Gerald Anderson stars in Pinoy version of "My Girl"
Alex Datu ( PEP ) 04.02.08
ABS-CBN has collaborated with SBS Korea to localize the Korean romantic comedy My Girl. Si Kim Chiu, ang Chinese cutie ng Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition One, ang napiling gaganap na bida, si Jasmine, samantalang ang kanyang love team partner na si Gerald Anderson ang gaganap bilang Julian.

Ang Kimerald tandem ay nakilala sa teleseryeng Sana Maulit Muli at ito ay matagumpay na naipalabas sa Taiwan at ngayon nai-dub na sa iba't ibang mga wika dahil susunod itong ipapalabas sa Cambodia at sa Vietnam.

Kapamilya Network executives are confident that Gerald is now ready for a mature role. Management believes that Gerald will effectively portray Julian's character. His role is the heir of a big corporation and because of certain circumstances, Jasmine and Julian will be forced to live in a web of lies and deceits.

The 19-year-old actor will doing the role of a 21-year old yuppie who comes home from abroad to join his family in running their family business: a hotel and a resort.

"Mas adult po siya dito, we packed it on a corporate level yet napilitan po siyang magpa-corporate at a very young age kasi po 'yon po ang dikta ng pamilya niya sa negosyo nila. But beyond that corporate mask will be the young man that he actually is when he falls in love," paliwanag ng advertising and promo manager ng bagong serye na si Biboy Arboleda tungkol sa magiging kautahan ni Gerald sa My Girl.

Dagdag pa niya, "We are trying to tap one to two fashion designers kasi po more on the hotel business, kaya medyo structured and tapered ang day suits at evening casual suits ni Gerald dito sa My Girl. We will have a meeting with two designers for them to submit the designs and colors to choose from, para po maiba.

"Actually, we have a Korean styling company who's helping us, again, we're meeting halfway. Saka huwag natin i-expect na dapat magsimula silang matanda kasi the Philippines is a younger version of My Girl. We tried to come up with a cast, not just be locally appealing, but has to be something that we can be proud to sell abroad.

"Because we're doing this for the first time, first franchise, we want to make sure that this one is worth selling abroad. We are not just looking at the local market, we are not just looking at our TFC market, we're looking forward to selling it to the other Asian regions," ani Biboy.

Ayon naman sa ABS-CBN business unit head na si Deo Endrinal, may mga pagbabago silang ginawa sa istorya ng My Girl. "We are retaining the basic core of the story but we are Filipinizing it in so many ways. Mag-iiba ng konti ang trabaho nila but the resort will be there. Di ba, they own a hotel, this time they own a resort kasi medyo summer na sa atin. There are no oranges but we have strawberries fields in Baguio. So it's going to be different but we retain the basic core of the story. We strenghtened the relationship of the Lolo and Julian and also the relationship of Jasmine with her father. Mas magdi-dig deeper tayo sa characterization nila. So, the Korean version is really faster but ours is a combination of drama and comedy and, of course, romance."

Ayon naman sa bidang lalaki na si Gerald, "Ang feeling ko naman, siyempre, excited ako. It's my first time kasi 21 [years old] dito si Julian, I'm gonna go through some workshops para mas matanda 'yong dating ko, 'yong acting ko, at internally also."

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GERALD: ‘DI AKO MAGSASAWA KAY KIM
Mario E. Bautista ( Journal Online ) 04.02.08

Is Gerald Anderson peeved when some folks say it’s better for Kim Chiu to be paired with Sam Milby in the local version of “My Girl”, the first Filipino version of a Koreanovela? “No, that’s their opinion and I respect it,” he says. “But the ABS management chose me to be reunited with Kim after we did ‘Sana Maulit Muli’, which was very successful even in Taiwan and will also soon be shown in Vietnam and Cambodia, so wala na akong magagawa na hindi napagbigyan ang request nila.”

Is he bothered that it’s Kim herself who allegedly requested for Sam? “According to Kim, hindi naman niya direktang ni-request si Sam. Someone just asked her kung sino ang pipiliin niya sakaling hindi ako puwede sa show and she said si Sam kasi ito ang kumanta ng theme song ng ‘My Girl’, which is true naman. Pero kung sakaling ipareha man si Kim sa iba, that’s also fine with me.”

He will play Julian and Kim will play Jasmine. What’s the status of their relationship now? “We remain very close. When I celebrated my 19th birthday last month, she gave me a wakeboard kasi alam niyang it’s my favorite sport now. When she celebrates naman her debut on April 19, I will be her official escort. And when she gets to be 18, her dad says puwede na siyang officially ligawan.”

Won’t they get tired of each other? “Imposibleng magsawa kami sa isa’t isa as we really enjoy each other’s company. And the more we get to know each other, mas lalo rin naming naa-appreciate and isa’t isa. Magkasama rin kami sa ‘Maligno’ ni Claudine Barretto and now, we’ll be seeing more of each other sa taping ng ‘My Girl’.”

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Fans protest against Gerald
Remy Umerez ( Journal Online ) 04.01.08

Birthday boy Gerald Anderson who turned 19 last March has been chosen to play Julian in the Pinoy version of the Korean telenovela, “My Girl” amidst protest from some die-hard followers of the series that he is too young for the role.

Management, however, insists that a thorough acting workshop and special make-up would easily make Gerald look mature or older to Kim Chiu’s younger character as Jasmine.

Spokesman for the local version said that there were other actors considered (but pleaded not to mention who they are) for the role of Julian and Sam Milby was not among them. For the record it was Sam who sang the theme song of My Girl.

It is not difficult to figure out why the role went to Gerald. The love team of Kim and Gerald prevailed. Their teleserye “Sana Maulit Muli” was so successful it has been dubbed in different languages and was such a big hit when shown in Taiwan.
The teleserye is so Asian friendly that the Cambodians and Vietnamese people await its version. It is predicted that My Girl series in its Pinoy version will be a big success, too.

In the local version, Julian is a post college yuppie who goes home from abroad. He is a professional and moves a lot in the corporate world.

TV executive Deo Edrinal says that they will retain the memorable scenes contained in the original and even stick to the original lines simply because, “Hahanapin ito ng mga followers ng Korean telenovela and they will be disappointed kapag hindi ito nakita.

With regards to that scene with oranges abound, we will probably substitute strawberries at siyempre ang location will be Baguio. The basic core of the story is intact especially the strenghtening relationship between the major characters.”

My Girl orginated in Japan as a comic character. Soon, Korea picked it up and turned it into a telenovela. ABS-CBN feels very fortunate to have succeeded in closing a deal with SBS Korea for its Pinoy adaptation.

Had he not been chosen to play Julian, how would Gerald have felt?

“There must be a good reason kung nangyari iyon. But since it was entrusted to me ay gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking makakaya para hindi ma-disappoint ang mga televiewers lalo na ang mga sumubaybay sa Korean telenovela na ito.”

His leading lady Kim Chiu is celebrating her 18th birthday this April. What would be his gift to her, if there is any?

“Meron po siyempre,” he says. “But I cannot reveal what it is dahil it is meant to be a surprise.”

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Vinia Vivar ( Journla Online ) 04.01.08

Dahil kaharap si Gerald Anderson, hindi magkandatuto si Kim Chiu sa pagpapaliwanag nang tanungin kung bakit nasabi niyang si Sam Milby ang gusto niyang maging leading man sa My Girl, hindi si Gerald.

Nakatingin pa naman ito sa kanya habang nagpapaliwanag, kaya feeling namin ay na-tense ang young actress.

Ayon sa explanation ni Kim, tinanong daw siya ng press kung sino pa ang iba niyang gustong maging leading man kung hindi puwede si Gerald.

“Wala naman akong maisip, tapos sabi nila, ‘sige na,’ ‘sige na.’ So, ang nasabi ko na lang ay si Sam, kasi siya ’yung kumanta ng My Girl theme song,” sabi ni Kim.

Tiningnan namin ang reaksyon ni Gerald sa paliwanag ni Kim at mukhang kuntento naman siya dahil napangiti siya.

Matatandaang may version si Sam ng kantang My Girl, kaya ang Fil-am actor nga ang napiling kumanta ng theme song ng Pinoy version ng nasabing Koreanovela nina Kim at Gerald.

Kim will be playing the character of Jasmine at si Gerald naman ay si Julian. Ang lolo ni Gerald ay gagampanan ni Ronaldo Valdez at ’yung tennis girl na third party sa buhay nina Jasmine at Julian ay pinag-iisipan pa.

But according to business unit head Deo Endrinal, si Niña Jose ang nasa isip nilang kunin.

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“My Girl” will be localized
Edgar O. Cruz ( Yehey ) 04.01.08

It’s sure! Kim Chui as Jasmine and Gerald Anderson as Julian are going to lead the remake of the blockbuster feel-good Korean telenovela “My Girl.” “Instead of oranges, we may use strawberries,” reveal Business Unit Head Deo Endrinal who is the executive in-charge of the country’s first franchise soap opera. The local version will be shot in Baguio where strawberries grow abundantly. In the beginning of the original story, oranges play an important role in connecting Jasmine and Julian. In the local version, Deo is thinking of using strawberries in place of oranges as they don’t grow here. He said the main scenes will be retained as viewers will naturally look for them. Besides the setting, the local “My Girl” will make the characterizations Pinoy. Deo adds, “The relationship between Julian and his grandfather will be strengthened.”

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Veronica R. Samio ( Philstar ) 04.01.08

Sa dami ng mga tina*tanggap kong email na tumatangging ibigay ng ABS-CBN kay Gerald Anderson ang role ni Julian, ang businessman na magiging love interest ni Kim Chiu sa pinakaunang franchise na telenovela ng ABS-CBN, ang My Girl. Mas boto sila na kay Sam Milby mapunta ang role. Mas bagay daw ito sa role.

Unfortunately for them, the network has decided, si Gerald ang gaganap ng role ng businessman. By the time na mabasa n’yo ito, baka nagsisimula nang mag-gym si Gerald para mag*karo’n ng konting muscles. Baka nagsimula na rin siyang mag-fitting ng mga isusuot niyang corporate clothes. So you see, pwedeng ma-attain ng kahit na sino ang magmukhang executive, pwede rin itong mapag-aralan, kahit na si Gerald.

Sa mga fans ni Sam, ABS-CBN says na he was never considered for the role dahil may gagawin siyang Diosa with Anne Curtis. Isa pa, siya ang kakanta ng theme song ng My Girl na ini-record niya nung kalalabas pa lamang niya sa PBB.