Ricky quits May 10 race

Just in: Ricky Davao has decided to drop out of the May 10 elections in which he’s running for councilor in the Fourth District of Quezon City where several other stars are running for the same position, among them Arnell Ignacio, Ara Mina, Alfred Vargas, Roderick Paulate, Ogie Diaz and Jigo Garcia.

Reason for Ricky’s quitting is conflict of interest, a choice between showbiz which is his profession (and bread and butter) and politics which is an entirely new field to him.

Ricky (real full name: Frederick Charles Dabao) is in the cast of Working Girls, a co-production between GMA Films and Viva Films opening on Wednesday, April 21. A COMELEC rule prohibits actor-candidates from appearing in movies and TV shows during the campaign period.

“Sayang,” said Ricky who would have wanted to use his popularity to help persuade people to “act” (read: to get moving and not umarte). He’s an advocate of the “walk the talk” principle. “I have learned a lot about politics during the campaign. I talked to the people in my district and I have evaluated their concerns.”

Well, there’s always a next time, Ricky.

(Note: More on Ricky Davao in this afternoon’s edition of Startalk, 2:30 to 5 on GMA)

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Confirmed: LJ Reyes and Paolo Avelino, who are starring in the GMA soap Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita?, will be parents by July. Yes, LJ is six months pregnant.

“I am giving birth in New York,” LJ told Funfare Update in a phone interview. Her mother and her sister have migrated to New York. Both Chinese, LJ’s parents separated when LJ was two years old. “They both have new families. I was with my mom in December last year.

She was the first one I told about my pregnancy. Paolo’s family was also among the first to know.”

They waited for the right time to announce her pregnancy. At first, LJ said that she was going to New York to have her chronic back pain checked.

“Talagang may back pain ako,” she said. “It wasn’t a cover-up.”

The sweethearts had broken up with their non-showbiz steadies before they became an item. They first starred in the GMA soap All My Life and then in Ina where they became closer. Paolo is also in the cast of the GMA fantasy-adventure Carlo J. Caparas’ Panday Kids as replacement for JC de Vera who has signed up with TV5. LJ is the latest addition to the cast of the GMA gag show Bubble Gang. She’s in the unreleased indie film The Leaving.

LJ is 22; Paolo is four months younger than her.

She said they will discuss marriage after she gives birth.

(Note: More on Paolo and LJ in this afternoon’s edition of Startalk, 2:30 to 5 on GMA)

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It’s mid-April and where, oh, where is Ruffa Gutierrez’s estranged husband Yilmaz Bektas who was supposed to come middle of last month supposedly to visit their daughters Lorin and Venice?

“He wanted to take the two bagets to Palawan for a vacation daw,” said Ruffa’s mom Annabelle Rama. “Sabi ko kay Ruffa huwag pumayag. Maybe that’s why Yilmaz cancelled his trip here.”

Has Yilmaz been supporting the two girls? (Ruffa said she doesn’t need any sustento from Yilmaz, thank you, because she’s earning more than enough to sustain herself and their daughters.)

“Wala, not even a cent,” said Annabelle. “Unless daw wala sa kanya ‘yung dalawang bata, hindi siya magbibigay ng sustento.”

Asked if it’s true that Yilmaz is going to marry his rumored new girlfriend, 2006 Miss Universe Zuleyka Mendoza (of Puerto Rico), Annabelle simply shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Yilmaz and Ruffa’s divorce hasn’t been finalized yet but a local court has given Ruffa custody over their daughters. “The children should stay with their mom,” conceded Yilmaz.

Incidentally, at the presscon for her latest movie, Working Girls, the GMA Films/Viva Films joint venture directed by Joey Javier Reyes, Ruffa appeased the residents of Angono who are reportedly “offended” by the movie’s trailer in which Ruffa’s character, upon learning that a man was giving her a house in Angono, reacts by asking, “May Starbucks ba doon?”

“I want to make it clear that the one talking is not me, the person, but my character,” said Ruffa. “Nasa script ‘yon.”

Said direk Joey, “If there’s anybody to blame, it’s me. Ako din ang sumulat ng script. But I’m not belittling the people of Angono. They should watch the whole movie for them to understand what Ruffa’s character says in the right context.”

(Note: Ruffa will appear live in this afternoon’s edition of Startalk, 2:30 to 5 on GMA)

‘Must’ radio and TV shows

It has become a habit with me to tune in to Kuya Eddie Ilarde’s nostalgic program, Kahapon Lamang, on dzBB every Saturday right after lunch. Kuya Eddie plays old familiar songs and dishes out trivia and other interesting topics. Tune in.

On Sundays, it’s Music and Memories without fail, from 2 to 4 p.m. on dzMM, with Boots Anson-Roa and WillieNep on board, merrily taking their avid listeners (among them Ricky Davao, Bong Osorio, Pete Lacaba, Chanda Romero and Jose Mari Chan) down memory lane. In-between playing songs by the likes of Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Jack Jones, Connie Francis and the enduring voices of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Boots and WillieNep invite listeners to put in additional info on whatever “old memories” they are recalling. Tune in.

Of course, there’s also Ramon “RJ” Jacinto’s Sunday show on his own station, airing old videos that never fail to touch the heart. Last Sunday, RJ aired music videos of Burt Bacharach and Andy Williams at the prime of youth. Aired live, the show is carried by Sky and Home on Channel 19, Destiny on Channel 29 and Dream Channel, reaching as far as China, Japan and Hong Kong. Tune in.

And since two Sundays ago, I’ve been glued to my TV from 2 to 4 p.m. on Q-11 (yes, while tuned in to Boots and WillieNep, would you believe!), enjoying old Sampaguita movies. The show, called Pinoy Cine Klasika, is hosted by German Moreno, a true-blue Sampaguitan. The first feature was Dance-0-Rama with Susan Roces and Jose Mari, followed by Bituing Marikit with Amalia Fuentes, Juancho Gutierrez, Dolphy and Daisy Romualdez. Tomorrow’s featured film is Bahay Kubo, Kahit Munti with Rosemarie Sonora, Pepito Rodriguez and German Moreno (noong payat pa siya!). Tune in.