Look Who's Blossoming into a Woman

I thoroughly enjoyed watching "I Wanna Be Happy." It's one cool comedy. It's about a couple, played by Gloria Romero and Eddie Garcia, close to celebrating their golden anniversary.

With two months to go the big date, the preparations hit a big bump. Gloria has had enough of her husband's gallivanting, but she's not perfect either. At her age, she fancies herself to be a free spirit, so she sold the lot she inherited from her grandfather and went on a spree with her amiga. She leaves home, making everyone believe she has gone out of her mind.

Their three children, Joey Marquez, Cherry Pie Picache and Diana Zubiri, very much concerned because all the arrangements for the grand celebration are in place, swing into action and try to get their parents back together again.

Of course the three have their own problems weighing them down. Joey is a dentist who has been widowed and now has to look after his two grown-up sons. But he is in no hurry to remarry. Cherry Pie's husband (Christian Vasquez) is sleeping around. Diana has been living in with Alfred Vargas, and is not sure whether she wants to tie the knot after all these years.

The fun starts when the children think up of outlandish ways to reunited Gloria and Eddie. I don't want to give away the ending but I can assure you it will knock you off your seat.

Special mention goes to Keanna Reeves for her small but outstanding role as Eddie's temporary paramour.

Susan Roces was the first choice for the role of the wacky mother, but she and the film's producers couldn't agree on the talent fee, I am told. Gloria was only too willing to take the role.

I believe that Cherry Pie and Christian should take a break from playing wife-and-husband roles. They were also cast as a couple in "Manay Po."

Diana and Alfred hit it off well as a team. Joey, meanwhile, is a revelation in "I Wanna Be Happy." He usually plays the comedian but this time he's playing a straight role.

Joey Reyes directs the movie under Seiko Films. "I Wanna Be Happy" opens in theaters this week.

* * *

My friend is really pissed off with this actress for behaving like a spoiled brat. Ms. Brat went to Greenhills to buy a cellphone. But apparently, she felt it was beyond her stature to shop around and mingle with the commoners. So she had her yaya (or personal assistant or whatever) do the shopping for her! Her poor yaya had to convince one salesperson to bring a whole bunch of phones to Ms. Brat's car where she would decide which unit to buy. The salesperson didn't need a lot of convincing after being told who the prospective client was.

In the car Ms. Brat tried out one unit after another but get this: she would wipe her hands with alcohol after handling a phone, as if she were afraid of catching some dreaded disease like AIDS or bird flu. Oh yes, she did buy a unit, but her antics are making the rounds in the Greenhills cellphone market. The talk is that Ms. Brat is engaged to an actor.

* * *

Why did "Pacquiao The Movie" get a black eye at the box office? The movie, which opened last week, when Pacman fever was sweeping the country, didn't do as well as expected.

Some showbiz observers feel that Manny's fans had been looking forward to a slam-bang movie, with their hero swinging away with his famous fists. The movie, however, was heavy with drama, as Director Joel Lamangan conceived it. "No doubt the movie was good. But Manny's fans wanted action, something like Rocky," one observer said. "I guess they were disappointed."

The film also suffered because it did not include actual footage of Manny's previous fights. Jericho Rosales, who played the boxing champion, shouldn't be blamed for the movie's poor showing.

* * *

Sarah Geronimo, the Teen Princess, is blossoming into a woman, judging from her last pictorial. She came off with a sensuous presence that comes only with experience and confidence.

Sarah's birthday wish? Continuing support from her fans, a high-end laptop, a new cellphone and a puppy.

Is she ready to have a boyfriend? "Why not," Sarah replies, laughing. She will be 18 this July and it will be a monthlong celebration for her in "ASAP."

She will also have a special episode in "Maalaala Mo Kaya" opposite John Lloyd Cruz to kick off her launching movie.

To follow up on her highly successful first major concert at the Araneta Coliseum almost a year ago, Viva is preparing a US concert tour in August for Sarah, where she will play key cities with Mark Bautista.

Viva originally planned another Araneta show for her, but she's tied up her taping for "Bituing Walang Ningning."

Sarah is also finishing her album, Becoming, which features 14 original songs.