Jules: Sky is the limit for Assunta

Curtain-raisers:

* Correction, please: The twin sister of Martin Nievera is Vicky (now a Davis) and not Gina as wrongly mentioned in yesterday’s Funfare. Gina (Tabuena-Godinez) is Martin’s half-sister.

* All’s well that ends well. The 2002 Metro Filmfest includes seven entries – plus two. The official "official seven" (Mano Po; Agimat Anting-Anting ni Lolo; Alamat ng Lawin; Hula Mo, Huli Ko; Lapu-Lapu; Dekada ’70; and Home Along Da Riber) will open on Dec. 25 as scheduled while the "plus two" (Lastikman and Spirit Warriors 2: The Short Cut) will open on Jan. 1, 2003. The Metro Filmfest has been extended by 10 days, so instead of ending on Jan. 3 as usual, it goes on until Jan. 10. Everybody happy?

* Good luck to Michelle Cueva Reyes, Miss Tourism International 2001 as she represents the country in two more international beauty pageants, the Miss Tourism World and Model of the Universe 2002 on Dec. 20, both to be held in Ankara, Turkey, the same place where she won as Miss Tourism International. A nurse by profession, Michelle is from Daet, Camarines Norte.

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If we have to gauge Jules Ledesma’s love for Assunta de Rossi by the lavish gifts he showers on her and the regal attention he pampers her with, then we can say that – yes, indeed – sky is the limit. Why, Jules (who likes to describe himself as "Shakespeare in love"... and I hope The Bard of Avon doesn’t turn in his grave) even waxes poetic over Assunta, even quoting Anton Chekov (you know, about Assunta being "the air that I breathe," etc.) in a verse he printed on the invitation card to their engagement on Friday night the 13th, eve of their civil wedding Dec. 14 at the sprawling lawn of the Ledesmas’ Hacienda Euzkara in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, in which both the bride and groom’s immediate family members were conspicuously absent.

According to Pilipino STAR Ngayon’s Salve Asis, who was among the lucky few media guys invited to the "wedding of the yearend,’ the engagement night was more exciting than the civil ceremony itself which lasted for only 15 minutes.

Here’s Salve’s report:

The Hacienda Euzkara was turned into a fiesta town, with 800 volunteer workers and public school teachers dressed in baro’t-saya bearing torches and dancing around the place. Assunta was serenaded by local singers with love songs.

It was also the night Jules presented Assunta with an engagement gift consisting of pearl earnings, necklace and ring worth $10,000 (roughly P500,000). Among those present were Jules’ children (with his late wife Maria Victoria Tsung Pek), Cristina Julieta and Julio Carlos, who clung to Assunta, showing one and all how much they love their stepmother.

Ang gandang tingnan nina Assunta at Jules, especially everytime Jules tried to kiss Assunta while they were standing. The 5’2" Jules would stand on tiptoe as he tried to reach the 5’9" Assunta’s face. Cute silang tingnan. Even during the engagement night, Jules cried and cried. He cried some more – much more than Assunta did during the civil ceremony.

Again, Jules gifted Assunta with more jewelry during the civil wedding, but worth only about $4,000 something like P300,000-plus less than the engagement gift. Pero mahal pa rin, di ba?

The engagement night ended with fireworks that illuminated the starless sky. Everybody cheered. The bonfire affair lasted until way past midnight, capped by a toast to the couple.

Oh, yes, the honeymoon was canceled. In fact, it was never planned at all. What for? After all, Jules and Assunta had been living-in for six months before the wedding.

As they’d say, consummatum est.

Now, Assunta is officially the Reyna ng Hacienda (Euzkara). Their church wedding is scheduled in January, 2004. Until then, let’s wish the newly-weds lots of luck.

Hollywood moneymakers

Funfare readers have been asking who the highest-paid Hollywood actresses are. According to the latest issue of US Weekly, the Top 5 (and their per-picture talent fees) are: 1) Julia Roberts, $20 million; 2) Cameron Diaz, $20 million; 3) Reese Witherspoon, $15 million; 4) Drew Barrymore, $14 million; and Jennifer Lopez, $12 million.

And here are the all-time Top 5 recording artists: 1) (Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975), Eagles, 27 million (copies sold); 2) Thriller, Michael Jackson, 26 million; 3) The Wall, Pink Floyd, 23 million; 4) Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin, 22 million; and 5) Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume II, Billy Joel, 21 million.