And the winner is...ABS-CBN!

Curtain-raisers:

• Today is the first death anniversary of Ricky Belmonte. A Mass will be said at 4 o’clock this afternoon at the house of Ricky’s sister Elizabeth who took care of him during his last few years.

• The other day, I heard Kris Aquino announce on Game KNB? that the show is celebrating its "first year anniversary." Now, if a highly-literate and presumed "grammarian" like Kris could be that redundant, what can we expect from "lesser" mortals? Okay, Kris, say "first year" or "first anniversary" and that’s good enough. Happy first anniversary!

• Carlo Muñoz has been giving markado performances on ABS-CBN’s Maalaala Mo Kaya, including the episodes in which he played the son of a corrupt politician (Robert Arevalo) and the unloved half-brother of his real-life kuya, Leandro Muñoz. In tonight’s Maalaala (9:30), Carlo is cast in another memorable role. I won’t tell you what; find out for yourselves.

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In case you haven’t heard, there has been some kind of a tug-of-war between ABS-CBN and GMA 7 over Vilma Santos for a possible soap starrer. Like her kumare and perennial rival Nora Aunor, Vilma is a prize catch, a veritable crowd-drawer and ratings-upper.

Nora is now deep into her own soap (Bituin) on ABS-CBN which is fast building up its own following like the one it replaced, Pangako Sa’yo.

A highly-placed Funfare DPA huffed and puffed the hot "scoop" that ABS-CBN has emerged the winner in the Vilma Santos tug-of-war. The Lipa City Mayor won’t be starring in a soap, however, due to her pressing schedule as a government official. Instead, she will topbill a weekly drama show which will start first week of November to coincide with her 49th birthday (Nov. 3) and the start of the promo for her new Star Cinema starrer, Dekada ’70 (directed by Chito Roño from the Palanca-winner novel by Lualhati Bautista, also the author of the Vilma Santos megahit movie Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa?, with Roño likewise at the helm) which is an official entry to this December’s Metro Filmfest.

Vilma has done a musical variety show before (remember V.I.P. which she opened with those life-threatening acrobatic production dance numbers?), so it’s interesting to find out how she will fare in her first drama series (a genre not new to her kumareng Nora who has topbilled the same before during the Martial Law years).

Funfare will keep you posted on details of Vilma’s drama show. Stay tuned.

Marc can work here legally

In the flurry of headlines about a "mission order" against foreigner Pinoy stars working without the necessary legal papers (including Vanessa del Bianco and the Montero brothers Troy and KC), Marc Nelson has been inadvertently thrown into the list, prompting Marc to pay a courtesy call on Immigration officials yesterday to sort out the mix-up.

Marc wants to assure everybody that his working papers and other pertinent documents are in order. His lawyer, Aga Arellano (who hosts his own radio program called Ito ang Batas sa RMN, 5 to 6:30 p.m. on DZXL Monday through Friday), has seen to it.

"The Immigration officials told me that I have no problem," said Marc who co-hosts ABS-CBN’s late-Saturday-night show Sports Unlimited with Dyan Castillejo and is one of Bench’s image models. "There’s no need for me to file any additional paper/document."

In the next breath, I asked Marc, who writes the column Question Marc for The STAR’s Life section, what the real score is between him and Patricia Javier with whom he went steady during his first foray into the Philippines.

"We have broken up but we have remained the best of friends," said Marc. "In fact, I attended her recent album-launching and I accompanied her to the wake of Dr. Ricky Lacson (who died of a kidney failure)."

No, Marc clarified, Patricia and the late Lacson were only good friends; there was nothing romantic at all in their relationship. "Ricky was a nice person; he helped cure Patricia’s mom when she suffered from hypertension. The rumor was unfair to Patricia and to Ricky’s family."

Joyce-Jay comeback teamup

Years ago when they were both starting in showbiz, Joyce Jimenez and Jay Manalo tried living-in and broke up amid accusations of "domestic" violence and ugly fights. Since then, Joyce and Jay have made great strides in their respective careers, both have become big stars in their own rights. After a brief appearance in Viva’s Balahibong Pusa (2000), launching vehicle of Rica Peralejo, the ex-sweethearts are together again in Regal Films’ Masikip, Mainit...Paraisong Parisukat, directed by Joey Javier Reyes from the late Orlando Nadres’ classic novel.

As the title implies, Joyce and Jay’s love scenes are mainit (as in too hot to handle), in some of which one of them (guess who) was said to have been carried away. But both swore that those scenes were all part of a day’s work. Trabaho lang, walang personalan.

Was something, uh, rekindled during the shooting?

"We’re better off apart," said Joyce who was surprised when she was told that Jay might marry somebody else (non-showbiz) soon. "I wish him well. He deserves to be happy after all that he has been through."