Can KimPau really draw in crowds for maiden film?

Contagious was the adulation over KimPau, the portmanteau—of the given names—of Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino the last couple of years.

It was even compounded by the daily dose of social media reels or visual posts of Kim and Paulo’s fans, handlers, enablers and other sympathizers showing the couple cavorting with each other or simply talking, conversing, specifically in public, about their private lives—their pet peeves, what they took for breakfast, their favorite colors, what one thinks of his or her haircut, how one smells wearing a particular perfume—or teasing each other how each one would spend the weekend and where or they would want to frolic in a resort or a mountain trek.

All of them to hint that a romance was brewing between them.

These and more elicited shrieks, oohs and aahs, among their avid followers, real and imagined.

They tickled the romantic bones of their Gen Z counterparts vicariously filling their shoes.

These scenarios I noticed when entertainment writer Art Tapalla (who is an on and off housemate if not a transient boarder) would log on to his videos containing Chiu and Avelino’s latest capers.

Art has bank materials  mostly of  KimPau’s public appearances here and abroad.

From what I saw and heard, I was impressed by the mammoth crowd the duo could gather.

If I believed Tapalla, KimPau was the flavor of the season just because their starrers, “Linlang,” a series and “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim,” an adaptation of a K-pop drama, were top-raters.

They were, indeed.

They might have been the benchmarks of past successes or gauges of future hits that merited follow-up projects.

ABS-CBN think tank might have seen potential in the love team so they conceptualized a program that could push the possibility to the limits.

There’s no harm in trying, anyway.

Better trial and error or nothing at all.

Besides, after Bea Alonzo (who eventually left ABS-CBN in favor GMA Network) there was no female star who could take the same path or heir apparent if not as second fiddle to Bea in the giant network except Kim.

The latter is a true-blue Kapamilya.

Janine Gutierrez and Lovi Poe, both GMA Network babies who just crossed over ABS-CBN, were meant for other berths.

Janine was assigned to primetime dramas while Lovi after marrying American fiancé Monty Blencowe courteously left ABS-CBN’s “Batang Quiapo.”

Chiu’s time has come to shine in the constellations.

To intensify a popularity campaign for her, what else could attract a singular star but to pair her off with a male star to complete a love team and boost it.

Paulo was the best choice after the more veteran actors found their own niche and moved on from their teenybopper stages.

There was an apparent drive to popularize more of Kim, especially, and Paulo.

To hype KimPau, movie columnists and vloggers Rey Pumaloy and Dondon Sermino have to join the prey of regularly name-dropping and discussing KimPau on any slant under the sun.

“It’s Showtime,” ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show aired over GMA Network and A2Z Channel 11, where Kim is one of its hosts and has always been the object of teases about her and Paulo that titillated the audience.

Because of the seeming hot item in Kim and Paulo, a movie was made for KimPau, “My Love Will Make You Disappear” which was promoted to screen late last year.

But 2024 passed and the project is still not shown.

What gives?

Is the playdate a premature period or a bad season to screen it or is KimPaul really a team to reckon with at the box-office?

According to an official statement of ABS-CBN, “My Love Will Make You Disappear” will see the light of day in March as they have partnered with foreign distributors.

Let’s see if KimPau can really muster to draw in countless fans who created noise in social media and offline translated into moolah at the tills.

***

Iconic folk singer Freddie Aguilar met once more the famous bold actress in the mid-80s, Vida Verde.

The first time they reconnected was last year to seek Freddie’s autographs for Vida’s sisters in absentia.

This time, the occasion is kinda different: Vida’s siblings, Vivian and Jon were physically present coming all the way from Alaska to give a token of appreciation to the “Anak” hitmaker.

Vivian has been Freddie’s ardent fan since she was a little girl growing up at the Cuneta Compound in Pasay City in the early 80s.

Vida, Catherine Mejia in real life, was just an extra at the time but already a pretty country lass from Isabela, the same province where Aguilar hailed from.

“No’n, lagi sa bahay si Freddie pero tagahanga na niya ako (He was always in our house but I was his fan),” Vivian recalled.

Aguilar was reportedly courting Verde at the time although the flame of future actress was singer Loy Mabasa, elder brother of Roy Mabasa, a musician as well, who was romantically linked with the late Jaclyn Jose.

Loy and Roy were brothers to the controversial radio commentator Percy Lapid who was liquidated during Rodrigo Duterte’s watch.

Anyway, did Vida and Freddie dance to sweet music together?

“Naku, baka magalit sa akin ang asawa ni Freddie,” exclaimed Vida who playfully broke into guffaws.