Still together after all these years

By Isah V. Red

ASSUNTA de Rossi clarified rumors that she and husband Jules Ledesma, former congressman of Negros Oriental, have separated.

?He?s very busy and doesn?t have time to socialize,? Assunta, who is one of the lead stars in the new comedy show ? Women premiering today on QTV Channel 11, said at the press do for the show at Dulcinea last week.

?There is no third party, there is no problem,? she added. ?The only problem is that he has so much in his plate he can?t even find time for me. But that?s okay. I leave him to his work and he doesn?t really mind what I do in the house.?

Assunta says that while Jules spends most of his working time in their bedroom, she has taken over the sala, ?Where I tinker on the computer? I have become such a computer addict? smoke and make my calls.?

When she gets bored at home, she goes malling, ?I love going to the malls, just looking around, but most of the time I end up buying, not so much for myself but for Jules and the kids.?

Only 26, Assunta doesn?t meddle with what Jules does (recently about putting up an ethanol processing facility in the Ledesma farm in San Carlos City). ?What do I know about ethanol? I don?t want to presume I can help him when I can?t, really. And by staying a comfortable distance while he works is the best I can do.?

Assunta seems raring to go back to mainstream entertainment, and the stint in the new comedy (and adaptation of the French gag show Vous les femmes) should be a signal to producers, writers, directors of that desire. ?I don?t mind going back to the bold mold if the script will challenge me for an award-worthy role,? she said, ?and Jules will certainly not mind. (Pause) I?m sure he will have some questions, but will not get upset.?

Funny women

Women hold up half the sky, or so the saying goes. But what happens if the sky is falling? What would women do?

You might find some of the answers in ? Women (pronounced as, ?You Women?), the latest offering of the creators of the Asian TV award-winning comedy show Camera Caf?. Just as the title has been shortened with a ??? (with an umlaut or what?s known among texters as a smiley), the new TV show has short sketches that promise big smiles and long laughs.

As the title implies, it features women?s situations where they may get into trouble, or where they are outraged or simply trying to survive in an insane world?but all in a comic fashion.

Starring, apart from Assunta de Rossi, in the show are Candy Pangilinan, Tuesday Vargas, and Kalila Aguilos.

? Women truly put these actresses? comic talents to the test. Most of the sketches require no dialog and rely on their ability to do physical humor, perhaps slapstick [not of the derogatory kind] or even stunts. So much so that they kidded about the show?s title, and proposed that it be changed to ?? Stunt Women!? Yes, there goes the ?!

The humor in this new addition to snack comedy is quite different, and difficult, too. These performers had to endure being slapped (on the actress? birthday, no less!), crawling on the floor, having some milk shake thrown on her face, or getting in and out of a sports convertible through the window. And yet, they maintained their characters? glamour and dignity as they did all these.

One of the actresses put on her clown make-up and removed it repeatedly. But said actress maintained her cool and kept her sense of humor intact.

Praise be to the comediennes

The producers are all praises for the women. They did whatever the French producer Henri de Lorme asked them to do. ?They are very professional about it,? says de Lorme, who also doubles as the director.

Everything is kept light on the set, which means that award-winning director Mark Meily allows the playful atmosphere during the shoot. This occurs so much so that buddies Gerhard Acao and Christian Vasquez, also of Camera Caf? and supporting actors of ? Women, always visit the set even when they are not needed. They eventually enjoy a cameo or two just because they keep lurking around.

?Like in Camera Caf?, our shooting in ? Women is just so much fun that even if I am not scheduled for the day, I still go to the set to see what?s happening. I don?t want to miss out on the fun, and of course, there?s free lunch and dinner,? Christian says with a half-straight face. ?I think it?s the whole package?the show, the people involved. Everyone is just having fun.?

One might think of characters of ? Women as female versions of Mr. Bean who have to overcome obstacles to the point of obsession. But each character is different?she may be on the brink of a nervous breakdown, or she may want to get even, or she has outrageous solutions to nerve-wracking problems. This means then that each actress plays multiple roles, from chic office girl who?s trying to ride an FX, to sultry honeymooner embarrassed of passing gas, to demure woman who wants to impress her date but does something otherwise. She may be in varying degrees of clumsiness, and yet there is subdued elegance to her being a klutz.

French origin

Each episode is composed of three to four sketches running from 30 seconds or less to a minute or more. The show, like Camera Caf?, lasts for three and a half minutes per episode.

? Women actually originated from France through Calt International?s Vous Les Femmes. The Filipino writers (also from Camera Caf?) adapted a few episodes from the French original but added more local situations that Filipinos could relate to.

Some of the sketches though were borne of collaboration among the actors and directors. A lot of times during the shoot, the actors would improvise on the set. Sometimes, the actors and directors would sit down and talk about the effective attack in a particular setting. Spontaneity and creativity set in. What results is an impromptu sketch not included in the submitted scripts. The female and male actors bring so much comedy into the scene that even the soundmen (traditionally, the models of silence) were the first to laugh out loud.

Basically, ? Women utilizes the same talents of Camera Caf?. The other support cast includes Arnold Reyes, also of Camera Caf?. The writers of the first season are the same writers of Camera Caf?, namely Vincent de Jesus, Rey Agapay, Dennis Teodosio, Liza Magtoto, and Rody Vera.

? Women premieres today and airs regularly on QTV-11, Mondays to Fridays, at 10:05 a.m., 2 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. (back- to-back with Camera Caf?). It is locally produced by Euro-Asia Media Group Ltd., its official representative being Axantis Productions Inc. QTV vice president for programming Joey Abacan, program manager Mitzi Garcia, and administrator Rea Jose continue to show faith in the production team and are excited about the new comedy program. They can?t wait till the Filipino audience get another taste of snack entertainment at its finest.

Don?t be the last to see ? Women. Find out how?when the sky falls, women may fall with it, or they would hold it up again so strongly it would make you smile!