Anne Curtis: Loveless at 24

By Isah V. Red

Unimaginable in this day and age of casual sex, informal partnerships, and multiple love affairs that a pretty young woman celebrated her 24th birthday without someone to watch over her.

Last year, the beautiful and talented Anne Curtis proved that she is indeed showbiz?s nag-iisang dyosa, pun intended. This year, she, as she celebrated her birthday on Feb.17, vowed to soar even higher.

Anne proved to be a bankable actress in 2008. She appeared in Dyosa and Maging Sino Ka Man Book 2, both of which were top-raters. (At some points, Dyosa was the no. 1 show in the country!) It is widely held that Anne?s portrayal of Celine Magsaysay in Maging Sino Ka Man Book 2?Celine died of pancreatic cancer in the said show?is one of her most touching to date.

Dyosa was no different. Viewers were able to relate to Josephine and her struggle to reconcile her two lives as a goddess whose job it was to save the world and an ordinary girl who just wanted to be loved.

Apart from doing Asap ?09 and MTV, Anne is currently working on The Wedding, another ABS-CBN show in which she will star with Zanjoe Marudo. It is hotly tipped to be just as successful as Anne?s previous shows. Network executives already have Anne scheduled to do another show after it, despite the fact that it hasn?t even begun airing. That goes to show how much ABS-CBN trusts Anne?s ability to captivate audiences.

Anne?s silver screen efforts were also met with success. Her last Viva Films and Star Cinema movie, When Love Begins, made a killing at the tills. She also filmed Baler, for which she won her first Best Actress trophy.

On top of all that, Anne was awarded the People?s Choice Top Entertainer of the Year by the Year-Ender Excellence and People?s Choice Seal of Excellence Awards Committee.

?We?re very proud of Anne and all that she?s achieved,? says manager Veronique del Rosario-Corpus of the Viva Artists Agency. ?We?re confident that she can do even more.?

She is also an effective celebrity endorser. Anne endorses HBC, Biolink Feminine Wash and Spray, Biolink VCO Soap and Lotion, San San Cosmetics, Fernslim, Flyshades, and GSM Blue. She is also one of the faces of the Belo Medical Group.

Recently, she signed on to endorse Greenwich and Swatch. Anne and her handlers from the Viva Artists Agency are looking to add more to her already long list of endorsements.

On the personal side, Anne is happily single and has managed to put the past, especially her breakup with Sam Milby, behind her, although she admits that at first she found it hard to do so. She has more time for her family (who flew in from Australia to visit her during the holidays) and friends (she spent Valentine?s Day with them in Hong Kong and is planning to trek to Europe with them this May). She also recently bought a house in Australia for her mom.

Anne says that besides her family and friends, being in show business has helped her deal with her pain. That?s why she?s very thankful to Viva Artists Agency and ABS-CBN for the projects they had been asking her to get involved in.

Who is Martha Joy?

In 2007, she auditioned in Canada?s most watched reality TV show, the Canadian Idol, and she was the youngest contestant to make it to the Top Ten Finals at the age of 16. Although Martha Joy has many previous achievements to boost her credit, it was her success in the show that opened the door for her to seriously pursue a career in the music industry. This month, she signed an exclusive recording contract with Viva Records.

Last week, her debut album, titled Martha Joy, finally found its way to music and video stores.

Born in Toronto, Ontario of mixed Asian and Latin parentage, Martha Joy started singing almost as soon as she learned to speak. Her mother recognized her gift and sought the best available vocal coaches in Toronto to ensure the proper development of her voice. Those years of formal training gave her not only the capacity to sing with ease but also the stamina required in a singing career.

Her wonderful musical sense, intonation and range have been explored in songs that have a classical feel, yet a pop resonance. Like a young Barbra Streisand, she is able to hit high operatic notes without them sounding operatic. Although she enjoys singing traditional R&B/Pop music, her heart is truly drawn to the clarity of singing classical material with soaring melodies. As a result her smooth transition from mouth to chest in many difficult pieces mesmerized the audience at her first solo concert in November 2007 at the Toronto Center for the Arts where she sang 22 powerhouse songs.

She started winning trophies in singing competitions as a child. These include six first-place awards in the Kiwanis Music Festival. She has also performed in countless events in and outside Toronto. Among those she is most proud of are her solo performances before the United Nations Global Peace initiative in Geneva, Switzerland; the Mike Bullard Show on CTV; and of the Canadian National Anthem for games of the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Center. Martha was only 11 years old when she wowed the 50 or so judges at the September 2003 Best New Talent Awards in LA at the Century Plaza Hotel. Out of hundreds of contestants, she handily won two separate categories. Best Contemporary Pop singer, and Best Child Broadway performer. All these she did at the age of 11.

Martha Joy can sing in various languages including English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Tagalog. Her Eurasian descent?half Filipino and half Portuguese?makes her striking beauty quite breathtaking. Standing almost 5?7?, she is statuesque and her eyes sparkle as she speaks and sings.

Her first album was produced by Christian de Walden of Hollywood who has already created hits of Sarah Geronimo, Claire de la Fuente, Rachelle Ann Go, and other Filipino talents. Her first single release is ?Dumating Ka,? which was composed by Jimmy Borja.

Martha Joy has an all- new originals lineup that also includes ?The Right Moment,? ?Only My Heart,? ?Broken,? ?Holding on to a Dream,? a duet with Jimmy Marquez, ?I Love the Sunshine,? ?That?s How It Has to Be,? ?All of a Sudden,? ?Pagka?t Mahal Pa Rin Kita,? ?This Special Night,? ?Just Exactly Like We Planned,? ?Maybe,? ?Nothing More to Say,? ?Do You Think of Me,? and ?Laging Ikaw.?

Sponsored by Tangerine Mediterranean Restaurant and Online Pinoy Music.

16 men in suits

One of the country?s leading society magazines, Metro Society put together a special photo exhibit by Jason Penaloza at the Greenbelt 5, Ayala Mall featuring 16 beautifully dressed Men in Suits with the launch of its Men?s Issue. A night of glitz, glamour, and power, the best of the male species in high society were in attendance.

Metro Society?s Men in Suits hail from the wide arena of politics, business, design, show business, and the law. These are power players in their respective fields. Even if it is said that the suit makes the man, it?s the man with the suit who?s in charge.

The 16 featured powerful men: Kevin Tan, a real estate developer, 29; Alfredo Roca, managing director of Fuego Hotels, 37; William Llamas, Jr., an entrepreneur, 33; Ariel Arce, a businessman, 45; Juan Pablo Bertotto, chief operating officer VMV Hypoallergenics, 37; Joey Yupangco, a designer, 57; Miguel Pastor, an architect, 40 something; Dennis Valdes, a businessman,47; Sonny Angara, congressman of the Aurora province, 36; Ouji Lorenzana, recording artist, commercial model, theater actor, radio DJ for Mellow LM.7 and Star Magic Batch 16 talent, 25; Anton Lagdameo, congressman of Davao del Norte, Second District, 40; Lutz Kunack, a lawyer, 40; Jonjon Rufino, a real estate manager and writer, 34; Sander Tantoco, a businessman, 45; Luis de Terry, entrepreneur starting a new venture in the food business, 34 and Cyril Means, a lawyer, 41.

MyDSL?s ?It Girls? for 2009

Young and beautiful celebrities Rhian Ramos and Isabel Oli are this year?s fresh faces behind the 2009 PLDT MyDSL?s ?Overdrive? campaign.

The two GMA Artists Center (GMAAC) talents were specifically handpicked by the DSL team headed by Gary Dujali, to be this year?s ?It Girls? to unveil MyDSL?s 2009 activities, touted to be the biggest in its history.

?Rhian and Isabel are smart, dynamic, beautiful, hip, and are perfect role models for the young. This partnership is perfect because we see these traits as very aspirational for the young. They can easily inspire the youth and create new possibilities along the way,? Gary said.

Both girls feel flattered being chosen for this latest DSL campaign. Isabel calls it an honor to be considered for the biggest campaign drawn out by the DSL team while Rhian maintains she is happy with her DSL as it definitely keeps her connected and ?always in the loop.?

As ?It Girls,? Rhian and Isabel will be participating in MyDSL Overdrive?s series of events nationwide (Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, La Union, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao). These activities ensure that more people become broadband connected, especially with the newly launched affordable PLDT MyDSL Plan 990 Unlimited DSL + landline. With Quick Install Kit, you can get DSL-connected as fast as 24 hours.

MyDSL Overdrive kicks off with the Ultra Broadband Blowout in V-Mall Greenhills next Saturday and Sunday, (Feb. 28 - March 1) where the public can enjoy the biggest discounts on the latest laptops with free MyDSL. This will be in partnership with the biggest PC manufacturers such as Acer, HP, and Lenovo.

Soon, PLDT MyDSL Overdrive will also unveil the all-new Speedster bus?a lounge and Internet hub on wheels visiting neighborhoods, malls, and campuses everywhere.

With the slew of DSL events, more and more get connected and more people get to experience the exciting events they?ve enjoyed, such as the Speed Circuit drifting exhibition, Ultra Broadband Blowout, Campus Tours & PC Raid upgrade visits.

Expect more from PLDT MyDSL and its ?Overdrive? series as the new year progresses.