So sorry to disappoint the fans of Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin but their idols are not real-life sweethearts, never mind if they're very romantic and very loving as reel partners. Marvin is said to be courting a non-showbiz girl ... but that's another story.
Now, is Jolina loveless as she and people around her make us believe she is?
Well, not really. Jolina was once linked to Ranvil Rufino, the law student son of my good friend June T. Rufino (now a bigwig at Viva Films/Television), but the short-lived romance abruptly ended when the movie press got wind of it.
Jolina deserves somebody to love so she'll have an inspiration. After all, isn't she working all her waking hours, to the point of getting sick and hospitalized from sheer exhaustion? All work and no play makes any Jack or Jill a dull boy/girl, doesn't it?
I have news for you: Jolina has a handsome boyfriend and he's not from showbiz, although he does have showbiz connections. He's none other than Bebong Muñoz, 26, a Law senior at UP and a Presidential Assistant on Youth Affairs. If the surname sounds familiar, it's because Bebong is the older brother of singer Tenten Muñoz who died a few years ago in the States.
According to Funfare's "gallivanting" DPA, Jolina and Bebong have been going steady for more than two months now and the good news is that Jolina's parents approve of the relationship and so do Bebong's parents. Bebong is now a familiar sight at ABS-CBN when Jolina is taping for her shows (Labs Ko si Babe, etc.) and on her movie's set. In fact, Bebong was slightly hurt in a car accident while driving to Laguna a few weeks ago to pay Jolina a visit on the set.
There you are. Take a close look at Bebong's photo on this page. Is he bagay na bagay with Jolina? Tunay na tunay na 'to this time. Gets mo?
Maybe without her intending nor meaning to, Jessa Zaragoza has been making headlines these days.
First, she reportedly displeased a jeepney drivers' association by standing their invitation for her to sing at their affair, an issue which Jessa, bless her, more than sufficiently clarified (she was never invited, she said, or somebody must have "committed" her to the affair without informing her).
Then, she's pictured as a boyfriend-grabber when Rufa Mae Quinto (Jessa's "former friend," according to the furious Rufa Mae herself) tearfully revealed on national television that Jessa did a very unfriendly thing to her (ouch!) by "stealing" Quezon City Councilor Dingdong Avanzado from her (as if Dingdong is an inanimate -- as in "transistorized" -- toy boy who doesn't have a mind and a heart of his own.
And now, the cast and staff of GMA 7's Code Name; Verano, led by its star Phillip Salvador, are asking "Bakit (pa)?" when Jessa walked out of the set last Tuesday morning, leaving Phillip and other guests stars (including Elizabeth Oropesa, Tirso Cruz III and William Martinez) in the cold, waiting for Jessa who never came back even when she said that she'd be gone for only an hour.
"She didn't even get off her car when she learned that direk Jose 'Kaka' Balagtas was around," said the Funfare "lisping" DPA. (You see, Jessa harbors ill feelings toward direk Kaka whom she blamed for "forcing"her to undress, revealing her bust, for a love scene with Joko Diaz in Masamang Damo, an incident that drove Jessa to a suicide attempt by slashing her wrist.) "Direk Kaka is the co-director of Carlos Agustin for Verano; he's in-charge of the fight sequences."
Anyway, Jessa's alibi was that she would fetch her mother to let her decide whether or not she would push through with the taping, even when everything and everybody was set. She left and never came back, so the taping was packed up.
In the episode, which is written by "debuting" scriptwriter Mary Ann Bautista, Jessa plays a singer who uses record producers to achieve stardom. (Mary Ann insists, though, that the story is purely fictional). Because of what happened, Jessa will have to be replaced by another actress-singer and somebody is suggesting to Mary Ann to get Rachel Alejandro instead. Interesting. Why? Well, Rachel happens to be the "ex" of Dingdong who is, as if you didn't know, Jessa's "current." If Rufa Mae could sing, she'd fit the role perfectly.
Tuesday night, Jessa was reportedly rushed to the hospital (bad heart, reports said) due to stress brought about by her controversial love triangle with Rufa Mae and Dingdong.
Now, if you happen to be at the St. Luke's Medical Center and you hear somebody singing "Parang di ko yata kaya..." you should know who she is.
The karma next time?
The following item sounds a bit incredible the first time I heard it from Funfare's "cross-dressing" DPA:
A diminutive singer is making beautiful music with a very much married singer-actor and they don't seem to hide it. There's nothing wrong with "making beautiful music together" because both are singers. What makes it all wrong, though, is that the guy has a pretty wife (very understanding she must be!) and children and he doesn't seem to be the type who would jump into an affair with a woman from the same field.
The songstress, an unwed mother, looks very harmless, not the mistress type, so I at first didn't believe the "cross-dressing" DPA's hot report. "They're sometimes seen together in public," said the DPA, "so I presume that they don't mind being talked about."
A word of advice to the songstress: Lay off the guy and find somebody who's legally free, as in walang sabit. (The father of the songstress' love child also happens to have sabit, being married, but thank heavens the songstress has long cut ties with him. She later found a foreigner-boyfriend but she also broke up with him before long.) The law of karma turns fast. When you break up a family, you will be hit exactly along that line, too. A tooth for a tooth, you know.
What's up?
* Warat, starring Joyce Jimenez and Jomari Yllana, is tonight's (8 o'clock) feature film on Viva Cinema (Home Cable). Watch it.
* From reader Al M. Oranas (no address given): I enjoy watching GMA's Tuesday night sitcom Kool Ka Lang. The cast seems to be really enjoying what they're doing. It's particularly refreshing to see Gloria Diaz trying her hand in comedy. Keep us laughing, guys (Joey Marquez, Raymart Santiago, etc.)!
* Armina Gonzales, accompanied by Jerry Matias and His Band, is the featured singer tonight (9:30) in On the Wings of Love at the Hotel Rembrandt, produced by RH Productions in cooperation with the hotel. Armina also sings regularly every Thursday night at the Calesa Bar of Hyatt Hotel.
* Taking centerstage in the third edition of Paco Park Presents' 22nd anniversary celebration of Philippine-German month, tonight at 7 is outstanding young pianist Hiyas Alejo Hila. This annual Philippine-German Month celebration is made possible with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Hosting the program is Maribel Fernandez.
* The tribal performing group Tuklas-Katutubo, under performance director Edwin Maestro, takes centerstage this Sunday, March 19, in Concert at the Park, as it showcases the dances of the different tribal minorities in the country in a program aptly titled Mga Katutubong Sayaw Sa Bagong Milenyo. .Hosting this weekly cultural project of the National Parks Development Committee, under Executive Director Antonio S. Mercado, the People's Television Network and the Philippine Tourism Authority, is Susan Fernandez.
* Forty years is a long time to be in the music and recording business and that's how long Dyna Products, Inc., has been serving the public, an achievement which Dyna is celebrating this month. During a forthcoming launching event, Dyna's head Howard Dy (his father, James, is the founder of Dyna) will introduce 10 Filipino talents with an eye on the international music scene, including two screen sexpots, a beauty queen, a matinee idol, a Fil-Am Hollywood starlet and a top band. Let's wait and see who the talents are and which of them will make it to stardom.