Kris: The ‘explosive’ next time?

Some people were "disappointed" by the supposed "explosive" detonated (pinasabog as the teaser put it) by Kris Aquino on The Buzz last Sunday. They were expecting something more "explosive," maybe something as "shocking" as her public confession that Joey Marquez infected her with STD. You know what the gossip-hungry public craves for – nothing short of an earth-shaking revelation. Anything less is, ho-hum, a dud!

What Kris clarified was that she went to St. Luke’s Medical Center not for some "pre-natal" examination but to have her throat checked. Nodules were found in her vocal chords and doctors have advised her to observe complete silence for 10 days effective immediately.

"But I had to make tawad for me to start keeping my mouth shut starting tomorrow because I still had to tape some shows," said Kris who has been suffering hoarseness for several months now. "Otherwise daw, I might lose my voice completely. What could be a fate worse than that for somebody who makes a living out of her voice!"

But her condition is not so serious as to require surgery.

With her Game KNB? Next Level show ending, Kris will concentrate on two shows, Morning Girls (with Korina Sanchez) Monday through Friday and The Buzz (with Boy Abunda) Sundays, with a teleserye of her own sometime in July.

We won’t be seeing Kris on The Buzz on Sunday, Feb. 29 (she’ll be back the Sunday after), but she’ll be on Morning Girls (in taped episodes).

Kris was mum on the rumor that she and Joey have reconciled and/or they are getting married.

"But I want to make it clear that I am not pregnant," said Kris. "Two months na raw. If I am, how can I deny something like that when I can’t stop my stomach from growing big? I’d admit it if I were pregnant."

Being outspoken – and sometimes tactless – Kris can make a "slip of the tongue" on matters concerning her private life.

Meanwhile, let the speculations and the wild rumors spread.

Do we have to stay tuned for Kris’ "real explosive" sometime soon?

Don’t go away; we’ll be back!

ABC 5 gets 5 ABS-CBN talents

Anytime soon, we will be missing five of The Correspondents, your and my favorite "investigative" show on ABS-CBN, namely Patrick Paez, Ed Lingao ("veteran" correspondent of the Iraq War), Jim Libiran, Ann Torres and Jade Lopez. Reason: They’ve been "pirated" by ABC 5 which is currently recruiting talents from other stations to beef up its News & Public Affairs Department. (Come to think of it, no matter how loudly he denied it, Funfare stands on its story that GMA 7’s Mike Enriquez did have a serious negotiation with ABC 5 bigwigs who wanted Mike to head the station’s News & Public Affairs Department.)

Patrick and company tendered their irrevocable resignation from ABS-CBN last Friday, catching their bosses off guard. The Funfare DPA said that the five were offered by ABC 5 twice their salaries at ABS-CBN and choice positions at ABC 5’s News & Public Affairs Department.

Only Karen Davila and Abner Mercado are left as Correspondents. Yes, ABC 5 made the same irresistible offers to Karen and Abner but they politely said no.

And there lies the irony. Patrick and company are homegrown ABS-CBN talents while Karen and Abner were originally from GMA 7. Oh, well, when "the price is right" from another station, who cares about loyalty?

If I were Dong Puno and other ABS-CBN bigwigs, I’d give Karen and Abner not just a raise but a badge of honor for being, that’s it, loyal.

Jeanell Kwan, Taong Grasa

Even if she was featured on a sexy spread in FHM magazine and has done a "supporting"/introductory role as a factory worker in Vintage Films’ Kalabit, directed by Buboy Tan and starring Ara Mina, Raymond Bagatsing and Carlos Morales, people remember newcomer Jeanell Kwan more for her week-long appearance as Taong Grasa on GMA’s Extra Challenge (hosted by Paolo Bediones).

"That was a hard role to play," recalled Jeanell, a native of Catbalogan, Western Samar, whose real name is Jeanell Lynn Cinco Abejo. "As a Taong Grasa, I had to beg on the streets of Quezon City and scavenged for food from trash cans."

Playing Taong Grasa, which required her to be covered with grease from head to foot, made Jeanell realize how hard such a life was.

"For one thing," said Jeanell, who is still recognized by many people as the Taong Grasa months after the airing of the show, "I knew first-hand how hard a Taong Grasa’s life was. A Taong Grasa is considered by many people as dirt. And the cops aren’t really that nice to the Taong Grasa."

For that challenging role, Jeanell won the "challenge" over the other equally sexy contestants, going home with P30,000.

"I suffered a bit after that," added Jeanell. "Because of the grasa, my face broke out with pimples and I felt itchy all over for several days. It was hard to wipe the grasa off my skin."

Standing 5’5" and measuring 34-24-35, Jeanell is fifth of the six children of Rodolfo Abejo and Rosalinda Cinco (who is a neighbor of Tessie Tomas’ relatives in Catbalogan, the same place where Bibeth Orteza comes from). After finishing elementary and high school at the Samar State Polytechnic College in Catbalogan, Jeanell tucked up a degree in Accounting at the Southwestern University in Cebu.

She was one-time, among other beauty titles, Miss Catbalogan and Miss Samar.

"Do I aspire to be a bold star?" asked the sexy Waray. "If I can help it, I’d rather be a sexy actress, a sexy comedienne, than a bold star."

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