Regine Velasquez

Regine Velasquez allowed tears to take over Friday night in a highly emotional farewell party for her telebabad series “Diva” which starts its exit week on Monday, July 26.

The singer-actress, in broken speech, disclosed to Bulletin Entertainment what the series meant to her. In a huge sense, Regine – who thought of “Diva” from scratch – the show granted the Songbird creative freedom she has not experienced before. This was the risk GMA took when it gambled on a musical-comedy on its primetime block.

The gamble paid off following the show’s consistent high ratings.

“I am very emotional because this show allowed me to sing. When I do teleseryes, I don’t get to do that and I tend to miss singing but ‘Diva’ allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds,” she said.

Regine also realized that GMA was fully behind her having given her a free hand in picking the songs to use in “Diva’s” “Glee”-like story-telling style where reality meets dream sequences through musical numbers.

“I don’t know how much the production spent on the rights of the songs we used but I know for certain that it’s a lot. For this, I will forever be grateful to GMA,” said Regine, who reportedly gifted cast and crew of “Diva” with expensive souvenirs to mark the end of the series.

Not only Regine got to realize her TV-musical dream in “Diva.” The same can be said of fellow cast members, among them are Jaya (in her first acting role), Mark Anthony Fernandez, TJ Trinidad, Glaiza de Castro, Rufa Mae Quinto, Randy Santiago, Buboy Garovillo, and yes, even Gloria Diaz, who made a spectacle of herself singing and at times dancing.

The former Miss Universe told entertainment scribes, “Singing and dancing, what else could be worst [for me to be doing]? But [I told myself] if Vilma Santos can do it, so can I.”

Starting tonight after “Endless Love,” the fate of Regine’s character Sampaguita a.k.a. Melody unravels. She is also expected to decide who to spend “happy ever after” with: Gary (Mark Anthony Fernandez) or Martin (TJ Trinidad). “Diva” is directed by Dominic Zapata.