What makes Gladys glow?

The minute she enters a room, you feel her comedic energy.

And it’s not only because of her blonde tresses. Neither is it because of her flaming red lips (courtesy of Mac, she quips). Nor is it because of her unbelievably low neckline, which allows her ample bosom to burst forth oh-so-maternally.

Quite simply, it’s because of her "unique" presence – on and off-stage.

It’s because Gladys Guevarra, one of the four powerful voices behind Gladys and the Boxers with K (or GBWK), shocks people out of their wits for a living.

It’s normal for her to be the center of attention – in any room. For her to be the belle of the ball, the life of the party.

Whether belting out a Mariah Carey showstopper or churning out wacky one-liners, Gladys never fails to catch people’s attention.

She’s quite difficult to ignore. Especially since she comes out on TV six days a week as one of the co-hosts of the widely-watched noontime show Eat Bulaga. Gladys asserts that she learned a lot from her Bulaga bosses, comic greats Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon.

"I pick up a lot just by observing," Gladys asserts. "Like when it comes to doing live shows. Although I know a little about hosting, they always give me additional pointers. From them, I learned the importance of timing, when to drop the punchline. They’re the best when it comes to impromptu comedy."

She looks up to Vic and Joey as her comic idols. As far as singing is concerned, Gladys counts Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as her soul sisters. "Lately, I’ve also grown to love Destiny’s Child."

She describes the music of GBWK as diverse, as colorful as the personalities of its individual band members. A motley crew they are.

"United Colors of Benetton," they call themselves. "Although we are very different from each other, we really jibe," Gladys says of her fellow GBWK singers Daniel Lardizabal, Kakai Brosas and Cris Samonte. "We hit it off instantly. I think we’re meant for each other."

Their unique chemistry is due to the fact that they are good friends onstage and off, attests Gladys. "Other bands get together only because of work," Gladys relates. "But we always hang out together."

That’s precisely how they keep their material fresh and free-flowing. "It goes with our bonding sessions," Gladys relates. "We sit down and talk. Kwentuhan nang kuwentuhan. Some of our best ideas and jokes come out of our chikahan."

Gladys has mastered the fine art of making people laugh and wowing them with her vocal prowess at the same time – quite a rare combination in showtown.

"That’s what makes us different from other bands" Gladys remarks. "We sing and tell jokes. We sing viewers’ requests. We offer our lives when we’re on stage."

It’s really unthinkable for GBWK to have a slow day. Truth be told, they are always on the fast lane, giving the performance of their lives. But when the going gets tough, how does Gladys cope with a hard-to-please crowd?

"We never surrender," Gladys quickly responds. "We give them one-liners. Or we finish off our entire repertoire. Sing to death! It really depends on the audience. Some people prefer chikahan; others would rather listen to music. We do what our audience wants."

So what if they are not familiar with the song requested by the audience?

"We ask them if we can do another song instead," Gladys pipes up. "If we’re in the mood, we play with the song. We mess with the song."

On unbelievably tough nights, Gladys reveals that they go easy on their routine and ad-lib all the more. They play it by ear, Gladys insists.

"We try to be as spontaneous as possible. But in fairness, by the middle of our set, we’re able to pull the crowd with us. We end up having fun with them."

That’s why their audiences, their loyal fans keep coming back to their regular gigs in Soundstage (Tuesdays), Kampo (Wednesdays and Saturdays), Ratsky (Thursdays and Music Warehouse Fridays).

"We try to make people feel comfortable," Gladys stresses. "As if we’re super close. That we’ve known them for a very long time."

Indeed, Gladys makes people feel she is their cooky girl friend, their crazy gal pal. Forever cheery and chirpy. Naughty and outrageously frank and lovable.

After all, not everyone could have a gal pal with blonde hair and ruby red lips.

Lee Denim fashion show

An exciting fashion show by Lee Denim USA – with Manila’s hottest bachelors on the ramp – sent temperatures rising at the recent Cosmopolitan Magazine Bachelor Bash held at Dish.

Celebrity models included Greg Martin, Carlos Adorador, Chris Petersen, Alfred Vargas, CJ Lara, Mike Chua, Sol Glass, Mickey Randall and many more. Christian Vazquez, Gary Dulatas, Vince Hizon, Paolo Paraiso, Robbie Manaquil and Lucky Manzano also teased the crowd, which included Wilfred Siy, President of Lee Denims USA, who took time off his busy schedule to check out the fashion show with wife Daisy. With them was Lee’s Kristine Uy, who was on top of the fashion event, ably assisted by Epoy Arcino, Darrly Chang, Sheila Alfaro and Kytes Navarro.