'You & Me Against the World'

Actresses falling for or going ga-ga over basketball stars is not a new phenomenon. The "craze" goes a long way back to the early ’70s at the peak of the PBA Games when the hardcourt was not yet invaded by so-called Fil-Am players or "imports" or the now so-called "Fil-Shams" (alleged to be "fake" Filipinos).

Among the "pioneers" in this showbiz-basketball merry-go-round were Daisy Romualdez, who has remained happily married to Manny Paner and those whose romances hit the rocks before they ended up at the altar like Alona Alegre and Atoy Co, Aurora Salve and Mike Bilbao, Rosemarie Gil and Estoy Estrada and Malu Barry and Bernard Fabiosa. (It’s a different story for Marita Zobel, whose romance with San Beda player Boy Roxas was kept almost under wraps. They have been married for more than three decades.)

The new generation of "merry-go-rounders" includes Almira Muhlach and Bong Alvarez (married), Kyla and Rich Alvarez, Maricar de Mesa and Don Allado (broken up), Assunta de Rossi and Rommel Adducul (Assunta is now Mrs. Jules Ledesma), Rufa Mae Quinto and Rudy Hatfield (recently reconciled), and Kris Aquino and James Yap (getting married in February 2006).

And then there’s Ethel Booba (real name: Ethyl Gabison; discovered by GMA when she guested on Sing-Galing and now Paolo Bediones’ Extra Challenge co-host) and Alex Crisano, perhaps the most controversial and headline-hogging couple after Kris and James.

Ethel and Alex have been involved in all sorts of controversies, from the much-talked about sex video (did they or didn’t they?) to the family feud between Ethel and her siblings to heaven knows what else is coming soon.

But through it all, the unlikely East-West romance beautifully endures, surviving the tests and trials against all odds. How does this sturdy couple (both Ethel and Alex are graduates of, so to speak, the School of Hard Knocks) do it?

The following Conversation was done at the red-painted Quezon City condo unit of Ethel, the couple’s lovenest, while Alex’s two kids with his estranged Filipino wife play hide-and-seek.

What do you and Ethel have in common?

Alex: Attitude, I guess. Being able to do what makes us happy. We’re both outspoken, sometimes very blunt. We speak our minds and say what we feel no matter how people judge us. She’s funny like me, though. I’m more on the "green" side. I’m a joker but sometimes my jokes go a little overboard and they shock some people.

Oh, you and Ethel are two peas in a pod.

Alex: I guess you can say that. The most important thing is that we share the same kind of love, the same kind of affection. She has brought out in me what other women haven’t – my soft side, my sensitivity.

What were your impressions when you first met?

Alex (laughing): I thought she was a guy. I thought she must have had a (sex) operation. Then, as a joke, I told her, "Wow, you have such big..." You know! I thought she was blessed to have such gifts. We met at Club 5. San Miguel won the game and the guys and I were having a little celebration. I asked Ethel, "What’s up? What’s your name?" She went blank and simply said, "Huh?"

Ethel: I was scared of him. Ang laki-laki kasi, eh! Ang tangkad-tangkad. Ang daming tattoo!

Alex: The truth is that I was also scared of her. I didn’t have any idea who she was until much later when she texted me, "Watch GMA 7." I did. I saw her on this show dressed like a fairy. And that’s when I learned that she’s an actress.

Is Alex an "action man" like he is on the hardcourt?

Ethel: Actually, hindi!

How long after that first meeting did you start courting her?

Alex: I didn’t court her.

Ethel: The American way – no ligaw-ligaw.

Alex: You know, if you’re interested in me, show it. Take it or leave it. I go straight to the point.

Ethel: When we met, that was it. Parang magnet. Two months after we met, I got drunk at doon ko nasabi sa kanyang "I love you!" Nadulas ako! A month after that, we decided to live together

Alex: First, with her family. Until I told her that as a couple we should live on our own to avoid any complications.

Ethel: He respects me. In the two months that we were dating, I would sometimes sleep at his place in Eastwood but he never took advantage of me. He didn’t touch me. Hindi niya ako ni-rape. (Followed by laughter) Hanggang beso-beso lang. I was starting to suspect, "Ano ba talaga ito? Bading ba ’to?"

Alex: I took my time because I wanted to find out first what kind of person she really is. Usually, I don’t make the first move, you know.

You have such a, well, not-so-nice image. Do you think you are misunderstood?

Alex: I think so. You know: Bad boy, tigas ang ulo, trouble-maker.

Ethel: Yeah, he’s misunderstood even by my own family.

Alex: She loves her family so much.

Ethel: He can be brutally frank. That’s why my family doesn’t like him. They think that Alex is taking advantage of me. He’s not. I pour out my feelings to Alex; nagsusumbong ako sa kanya. I can tell him things that I can’t tell my family because mas nakakaintindi siya, especially about financial matters. He always comes to my defense. My brothers are offended when he advises them to find jobs. They’re old enough. I can’t be supporting them all my life. I also have my own life to live.

What’s the real Alex Crisano like?

Ethel: Totoong tao siya. Frank. Brutally frank. That’s why people sometimes misunderstand him. He’s a good cook. I’m a good cook, too. We cook for each other. Marami kaming pagkakapareho; sa type of food lang kami magkaiba. I like rice and he likes mashed potato, fries and burgers. I prefer Filipino food.

Alex: I’ve been here for six years doing my work and I guess people who know me won’t say that I am such a bad person. You know, I was never caught doing drugs. I’m hot-tempered only when people think I’m hot-tempered. I don’t try to intimidate people. But I’m a defensive player on the hardcourt and out of it.

How come you look mayabang?

Alex: I don’t know. It must be because of my size and my looks. They can be very intimidating. My true personality comes out when I’m happy. If you see me really happy, you will think that I’m gay because I kiss and hug everybody, even men. I’m expressive. My mom and dad taught me, my two brothers and two sisters to be physically affectionate.

What kind of childhood did you have?

Alex: I grew up in Brooklyn (New York). Our family moved to Staten Island when I was eight. But I still go to Brooklyn to visit my cousins and friends. We hang out in the clubs there and play the slot machines. We are a closely-knit family, very family-oriented. The family stays together through good times and bad times. I went to public schools for grade school and elementary school, and for high school, too. I was raised with different cultures and different kinds of people, mostly Italians, Puerto Ricans and Blacks. But I’m color blind. I don’t see people as black or white. I see people as people. I spent time with black people because they did one thing that I loved so much – play basketball.

How old were you when you started playing basketball?

Alex: Fourteen or 15. I started late. I came here when I was 23 and since then I haven’t stopped playing basketball.

What’s it about you that you think girls find attractive?

Alex: I don’t know. But I know what I like in a girl. If she answers back when I say something, I like that. If I ask her, "Where did you go?", I want her to speak up. I don’t like a submissive girl. I want a girl who has a mind of her own.

Is Ethel like that?

Alex: Yeah, she is. She brings out the little boy in me.

Are you a spoiled brat?

Alex: Oh, man. Are you kidding? Am I a spoiled brat with her? Look, I buy my own stuff. Everything I have is mine, bought with my own money.

I mean, does Ethel spoil you rotten?

Alex: Oh, yes, she does – with a lot of loving!

Are you spoiled by your family?

Alex: Are you kidding? I’m the youngest of the boys and I was the black sheep of the family.

What else do you like about Alex?

Ethel: Sobrang sweet. Looking at him with all his tattoos, you wouldn’t think that he could be sweet. Mayroon lang konting problema. Ang galing niya mag-English. Ako, mahina mag-English."

Alex (Joking): We communicate better by body language, by sign language.

Have you told your family about Ethel?

Alex: Of course! They can hardly wait to see her. They know all about her and all about the scandals, including the sex video. I guess they have seen it.

By the way, what about marriage?

Alex: That will come later.

Ethel: Okay lang. We are not in a hurry."

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