Whatever happened to Junior?

Curtain-raisers:

• This actor has had a few other women after he broke up with a TV/movie actress with whom he has a son. But he insists that the actress is his one true love and one reason is that she could match his insatiable appetite for sex. He has a new (non-showbiz) love and so has she (a man tops in his own field).

•  A semi-retired actor from a rich family has settled down with his non-showbiz girlfriend (with whom he has a child) and he claims that he doesn’t miss showbiz at all. “I joined showbiz only so that I could go to bed with actresses,” he openly now tells friends. His list of “conquests” is kilometric. “The best is actress J,” he would wink naughtily. “J” is now also happily married.

•  Now that she has found her own one true love — that is, after a failed marriage — a TV/movie actress can look back at her sad past not anymore with hurt but with relief. You see, as a teenager she was molested by a close kin. No, she has no plans of mentioning it if ever she writes her autobiography, unlike a drama actress who detailed how “cruel” her own father was when she was a teener.

* * *

Ako ay nagbalik at muli kang nasilayan

Hindi na ‘ko muli pang lilisan.

Dahil kung ikaw ang yakap ko,

Parang yakap ko ang langit

At yakap ko pati

Ang ‘yong ngiti...

The present generation of movie fans may be familiar with the song but perhaps not with the singer.

Yes, the song called Yakap was sung by Junior who, in the ’80s, was among the favorite teen idols. In his heyday, Junior starred with Vilma Santos in Good Morning, Sunshine, with Nora Aunor in Bongga Ka, ‘Day and Disco Madhouse; and released three Tagalog albums. Yakap became his signature song.

You may be wondering why Funfare is on a blast-from-the-past mode. I just got a letter from Ferdinand Lapuz, Funfare’s Toronto-based “international correspondent,” who said that he felt nostalgic and, that’s it, remembered that song and started humming it.

“Junior composed Yakap and sang it in his movie with Vilma,” added Ferdy who furnished Funfare more information about Junior for the sake of his fans who must be missing him and those who may want to know more about the voice behind Yakap:

Contrary to what fans thought then, Junior wasn’t a “foreigner visiting the Philippines” who wanted to make a name in the country. Actually, Junior, whose full name is Antonio Morales Barretto, was born in Manila on May 10, 1943. He speaks Spanish, English and fluent Filipino. He was 15 when his family settled in Spain, first in Barcelona and then in Madrid. In 1957, he became part of Jump, a pioneering Spanish electric-guitar group. He wrote movie theme songs (Todo Porque Te Quiero, etc.).

He left Jump and with his friend Juan Pardo formed a group they called Los Brincos, to which Junior invited his brothers Miguel and Ricky as members. Soon, he and Juan formed a duo, called it Juan y Junior; one of their songs was the Spanish version of the Beatles hit Fool On The Hill. In 1979, Junior stopped his career to manage that of his wife, Rocio Durcal, with whom he has three children, one of whom, Shaila, became a singer. Filipino fans didn’t know that Junior was already married when he embarked on a career in the Philippines.

Said Ferdy, “Junior could be related to the Barrettos (Gretchen, Claudine, etc.). Correct me if I’m wrong but according to my research, it was Junior’s great-grandfather, Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza, who established San Miguel Corporation, Southeast Asia’s first brewery, on Oct. 4, 1890.”

According to Ferdy, Junior is now a widower. His wife died of cancer in 2006 and, a year later, his father died of anemia at age 93.

Count your blessings

Rikka Dylim, public relations manager of the ABS-CBN Star Magic, sent me the following poem. It’s so beautiful, so I’m sharing it with Funfare readers.

Birthday Blessings

By Joanna Fuchs

Instead of counting candles,

Or tallying the years,

Contemplate your blessings,

As your birthday nears.

Consider special people

Who love you, and who care,

And others who’ve enriched your life

Just by being there.

Think about the memories

Passing years can never mar,

Experiences great and small

That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,

So cut your cake, and say,

“Instead of counting birthdays,

I count blessings every day!”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])