Mark Neumann strikes gold with ‘Wattpad Presents’ performance

Now he can really be called “Mr. Popular”.

Since making his showbiz debut on TV5’s “Artista Academy” two years ago, Mark Neumann has been taking on one challenging project after another in his bid to prove to everyone that there’s more to him than just his pretty boy features.

After “graduating” from the reality talent search, the 19-year-old Filipino-Croatian lad who grew up in Germany immediately played against type when he took on the role of Fuego, one of the villainous superpowered characters in the 2013 fantaserye “Kidlat”.

He followed that up with the May-December TV movie “The Lady Next Door” where he played a troubled teen who fell in love with an older woman portrayed by Alice Dixson.

Mark was then included in the cast of the comedy soap “Confessions of a Torpe” where he first rekindled the “Shark” love team he started with Shaira Mae dela Cruz on “Artista Academy”. Despite the fact that Shaira went public with her relationship with Edgar Allan Guzman, fans continue to accept their onscreen team-up.

So it comes as no surprise that when the two headlined the “Wattpad Presents” mini-series “Mr. Popular Meets Ms. Nobody”, it turned out to be the biggest hit of the eight Wattpad stories adapted by TV5 to date as well as the only one to merit a sequel.

“We didn’t expect our story to rate that well. I was both surprised and happy with the good feedback but Shaira and I could not have done it without Direk Jay Altarejos, the rest of the cast and everyone who worked behind the scenes,” Mark told InterAksyon during the recent story conference for the latest batch of “Wattpad Presents”.

Aside from his chemistry with Shaira, which was pretty much a given, a big part of what made “Mr. Popular Meets Ms. Nobody” was Mark’s performance as Kyle, the most popular guy in school who made life very difficult for Chelsea, a little known girl who made the mistake of standing up to him. The young actor said it was not easy playing a character who is the exact opposite of who he is in real life.

“Ako yung binu-bully sa school noon,” he recalled. “Hindi rin ako mayabang kaya maraming nagsabi na hindi ako bagay sa role ni Kyle. So I really had to push myself and I kept thinking, ‘Mark, ang puso, laban dapat!” and I’m glad people I performed convincingly in this role.”

It was so convincing that Mark is now doing a double take on the same character. Although it seems that Kyle is now humbled by his love for Chelsea, their relationship is not without its share of challenges.

In “Mr. Popular Meets Ms. Nobody 2: Still in Love”, one of those challenges come in the form and shape of Mandy, Kyle’s ex-girlfriend portrayed by Yassi Pressman. As if that does not complicate matters enough, there’s also Kyle’s father (Lander Vera Perez) who wants him in an arranged marriage.

And then there’s also Adrian (Diego Loyzaga), the best friend of Kyle who still has the hots for Chelsea. He is still around and ready to take his place if the two young lovers don’t pan out.

“Unlike the first series na medyo pa-tweetums pa kami, dito mas mature na ang characters. Marami pa ring kilig moments pero I think mas medyo drama na siya compared to the first book,” Mark pointed out.

This also means that Mark once again finds himself in familiar territory of facing new challenges. But that is something that’s no longer news for him. Even as he already improved on his Tagalog, he continues to accept projects that will allow him to continue his mastery of the national language.

Recently, Mark was invited to be reader in the Inquirer Read-Along series along with Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Gilas Pilipinas and Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters forward Ranidel De Ocampo. As a first-time reader, he said the experience was very memorable to him in more ways than one.

“I’m happy and thankful to be reading for kids. But when they showed me the book, I found it to be malalim, Tagalog na Tagalog, so I practiced it repeatedly before I faced the kids and I’m glad that it went well with them,” he admitted. “Yes, I was nervous but since I’m always looking forward to experiencing new things, I’m glad I was able to do this.”

Again written by Pinkyjhewelii, “Wattpad Presents: Mr. Popular Meets Ms. Nobody 2: Still in Love” airs on TV5 every weekday this week at 9:30PM.

source: interaksyon.com

Shaira and Mark now the pair to beat on ‘Artista Academy’

With only six “Artista Academy” scholars comprising its Honors List, the competition in the country’s biggest and most intensive talent search takes a new twist as the show’s 9th live exam last Saturday focused on the importance of love teams.

“The love team is one of the most effective entry points in show business,” declared TV5 Talent Center head Direk Mac Alejandre as he and “AA” Principal Wilma Galvante explained how the grading system works at this stage of the contest.

“It’s all about chemistry. Kailangan pakiligin nyo kami ngayong gabi,” Galvante added. “From now on, it is neither about individual performance nor team effort. Our live exam is about love team effort. The grade of one is the grade of the other.”

With that the three pairs of Vin Abrenica and Sophie Albert (a.k.a. Sovin), Akihiro Blanco and Chanel Morales (a.k.a. Akinel) and Shaira Mae and Mark Neumann (a.k.a. Shark) proceeded to impress the critics with their respective showcases of chemistry.

Stumbling out of the gate, Vin and Sophie was chastised by Direk Mac for their shaky choreography and failure to memorize the lyrics of their duet, “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”

“Sayang, you look so good together,” Alejandre lamented. “Ang kilig ay lumalabas lamang kung tama ang dialogue at sumusunod kayo sa blocking. Next time, kung mabibigyan kayo ng pagkakataon, make sure memoryado nyo na ang linya nyo.”

Gelli added that although the pair reminded her of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, she acknowledged that it was Vin who carried the loveteam even as she, LT and Principal Wilma added that Sophie looked really good in her outfit.

“Bagay kayong dalawa,” LT conceded.

“Hindi naman kayo bumitaw sa concept na kayong dalawa ay nag-iibigan,” Galvante observed.









Next up was Akinel. Inspired by the opening scene of “Grease,” their portion proved tricky because only talked about each other to their friends and would not meet eye to eye until the last part of their duet, “Summer Nights.”

“Kahit sa bandang huli na lang nagtama ang mga mata nyo, the payoff is worth it,” Direk Mac enthused.

“Nagkaroon kayo ng spark nung ending,” added LT.

For her part, Gelli took Akihiro to task for not memorizing the lyrics to their song while Galvante thought it was Chanel who carried the pair. “Chanel can really work up a crowd,” she pointed out.

Finally, it was Shaira and Mark’s turn to wow everyone and notwithstanding being handicapped with an awful medley of “Umbrella” and “Singing In The Rain” that could have been disastrous, their performance delivered kilig factor to the max.

“The music worked against you but you made it work. Nilunod ng kaguwapuhan ni Mark at kagandahan ni Shaira ang kanta nyo,” Direk Mac exclaimed.

Gelli went a little further and compared them to Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson while host Cesar Montano went as far as comparing them to Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III and Lorna Tolentino and the late Rudy Fernandez.

LT reserved her best compliment to her favorite “cutie pie”, Mark. “Pati pagta-Tagalog mo, naiintindihan ko na sinasabi mo. Napalaki ng improvement n’yo at higit sa lahat kumakanta na kayo, ibig sabihin yung ginawa niyo tumalon dito sa amin at naramdamin naming ang kilig.”

And even as Principal Wilma expressed some reservations and told them that they still need to work on their emotional kilig, it was a successful “Shark” attack for Shaira and Mark who went on to win the Most Kilig Couple award of the night.

With their outstanding showing, it looks like Shaira and Mark have elevated their status from dark house contenders to emerging frontrunners as Vin, Sophie, Akihiro and Chanel need to reclaim some of their lost glory.

Will Shaira Mae and Mark continue their winning streak or will the former leaders bounce back and slay the “Shark” as the competition towards the P20 million grand prize for the best actor and best actress winds down to an exciting finale?

The only way to find out is to tune in to “Artista Academy” as it airs on TV5 every Monday to Friday at 9PM and every Saturdays at 9:30PM.

source: interaksyon.com

Mark, Shaira grab last 2 slots in ‘Artista Academy’ Final Six

Mark Neumann and Shaira Mae won the last two slots in the Final Six after quite possibly the most explosive and competitive Live Exams on “Artista Academy” on Saturday as the grand finals of TV5′s reality talent search draws near.

Mark and Shaira joined the four top scholars who had earned their slots in the honors list last weekend – Akihiro Blanco, Vin Abrenica, Chanel Morales and Sophie Albert – after a night of competition where every member of the Danger Four and the Tropang Kick-Out stepped up their game to the delight of the critics composed of “AA” Principal Wilma Galvante, director Mac Alejandro, Lorna Tolentino, and Gelli de Belen.

The TV5 studio at Broadway Centrum roared like thunder when fans of the students shared in the merriment as they cheered their idols till the announcement of the night’s two winners in the end.

The live exam started with a dance number prepared by Mark, Shaira Mae, Nicole Estrada, Chris Leonardo, and Malak SSo Shidfat. All five impressed the critics’ panel but Mark and Shaira Mae were pronounced as the standouts.

Next came the singing showcase featuring Brent Mazano, Marvelous Alejo, Benjo Leoncio, Stephanie Rowe and Jon Orlando as they took turns performing songs by Martin Nievera, Sharon Cuneta, Ogie Alcasid, Zia Quizon and Ric Segreto, respectively.

Direk Mac Alejandre was very proud of the improvements he witnessed with each one’s performance.

“You were able to put the discipline you learned into practice. Brent gave such control and was so in full control of the song. Benjo gave a fantastic performance,” he said.

Pleasantly surprised too were Gelli and Ms. LT.

“Kasi,” Gelli elucidated, “this is not always about trying your best. Kaya gulat ako sa limang ito. This time, alam na nila kung kelan nila ibibigay ang dapat at kung ano ang kailangan. Sakto lang. Brent showed that.”

Added Ms. LT, “Ramdam ko ‘yung galing na nagmumula sa kalooban. Paborito ko ‘yung song na ‘Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang’. Nawala na ‘yung punto (accent) at may kambyo na ang kanta ni Benjo.”

Ma’am Wilma mock-complained, “Nahihirapan na ako! Pero nakakatuwa. Ina-apply ninyo ang itinuturo sa inyo. Ginagamit niyo. And for this exam, congratulations to Jon and Marvelous.”

The final test was the acting challenge where all 10 remaining contenders took part under the tutelage of PETA acting coach Upeng Fernandez. Here, they were divided into three groups with each group tasked to convey a specific emotion.

Nicole, Jon and Mark took turns interpreting sadness; Shaira, Marvelous and Chris, fear; and Malak, Stephanie, Brent and Benjo, anger. Once again, the critics were pleased with all the performances.

Direk Mac extolled Brent and Nicole for their portrayals: ”Very mature, very deep, very intelligently acted.” Gelli praised everyone for knowing to calibrate their emotions and exhibiting a sense of timing. Both she and LT declined to identify who they thought were the best performers.

Principal Wilma said she bought into Nicole’s sadness, Chris’ fear, and Malak’s anger.

The total scores were tallied from the scholars’ performances in the Live Exams as well as their grades in their ongoing workshops at the Asia Academy of Television Arts, and their fans’ text votes throughout the past week.

“Artista Academy” airs weeknights at 9PM and on Saturdays at 9:30PM on TV5.

source: interaksyon.com