Love is blind, indeed!

Love is blind and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit.

Of course, you remember those lines especially since the Day of Hearts is just around the corner.

I remember those lines when a Funfare DPA told me that a showbiz couple has also broken up weeks ahead of Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno. No, there wasn’t any "third party" in that break-up which happened oh-so-quietly that even the un-couple’s friends didn’t know about it, thinking perhaps that the husband (who’s showbiz in his own right) was just spending time with his parents. Yes, he was the one who moved out (in the same way that it was Lovely Ness who left her and Joey’s conjugal home in Parañaque City).

"It’s not the first time that the (un)couple broke up," added the DPA. "It has become a routine with them. But this time, mukhang magtatagal ang paghihiwalay nila, with their children staying with the mom."

The cause of it all?

"The husband is the jealous type so the wife is already sakal na sakal," explained the DPA, "in more ways than one, yes. Actually, the husband has no reason to be jealous because the wife is as faithful as faithful can be. Sometimes, in fits of jealousy, he would even hurt her physically. But the wife really loves him, so after cooling off, they would get back together again, letting bygones be bygones."

Oh, well, love is blind, indeed, and the heart can sometimes be very forgiving.

(Postcript: Could it be true that an actor-politician is making "overtures" to the very-much-in-love wife who is simply turning a deaf ear to him – but for how long?)

‘Reinvented’ Roselle Nava

Poor Roselle Nava might have to stay home on Valentine’s Day – and so might her boyfriend (a Chinese businessman) in his own home. You see, Roselle was scheduled to perform on Feb. 14 at the opening of Randy Santiago’s Ratsky’s Tomas Morato (Quezon City) branch but the affair was moved to March 1. The place is still undergoing some finishing touches, that’s why.

"So we didn’t plan to have a Valentine date," sighed Roselle who is promoting her new album, All About Love (Star Records), whose music video will be launched this Sunday (Feb. 10) on A.S.A.P. "But it’s okay because hindi ako sanay mag-celebrate ng Valentine’s Day. These past years kasi, I always have a show when Valentine comes around."

With Huwag Ka Nang Babalik (dedicated to nobody in particular, I’m sure!) as carrier single, All About Love carries the following selections: Open (by Liza Diy and Chat Zamora, produced by Regine Velasquez), Love Me Tonight (remake of the David Pomeranz song), Naiiyak Muli (by Larry Hermoso who gave Roselle her first major hit, Bakit Nga Ba Mahal Kita), Kung Alam Mo Lang (by Vehnee Saturno), Akalain Ko Ba, Dahil Ako’y Mahal Mo Na, Say Goodbye, Bakit Ba, Kung Magmamahal, My Love and Minamahal, Sinasamba.

Because she’s in love, Roselle is singing with more feeling than she used to. She and the Chinese gentleman have been going steady for more than a year now. She’s 25 (turning 26 on March 28, Maundy Thursday) and he’s 26 (he helps run the family’s glass business based in Tandang Sora, Quezon City). He’s her second boyfriend, coming after Gio Alvarez with whom Roselle went steady for two years when both of them were new in showbiz, younger and didn’t know any better, and ending up as good friends.

A BA Marketing graduate from La Salle, Roselle has emerged from her cocoon. She used to be very conservative in looks (manner of dressing, etc.) and attitude. Today, she dresses as she should: With a bit of sex. While before she seemed to be "suppressed," she now swings with, yes, a bit of sex when she sings.

But Roselle is still conservative at heart, opting to live with her parents (and two younger brothers) at their home in San Pedro, Laguna.

"Marriage? That’s far from my mind," said Roselle. "In the meantime, my boyfriend and I are just enjoying each other’s company. I have many more things to achieve at siya ganoon din."

On Valentine’s Day, who knows, Roselle and her boyfriend might decide to spend a quiet night with her – or his – family, listening to love songs from her All About Love album.

Joe Mari’s love special

The best love songs to listen to during this season of hearts are those by Jose Mari Chan, including those from his new album A Heart’s Journey (Universal Records). Listen to any Joe Mari song and you can’t help falling in love again... over and over again.

Joe Mari will give his fans a post-Valentine treat via a TV special entitled A Heart’s Journey, slated for Feb. 16, starting at 9 p.m., on RPN 9. Joe Mari’s guests include Verni Varga, Janet Basco, Antoinette Taus, Aliya Parcs and the CompanY, with Freddie Santos as director. Filmed entirely at the Tagaytay Highlands, the special is produced by Ultimate Entertainment.

Back in the ’60s, American television produced and exported several award-winning television specials that spotlighted the likes of Barbra Streisand, Andy Williams, Burt Bacharach, the Carpenters, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, etc. These were one-hour specials, highly conceptualized and thematic, with elegant sets that set them apart from the usual TV variety shows.

They were special showcases of the major networks and invariably vied for Emmy Awards year after year.

Three famous directors were known for these specials, namely Jeff Margolis, Philip Horvitz and Dwight Hemion.

Here in the Philippines, the networks began to produce their own local TV specials, notably spotlighting Dolphy, Pilita and other artists with wide audience acceptance. In the early ’70s, BBC TV Channel 2 produced a series of award-winning specials starring the young Joe Mari and spotlighting his compositions. Joe Mari is not a stranger in television, having hosted the teenage show Nine Teeners in the mid ’60s, and his original songs were topping the local hit parade. The series covered three specials over a period of two years and were directed by Fritz Ynfante (assisted by a young Johnny Manahan).

The success of these specials was closely identified with Joe Mari that through all these years, several other specials were produced and consistently won awards for the networks that produced them.

In the ’90s, director Al Quinn continued the tradition for Joe Mari by packaging specials that served as launching pads for his new albums, mainly Constant Change (1989), Christmas In Our Hearts (1990) and Thank You, Love (1996).

All in all, in his 35-year recording career, there have been over 11 TV Specials that starred and spotlighted the words and music of Jose Mari Chan.