineapple Express. You might be able to forget the horrors you’ve seen recently on TV...and I’m not talking about those lame Halloween specials over the weekend but the news about Bolante and de la Paz.

Vhong, Toni’s friendship blossoms in ‘My Only U’

At the presscon of their soon-to-be released movie "My Only U," Vhong Navarro and Toni Gonzaga admitted that they nearly fell in love in the past and they didn’t do it just for show.

"We became too close for comfort, sabihin na natin," said Vhong. "Yes, that was even before we started work on our first movie together, ‘D’ Anothers.’

"Kasi si Vhong ang una kong naging kaibigan when I first joined ABS-CBN," said Toni. "At sabihin na nating napaka loveable din naman niya."

But surprisingly, even with the big box office success of "D’ Anothers," Star Cinema didn’t pair them right away in another movie. Vhong instead was given his own solo movies such as "Supapalicious," where he had Valerie Concepcion for his leading lady. Toni, for her part, was teamed with other leading men. She, in fact, did two movies with Sam Milby, "You Are the One" and "You’ve Got Me" (which also starred Zanjoe Marudo).

Both Vhong and Toni admit they are happy working together in "My Only U." Star Cinema insiders said that this is different from the movies Vhong and Toni did before.

"Iba ang ginawang approach nila Vhong and Toni sa funny moments nila sa ‘My Only U.’ At tiyak maiiyak ka sa kanilang drama scenes," they said.

"My Only U," directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, is about the friendship of Bong (Vhong) and Winona (Toni). Bong falls in love with Winona who only has a few moths to live.

"We all gave ‘My Only U’ our own unique touch," said Direk Cathy. "And that, I believe is the greatest asset of the movie."

Toni Gonzaga reunites with Vhong Navarro in "My Only U"

Nagulat si Toni Gonzaga nang makarating sa kanya ang pag-amin ni Vhong Navarro sa naging feelings nito towards her. Muntik na ring ligawan ni Vhong si Toni noon at hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin daw nawawala ang feelings sa kanya ng leading man niya sa My Only U ng Star Cinema.

"Eto naman si Vhong, kung anu-ano ang pinagsasabi!" natatawang umpisa ni Toni sa PEP. "Ano yung kay Vhong, siya kasi yung unang-unang naging close ko sa ABS-CBN. Kasi nung nasa ABS na ako, siya na yung unang-una kong nakakasama dito. Sa kanya pa kumuha ng number si Luis [Manzano]. Oo, totoo yun. Talagang siya yung  pinaka, kapag may nanliligaw noon dati, kay Vhong muna nila itatanong.

Was there a time ba na na-in love din siya kay Vhong?

"Dahil super close namin na parang, ‘Ay, gumagaan ang loob namin sa isa't isa.' Pero kasi yun ang lagi kong sinasabi na kapag si Vhong ang kasama  mo, parang hindi ko maseryoso yung mga pangyayari. Parang nakakatawa lagi. So, magtatawanan na lang kayo. Hanggang eventually, lumapat kami doon sa stage na ano, friendship talaga," lahad ni Toni.

Kung niligawan ba siya ni Vhong ay sasagutin ito ni Toni?

"Ah, hindi marunong manligaw si Vhong, e. Ang alam ko, hindi siya marunong manligaw!" pambubuko ng dalaga.

Kumusta naman ang working relationship nila ni Vhong after three years na huli silang nagkasama sa D' Anothers?

"Ay, hindi nagbago! Ganun pa rin kami ni Vhong. Hindi nagbago dahil lagi kaming nagkikita sa ASAP."

May  pagdududa ang iba na kaya raw ibinalik ang tambalan nila ni Vhong dahil masyado nang involved kay Anne Curtis ang leading man niya sa three consecutive movies na ginawa niya na si Sam Milby. Ano ang masasabi ni Toni rito?

"Hindi kasi, ganun naman talaga yun, di ba? Hindi naman kailangang lagi kang ma-identify sa isang love team. ‘Tsaka hindi rin naman din natin masasabi kasi, baka who knows in the future, gumawa ulit kami ng movie. Pero for now, nagko-concentrate muna kami with Vhong. ‘Tsaka si Vhong naman ang original na naka-partner ko," paliwanag niya.

Pero matagal daw bago sila pinagtambal ulit ni Vhong, unlike Sam na sunud-sunod ang pelikula nila.

"Oo, dahil kasi siguro talagang nagustuhan ng tao yung ano namin ni Sam," sabi ni Toni. "Na meron talaga kaming malaking ano, fan-based. So, ‘ayun, nagustuhahn talaga nila and we're very thankful for that. Hindi naman namin kinakalimutan ang suporta nila."

Kumusta naman sila ng boyfriend niya na si Direk Paul Soriano?

"Ay, okey naman, direktor pa rin siya!" biro ni Toni. "Naku, huwag na nating pag-usapan si Direk. Hindi siya kasali sa movie. Nung My Big Love, hindi ko rin siya pinag-usapan. Kasi ayaw ko nung may pelikula ako, nadadamay siya kasi hindi naman siya kasama sa pelikula."

Sino ang My Only U sa buhay niya?

"Sa pelikula si Vhong. Sa personal, ay, kilala mo na ‘yon! Alam mo na ‘yon!" sabi sa amin ni Toni.

Kakabugin ba nila ni Vhong ang tandem nina John Lloyd Cruz at Sarah Geronimo, na huling idinirek ng direktor ng movie nila na si Cathy Garcia Molina sa A Very Special Love? May sun dance portion din ba siya sa movie?

"Hindi ko nga alam, baka tribal dance!" tawa niya. "Hindi, hindi ko alam. Siyempre, wala naman kaming gustong taubin na kung ano dahil iisang film outfit lang kami. Isa lang ang pinagtatrabahuan namin, which is Star Cinema. We're just really thankful na nabibigyan kami ng opportunity ni Vhong na kahit papano masimulan ang movie namin this year."

May pressure ba sila na napi-feel dahil galing sa isang blockbuster movie ang pinagsamahan nila ni Vhong at box-office director naman si Cathy?

"Si Direk Cathy, I think sa dalawang pelikula na ginawa namin—and this is my third with her—she knows kasi how to handle pressure."

What about her?

"Oo, siyempre ganun na rin. Nasanay ka na rin dahil hindi lang naman sa pelikula, e. Kahit sa mga shows na ibibigay sa ‘yo, may pressure talaga ‘yon. Ano siguro, instead of focusing sa pressure, ini-enjoy na lang namin yung trabaho, yung working relationship, yung camaraderie. Kasi magaan sa set, masaya, walang iringan, walang tensiyon masyado," pagtatapos ni Toni.

Toni Gonzaga on Faces, Voices & Bodies @ Zirkoh

Zirkoh Timog together with Lucida-DS, Vaniderm and CardioPlus present a night of Faces, Voices & Bodies @ Zirkoh on Thursday, August 14, 2008, 10:00pm. Catch Gabby Concepcion and Toni Gonzaga live with the special participation of Valerie Concepcion and Joross Gamboa.

The show will also feature the following performers: Baywalk Bodies, Raphael Martinez, Eleoner G., Lex Lopez together with Yellow Milano, Trisha Gayod, Kobe Bryant Yulo, Kaye Hiñola, Jmore, Camille Tarray, Mo Jack, Garry Esguerra, Princess Mampusti and Pinky Fernandez.

For ticket inquiries, please call 09236491784 & 4674088. Tickets are available @ Zirkoh, Timog.