Non-issues, celeb geeks, and the  Pinoy on ‘American Idol’

I’ve been downed by cough and colds so, having some time to lounge in front of the television on a weekend afternoon, I finally caught up with some showbiz issues on The Buzz. I actually hesitate to use the word “issues” because it’s becoming more and more obvious that some, if not most, aren’t.

It used to be that watching local entertainment news shows, no matter how tacky, gave viewers some real entertainment news. On bad days, you’d get a lot of non-news about people who just want to stay in the public eye. These days, I get the impression that the shows don’t even try to pretend they’re not public relations mills anymore.

We’ve been dealt the classic break-up angles. Most of the couples rumored to have broken up have projects together. Cesar Montano and Sunshine Cruz have a television series, Palos, premiering soon. We’ve also been dealt with love triangle angles. Jake Cuenca, Roxanne Guinoo, and Bangs Garcia all appear in the same television series, even if Roxanne is only part of the pilot episode. And of course, there’s the catfight angle. Marian Rivera and Katrina Halili, for example, portrayed rivals in Marimar.

What takes the cake, though, are tearful tell-alls followed by a movie/series/concert promotion. Some star-or-another confesses all intimate details of his or her life, weeps buckets of tears, and promotes his or her latest project. What makes it even more hilarious is if, at the end of the interview, the interviewee is made to say, “The Buzz!”

Celebrity geeks

Cracked.com lists eight celebrities who happen to be geeks. On the list is Natalie Portman, who was a straight-A student in high school, went on to Harvard University, studied languages (including Hebrew), and was published in professional science journals. Also on the list is Kate Beckinsale, who went to Oxford University, authored award-winning short stories and poems, and mastered French, German and Russian.

You’d never guess Vin Diesel would be on this list too! He’s been playing Dungeons and Dragons for 20 years. In fact, one of his tattoos is the name of his D&D character. He’s so into gaming that he formed his own gaming development house.

Pinoy on ‘Idol’

Whether this is something to be proud about or not, I leave it up to you. Personally, I like Renaldo Lapuz, and I would have hugged him myself had I been one of the American Idol judges. Simon did.

Renaldo, clad in classic Vegas craziness in Texas, auditioned without fear to be the next American Idol. He sang his own composition, “We’re Brothers Forever,” which was supposedly inspired by Simon. American Idol being reality TV, I’m sure they edited the audition to make it seem more cuckoo than it actually was. Nevertheless, Renaldo’s sincerity shone through, and he didn’t come out as annoying or as arrogant as the other wannabes. 

Simon let him sing on forever, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and even Ryan Seacrest joined in—granting Renaldo valuable airtime that he himself was teary-eyed-grateful about in the post-audition interview.

Simon’s comments: “I’m going to make a prediction here. I have a horrible feeling that it’s going to be a hit record. You’re very entertaining. I actually like you but it’s going to be ‘No.’”

Renaldo Lapuz now has his own website, renaldolapuz.com. His catchy song is now a popular ring tone, has been remixed by a rapper and some cheerleaders, and covered by singer Eliot Bronson. You can find it all on his website! 

I’ll make a prediction: He should be getting a fabulous and lucrative homecoming soon.

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