MEDIA people who trooped to Glorietta in Makati braving the distance Sunday were quite disappointed after Catriona Gray left in a jiffy right after she was introduced by DJ Ai de la Cruz as the main host in the upcoming talent competition, ‘Top Class: Rise to Stardom’.

Some are raring to get her reaction after boyfriend Sam Milby stated a week ago in a Zoom mediacon for his new ABS-CBN series, ‘A Family Affair’ with Ivana Alawi that he’s willing to risk everything, even his life, for someone he loves.

But it seems Catriona has deliberately been trying to be private about her lovelife with Sam. In a recent glossy magazine article, the 2018 Miss Universe was quoted as saying: “I think it’s definitely a conscious decision, an intentional decision to keep our relationship private. We don’t want it to be public consumable.”

‘Top Class: Rise to P-Pop Stardom’ ready to make pop history

’TOP Class: Rise to P-Pop Stardom’ is touted as the newest, biggest, most advanced and most interactive P-pop reality talent competition in the Philippines. The contestants, or trainees, are thirty talented young boys, who were presented to the public and media Sunday, June 12, at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati, for the first time. The event was hosted by MYX VJ Ai, who is also the host of the Kumu show, ‘P-Popsilog’ on the Top Class Kumu channel.

Also introduced were the hosts and mentors of the show, including 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray, world-class singer KZ Tandingan, actor Albie Casino, Youtube sensation Yukii Takahashi, dance master Brian Puspos and rapper Shanti Dope.

The so-called P-Pop Newest Caliber G-22 and the Monster Rookies of P-Pop, VXON performed before a screaming crowd.

‘Top Class: Rise to Stardom’ is the product of a partnership among four Filipino entertainment powerhouses: Kumu, TV5, Cignal Entertainment and Cornerstone Entertainment.

The venue for the show is the state-of-the-art campus of National University in Laguna.

According to Cornerstone’s Erickson Raymundo, the 30 boys “have passed the highly competitive and rigorous audition process.”

To keep updated, follow Top Class on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @topclassofc, on Tiktok @topclassofficial, Top Class on Youtube and topclass on Kumu. To get an exclusive access to daily activities inside the Top Class campus, follow @topclassdaily.

‘Top Class: Rise to P-Pop Stardom’ starts streaming on Kumu on June 18 and TV5 every Saturday.

Paulo, Janine bring back romance

ROMANCE is back in local cinema.

Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez, today’s newest and one of the most talked about pairings on and off cam, are going to prove that when their movie, ‘Ngayon Kaya’ opens in theaters on June 22.

Directed by Prime Cruz and written by Jen Chuaunsu (the creative pair behind ‘Isa Pa With Feelings’ and ‘Can We Still Be Friends’), ‘Ngayon Kaya’ tells the story of college friends, AM (played by Janine) and Harold (played by Paulo), the latter being a shy but hardworking provinciano while the former, a rich city girl. While Harold had a crush on AM, he never had the guts to tell her, especially when she started dating a bar owner (John James Uy), a much richer guy.

Eventually, time runs out for Harold when he is forced to work in Canada for a better life, leaving behind AM. Years later, the two would meet again at a friends’ wedding, with Harold now a better man, while AM, still single, and seems to have not realized some dreams.

‘Ngayon Kaya’ asks the question ‘what if…’ and the characters Paulo and Janine play are quite relatable.

“I’m sure a lot of people have ‘what ifs’ in their lives,” says Paulo after the preview of the romantic movie at Sine Pop in Cubao.

Janine adds: “Mag-iisip ka minsan, ano kaya kung itong taong ‘to ang kasama ko ngayon, at hindi siya (a past love).”

Music plays a big part in narrating AM and Harold’s saga, being bandmates in the story. The filmmakers have chosen some songs from 2000 to be in the soundtrack, which includes songs by Mayonnaise, Typecast, Ang Bandang Shirley, Shirebound and Busking and Johnoy Danao.

‘Ngayon Kaya’ is produced by T-Rex Entertainment and co-produced by WASD Films. It also stars Alwyn Uytingco, Donna Cariaga, Haley Dizon with the special participation of Rio Locsin.

For updates, follow the social media accounts of T-Rex Entertainment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.