Wowowee reels off March 6

Correction, please: Wowowee will be back on Monday, March 6, with the same title (not Wowowin as Funfare reported yesterday), the same host (Willie Revillame), the same co-hosts (Iya Villania, Kat Alano and Janelle Jamer) and on the same timeslot (ABS-CBN, 1 to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday).

But before the usual format (games such as Bigat-10, Tigasin, Willie of Fortune and Pera O Bayong, etc.), the show will be ushered in by five special episodes which dramatize the stories of past Wowowee P1-million winners, including The Arjay Calara and Jacqueline Recasa (a love story; tricycle driver Calara spent part of his prize on their wedding), starring Vhong Navarro, written by Arlene Tamayo and directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina (of Close To You fame); The Belen Avila Story (about a widowed canteen server), starring Eula Valdez, written by Ruel Montanez and directed by Randy Ranay; The Rosalinda Marcos Story (about a woman who leaves her 11 children in Davao to work in Manila as a maid), starring Amy Austria, written by Maribel Ilag and directed by Wenn Deramas; The Edwin Sumampong Story (about a hard-up security guard badly in need of money for his wife about to give birth), starring Paolo Contis, written by Keiko Aquino and directed by Wenn Deramas; and The John Paul Caronan Story (about a boy who helps augment the meager family income by hawking rugs), starring Jiro Manio, written by Agnes Gagelonia and directed by Wenn Deramas.

The five-episode drama package, airing Monday (March 6) through Friday (March 10), is entitled Pangarap at Tagumpay (Mga Kuwento sa Likod ng Wowowee), obviously inspired by Charo Santos-Concio’s long-running, top-rated drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya?

Then on Saturday, March 11, Wowowee will resume its old format with a few changes, not the least of which is an entirely new set.

Okay, all together now: Wowowee, sino’ng di mawiwili, dahil sa game na’to ay di ka magsisisi. Wowowee panalo ang marami, pagkat walang talo sa Wowowee!

Pilipinas, game ka na ba?

Rudy Fernandez not like Terry Fox

Several readers (Dionisio Cortez Jr. of Hawaii and Constancia Baduria-Robles of Calgary, Canada) corrected Funfare’s item comparing one-legged runner Rudy Fernandez (recently "evicted" from Pinoy Big Brother) to Terry Fox who was mentioned in the story as a cancer victim who swam the English Channel.

Wrote Constancia: Your comparison of Mr. Fernandez to Terry Fox is unwarranted. Mr. Fox is considered a hero not only in Canada but also worldwide. I’m enclosing herewith an excerpt from the Internet:

In 1977, 18-year-old Terry Fox, while a student at Simon Fraser University, was diagnosed with bone cancer and lost his right leg to prevent the spread of the disease. After 14 months of training, Terry convinced the Canadian Cancer Society to help sponsor his run across Canada to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean and began his Marathon of Hope across Canada. Averaging 26 miles per day, Terry continued to run for 143 days as the country watched. On Sept. 1, 1980, Terry was just outside Thunder Bay ON when tragedy struck. He felt sharp pains in his chest. The cancer he thought he had conquered had spread to his lungs. He returned to Vancouver for more treatments but lost his battle with cancer on June 28, 1981, exactly one month shy of his 23rd birthday.

Although Terry did not complete his Marathon, his run had raised $24.2 million for the cause of cancer research and he became an inspiration to millions of people worldwide. Terry has received numerous honors, including the Order of Canada, a postage stamp, several memorials, schools and mountains (named after him) and an HBO movie about his life. But his greatest legacy is the annual Terry Fox Run which is held in cities across Canada and around the world. (Reader Dionisio Cortez Jr. said he joins the run held every second week of December in Hawaii. – RFL).

To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised nearly $400 million for cancer research. There has also been a Canadian one-dollar coin minted with the image of Terry, the first ever that a Canadian has been featured on a coin. Terry was also featured as one of CBC’s "Greatest Canadians" and is currently the subject of a pictorial biography released by Douglas Coupland.

There. Thank you, Dionisio and Constancia, for setting the record straight.

Who will be ‘it’?

The 2006 Bb. Pilipinas beauties (Universe, International and World) will be chosen tonight at the Araneta Coliseum, with 24 ladies competing for the three major titles at stake. The pageant starts at 7:30 but will be aired on GMA 7 starting at 9:30.

Here are the 12 candidates picked "most likely" to win by Funfare’s "beauty experts" Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib. (Note: Some "dark horses" might bag the titles, who knows?)

• Denille Lou Valena Valmonte, #9 – 24, 5’7", 34-22-34, 100 lbs. This Ilocana, a PUP HRM graduate, won the 2002 Eastwood Bikini Open and was a finalist in the PUP Top Model contest and Extreme Faces contest, both in 2002.

• Lia Andrea Aquino Ramos, #17 –25, 5’7.5", 35-23-35, 113 lbs. A Political Science graduate from UP, this Davao native works as program officer at the Asia Foundation. In 2001, she was a semi-finalist in the Global Queen Philippines contest.

• Marie Anne Bonquin Umali, #13 – 19, 5’7.5", 34-24-34, 110 lbs. Half-Filipino and half-Lebanese, this Francine Prieto lookalike is a student at the College of St. Benilde. She was runner-up in last year’s Miss Batangas contest.

• Anna Marie Arcay Igpit, #20 –18, 5’8", 35-23-36, 113 lbs. A B.S. Tourism sophomore at the Southwestern University, this Boholana has a string of beauty titles to her name: Miss 2004 Talisay, Cebu (where she grew up); Miss Kawasan 2004; Miss Mandaue 2005; and Miss Bohol Sandugo 2005.

• Mary Pilar Alipio de Gorostiza, #18 – 21, 5’7", 35-24-34, 109 lbs. An Interior Design student at College of St. Benilde, this Parañaque native has Chinese and Spanish ancestry.

• Louise Dianne Sabay Navera, #7 – 19, 5’8", 34-25-36, 112 lbs. A UST B.S. Tourism junior, she was Miss UST Tourism 2003 and the reigning Miss Lipa Tourism, Miss Red Cross Queen of Charities and Miss Pasay.

• Emcel Alna Guido Reyes, #16 – 18, 5’6.5", 34.5-24-34.5, 114 lbs. A student at St. Dominican College, she hails from Angono, Rizal.

• Joanna Patricia Cruz Tolentino, #2 – 22, 5’6", 34-23-34, 103 lbs. A Miriam College graduate, she works as a sales supervisor at a car firm.

• Fiona Marie Lucido Lava, #10 – 23, 5’6.5", 34-25-35, 117 lbs. A former flight attendant and Miss Ilocandia (2003), she was a semi-finalist in the 2002 Miss Philippines-Earth pageant and second runner-up in the 2003 Mutya ng Pilipinas contest.

• Caroline de Leon Yorke, #22 – 19, 5’7", 34-24-35, 116 lbs. A Chemistry student from Peperdine University, she’s the niece of Rebecca de Leon, Miss RP second runner-up during Eva Reyes’ reign (l972).

• Vera Eumee delos Santos Reitter, #24 – 19, 5’6", 35-24-35, 118 lbs. This half-German, half-Filipino charmer is the reigning Miss HRM, Miss University of Baguio and Miss Hotel & Restaurant Association of Baguio.

• Jenny Capiz Yu, #6 – 22, 5’8", 34-23-35, 115 lbs. A Management and Entrepreneurship graduate from Angeles University, she was a candidate in the Bodyshots 2004 search and the Elite Model search in 2005.

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