Why Janella & Jameson are so connected
Janella Salvador and Jameson Blake are so sweetly convincing as young lovers in their latest movie even if they are not romantically linked off screen
This article is not about the netizens who unreasonably bash Jameson Blake for the simple reason that in his next movie, Regal Entertainment’s So
Connected (opening nationwide on Wednesday, May 23), he is paired with Janella Salvador whose fans are possessive about her team-up with Elmo Magalona. Bless Jameson for shrugging off the bashers.
“I don’t believe in loveteams anymore,” said Regal Matriarch Lily Monteverde who has been proven time and again by the success of her projects that feature no loveteams.
“What matters is the story and how it is told,” said Roselle Monteverde, so-called Little Mother Lily now that she is at the helm of the company. “So Connected is a feel-good movie. You will come out of the moviehouse feeling light and easy.”
In So Connected, directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, Janella plays Trisha, a selfsupporting young woman who hopes to help her family; while Jameson plays Karter, a video editor for a web channel who falls for a complete stranger (Trisha) after he gets a glimpse of her life in videos and photos uploaded online.
Real is very different from the reel, though. Jameson and Janella are not an off-screen loveteam (Janella is identified with Elmo). Perhaps the only thing they have in common is that they were raised by a single parent (moms).
Jameson was born (June 17, 1997) in Hong Kong to a Filipina mother and an American father who separated when Jameson was 10. His mother came back to the Philippines with Jameson and his older brother. His mother remarried. Jameson and his sibling are close to their stepdad and stepsister. To help make ends meet for the family, Jameson has been working as a commercial model (Coke, Bingo Cookie Sandwich, etc.). He was discovered by the PBB 737
(Pinoy Big Brother), after which he won Best Supporting Actor for the Cinema One festival entry 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten.
Janella has met his biological father, Juan Miguel Salvador (lead singer of the ’80s group Rage Band), only recently. She and her little half-brother were raised single-handedly by their mom, Jenine Desiderio (long estranged from Juan Miguel). She has done theater and represented the country in a world trade fair in Seoul in 2008. Her breakout role was in the TV
soap Be Careful With My Heart. Before So Connected, Janella was seen in another Regal movie, My Fairy Tail Love Story with Elmo. Find out just how “so connected” Janella and Jameson are.
JAMESON
• If I were a movie, I would be…Ready Player One, my next favorite movie after Interstellar. • If I were a TV show, I would be… Breaking Bad, my all-time favorite series. • If I were a song, I would be… anything from Coldplay. Their songs describe me. • If I were a flower, I would be…a rose. I love the smell and color, very romantic, too. • If I were an animal, I would be…a hamster. I used to have them as pets but I kind of allergic to them.
• If I were a cartoon character, I would be…Dexter. I used to watch Dexter’s Laboratory when I was a kid.
• If I were a superhero, I would be…Superman. My childhood says so.
• If I were a city, I would be...Angeles City! I grew up in Angeles, pretty much half of my life. • If I were a perfume, I would be…Aqua. People compliment me when I use it.
• If I were a book, I would be…Stolen, the first book that I read. I cried when I finished it. • If I were a Hollywood actor, I would be… Leonardo DiCaprio. I love the roles that he portrays. • If I were a subject, I would be…a computer, the only subject I still study.
• If I were a dessert, I would be…Blueberry cheesecake. It’s sweet like me, hahaha!!!
• If I were a color, I would be…Teal, my favorite color.
• If I were a video game, I would be…Player Unknown Battlegrounds. I’ve played it for approximately 470 hours. • If I were an appliance, I would be…a toaster. I like sandwiches. • If I were part of the house, I would be… the bedroom. Sleep is what I’m lacking in life. • If I were not myself, I would rather be… LeBron James. He’s living the life; I’d love to be in his shoes.
JANELLA
• If I were a movie, I would be…Tangled (Disney). Hahaha!!! • If I were a TV show, I would be…MasterChef. I’m no master chef but I love to eat.
• If I were a song, I would be…How Far I’ll Go. It’s the theme song of my life.
• If I were a flower, I would be…a sunflower, because sunflowers make me happy! • If I were an animal, I would definitely be…a cat. No explanation needed! • If I were a cartoon character, I would be…Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup combined. I feel like I have all of their personalities within me. Hahaha!!! • If I were a superhero, I would be…@superjanella? Hahaha!!! • If I were a city, I would be...Shibuya. Or, puede the whole country of Japan na lang? It’s so peaceful, clean and full of good food. So very me!
• If I were a perfume, I would be…sweet and powdery, my favorite kind of scent.
• If I were a book, I would be…a dictionary because I’m kind of a grammar nazi, hahaha!!!
• If I were a Hollywood actress, I would
be…Julia Roberts, one of the most beautiful faces in the world. Or, Emma Stone to know what it feels like to topbill La La Land! • If I were a subject, I would be…English, my best subject. Or lunch! • If I were a dessert, I would be…white chocolate. The sweeter the better. • If I were a color, I would be…pink. • If I were a video game, I would be… Pokemon. I want to explore the world. Hahaha!!! • If I were an appliance, I would be…a refrigerator so that I will always have food with me. • If I were part of the house, I would be… my bedroom. My ultimate sanctuary! (E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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