BlogSite Posting: June 22, 2006
Snooky Fired from Barbell
SOURCE: Inquirer Article Written by: Nini Valera
FORMER child star Snooky Serna was dropped from the cast of the fantaserye "Captain Barbell" for being habitually late.
Snooky, 40, briefly played the role of Barbara, mother of the super-hero played by Richard Gutierrez, in GMA 7's adaptation of the Mars Ravelo komiks classic.
The actress' tardiness had caused serious production delays, according to Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for TV Entertainment.
Galvante told Inquirer on Tuesday: "I don't want to go into the details of how much money we lose every time a taping schedule is canceled, but it does cost."
"Captain Barbell" is being produced for about P50 million.
Galvante said the problem had been relayed to her last month, even before the show premiered on May 29.
Simple
"I was in the US when I learned," she recalled. "It was easy for us to make a decision." That decision was to terminate Snooky's services.
"To me, it's simple," Galvante said. "We gave her a break, and she wasted it."
Snooky's tardiness has affected the rest of the cast. It is said that Richard Gomez, who portrays Snooky's husband in the series, was very upset once, when she showed up 12 hours late for taping. The call time was 6 a.m., but Snooky showed up at 6 p.m.
During the press con to launch the show last month, Richard made a snide remark: "It's only 11 p.m.," he said. "She must be on her way."
Actually, Snooky didn't show up.
Cautious
The actress is being managed by Anabelle Rama, Richard Gutierrez's mother, under a contract that expires in July next year.
Galvante said Anabelle had been cautious about recommending Snooky for the part in "Barbell."
"It's not true that Annabelle pressured us into hiring Snooky," Galvante said. "We picked Snooky from a list. She looked [perfect] for the part."
Annabelle could not be reached for comment. But her associate, publicist Jun Lalin said Snooky could not cope with the schedule. "Hindi raw n'ya kaya (She couldn't handle it)," Lalin told Inquirer.
Galvante stressed that tapings were "a fact of life" for TV shows. "All stars go through that," she said.
Snooky recently married musician Niņo Mendoza after her marriage to Ricardo Cepeda was annulled early this year.
