HERE ARE SOME QUOTABLE QUOTES from celebrities I interviewed this year for this column, for my daily cable TV show (?Stop, Talk & Listen? on Cignal TV?s Viva Cinema Channel) with Maui Taylor and Mr. Fu, and for my online show (?My Foursome,? on PLDT MyDSL?s Watchpad) with three newspaper colleagues.

Having grown up in the biz, I?ve scratched beneath the surface so I see the stars more as persons than personalities. No need to sugarcoat. Just honest-to-goodness quotes.

BRILLANTE MENDOZA: ?I make films about aspects of life that are usually overlooked because I see in them a story that?s worth telling. I cannot imagine shooting a movie in Hollywood because the culture there is not my reality.?

CES DRILON: ?When we were climbing the mountain while I was in captivity, I muttered to myself, ?What I would do for a glass of wine right now!??

AI AI DE LAS ALAS: ?When I was having my house built, there were months I didn?t have enough money. Lakasan lang talaga ng loob at tiwala sa Diyos. Sa buhay, minsan kailangan sumugal para manalo.?

OGIE ALCASID: ?Pikit mata na lang ako when I buy Regine gifts (laughs). I don?t look at the price tag anymore. After all, my love for her is priceless.?

DIETHER OCAMPO: ?My father?s death when I was a teen made me grow up quickly. I was thrust into becoming an instant padre de familia. It made me want to work, work, work and stop at nothing to provide for my family.?

EUGENE DOMINGO: ?More than anything else, I want to be remembered as someone na masarap katrabaho. For me, that?s the biggest compliment.?

VIC SOTTO: ?I don?t choose my leading ladies based on their looks or popularity. What?s important is she fits into the character she has to portray in our movie.?

MARVIN AGUSTIN: ?Before, it was always me first in my relationships. I?ve reached a point of maturity where I can just keep on giving and giving because my heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the blessings. Now I can say that if the right girl comes along, I?m more than ready to settle down.?

RICKY DAVAO: ?To be a good actor, dapat magaling ka umarte at hindi mag-?inarte?.?

MICHAEL V: ?The most unbelievable thing that happened to me was when I realized that people really think I?m funny!?

RHIAN RAMOS: ?I don?t want to fall for someone I know can never be mine. I set limits for myself when I work with my leading men especially when they?re spoken for already.?

ANDREW E: ?The moment you let success get into your head is the end of your career. ?Pag masyadong mataas tingin mo sa sarili mo, ?yun na din mismo ang pagbagsak mo.?

ISABEL OLI: ?Sometimes the worst things turn out to be the best things in the long run. Like after my split-up with Paolo, projects came left and right.?

CRISTINE REYES: ?After my terrible ?Ondoy? experience, material things have become immaterial to me.?

BB GANDANGHARI: ?Hayaan na lang natin ang mga detractors ko na di ako maintindihan o ayaw akong unawain. Negative vibes lang ?yun. Nakakasira ng beauty ko!?

DINGDONG DANTES: ?During my struggling years in the biz, there was a time I thought of quitting when it seemed like my career had no definite direction. I asked myself if I was holding on too long or giving up too soon. Now I know there are rewards for staying even when you feel like leaving.?

GABBY CONCEPCION: ?Sometimes I wish I never left for the United States. But the warm welcome when I came back home after a long time is enough assurance that I made the right decision.?

CESAR MONTANO: ?Marriage is one tough adventure but a man?s journey can never be complete without it. I consider marital trials like bricks to build a stronger relationship. Brick by brick until it?s rock solid.?

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