ALDEN RICHARDS GOES ‘SUPER’ SOLO
HE is without a doubt among this generation’s most important actors and it’s high time he goes solo.
Yes, The T-Zone is talking about Alden Richards, one-half of Philippine showbiz’ most successful love teams, AlDub, with erstwhile YouTube sensation Maine Medoza. It was only three years ago that a sudden spark between the two had been caught on noontime TV show “Eat Bulaga’s” camera, turning them into phenomenal celebrities. Since then, it has mostly been Alden and Maine together in the show, together in a prime time series, together in a movie, and together in TVCs. For a time, everything they touched turned gold, but eventually—save on their rabid fans—they seem to have lost the AlDub effect. There are several possible reasons for this. Overexposure, the wrong choice of material, or
Without meaning to be insensitive, especially to AlDub fans, things like these just happen. And when they do—given the talent that Alden and Maine have individually—it’s time to move on.
Kudos therefore to GMA Network for giving their Alden [Maine is managed by “Eat Bulaga’s” producer Tony Tuviera] the op- happens tonight when Philippine showbiz’ newest superhero “Victor Magtanggol” comes to life.
Groundbreaking
Touted by the studio as a “groundbreaking telefantasya,” Magtanggol features Alden in the titular role as Victor—an OFW in search of his mother Vivienne (Coney Reyes).
While working abroad, he becomes friends with Magnus (Miguel Faustman), the curator of the museum where he is employed, and whom he discovers has special powers. As it happens, Magnus is one of the sons of Norse mythology’s hammerwielding Thor (Conan Stevens) and the god Magni.
Witnessing Magnus lose a fight against the god Loki, Victor receives a magical compass from his friend before he dies, which then leads him to the powerful hammer of Thor.
From then on, Victor becomes a superhero back home as he takes on the extraordinary mission of protecting good from evil.
‘Personal growth’
“I’m doing this for my personal growth,” declared Alden at Victor Magtanggol’s grand media launch. He could not escape the question if his solo project signals the end of AlDub, making it clear that the love team is “still there.”
“Right now, Maine is also exploring projects on her own and I think it’s a good thing because when we’re paired up again, we’ll be able to offer our audience something new from our respective experiences,” he added.
Aware that AlDub fans are not happy he has Janine Guttierez instead of Maine as leading lady in Magtanggol, Alden pleaded, “Please stop the bashing. This isn’t personal, and I’m just doing my job as an actor like Janine and the rest of the cast. They don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
Finally, Alden assured everyone that he and Maine will continue to be together on “Eat Bulaga” everyday, as he hoped that the public will support both of them in their separate endeavors.
Victor Magtanggol also stars Connie Reyes, John Estrada, Andrea Torres, Al Tantay, Chynna Ortaleza, Dion Ignacio, Pancho Magno, Kristoffer Martin, Benjie Paras, Freddie Web, Eric Quizon and Martoni Fernandez, among a huge cast. Premiering tonight on “GMA Telebabad,” it is directed by Dominic Zapata.