NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN GABBY CONcepcion?s career augur well for the actor?s stellar prospects: Aside from acting, he?s giving singing a go with the release of his first album and guest stints in concerts here and abroad. He does well enough as a crooner?but he still shouldn?t quit his day job.
The best news is that Gabby is finally making his movie comeback, in a Star Cinema drama megged by Laurice Guillen (who?s making her own comeback to film work, four years after her ?Santa Santita?).
How will Gabby fare in his comeback vehicle? Our hunch is that he?ll turn in a notable characterization, especially under Laurice?s mentorship. Recently, we saw him turn in a good guest performance on TV, and that was pretty reassuring, as well.
Viewing Gabby?s prospects realistically, however, we must note that it?s unlikely for actors his age to make a major comeback on the local scene, which is youth-oriented to a fault. If Gabby scores with his comeback movie, he could prove us and other naysayers wrong.
Our next update is on Rayver Cruz?s career prospects. We?ve written positive pieces on him in the past, but recent developments make us wonder if he really has what it takes to emerge as a major young star of substance and worth.
We?ve praised Rayver for his exceptional dancing prowess, but it?s now more obvious that he has to work harder on his acting talent-which, as his assignments have increased in importance, comes off as rather deficient.
On his first big film, ?You Changed My Life,? Rayver didn?t make much of an impression, having pretty much played himself and his role was neither here nor there. On ?May Bukas Pa,? where he?s a regular player, Rayver turns in the same aw-shucks performance, so he doesn?t do sensationally well, either.
Rayver had better get his act together fast, because he?s slated to make another movie soon, this time as Sarah Geronimo?s leading man. That?s a big break for Rayver, but he won?t do justice to it if he just does his usual cute, charming shtick.
He should realize that notable characterizations are not achieved by an actor playing himself. He should get a good acting coach to knock some acting sense into his head.
We?re still rooting for Rayver, but as he moves up in the TV-film world, he should understand that much more is being asked of him. And, he?d better deliver, because big breaks, if poorly availed of, have the nasty habit of leaving insufficient talents? careers badly bruised?and broken.
Our final update is on fave teen belter, Charice, who regularly flies out of the country for big-deal singing stints abroad. We?ve written about the negative aspects of Charice?s birit singing specially, turning off some of her fans in the process. This time, however, we note a positive development in her international career, specifically the debut album that she?s currently working on.
As Charice herself has reported, many of the cuts in her first album are not of the birit sort. Instead, the lineup is projecting her as a young singer, not as a precocious clone of the shrill, belting likes of Houston, Carey and Dion.
Now, that?s more like it. We?re glad that Charice?s handlers abroad feel the way we do, that a young singer should sound young and not be forced to ruin her singing instrument with artificially high notes and relentless ?power? singing.
Sure, Charice attracted international attention with her birit belting, but she should graduate to more age-appropriate and artistically superior styles?soonest!
?The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3?
In his latest starrer, ?The Taking of Pelham 123,? John Travolta plays the leader of a highly-trained gang of four who threatens to execute a subway train?s passengers unless a big ransom is paid?in one hour. You can?t get nastier than that!
The heart-stopping action-thriller also stars Denzel Washington as its good guy, a train dispatcher whose ?ordinary? day is thrown into chaos by the audacious hijacking of a subway train.
