REGAL & TV5 JOINS FORCES! GMA-7 TO BE LEFT ALONE?

MANILA, Philippines -- Regal Entertainment is known to be GMA' Network's partner in the movie industry as gestured by a number of co-productions shared by the two movie outfits. But with emergence of a new player, TV5, Regal is said to change its alliance and switch to the more financially viable partner under the backing of the PLDT Group. If this materializes will GMA Films go for solo? Does its new  and aggressive solo movies a sign of its independence?

TV5 hooks up with Regal: There is no official hook-up or partnership existing in black and white between TV5 and Regal Films, but the two giants are working quietly together behind the scenes.

Lily Monteverde’s daughter, Roselle, serves as consultant and also co-producer to Studio 5, TV...5’s film division. Their first project, in fact, is the Metro Manila Film Festival entry, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

The title is patented Regal, having been the same title of a big box office hit in the 1980s starring Vilma Santos, Snooky Serna and Maricel Soriano.

Just recently, Regal Films signed up four homegrown talents of TV5, namely Ritz Azul, Eula Caballero, Morissette Amon, and Jazz Ocampo.

Azul, who placed third in the network’s talent search, “Star Factor,” recently top-billed the TV5 series “Mga Nagbabagang Bulaklak.” She is also one of the leads in “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” along with more senior stars Heart Evangelista and Carla Abellana.

“Bagets” star Eula Caballero, whose acting chops propelled her to win the top plum in “Star Factor,” has been featured in a string of TV5 shows including “LuvCrazy” where she played lead.

Morissette Amon is a young diva with an amazing voice. She finished first runner-up in “Star Factor.” Her debut album will be released soon.

Jazz Ocampo, another “Star Factor” finalist, is out to prove that she is more than just a pretty face. She co-stars in “Bagwis” opposite Oyo Sotto.

All four girls – Ritz, Eula, Morissette and Jazz – are part of TV5’s Saturday variety show, “Hey, It’s Saberday.”

The weekend variety show is one of the network’s platforms for building up stars.

Legendary star builder: TV5 couldn’t have partnered with a more effective, results-oriented star builder than the legendary “Mother” Lily.

Ms. Monteverde’s star-building skills, matched by a passion for nurturing actors and actresses, are known throughout the entertainment industry. Under her stewardship, the veteran woman producer steered Regal Films to become the No. 1 movie company during its time, the late ’70s through the 1990s.

Throughout these past decades, Regal has brought to the public such luminous stars as Snooky Serna, Maricel Soriano, Dina Bonnevie, Gabby Concepcion, William Martinez, Alfie Anido, Richard Gomez, Aga Muhlach, Ruffa Gutierrez, Carmina Villaroel, Aiko Melendez, Zoren Legaspi, among many others.

At the height of the popularity of the so-called Regal Babies in the mid-’80s and just when ABS-CBN re-opened in 1986, Regal accepted an offer from ABS-CBN to partner with the then-fledgling network in co-producing shows that starred popular Regal stars.

Channel 2 didn’t have its own set of stars then, and it was Regal which fielded its own big stars to the network. The move attracted a ready and willing audience for ABS-CBN.

Looking back, observers note that that first massive migration of movie stars to ABS-CBN started the downfall of the movie industry and the quick rise of television as a dominant force in local entertainment.

A contrary school of thought, however, claims that TV would have done it anyway – snatch the limelight away from movies – in no time at all, considering the many problems that plagued the movie industry.

By NESTOR CUARTERO, Manila Bulitin