“He has earned our respect,” Yes! magazine explained its choice of Nico .jpg)
Antonio as one of its 100 Beautiful List of 2016. “Our staff was talking about him yesterday,” explained one of the magazine’s writers, who will remain unidentified.
Clearly, his versatility and credibility have plenty to do with it: “Everyone is singing him praises kasi kahit anong genré raw, puwede siya, believable siya, katanggap-tanggap. Mapa-gay, mapa-kontrabida, mapa-comedy, mapa-drama, mapa-sidekick, mapa-slapstick, mapa-straight. Sabi pa ng production coordinator/shoot producer after Nico’s shoot: ‘Tsaka mas guwapo siya sa personal!”
Yes! Magazine’s 100 Beautiful List is an annual rundown of who Yes! considers as the most beautiful male and female figures in Philippine entertainment. This is the first time that Nico entered the list.
But this happened after his much-praised performance as Tolyts in the phenomenal romantic comedy, On The Wings of Love. As the adorable, vaguely handsome tricycle driver-suitor of the elder sister of lead actress Leah (Nadine Lustre), Nico flies high in the support character of ABS-CBN primetime series.
His consistently praiseworthy characterization as an ideal husband material in the family-oriented drama series embodies the equivalent of Pangako Sa ‘Yo’s Thou Reyes as Takong, the minor character dispensable in the narrative, but so crucial to provide the crucial light moment to make the narrative spin. Nico provides its innocent macho charm infrequently assayed in romantic comedies which he has claimed as his own.
It took Nico a decade to take this distinction due to his passion for the entertainment craft and persistence with the unwavering support of his family and Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan and Mariole Alberto of Star Magic.
Nico’s fine Filipino features with to-die-for abs and dynamic filmography started in Jeffrey Jeturian’s Minsan Pa. Then he took the role of a jueteng runner in Jeturian’s Kubrador (The Bet Collector) to the singer of Biyaheng Lupa’s theme song, “Kahit Isang Saglit.”
He did not mind going to auditions and essaying all sorts of character roles. The range went through a schizophrenic sibling murderer in Magkakapatid to an empathetic “paminta” lover in Joselito Altarejos’ Ang Laro Sa Buhay ni Juan.
He was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Drama, Musical or Comedy) for Magkakapatid at the 2011 Golden Screen Awards, Philippines.
With Tom Rodriguez, Guji Lorenzana and Jay-R Siaboc, they formed the boyband, the VOIZboys, that had a string of concerts and full-length album to their name.
After going the route of support roles that made him an intensely versatile actor, Nico headlined a full-length starrer, Lawrence Fajardo’s Posas (Shackled), where he plays a Quiapo snatcher.
Arrested and subjected to torture, it exposed the police system’s culture of corruption in the process. Acting capably, he nearly paid with his life in doing the water torture scene. This won him a Best Actor nomination at the 2013 Gawad Urian Awards.
Despite this status, Nico is not beyond continuing taking support roles, a mark of a true actor such as in the superstar-studded full-length feature, Jeturian’s Ekstra (Bit Player). This put him in the same status as Vilma Santos, Marian Rivera, Piolo Pascual with 2012’s hottest new actor, “Ser Chief” Richard Yap.
Nico was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Red in the 39th Gawad Urian Awards. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the same film at the 2015 Asean International Film Festival and Awards.
Nico has just begun. Let us wait got another decade and see where he will take his career, perhaps sub for the venerable actor of all characters, Eddie Garcia?
JOYCE PILARSKY FEATURED IN NEW YORK PHOTO EXHIBIT. Global designer Joyce Penas Pilarsky is featured in Phil Dizon’s photo exhibit entitled “Philippine Faces and Places” on-going at the Philippine Center Gallery located at 556 Fifth Avenue in New York, NY 10036 from July 5 to 15. Admission is free.
But because Joyce, who is a doctor of alternative medicine, is traveling to Spain and Brussels for her naturopathy convention as presenter, she was unable to attend the exhibit opening.
Featuring landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes with portraits of notable personalities and ordinary folk alike, the exhibit highlights the uniqueness of Philippine scenery and culture. For this project, he traveled to iconic landmarks of the Philippines, as well as beautiful places that are less known.
Incorporating the drama and majesty of these landscapes and pairing these with dignified inhabitants of the locale, he presents a personal view of the Philippines to bring back beautiful memories of his homeland. His photos aims to inspire foreigners and Filipinos living abroad to visit or re-visit beautiful Philippines.
Based in Manila, Phil got his first taste of photography as an exchange student in Colorado, USA, assisting his foster dad with landscape shots. This led him to take further classes in fashion photography and to set up his own photo studio. Over the years he has cultivated this passion for photography, dedicating more than half his life to it.
His current portfolio includes photographs published in The Philippine Star, The Standard, Art+ Magazine and Zee Lifestyle. He maintains two studios in Metro Manila and is opening his third soon. When he is not photographing beautiful women in beautiful places, Phil runs Vendiz Pharma- ceuticals Inc. as its CEO.
Visit his Web site at www.phil diz.com.
WHAT SETTLES THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS DISPUTE. Called by Jaime Laya as “the Holy Grail of Philippine cartography,” the so-called Murillo Velarde map that shows the contested islands in the South China Sea as part of the Philippines in the year it was made, 1734, is a large map measuring 27 inches by 42 inches.
Providing incontrovertible proof that the contested islands in the South China Sea belong to the Philippines, it is rightfully called as the Murillo Velarde-Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay-Francisco Suarez map. Not only Fr. Murillo Velarde was the cartographer, but Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay was engraver-printer and Francisco Suarez was artist.
Velasco Velarde bought the map in 1991 for P12-million in an auction in Frankfurt, Germany.
OVER THE RAINBOW. Known for his meticulously shaped glass sculptures, Ramon Orlina has evolved a new style. His latest are clear optical glass sculptures with rainbow colors that he will showcase in the exhibit entitled “Over the Rainbow,” a two-man show with Justin Nuyda at North Court Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City. Exhibit runs from July 18 to 24. Artist reception on July 24, Sunday, at 4 p.m.