Powerboys: And then there are only 4

What happens when, to paraphrase a Spice Girls hit song, five become four?

That’s what showbiz-watchers should pay attention to now that the Powerboys (formerly Rexona Boys) have been reduced to only four members – Jordan Herrera, Frank Garcia, Jay Salas and Greg Martin – after the fifth member, Jeff Rodriguez has quit. Or was he unceremoniously dropped like a hot potato?

And then there are only four.

The Powerboys, from a quintet to a quartet, are leaving today for a week-long performance in Japan minus Jeff who will be missing from the group’s engagements/commitments from now on, including the recording of their first album for Universal Records.

What happened?

"Jeff’s manager, Lyn Tamayo, couldn’t think along the same line as that of the managers of the four other boys," said the Funfare DPA. "She seems to have her own agenda for her alaga which doesn’t jibe with that of the rest of the group, so..."

That’s what usually happens with too many cooks, no? They spoil the broth. When five managers try to shuffle the schedules of five talents to make them (the schedules) match, there’s bound to be shouting and fighting and arguing. Something’s got to give – somebody has to go. It’s poor Jeff in this case. Can the guy succeed as a solo aritst? I doubt it. Among the remaining four, only Jordan and Greg (who took up a course in music abroad) can hope to have a "career" if and when they decide to go solo (like what Jordan is now doing with his movie career).

Jordan himself is becoming a little headache to Viva Films guys because of conflicts in his commitments, what with half a dozen managers (actually, the main man is James Salas who discovered Jordan and charted his career from the Rexona commercial to wherever he is now) scrambling over one another for, so to speak, a piece of the action.

A few issues ago, Funfare mentioned in passing that Jordan has been reporting late to the set of Viva Films’ Lupe, launching vehicle of Andrea del Rosario as a bold star and comeback movie of direk Elwood Perez. Once, Jordan showed up for a cast pictorial four hours late (call time was 1 p.m.; he came at way past 4) but he was excused because he sent word that he would be coming from a show in La Union. The next day, the Lupe group (including Andrea’s other leading man, Leandro Muñoz) cooled their heels for more than five hours on the set in Laguna, waiting for Jordan who came at 12:30 p.m., five hours after call time (7:30 a.m.).

Jordan should, to borrow TAO’s words, "shape up" or he might suffer the fate of other promising newcomers junked from the (rat)race due to, that’s it, tardiness.

Jordan’s manager James Salas pleaded "not guilty," saying that Jordan (or any of his talents) always sends advance word if he can’t come on time.

Incidentally, Jordan (through his spokesperson) said that he’s "hurt" by the way he’s "blind-itemmed" by (particularly) Richard Gomez on S-Files which reported that Jordan (the "clues" pointed to him as "culprit") and his "gay lover" had a "cold war" during a recent trip to a city down south.

"Idol ko pa naman si Richard Gomez," said Jordan. "Di ba pangit ’yung kapwa mo artista ginaganoon mo? My idol should know how I feel dahil siya noon ay natsi-tsismis din sa bading. Just the same, Richard is still my idol and I still respect him."

Chikahan sa Sanbashi with TAO

Did you know that Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta (a.k.a. TAO) and her equally controversial niece Kris Aquino have something in common besides an illustrious surname? Yes, they both find Vic Sotto sexy. (Vic will be Kris’ leading man in a forthcoming Star Cinema movie.)

This trivia cropped up the other day during TAO’s regular dinner-chitchat with the movie press (should we call it Chikahan sa Sanbashi?) at the Sanbashi Japanese restaurant at the Rizal Park.

The salu-salo, organized by TAO‘s drumbeater Lolit Solis, is usually a breezy tsismis session, with the movie writers needling TAO for juicy items outside of her work at the Senate, and TAO perhaps unwittingly falls into the "trap" and comes up with interesting revelations.

TAO was asked to name the actors she found sexy and she listed only one (Vic Sotto).

She showed up at the Chikahan sa Sanbashi with xeroxed copies of what she’s been up to at the Senate, among them: Speeding up deliberations on the anti-piracy bill, urging the Department of Finance to scrap the VAT against professionals (including actors earning more than P550,000), and challenging prosecutors in the Nida Blanca murder case "to shape up."

It was during the post-dinner, free-wheeling "shooting the breeze" did the interesting trivia surface.

TAO wouldn’t make any further comment about Kris’ colorful lovelife, except to say that she believed that Kris is an intelligent person and she sure knows what she‘s doing. "What do I wish for her on her birthday (Feb. 14, Kris being a Valentine Baby)? Just this: May she finally find the right man for her."

Somebody from TAO‘s staff tipped off a movie writer about a near-forgotten incident involving TAO and her lookalike and namesake, Tessie Tomas, who has just returned to TV-hosting via her own mid-morning show (Teysi) on ABS-CBN (10 a.m., right before Morning Girls with K2K hosted by Kris Aquino and Korina Sanchez). The blast into the past was timely because both feisty females are in the limelight.

It happened in 1998 when TAO first ran for Senator. Her think tanks thought of enlisting the services of Tessie T as an endorser but Tessie T begged off due to other commitments. When TAO’s posters mushroomed all over the country, her photo looked intriguingly like that of Tessie T, prompting Tessie T’s lawyer to write a letter of complaint to TAO – you know, how dare she "impersonate" the Great Impersonator (of, among other characters, Amanda Pineda, Meldita and "trying-hard" bold stars) to woo voters?

Tessie T’s lawyer’s letter came too late – weeks after the elections that catapulted TAO to the Senate. No, nothing came out of what minor incident; the non-issue never reached the court.

"I’ve even forgotten about it," laughed TAO.

Contacted for comment by Funfare yesterday, Tessie T also only laughed it off.

Now, wouldn’t it be a good idea to pit the "twins" on Teysi, with the host first impersonating the guest and then vice-versa?

"I’d love to have her on my show," said Tessie T.

Go for it, ladies!

* * *

E-mail your reactions at: [email protected]