After a long absence, Jinggoy Estrada re turns to the movies with Katas ng Saudi, written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes. Senator Jinggoy will have for a leading lady the ever-lovely Lorna Tolentino.
The first shooting day was last week, and the running joke at the set was that it was Jinggoy’s first and last scene because his character would be leaving for Saudi and it won’t be till near the end that he would be returning to the Philippines.
Rudy Fernandez dropped by the set while we were chatting with Ms. LT. Daboy doesn’t look at all like he just had chemotherapy, part of the long and arduous treatment for the Big C. But he said he was still feeling itchy after his chemo session.
He has sessions for three Wednesdays of the month and takes a rest on the fourth Wednesday. The treatment would last for six months – until September.
Daboy said there are no restrictions when it comes to food. In fact he has to eat as much as he can because one of the side effects of chemotherapy is loss of appetite. “Sometimes I get this craving, but that’s no problem because there’s a lot of food in the house or we just go out to buy at a place where the food is guaranteed to be delicious,” Lorna added.
What makes Daboy’s mouth water? The head of maya-maya in miso soup. Lorna told us they have two cooks in the house to satisfy her husband’s hankering.
School’s out so their two kids spend a lot of time at home. The whole family watches TV or movies on DVD together, or plays with the dog, or has a massage. “We call a masseuse for home service,” Lorna said.
Rudy is also engrossed with following the developments in the last elections.
Because chemotherapy tends to darken the skin, Daboy spends a lot of time sunning himself beside the pool to get a tan, Ms. LT said. “We soak in the sun together,” she said, thrusting her arm beside Rudy’s to prove the have the same amount of tan.
Because the chemo has been effective, Daboy has postponed his trip to Japan where he was planning to undergo Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) – a non-surgical but expensive treatment. “I’m praying that he doesn’t have to have RFA because the risk of infection is higher,” Lorna said.
Ms. Lt herself regularly surfs the Internet for the latest drugs in treating specific cancers. So she’s up to date when it comes to developments in cancer therapy and treatment.
Rudy stayed at the set until almost midnight but had to go home because he couldn’t stand the night heat.
Because most of her time was spent looking after her husband, Lorna was reluctant to accept the role in Katas ng Saudi. She even recommended other actresses who could partner with Jinggoy. Among her recommendees were Regine Velasquez, Maricel Soriano, Dawn Zulueta and Ruffa Gutierrez.
“But they were all busy so I had no choice,” she said.
It will be the first time she would be teaming up with Jinggoy. Her last film was Mano Po 5.
Jinggoy himself will produce Katas ng Saudi. He said he has time to do the project because it won’t until July when Congress resumes sessions. He intends to enter Katas in the Metro Manila Film Festival.
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Ruffa Gutierrez has returned to the fold of Christianity.
She had converted to Islam so she could marry Yilmaz, remember? Now that their relationship seems to be coming to an end, she has decided to revert to being a Christian again.
Last week she invited her closest friends to dine at the Florabel Resto in the Podium, perhaps to mark her “homecoming.”
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Two celebrities in the radio and entertainment world passed away last week.
Cesar Nucum, known to thousands of his radio followers as “Kuya Cesar,” died Thursday night of cardiac arrest. He turned 69 two days earlier.
Kuya Cesar was home when he began feeling chest pains at a little past 7. He hailed a taxi and asked to be taken to the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City. By the time he reached the hospital he was already unconscious. Doctors tried to revive him but it was too late.
Kuya Cesar was a legend in local radio. He had worked at ABS-CBN as a broadcaster until the network was shut down during martial law. When ABS-CBN went back on the air in 1986, Kuya Cesar rejoined the network.
He had trademark slow delivery that earned him the nickname “Speed Bagal.”
Kuya Cesar also appeared in such movies such as “Bala at Lipstick” (1994), “Gagay: Prinsesa ng Brownout” (1993) and “Tora-Tora, Bang Bang Bang” (1990).
On Friday, comedian and novelty singer Yoyoy Villame died of a heart attack. He too was 69. Villame, a Cebuano, was the original “Barok” of films.