Is Paolo the last to know?; Gelli, Janice: Why SIS ticks

When Funfare casually mentioned in Curtain-Raiser that Paolo Bediones (whose contract with GMA expires in April) might be made to quit S-Files and leave the trio of Richard Gomez, Janice de Belen and Joey Marquez as hosts, Paolo called me to verify. "I asked (the GMA bigwigs) and they told me there’s no such plan," said Paolo who’s co-hosting the daily show Extra! Extra! with Miriam Quiambao.

Good, I told Paolo, adding, "But you can never tell, you know. Television is very relentless; sometimes, the rug is pulled from under your feet and you’ll never know what hits you." Ask Aster Amoyo (terminated on the spot as host of the unlamented GMA show whatchamacallit). Or Kris Aquino (whose ABS-CBN show Love Ko si Kris was pulled out of the air even when her mom, President Cory Aquino, was in power). Or Pops Fernandez (who cried a river when ABC 5 axed her self-titled show).

That relentless, I tell you!

Sometimes, you are the last to know.

According to my GMA DPA, there’s a (secret?) plan (pray, Paolo, that it won’t be pushed through) to enforce the trio of Richard, Janice and Joey, sans Paolo who doesn’t seem to blend into the trio (much too "wholesome," perhaps?). Joey’s presence on S-Files draws the male audience, they say. (In effect, John Estrada might have his own segment on ABS-CBN’s The Buzz as Joey’s foil.)

Meanwhile, Paolo is happily hosting Extra! Extra! which is celebrating its anniversary with a week-long special treat. Do stay tuned for some surprises.

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After last Monday’s episode of SIS where she made peace with erstwhile arch rival Regine Velasquez, Gellie de Belen said that she felt as if a big thorn was extracted from her chest. It isn’t nice or healthy to be carrying an emotional burden, is it? Ask your doctor.

That "closure" signaled Gelli – and Regine – to move on and travel through life lightly, like birds soaring in the sky.

Asked when she’d have her own "closure" (as far as estranged husband John Estrada and his rumored girlfriend Vanessa del Bianco are concerned), SIS co-host and Gelli’s sister Janice de Belen smiled, "In due time; it will happen at the right time."

The De Belen sisters said that they aren’t fazed by the competition (meaning ABS-CBN’s Teysi and Morning Girls: K2K, aired on the same timeslot, 10 to 11:30 a.m.).

They said they tick as SIS co-hosts because, 1) they have rapport even off camera, 2) they maintain a "feeling of a family" with the staff, and 3) they act like "normal na magkapatid," with Janice’s seriousness tempered by Gelli’s light-heartedness.

And what would they do to be on competitive level?

"Anything," the sisters chorused, "except give birth on camera."

The reason?

"Sarado na ang canteen!" exclaimed Janice.

Richard Gere’s choreographer is a Pinay

Here’s an interesting story sent to Funfare by Edmund Silvestre, one of the editors of the New York-based The Filipino Reporter:

Shortly after Richard Gere nailed the Golden Globe Best Actor trophy (for Musical or Comedy) as slick lawyer Billy Flynn for Chicago, the American Gigolo star immediately called his Filipino-American choreographer, Broadway veteran Cynthia Carillo Onrubia, to thank her for helping him execute flawlessly his extended solo tap dance in the musical’s film version that also won the Golden Globe Best Picture honors.

The phone conversation was beamed live on national television – Gere in Los Angeles and Onrubia in New York – over NBC’s Access Hollywood, during the 60th annual ceremonies in Beverly Hills.

The two exchanged "thank you’s" and recalled the gruelling months of their rehearsals, with director Rob Marshall and co-stars Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma Kelly and Renee Zellweger, who won Best Actress for her portrayal of Roxie Hart.

With Onrubia at his side, Gere said he gave it his all during four months of rehearsals. "The first four weeks or so were humiliating," said Gere, who also thanked Onrubia in his long acceptance speech. "I was so shy and nervous about the tap dancing. I wouldn’t let anyone see me except for Cynthia."

Onrubia and her choreography team of John DeLuca, Joey Pizzi and Denise Faye worked moment-by-moment through the script, conceptualizing each of the 18 musical numbers that razzle-dazzled movie audiences into going to see a big, old-fashioned musical about murder, sex and heartless jazz-club showgirls in celebrity-hungry, Roaring ‘20s Chicago.

Currently one of the Great White Way’s highly-regarded figures, the US-born Onrubia is known in the theater circle as a choreographer, actress, director and creative consultant.

She is in the original cast of A Chorus Line, Cats, Victor/Victoria, Song and Dance, and The Goodbye Girl; and served as choreographer for Cabaret, Damn Yankees (revival), The Goodbye Girl and Little Me.

She also served as artistic associate for the comedy Dame Edna: The Royal Tour.

Onrubia is the daughter of the equally talented Cely Carillo, the first Filipino to play a principal role (as Mei-Li now played by Lea Salonga) in the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original Broadway production of Flower Drum Song.

Carillo, who was honored by New York Mayor Ed Koch with a Liberty Medal (awarded to immigrants who had distinguished themselves in their respective fields), also acted in Hollywood movies and television.

Onrubia started ballet training at the age of four. At nine, she appeared with the US terpsichore Ballet. As a tot, she made a TV commercial with her mother; and from then on, she went into soap opera, stock productions, and Miliken industrial shows.

"Cynthia Onrubia, like her mom, is one of the Philippines’ greatest contributions to Broadway," said Manhattan-based writer and art expert Eva Florentino. "We should celebrate that Broadway talents like her are now being recognized by Hollywood."

With Hollywood now eyeing lavish musicals started by Moulin Rouge and Chicago, theater figures like Onrubia are expected to become in demand talents in Tinseltown.

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