Korina going on leave soon

Any day, Korina Sanchez will file an indefinite leave from ABS-CBN as co-anchor of the station’s late-night newscast Bandila and of Ted Failon’s on the dzMM program Tambalang Failon at Sanchez.

“She’s just waiting for Ted to go back to work maybe early next month,” said Funfare’s Bohol Avenue DPA (Korina remains mum on moves, whether in her work or her private life). The NBI has just dismissed the “obstruction of justice” case against Ted and members of his household in connection with the death of his wife Trina which was confirmed to be a suicide.

“Right now,” added the DPA, “Korina is preparing for her and Sen. Mar Roxas’ wedding. “Korina wants their wedding to be truly memorable so she’s personally attending to every detail. After all, sabi niya, ‘I’m hoping to get married only once in my lifetime’.”

And, it must be presumed, so does Mar who, like Korina, is not saying when and where the wedding will be.

But it might be sooner than expected — “Definitely before Christmas,” said the DPA.

On a recent trip to Davao to shoot an episode for Rated K (a consistent top-rater), Korina made a side trip to the Puentespina Orchids in Malagos and the Fuentes Finas Flower Farm for a look-see. “She studied the combination of small, white, green and gold orchids, and asked the opinion of the flower-farm owners. She wants to decorate the wedding venue with orchids grown locally, particularly in Davao.”

Beyond that, the DPA would say nothing more.

Mar was with Korina during that Davao trip for a “serious talk” with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte presumably about his 2010 plan to run for President.

Meanwhile, Marie and Korina, two of quintuplets named after Mar and Korina, are doing well at the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital according to the parents, Gary and Lolita Fernandez (but one, Baby Melody, of the babies has died).

Mar and Korina went to the hospital during the babies’ baptism officiated by a close family friend of the Aranetas (Mar’s maternal relatives), and were met by fans with handshakes, hugs and kisses.

Lolita Fernandez said that, following the doctors’ advice, she decided to name two of the babies after Mar and Korina when she saw the couple on Wowowee promising “eternal love” for each other.

Why Pops is ‘hopeful’

Catch Pops Fernandez on Saturday, May 9, starting at 9 p.m., on her second show at the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Produced by Music Museum in cooperation with ALV Talent Circuit (with which Pops is under contract), the show is aptly titled Hopeful which is derived from her latest album, Hope.

“That’s my present state of mind,” admitted Pops. “Hopeful.”

Although she hasn’t totally recovered from her break-up with Jomari Yllana, Pops said she’s healing very well and very fast, promising not to fall in love again — “Not soon, anyway.”

Work is the best therapy for Pops (and, for that matter, for others who are in the process of mending broken hearts).

A few days after she and fellow divas Kuh Ledesma, Regine Velasquez and Zsa Zsa Padilla came home from their Divas 4 Divas US tour, Pops launched her hope album on A.S.A.P. ‘09 and rehearsed for her Captain’s Bar Hopeful shows. Next week, she and the three other divas will resume their US tour. Their show was warmly received everywhere they mounted it.

(Note: Guesting on Pops’ Hopeful show is Kris Lawrence who himself is nursing a broken heart after he split up with Katrina Halili. For tickets to the show, call Music Museum at 721-6726, TicketWorld at 891-9999 and Mandarin Oriental at 750-8888 local 2446.)

Correction, please

• The name of the mother of Zaijan Jaranilla, who plays Santino in the ABS-CBN soap May Bukas Pa, is Glendelle Lara-Jaranilla. Her surname is not Amo as erroneously reported in last Sunday’s Conversations with Ricky Lo. Glendelle is separated from Zenon Jaranilla, the father of Zaijan (pronounced Zijan, silent “a”)

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