Carlos Amir Agassi is 21 and 5’10" tall, member of Star Circle Batch 3 (with, among others, Piolo Pascual, Bojo Molina, Kaye Abad and Kristoffer Peralta); and Michael Yusef Agassi, 16 and 5’9" tall, of the recently-launched Star Circle Batch 9 (mirror, mirror on the wall, who’ll be the fairest of ’em all?).
The five-year age-gap between the brothers doesn’t bother them a bit; it doesn’t get in the way of their blissful brotherly togetherness. They sleep in the same room, Carlos with his ubiquitous bottle of mineral water beside him (he wakes up thirsty in the middle of the night, that’s why) and Michael ("Call me Mike") with his own bottle of lotion (he can’t sleep without rubbing his whole body with it).
They have a stepbrother, Ahmad, 12, who’s now in New York with some uncles, on the side trying out for roles in Broadway. Carlos and Michael’s biological father, Hussein Agassi, an Arab soldier, died during the Gulf War in the mid-’80s. Their mother, Rowena Damaso (from a rich clan in Batangas), remarried another Arab, Fahad Al-Hanaki, who has been like a real father to Carlos and Michael.
The three brothers’ names have meanings they are striving to live up to: The Amir in Carlos’ name means Prince and Carlos is being true to it with his current status as Amir (Prince) of Rap; Yousef in Michael’s name means "praise-worthy" and he hopes to be even more than that; and Ahmad is a "songbird" in Arab, something Ahmad is turning out to be.
Both endorsers of the Wacky Clothing Studio (for the hip and young crowd), Carlos and Michael treat each other more like barkada than brothers, sharing secrets and confidences (but not girlfriends), finances (with Carlos giving more, understandably because he’s the one earning more) and other things beside (including clothes they retrieve from each other’s closets).
Says Michael about Carlos: "He’s not only a good rapper, he’s also a good person and a good brother. Sobrang mabait. He’s a workaholic. Di ba, Idol?"
Says Carlos about Michael: "He’s more daring than I am, especially when it comes to sports. He’s confident and hardly shy, unlike when I was just starting in showbiz. I tell him to enjoy his work and his youth but to be responsible at the same time."
To find out more about the brothers Agassi, let’s make them play the Alphabet Game.
Michael: Agassi, of course! Amir. Everytime I listen to rock music, I remember my kuya, the Amir of Rap. He’s my idol.
Michael: Beach. A career is like a beach. Sometimes it’s low tide, sometimes it’s high tide.
Michael: Cute. I’m fond of cute girls. Church. I never fail to hear mass on Sunday. I used to be an altar boy.
Michael: Dunk. When I was a member of our school’s basketball team, I played shooting guard kaya dunk ako nang dunk.
Michael: Enjoy – as in enjoy kasama si Kuya sa trabaho, like we did on A.S.A.P. and now as endorsers of Wacky clothing.
Michael: I was very young when my father died so I hardly knew him. I grew up with our stepfather who has been more than a real father to us.
Michael: Gorgeous. I have a weakness for gorgeous girls. Anne Curtis is one of them. I used to have a big crush on her.
Michael: Humble. I’m a humble person.
Michael: (The) Insider, one of my favorite movies (starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe).
Michael: Jaypee. He was my best friend in school last year but I haven’t seen him since then. I miss him.
Michael: Kangaroo and Kaye Abad. I’ve always been fascinated by kangaroos. Si Kaye naman, crush ng friend ko pero hindi ko siya type.
Michael: Loyal. I’m loyal to my girlfriend – my future girlfriend – and even to my ex-girlfriends. And also to my friends. Me? I take a bath only once a day.
I made it a point to help my parents by not asking for my allowance; I would ask money from them only when I badly needed it, like when I had to buy something that I needed in school.
Marvel comics. I used to collect them. Later, I combined my Superman (D.C. comics) and my Spider Man (Marvel comics) and I sold them to my classmate for P5,000. Kumita ako doon. I bought each comics for only P50 each.
Michael: Mike, of course. That’s my nickname. Mom. She’s the best mom in the world. I love you, Mom!
Michael: Nike. I’m fond of Nike shoes; I have several pairs.
Michael: Observe. Now that I’m in showbiz, I observe people and actors, especially actors. I learn from them. I also observe my fellow Star Circle members at the workshop. I also learn from them.
Michael: Professional. They keep reminding me to be professional if I want to make it in showbiz or to succeed in anything that I venture into. Pray. That’s one thing our Mom has taught us – always pray.
Michael: Quezon City. My friends and I love to hang around in Quezon City. Our favorite hangout is Warehouse, a newly-opened bar along Timog Avenue. A lot of showbiz people go there. It’s a nice place, very safe.
Michael: Rap din. You know what Kuya Carlos does when he’s courting a girl, even on the phone, nagra-rap ’yan. He hates it when I eavesdrop on him when he’s making ligaw on the phone.
Michael: Sports. After basketball, my interest is now in wall-climbing.
Michael: Tagal. Si Kuya kasi, ang tagal-tagal sa CR, ang tagal-tagal magbihis at ang tagal-tagal magtelebabad.
Michael: Understanding. That’s Kuya, understanding. He understands when I have to get a shirt from his closet or when I drive his car without his permission. He’s understanding talaga.
Michael: Vampire. It must be exciting to be a vampire, no? ’Yung mabait na vampire.
Michael: Your body. That’s what women want.
Michael: X-treme sports. Mahilig ako diyan. I used to jetski at nagtri-360 ako. The harder the sport and the more challenging and more exciting, the more I am drawn to it.
Michael: Yusef. I like my name. It’s rare. I always strive to be highly-praised.
Michael: Zebra. Once Kuya puts up a zoo, I’ll donate a zebra to his collection. That’s a promise. But where will I get a zebra?