Best Actress Marian Rivera-Dantes' "BALOTA" Hits Theaters October 16th

It's been a while since I've last seen Ms. Marian Rivera-Dantes. I also missed the opportunity to watch her latest movie "BALOTA" which was showcased at Cinemalaya XX which won her the Best Actress trophy for obvious reasons. The film mirrors real life (although satire), of an educator who goes over and beyond her duty in the classroom. Teacher Emmy not only thinks about her future, but spins in the optimism of electing leaders, and finding out the grim reality of the human psyche.

In a mayoralty race of their quaint town, they had the choice between a land grabbing power hungry woman, or a former s3xy actor. Since she also administers a precinct during the elections, she gets caught in the action when the result meant people seizing the ballot box she carries in order to win. The woman with integrity didn't budge with any force, and baddies even became more eager to find or eliminate her, no matter what it takes.

Marian by any means still looked every bit beautiful even if she was de-glamorized. The chase brought her to vehicles, the forest, the querida's house, the s3xy actor's house, the boondocks, something you wouldn't think she'd have to do as a premiere actress yet here we are. Marian says "I couldn't explain how I felt after shooting "Balota". I even mentioned to Dong how fulfilled I felt doing it despite me being in the industry for a while now. It fed my hunger to do worthwhile projects like these. I felt inspired after that win given to me by the Cinemalaya community."

The exciting thing is, they will be having this released for public viewing this coming October 16. This is produced by GMA Pictures, written and directed by Kip Oebanda. The film also includes actors Will Ashley, Raheel Bhyria, Royce Cabrera, Sassa Gurl, Esnyr, Donna Cariaga, Gardo Versoza, Mae Paner, Sue Prado, Joel Saracho, Donna Cariaga and Nico Antonio. Apt for the times, great story line that is cohesive. It's genius. Having Marian Rivera-Dantes is a great reason to also watch this. It's our story.

There's No Stopping GILLIAN VICENCIO

After numerous commercials, lining up for auditions trying to find her spot, Gillian Vicencio finally got the ball rolling in her showbiz career after appearing called "EERIE" together with A list stars Bea Alonzo and ABSCBN exec Charo Santos Concio. She played the role of a ghost named Erika Sayco which meant she wasn't allowed to appear in promotional tours to get the element of surprise when people see the movie.

She was seen with her merits, and slowly got different projects because of it, one of which is a horror film "Hell Come Home" with noted actor Dennis Trillo, Alyssa Mulach, Raymond Bagatsing and talented actress Beauty Gonzales. She entered Star Magic in 2019 together with some of this generations brightest stars like Belle Mariano, Anthony Jennings, Jeramiah Lizbo, JC Alcantara and good looking actor/singer Kyle Echarri.

Later on, she was handled by Mico Del Rosario via Rise Artists Studio and the Star Creatives group. She was ready and met with ABSCBN execs, though 2020 proved to be a huge challenge for ABS-CBN as their franchise woes started. Gillian says "Of course I was so afraid about the situation because I just signed with the corp. But we were assured by management that they will take care of us. This started numerous digital shows, hosting stints, lots of opportunities to introduce ourselves to the public. We also got to talk with other artists while doing We Rise Together Live. We also got a lot of workshops done to hone our skills, it was a lot of help to equip us prior to bringing us in new projects we're doing today, I am truly grateful for that!"

She also got her biggest break in a movie called "Four Sisters Before The Wedding" wherein she got cast with Charlie Dizon, Belle Mariano and our girl Alexa Ilacad. Since this is a prequel, she portrayed the same role of Angel which was previously done by screen superstar Angel Locsin. This was shown online in so many platforms and her versatility was evidently showcased and appreciated by many.

Last year, she was also in KARGO which was shown in Netflix. She got to work with veteran actresses like Rio Locsin in the Thriller/Drama piece and was quite happy about that. Viral digital series "Hello Stranger" also got her as part of the cast as Tony Labrusca's girlfriend in the BL series which got lots of views, then continued to appear in other shows.


Gillian took her talent to the KathNiel project "2good To Be True" and was paired with Yves Flores. People loved their chemistry and she liked the friendship she formed with him during the shoot. Though the months after, she faced some real challenges. She faced it with positivity and continued to work and focused on her race instead.  

Today, she's grateful about the opportunities that continue to come her way. Gillian appeared in the theater play "KUMPRONTASYON" in mid January at the PETA Theater. There, she continued to cop more roles and even had the opportunity to work with Romnick Sarmenta and Director Melvin Lee.

She also got endorsements with beauty brand Beautederm. CEO and Girl Boss Rhea Tan got her in the roster of influencers, artists and A-listers to promote their products nationwide. Gillian says "I couldn't contain my happiness. Albeit being fairly new in the industry, Mommy Rhei had her trust in me. Being in the midst of artists and celebrities of Beautederm is but an honor. Can't wait to see how the photos and billboard would come out!"

Gillian will also be a part of the Filipino adaptation of "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" where she will be with Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino. It will be shown on streaming platform Viu. Aside from that, she's going to be in the horror film "Talahib" together with Kristoff Garcia and Joem Bascon. This is produced by FEAST Foundation and dony by acclaimed Director Alvin Yapan. It will be showcased in local and international film festivals, so make sure to watch out for that!  

There's no stopping Gillian Vicencio, she's going no where but up!

TIMMY CRUZ is BACK: Sharing Her Gift

Ever wondered what happened to the bubble gum pop,  iconic Timmy Cruz? It's been years since we've all last heard from her, with good reason. She took a long deserved vacation, a break from all the stress, to concentrate on healing, inner peace and deeper self care.

She was working on a series set in a hospital, where she got the idea to have herself checked. She did it quite regularly, but this time, it was different. Doctors brought news about her condition, here's her story:

While she was on her path to doing deeper self care, she practiced meditation and concentrated on their family business. While in one of her sessions, she shared her songs among those who attended it and people asked if songs she sang (during meditation sessions) was already out there. She said no but didn't know she was talking to someone from FlipMusic Records. Aside from that, her whole family was always egging her to go back to show business and singing. After getting healed, and years of waiting during the pandemic, she felt it was but right to share her gift to even more people. She also hoped that people learn something about her story, then decided to go back to the industry she loves. She needed a little help on the management side and sought the help of Artist Circle under Rams David.

Ms. Timmy says "The title of the song is ALL I WANT IS YOU. I wrote this song together with a couple of others I sang earlier. It is my first try in composing songs, as I couldn't call myself a real artist if I only interpret other people's songs. I felt something was lacking, so I asked the Lord to help me. During a teleserye shoot, I was with Ogie Alcasid, so I bluntly asked him to help me how to write songs. He just said.. you can do it! You just have to emote, then try several times. I took his advice and now have FlipMusic to release it on digital. Now I have over 28 on Spotify and other platforms. All I Want Is You is my 29th. I also came up to Jose Mari Chan, he didn't recognize me because I now have gray hair. I told him I'm following his footsteps of writing Christmas songs. He just told me to keep on composing. I always send it to him and ask about it. I learned a lot during this process, I really learned to listen."

She added "I am here to do good things. If it's not, then I'm not going to be part of that. When I had a long break, I didn't really use make up. That's a 7 year break from it sans the mascara that I use every once in a while. This is how I look like naturally, so I enjoy and accept it. I cut my hair so as to not use much energy. I'd rather have it be used by my body to heal. I used to always keep watch my hair color and even go to salons at night for continuity sake. It took me a year to get used to it."

And by any standards, her new look would probably land her roles. You could liken it to Miranda Priestly or put it down so she could portray a Mom (a little too young to be a Grandma) so imagine the things she can do now that she's back in showbiz. This is just the start, and if you're already feeling the Christmas season, you can pre order her single that's coming out on the 6th of December. We all heard it and it's like standards, think Michael Buble but her version. It's on all digital platforms, and yes, we could make it into a playlist for that special day.

I'm quite happy to see where she's going. I've got her performance on my TikTok account @kumagcow so head on there if you want to see more of Ms. Timmy Cruz. Thank you to her management Artist Circle for letting us interview Ms. Timmy. Hope to see her in new shows soon!