Titled Tween Academy: Class of 2012, the new flick stars Kapuso tweens Barbie Forteza, Joshua Dionisio, Bea Binene, Jake Vargas, Lexi Fernandez, Louise delos Reyes, Alden Richards, Derrick Monasterio, Kristoffer Martin, Joyce Ching, Yassi Pressman, and Elmo Magalona.
Barbie plays Kara, a cosplayer and online retailer of collectible toys. As she comes to terms with the death of her father, she uses her techie skills to help her mom make ends meet for their family. She develops a special friendship with one of her customers, Robin (Joshua Dionisio).
Joshua is cast as a geeky toy collector named Robin. He spends most of his time at their family-owned computer shop, and does other students’ homework for extra income. His liking for comic books and collectible toys leads him closer to Kara.
Bea plays the character of Georgina or George. Tough yet compassionate, George finds herself caught up in the “best friend syndrome” as she begins to develop feelings for her long-time best friend Jeremy (Jake Vargas). Afraid of being rejected by her friend, she agrees to help Jeremy become closer to the girl he likes.
Jake is Jeremy or Jepoy, the group’s resident rocker. He does everything to get Chloe’s (Lexi Fernandez) attention unaware that George has feelings for him.
Lexi’s character, Chloe, is a spoiled rich girl battling an eating disorder. Chloe portrays the reality that even the most beautiful and popular girl in school still has insecurities.
Louise is the high school sweetheart Jessamine or Jess. Struggling to fit in, she hides her family’s real financial situation from her friends so she can be part of the “in crowd” like Chloe.
Alden adds “kilig” to the movie as Christian, the high school heartthrob. Despite his popularity especially among the girls, Christian remains humble and friendly to his batchmates. He is friends with Robin and has a crush on Jess.
Another promising young Kapuso actor, Kristoffer plays Diego. Diego has a hard time controlling his temper and his devil-may-care attitude always gets him into trouble. His girlfriend Ashlee (Joyce Ching) serves as a good influence to him.
Joyce is Ashlee, a diligent working student. At a young age, Ashlee has learned to adapt to the many stresses of life, as she juggles her time between work and school, not to mention her boyfriend Diego.
Derrick plays a character so unlike the roles he has on TV. He is Maximo, the resident school bully, who likes to pick on Kara, George, and Enzo. Unknown to many, Maximo is actually a coward deep down, and is most threatened by Diego.
Party Pilipinas’ dance diva Yassi Pressman dabbles in acting once more as she assumes the role of Caitlin, the school’s queen bee.
Elmo ventures from television to movies as he takes on the role of Enzo. Perceived as an introvert, Enzo spends more time with his gadgets and his two best friends, Kara and George. Elmo’s character comes out of his shell as he experiences love for the first time.
FHM Philippines’ sexiest woman for 2011, Sam Pinto, joins the tweens as their teacher Maddie. Maddie goes beyond the four walls of the class room as she teaches her students a thing or two about falling in love.
Joining the young stars are some of our unforgettable ’80s and ’90s idols including Angelu de Leon, Bobby Andrews, Yayo Aguila, Pinky Amador Nadia Montenegro, Jojo Alejar and Chuckie Dreyfuss, who add depth and color to the movie as they play equally important roles. Tween Academy: Class of 2012 will also surprise viewers with Kapuso stars, socialites, and sports icons playing cameo roles.
Directed by Mark Reyes, the movie provides an honest portrayal of issues facing teens today—from dealing with labels, peer pressure, first love, first heartbreak, and everything else in between.
Tween Academy: Class of 2012 runs in theaters nationwide starting Aug. 24.
Shining, too, in movie soundtrack
GMA’s new breed of love teams fills the airwaves with teenybopper ear candies.
With plenty of starry-eyed chemistry and sweet moments straight out of GMA’s anticipated film Tween Academy: Class of 2012, it’s no surprise to see an equally syrupy soundtrack from its crowd-pleasing, sensational teenage cast. What’s astonishing though is that for a film about young love, the 14-track record pays homage to romantic comedy movies of the past, with bits and pieces of contemporary songs sprinkled in the mix to keep things interesting. It’s a brave musical move but one that sets Tween Academy up into classier territory instead of a tacky throwback to past.
The defining song of the album, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” clearly establishes the mood, with three different versions created for the album. Newcomer Julie Anne San Jose and promising solo act Elmo Magalona opens with their remarkably impressive rendition of the Starship number one hit, which also appeared on the 1987 film Mannequin. It’s an ode to classic love songs with Julie Anne and Elmo, though fledgling artists, doing justice with their strong vocal chops and harmonies. While retaining its novel ‘80s sound, the lead love teams of Joshua Dionisio and Barbie Forteza and Jake Vargas and Bea Binene flaunt their best accessory in their version: the kilig factor that’s sure to make their fans giggle.
On this album that’s mostly composed of covers of various hits, celebrity daughter Lexi Fernandez’s attempt at Taylor Swift’s “Back to December” is hands-down the best song here. Still age-appropriate and cute with great production, Lexi’s unique voice and delivery shows so much crossover potential. Give her a couple years to hone her singing and she’ll be a welcome addition to the entertainment industry. Even her male counterpart John Miguel does a fantastic job at covering Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” his flexible voice flourishing in the ‘80s-tuned track. The Tween Boys Derrick Monasterio and Kristoffer Martin adopt some RnB swag from Bruno Mars on their not-lazy-at-all performance of the “Lazy Song.”
Classic Pinoy, hook-laden song “Kaba” also finds itself in the soundtrack, perfect for those lovesick moments youngsters regularly go through. Here, Julie Anne San Jose is again pitch-perfect in her delivery while the new pair of Alden Richards and Louise Delos Reyes follows the successful formula of girl-boy duets. Frencheska Farr adds a little happy, optimistic pop, too with her own song “Everytime” and Barbie Forteza, well, thrills with a sentimental performance of “Pers Lab,” summing up the range of songs that quite frankly are meant to just be enjoyed, whether you’re a teen or a teen at heart. This soundtrack is a collection of well-loved hits that serves as a pretty satisfying bonus to its adolescent market as well as building the hype for the much-hyped film.
Information Courtesy of Manila Standard Today / Isah V. Red
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideEntertainment.htm?f=2011/august/8/entertainment1.isx&d=2011/august/8
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