Motherhood Becomes Joanne

Curtain-raisers:

* What do Geneva Cruz and Gretchen Barretto have in common? Safe answer: Their first names start with the letter "G."

* What do Piolo Pascual and Garry Ysrael have in common? Polite answer: They're both graduates of German Moreno's That's Entertainment.

* What do Diego Castro and Leandro Baldemor have in common? Wild answer: "Wild oats."

* What do Assunta da Rossi and Piel Morena have in common? Funny (as in ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!) answer: They're both willing to undergo a "virginity" test. Salamat po, duktor!

Some brand-new mothers look like brand-new mothers even months and months after they have given birth. Meaning they aren't able to win the battle with the bulge (excess poundage they gain during pregnancy).

Joanne (Santos) Quintas, 1997 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and that same year's Miss Tourism International (a title she won in Macau), seems to be the exception. It's true that she gave birth (by natural means after three hours of labor) to a cute baby girl (named Mayumi) on Sept. 2, also Joanne's father's birthday, last year but it didn't take time for her to shed avoirdupois.

"I ordinarily weigh 140 pounds." Joanne told Funfare at the presscon for her post-natal movie, Viva Films' Matalino Man ang Matsing (with Eddie Garcia and Willie Revillame as topbiller), "but when I got pregnant, my weight went up to 168. Now, I'm down to 145 pounds and I still have to lose five more."

No, Joanne hasn't resorted to any drastic measures -- that is, no diet pills, no Xenical and definitely no lyposuction.

"Diet pills are a no-no because I'm breastfeeding Mayumi," added Joanne whose last, pre-natal film (with Monsour del Rosario) must be so forgettable that she didn't even remember what the title was. Mothering can be as effective in making you lose weight as aerobics because it involves a lot of physical activity. You wake up at ungodly hours, run to the kitchen to get hot water when the baby needs some washing, change the diapers every once too often and walk around the room while putting your baby to sleep. I'm a hands-on mother. Mayumi has a yaya, the same one na yaya ko rin noon. But I prefer to feed her myself, clean her up myself and powder her myself."

That saves Joanne's husband, former actor/model Domini Primero (they got married in civil rites on April 26, 1999, with San Juan Mayor Jingoy Estrada officiating), from doing his share of "diaper jobs," busy as Primero is with their business called Big Fish (which has nothing to do with fish but deals in product launching, putting up events like fashion shows, etc.). The couple also runs a stall serving Mexican food at the Hariraya food mart at the New NAIA Terminal Building, with Joanne herself as cook (being a Kapampangan, she's a good one).

"Now that I'm a mother," said Joanne, still very Bb. Pilipinas-looking in her all-black outfit that defined her still whistle-bait figure, "my lifestyle has changed drastically. I've never been a night person, really, but I don't go out nights anymore. I'd rather spend my time with Mayumi. And also, before buying anything for myself, I first think of what Mayumi needs. Si Mayumi muna, bago ako, bago kami."

If you're curious how Marc Anthony, the Salsa King boyfriend (husband-to-be?) of Dayanara Torres, looks "in motion" and how he sounds and acts, watch him in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead which is opening in Metro theaters next week. Marc plays Noel, a distraught homeless man haunting the neighborhood where ambulance driver/paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) works.

Bringing Out the Dead is not Marc's first big-screen outing. In 1996, he co-starred with Minnie Driver, Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott in Big Night which was followed by Hackers and The Substitute. On Broadway, Marc played the lead in the Neil Simon pop opera The Capeman.

As a singer, as we all know, Marc is a major part of the Latin music invasion currently sweeping America. Last year, he won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance and he's the No. 1 selling salsa artist in the world. It was Marc who sang the theme song (which he also co-wrote and composed) of the Antonio Banderas starrer The Mask of Zorro and You Sang To Me which is on the soundtrack of the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere movie The Runaway Bride.

Meanwhile, here's the latest report from Ferdinand Lapuz, Funfare's international correspondent:

Curacha and Pila Balde on Canadian Television.

Showcase Television Network (Television Without Borders) is now in negotiation for the Canadian television rights of Chito Roño's Curacha (A Woman Without Rest) and Jeffrey Jeturian's Pila-Balde (Fetch A Pail of Water). Showcase is the television network of Alliance Atlantis Releasing, the distributor of English Patient, Austin Powers and Scream movies, among others.

This pieces of news was confirmed to me by the legal department of of Alliance.

The negotiation was made for Regal Entertainment through director Jose Javier Reyes and myself via Available Light Corporation. Unknown to other directors, Reyes and I have been sending films to different film festivals and distributors. I was very much surprised that Alliance has confirmed that they are indeed buying Curacha and Pila-Balde because the last time I talked with them was in September, 1999.

This definitely proves that Filipino movies are of world-class quality. Not all types of movies are shown in Showcase. Mel Chionglo's Midnight Dancers was the first Filipino film shown in Showcase two months ago. This opportunity given by Showcase to these three films might open doors to other Filipino movies and, hopefully, will convince that they can possibly release Filipino movies theatrically in North America.

International film distribution is a very long process and this offer from Showcase is very encouraging and is an excellent first step. This will help promote not only directors Mel Chionglo, Chito Roño and Jeffrey Jeturian but the entire Filipino Cinema. This will prove that there are tons of quality Filipino movies and exception Filipino filmmakers.

First it was Midnight Dancers, then Burlesk King. And now, Curacha and Pila-Balde on Showcase. Slowly but surely, Filipino Cinema is on its way to global prominence.