Entertainment

A toast to Matteo's 21st birthday

March 22, 2011 | 12:00am

At the end of the merienda mini-presscon last Saturday afternoon at Cerchio (Scout Limbaga, Quezon City), Swatch lady boss Virgie Ramos asked the waiter to take out the bottle of champagne (chilled at the start of the affair) and led the half a dozen entertainment writers to offer a toast to Matteo Guidicelli who is turning 21 on March 26, a true-blue Arian. Watch full video

Then, everybody took position for a “family” picture with the birthday celebrator who is half-Italian and half-Filipino raised in Cebu where his mother hails from. That’s why Matteo speaks fluent Cebuano (and Tagalog).

Afterwards, Matteo blew the candles on his birthday cake which was decorated with his photos printed on Styrofoam.

“Look,” said Virgie, pointing to one photo taken when Matteo was 14, “he’s actually the original Justin Bieber,” referring to Matteo’s moptop which was popularized by The Beatles back in the early ‘60s.

The ever-smiling and ever-friendly Matteo, one of Virgie’s Swatch endorsers, cut the cake and offered each of his well-wishers a slice as dessert, after they have partaken of a Mediterranean buffet.

Asked what his wish was, Matteo broke into a Close-Up smile.

“Sana mag-continue ang blessings ko,” he said.

And he has a lot of those blessings especially this year, including stint in a soap (he studied musical theater in the States) and his movie debut, Star Cinema’s Catch Me… I’m in Love, in which he stars with Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson, directed by Mae Cruz.

“Just seeing myself on the movie’s poster together with Sarah and Gerald really gives me a thrill,” said Matteo who has a movie follow-up soon. “Kaya sabi ko I feel so blessed.”

In the movie, Matteo plays a kanto-boy/jolog who raps, which is exactly the opposite of what he is in real life. “No one has ever seen me like this,” added the wholesome Matteo. “I play an orphan, kind of an adopted son of Sarah’s family who has a secret crush on Sarah.”

That’s true to life because Matteo is vocal about his crush on Sarah who is fancy-free after a year-long “secret” romance with Rayver Cruz with whom Sarah confessed to have had only two very brief moments to themselves, one for 30 seconds and the second for 30 minutes.

Would he court Sarah if given a chance, even at the risk of being consigned to damnation by the power of the prayer of Sarah’s “tiger mom” Divine or being confronted by Sarah’s equally over-protective father, Delfin?

Matteo made no comment. Takot lang niya!

Seriously now, Matteo would rather focus on work than be distracted by girls. He’s so serious with his career that he has temporarily turned his back on racing three years ago.

Besides Sarah, Matteo named Maja Salvador and Kim Chiu as also his crushes.

Lucky Matteo. He’s co-starring with Maja in the indie film Basted (in which, he announced with pride, “We have a kissing scene”) and with Kim in the ABS-CBN soap Binondo Girl.

Briefly noted

2010 Mrs. Philippines-America Dr. Maria ‘Mariliz’ Guerrero-Policarpio is welcomed by Dr. Roger Braceros, chief of the Gov. Roque Ablan Sr. Hospital in Laoag City where she donated her winnings to the hospital’s pediatric ward.

• Reigning Mrs. Philippines-America 2010, New York-based Dr. Maria “Mariliz” Guerrero-Policarpio, a mother of two little girls, recently visited her home province of Laoag, Ilocos Norte, where she donated her winnings for the improvement of the pediatric wing of the Gov. Roque Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital. Mariliz was first runner-up at the 1981 Miss New York United Teenager and won both the Citizenship and Best in Essay awards. She was also crowned 1982 Miss FAMA (Filipino American Medical Association) and was Miss New Jersey America 1989 prelims first runner-up.

Mrs. Nena Kaufman, founder of the Philippine Hearts and Hopes Society, Inc., and producer of the Mrs. Philippines-America Pageant, is so proud to have a Philippine pageant royalty as queen this year. Mariliz’s great grandmother, Julia Agcaoili of Ilocos Norte, was crowned the Philippines’ second national beauty queen during the 1909 Carnival Queen Search. It is also interesting to note that Julia’s father, Julio Agcaoili, was the first governor-general of Ilocos Norte during the American regime. Mariliz’s maternal grandmother, Maria Albano Ranada, was crowned 1929 Charity Petit Carnival Queen. Sylvia Guerrero, Mariliz’s mother, was Miss Pamulinawen after whom Sylvia Theater, one of the first theaters in the province, was named. — Reported By Felix Manuel, One Of Funfare’s ‘Beauty Experts’

• Every summer, The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab offers courses for the different age groups of the younger generation: Musmusikahan for four to seven-year olds and 14K for eight to 12-year olds. Both are exciting music classes that involve activities like singing, instrumental ensemble, rhythm and movement, with basic stage performance exercises. Muziktheater for 13 to 17-year olds concentrates on fun theater activities like acting, singing and dancing. Every summer, these workshops end with recitals that are conceptualized, which include new works by resident composers premiered every year.

The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab continues to offer individual courses in voice, guitar, classical piano, violin and drums during summer. To be introduced this year is a new TMSRC course in piano called Play Pop for 12-year olds and above. Play Pop teaches the student techniques in playing popular music pieces through audal recognition using normal chord progressions.

For inquiries, call 0917-9096484, 637-9840 or 914-5055. The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab is at the Lower level of Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, Quezon City.

• From my e-mail:

Taylor Swift (photo) wowed her Filipino and other Asian fans during her recent sold-out concert tour. San Marino Tuna Paella sponsored Swift’s concert at the Araneta Coliseum last Feb. 19. San Marino Tuna Paella’s innovative, tasty goodness matched Taylor’s innovative, award-winning songs. Her songs about a loving heart harmonized with San Marino Tuna Paella’s food for a healthy heart.