There is no doubt that Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj with Jak Roberto, and Ken Chan are fast becoming the new TV heartthrobs.
After a series of grueling auditions, the four Kapuso stars bagged the coveted roles of Barbie Forteza’s leading men in the much awaited primetime soap Meant To Be all set to air next year.
Their fans and supporters are definitely growing day by day. More and more netizens and viewers are looking forward to the debut of their romantic drama.
Ivan, who recently signed an exclusive contract with GMA Artist Center, was born in Los Angeles, California. He is a 26-year-old Filipino-American actor, television host, stage actor and model. Many would remember him as the boy that Katy Perry kissed during her 2012 Manila concert.
Another new Kapuso star is the 21-year-old Addy, a full-blooded Indian who fell in love with the Philippines when he first came to Manila as an exchange student at Ateneo De Manila University. He is a sports buff, model and a famous social media personality because of his Tagalog songs.
Meanwhile, Jak, who was born in Nagcarlan, Laguna, started his career in Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman. The 22-year-old Filipino model and actor is currently in Bubble Gang and Dear Uge, after Usapang Real Love (URL), Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, and The Half-Sisters.
Ken is a 23-year-old Chinese-Filipino actor and TV host. He was first seen in Reel Love Presents Tween Hearts and from there, his career blossomed with numerous TV projects that showcased his versatility and talent. At present, he is one of GMA’s most promising dramatic actors. He received the Teleserye Actor of the Year award at the PEP List Awards 2016 for his outstanding performance in the top-rating Afternoon Prime soap Destiny Rose.
Fans had already nicknamed Barbie’s team up with the four hot guys as: #VanBie for Ivan and Barbie; #AddBie for Addy and Barbie; #JakBie for Jak and Barbie; and #KenBie for Ken and Barbie.
Team #VanBie are flooding Ivan and Barbie’s accounts with lots of hearts and leaving comments such as: “@airasabanana: yay picture pa lang, kinilig na ako“; “@itsmebeabibal: Ito talaga ang nakakakilig!!! ”; and “@uniquekazandra: Haha. Ito na talaga ang choice ko. Una di ko pa alam kung sino sa apat ang mas bagay kay @barbaraforteza. Mas kinilig ako dito pwamiz. Sana #vanbie. ”
Meanwhile, Team #AddBie also has a massive fan base. When Barbie posted a photo of her and Addy with a sweet caption, it immediately received thousands of likes, which made their followers super kilig. These include comments from: @xailyyymhere: Sooo cute #AddBie; @nimrodferdinand Super bagay love it @barbaraforteza & @addygaur; and @imvince14 Whaaaaaaa!!! Nakakakilig na Nga sila Tapos Yung Caption Ganyan pa! #TEAMADDBIE @addygaur @barbaraforteza
On the other hand, Team #KenBie can’t get enough of how perfect their names match. One of the fans noted their similarity with the popular Mattel dolls, Barbie and Ken… “@cashguy468: I love this. The real Ken and Barbie. #kenandbarbie #kenchan #barbieforteza”. Ken’s fans are definitely excited for his reunion project with Barbie. “@missmedicalgirl: Omg team kenchan ako dito bagay kilig panunuorin ko ito” and “@realleezsa: Kinikilig ako bagay Na bagay kayo bagong LT”.
Lastly, Team #JakBie are also building their way up into the fans’ hearts. They mentioned how good they look together. @gidelbenitez24: Ang cute ng shot Ang cute niyo den. Hart hart #JakBie & @aaaashliiiii: #JakBie jusme sana sila na lang magkatuluyan dito); and @jessalynstyles: @jakroberto @barbaraforteza Sana kayo na ang #MeantToBe bagay na bagay kayoooo #TeamJakBie.
In the series, Ivan plays Ethan Spencer-Hughes, a handsome Filipino-British chef with a wicked sense of humor. He’ll slowly fall for Billie’s (Barbie) charms even though he deeply loves his Filipina girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Addy is the funny and sometimes naughty Indian from Mumbai, Jai Patel. His life tends to burst into a song and dance number. Among the boys, he is the happy-go-lucky and less serious guy.
Jak is Mark “Macoy” Dela Cruz. He is the youngest among the boys and is a pure Pinoy promdi who’s torpe and shy when it comes to girls. Unlike his friends, he is just from a middle class family.
The last Meant To Be heartthrob is Ken who plays the role of Yuan Lee, a Chinoy bad boy who doesn’t warm up to people easily. At first, Yuan and Billie are like cat and dog that don’t get along but as they spend time together, he’ll fall for her charisma.
In the end, who will Billie choose? Will it be the gentleman from United Kingdom (Ivan), the naughty guy from Mumbai (Addy), the pure Pinoy promdi (Jak) or the Chinoy bad boy (Ken)?
★★★★★
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid has joined “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in It’s Showtime and was officially introduced as one of its hurados or judges in the most talked about competition.
Like the other hurados, he will evaluate the performances of contestants from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Metro Manila.
In his first appearance in the competition, Ogie made the audience laugh with his light jokes as he was giving his commentary as a hurado.
On Dec. 11, at the Pinoy Boyband Superstar: The Grand Reveal, Ogie was also named one of the judges of Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids, which premieres in 2017.
“Tawag ng Tanghalan” is currently in its Last Quarter with Hazelyn Cascano of Metro Manila, Jeramie Sanico of Mindanao, and Sam Mangubat and Froilan Canlas of Luzon as its semi-finalists.
Don’t miss the talented Pinoy singers as they battle for supremacy in “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in the noontime variety show It’s Showtime, Monday to Saturday on ABS-CBN or ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).
★★★★★
Maine Mendoza of the popular AlDub love team recently visited the Smart Tower in Makati to celebrate the recent victory of TNT’s AlDub campaign at the Global Telecoms (GloTel) Awards in London.
Smart’s mainstream market brand TNT won Best Operator Marketing Campaign at the ceremony organized by industry publication Telecoms.com. GloTel Awards recognizes innovation and excellence in the global telecommunications industry.
TNT was cited for delivering above business expectations, combining enjoyable and relatable content with well-timed, market-relevant offers and insightful engagement through endorsement by the well-loved celebrities.
As Maine and her AlDub other half, Alden Richards, communicated via Twitter and Instagram exchanges, TNT found them to be the perfect brand ambassadors as it started to target a more digital savvy-market. The pair also represented TNT’s core values of being fun, sociable, accessible, and youthful.
