PNS — SOME Vilmanians want to tell ABS-CBN to compile all the five episodes of their idol’s TV special, “A Woman for All Seasons”, and release it in one special DVD. They say there’s a demand for this, especially from Vilmanians who live abroad who want to watch them all. We hope ABS-CBN will give in to their request as the five-part special is really the first tribute of its kind to any local actress. We’ve seen the first three episodes and Vilmanians certainly have reason to rejoice as it chronicles both the public and private life of their idol.
The first one centered on Ate Vi’s unquestionable talent as an actress. Scenes from her best films were shown and today’s actors were asked to re-enact them, with Ate Vi herself and Director Laurice Guillen as facilitators.
Unfortunately, the young thespians chosen weren’t that finely honed yet when it comes to their craft so they undeniably fail in comparison to the original. The second episode, aptly hosted by actor-dancer Vhong Navarro, focused on Ate Vi’s long-running show, “Vilma”, where she displayed her terpsichorean prowess. She is made to dance again in the special and showed that she hasn’t lost her moves as a dancer.
Last Saturday, the third episode was hosted by Ai Ai de las Alas and gave an intimate portrait of Ate Vi as a wife and mother. For the first time, she allowed the camera to enter her home in Alabang and she was shown having private moments with husband Ralph Recto (who just resigned from NEDA to prepare for his running in the Senate anew) and son Ryan Christian who’s now on the verge of adolescence at 12 and already sports a thin mustache. Both of them, including eldest son Luis Manzano, showered Ate Vi with praises for being such a devoted and excellent wife and mom. One can easily feel the love that envelopes their whole family.
There’s now talk that she’s being considered to play the title role in Star Cinema’s planned filmbio of the late Pres. Cory Aquino. “It’s really a big honor for me to be considered to play one of the most significant persons in our country’s history who’s an icon of democracy,” she says. “I’m sure maraming artista ang mag-aasam na makaganap sa ganyang role, but there are a lot of other things to consider. Unang-una, heto nga, tinatapos ko pa lang ang movie ko, ‘In My Life.’ So if ever, kailangang magpaalam na naman uli ako sa constituents ko, baka hindi na sila pumayag. Definitely, priority ko pa rin ang mga taga-Batangas. Also, election na next year and I’ll be busy with that. Kung ready na ang lahat sa project at walang hassles, then I’d be glad to play such an important role. Like I said, kung talagang para sa’kin yun, kahit anong mangyari, it’ll be for me kung destined talaga. Kasi you really can’t fight destiny.”
In this coming Saturday’s episode of “A Woman for All Seasons”, a crew will accompany Ate Vi as she performs her job as governor of Batangas. This will be a day in her life as a public servant who won the UP Gawad Plaridel Award for her achievements as an actress and a public official. It will show her from the time she attends the flag ceremony in the morning, the appointments she has to attend to during the day, until she calls it a day at the Batangas capitol at day’s end.
Each episode of the special shows some footageof the shooting of ‘In My Life’ in New York City and they showed the hardships they encountered while making the movie on location while it’s still very, very cold at the Big Apple. The fifth episode will be devoted to the making of ‘In My Life’, where Ate Vi plays the role of a lifetime as Shirley Templo, a cold mother who is not demonstrative of her love to her kids. “It’s a very difficult role for me kasi I’m not at all like her in real life,” she says. “Alam nyo naman ako, very warm and I show my family and friends how much I love them.” There will be extensive interviews with co-stars John Lloyd Cruz, Dimples Romana (her daughter), Tirso Cruz III (her estranged husband), Vice Ganda, Rafael Rosell, her own son Luis, and director Olivia “Inang” Lamasan.