Ai Ai, Box-Office Queen

Curtain-raisers:

• Don’t be surprised if a certain actress would soon be known (if she’s not yet) as "the bouncing lady" because of her bad habit of issuing bad – as in "bouncing" – checks. Her latest victims were some stars (including a singer and a popular, young TV-movie actor) she invited to grace an affair calculated to boost her chances in the 2004 elections. The guest stars received checks worth P3,000 each and when they tried to encash them, the checks bounced not due to "lack of funds" but because the account was closed. A Funfare DPA said that that’s the "strategy" of the actress. Every time she has to finance an event or a project, she’d open a checking account in the name of any of her factotums (alalay) and have them closed posthaste as soon as she issues the checks.

• Another actress might soon find herself being slapped with estafa charges also for issuing bad checks to the tune of tens of millions. Ho-hum! When will they ever learn? That’s what happens when you let money control you instead of the other way around.

• Now, could it be true that the son of a very popular (senior) actor has been harboring (nagging) doubts as to the paternity of the son he has been treating as his own all these years? You see, he accidentally found the diary of his live-in TV-movie actress after they broke up and one of the entries expressed the actress’ fears that she was already pregnant (by her former boyfriend who’s the brother of an "alternative" singer) when she started living-in with the actor. Could it be possible that the actor was made to "own" the child by the actress (who had refused to have a DNA test)? Anyway, the actor has learned to love the child as his own flesh and blood so it doesn’t really matter if the boy is his or not.

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The public has spoken and the verdict is, yes, Ai Ai delas Alas is the reigning Box-Office Queen by virtue of her solo starrer’s phenomenal (should I say, unexpected?) success. Ang Tanging Ina has so far grossed more than P162 million nationwide – and still counting – and Star Cinema has decided to re-release it in Metro Manila theaters due to insistent public demand.

The fact that Star Cinema reportedly gave Ai Ai a seven-figure bonus (can you guess how very much?) is one proof that the movie did make – and is making – oodles and oodles of money.

According to Funfare’s Star Cinema DPA, Ang Tanging Ina (directed by Wenn Deramas) now ranks No. 2 among the company’s Top 20 All-Time Moneymakers (figures not disclosed). Here they are:

1. Anak (topbilled by Vilma Santos and Claudine Barretto)

2. Ang Tanging Ina

3. Tanging Yaman (Gloria Romero, Edu Manzano, Hilda Koronel, etc.)

4. Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko (FPJ and Judy Ann Santos)

5. Minsan Minahal Kita (Sharon Cuneta and Richard Gomez)

6. Got 2 Believe (Rico Yan and Claudine Barretto)

7. Till There Was You (Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual)

8. Kahit Isang Saglit (Judy Ann Santos, Leandro Muñoz and Piolo Pascual)

9. Bakit Di Totohanin (Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual)

10. Kailangan Kita (Aga Muhlach and Claudine Barretto)

11. Madrasta (Sharon Cuneta and Christopher de Leon)

12. Tunay na Tunay... Gets Mo, Gets Ko! (Robin Padilla and Jolina Magdangal)

13. Bagong Buwan (Cesar Montano, Jericho Rosales, etc.)

14. Di Puwedeng Di Puwede (Robin Padilla and Joyce Jimenez)

15. Forevermore (Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa)

16. Mula sa Puso The Movie (Claudine Barretto and Rico Yan)

17. Jologs (all-star cast)

18. Muling Ibalik ang Tamis ng Pagibig (Judy Ann Santos and Wowie de Guzman)

19. Oops, Teka Lang, Diskarte Ko ’To (Robin Padilla and Claudine Barretto)

20. Narinig Mo Na Ba ang L8est? (Aga Muhlach and Joyce Jimenez)

Incidentally, did you know that "overnight multi-millionaire" Ai Ai has just signed a five-picture contract with Star Cinema? Coming soon: Ang Tanging Ina 2.

A word from Bayani

I take my hat off to Bayani Agbayani for, as I advised him, taking criticisms (specifically from TV-watcher Prosy Montines, PR Lady of Fishing Village) in a positive light. Instead of being defensive and hitting back at his critic(s), Bayani is humble enough to thank them for, in a way, opening his eyes to what some televiewers perceive as "offensive".

Here’s Bayani’s reaction, verbatim (written in Tagalog, addressed to Prosy):

Dear Miss Prosy,

Magandang araw po.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong ipinadalang liham sa inyong kaibigan na si Mr. Ricky Lo. Gusto ko pong malaman ninyo na sa kagustuhan kong makapag-hatid ng kasiyahan sa mga tagasubaybay namin, minsan ay nakakagawa kami ng bagay na di gaanong ikinatutuwa ng iba naming manonood. Nais ko pong malaman ninyo na ni minsan ay di sumagi sa isipan ko na maging masamang ehemplo sa mga kabataan at ibang manonood dahilan sa ako’y may tatlo ring anak na mahal na mahal ko.

Makakaasa po kayo na ang inyong liham ay magsisilbing gabay sa lahat ng mga susunod ko pang gagawin di lamang sa Ok, Fine! Whatever kundi sa lahat ko pang mga proyekto.

Lubos na gumagalang,

– BAYANI AGBAYANI

Temptation Island soon to be a stage play

Remember Joey Gosiengfiao’s camp movie Temptation Island which he directed for Regal Films almost two decades ago?

Don’t look now but the movie will soon be mounted as a stage play with a difference: Instead of sexy men and women as main characters, gay actors will be cast in the roles played in the movie by Bambi Arambulo, Dina Bonnevie, Jennifer Cortez, Azenith Briones and Deborah Sun, with only one actor as lead, none other than model and Star Circle Batch 10 member Reggie Curley (the guy in the Speed laundry soap commercial).

Temptation Island... Live! (the play) will be directed by Chris Martinez, with John Lapus among the lead gay actors.

Temptation Island (the movie) is about four beauty pageant contestants, four gorgeous hunks, an elitist gay and a crazy Girl Friday marooned in a deserted island. What happens is a series of crazy (mis)adventures and sex escapades that, transplanted onstage, make for riotous comic entertainment.

In the play, Reggie will have love and kissing scenes with some of the gay actors, one of them Professor Tuxqs Rutaquio who plays the role played by Dina in the movie (with the late Alfie Anido as her love interest).

Isn’t Reggie afraid of kissing another man?

"No,I’m not," said Reggie. "It’s only a play and the role calls for it. Walang hassle sa akin. I’m confident of myself."

According to John Lapus, Temptation Island... Live! is open to sponsorship. Interested? Call Tonsi at 0919-2518540.

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