Valentine Baby Kris: Happily single at 42

MANILA, Philippines - Kris Aquino is turning 42 today, Valentine’s Day, and is there anything the host/actress and presidential sister is specially wishing for?

According to Kris, for her love life, no — but for her career, yes.

“I was counting down and it’s the last nine months of my existing contract with ABS-CBN. So, I want to make it very meaningful so that when the time comes for the contract renewal, they’ll pay me super triple (laughs),” Kris said in a presscon yesterday for the fourth season of Pilipinas Got Talent, which returns on Philippine television on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Kris has charted a plane to fly her family and closest friends down south to celebrate her birthday. “I’m leaving with my two sons (Joshua and Bimby), with Zsa Zsa Padilla and a few friends, my sister Pinky (Abellada), and we’re going to Siargao Island,” she said.

A culinary enthusiast, Kris added that they’re going to a new resort there that offers a cooking class under a French-German chef.

When asked if she has received any special gifts already, Kris answered, “Last night, I asked my sons, ‘What’s your gift for your mom?’ They said, ‘Nothing, we’re your gift.’”

Then she intriguingly added: “May mga nagsabi na, ‘Use my plane anytime,’ pero siempre nakakatakot tanggapin kasi di ba ’yung kapalit naman nun?”

When it comes to the state of her love life, the single mom said that she’s no longer talking about it, even after dropping hints on TV interviews and on her Twitter account about someone who’s making her “kilig” these days.

Her lips were tightly sealed when pressed to confirm if the person she was referring to is someone whom the entertainment media knows. “I will not say anything.” 

“Let’s not talk about it because Bimb gets upset,” Kris explained.

Bimby, who’s turning six years old this year, has “allowed” her to date, but with a couple of conditions. “Kailangan kasama siya,” Kris shared. “He said, ‘Mommy you can go out in the afternoon, not at night, you can have coffee and I have to be there to watch.’ ‘Why will you watch?’ ‘So you won’t kiss him.’ Ah, okay. So that’s it. (I will talk about it) after my son gets to meet him.”

But what will make her say yes to a relationship? “As far as saying yes, nobody’s asking yet... Maybe after the (2013) elections, so we’ll know if the intentions are sincere.”

Meanwhile, Kris is adding another project to her already packed schedule (she’s hosting the daily morning show Kris TV and starring in the primetime teleserye Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw) with Pilipinas Got Talent.   

She claimed though that she has not made any sacrifices just to accommodate this show, of which she sits as a judge alongside Ai-Ai delas Alas and former ABS-CBN president Freddie M. Garcia. The show is hosted by Luis Manzano and Billy Crawford.

“Pilipinas Got Talent ang pinakawalang sacrifice na show talaga. It’s the most fun show to do. The only sacrifice you’ll make is to accept the opinion of people who will get mad at you. But that’s it. But it’s so much fun,” she said.

The new season is touted as the biggest and most expansive yet, with talented Pinoys from the US, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Middle East, Europe, Canada, Australia and Guam joining in the global auditions.

Some acts have particularly caught Kris’ fancy. “Please look forward to the outdoor stunts... There were two that I really said that they have to make it, even if it means contributing to the funds for them to get a stadium. Sobrang ganda talaga... Tapangan lang ang loob sa mga decision na nagawa,” she said.

“Magicians are my favorites. Sobrang galing ng mga magicians ngayon. Then there’s one magician who is a comic. Very cute! Ipaglalaban ko yun na makapasok sa semis. This early, I can also say that a favorite mine is the drifting, the car stunts... and in tandem! Galing! It definitely has a male market.”    

 In the history of Pilipinas Got Talent, the winners were mostly singers. In the brand-new season, however, the judges and hosts said that there’s more variety, as they’re also looking for non-vocal talents to further differentiate Pilipinas Got Talent from the other talent-reality shows of ABS-CBN (one of which is the upcoming The Voice).

And as a judge, Kris said that she’s a little more brutal this time; if the contestant fails to impress her, she presses the buzzer right away (“Why prolong the agony?”). The judges also don’t influence each other’s choices. “Dati nagpapakisamahan pa kami, ngayon hindi na. When no, it’s really a no.”

Even with their different picks and bets, she said that the chemistry among the judges (especially with her and Ai-Ai who is as “opinionated” as her) is better than ever before. “Marunong na kami magtimpla sa isa’t isa. In all fairness and in all honesty, in all four seasons, we never had a misunderstanding.” 

While text voting will determine the eventual winner, those who will advance to the quarter finals will be determined by the judges (the semi-finalists will be chosen by both judges and the viewers through text votes). When asked if the back-stories of the contestants will have a bearing on their selection of talents, Kris said, “We don’t know their story until they perform — that’s the truth. We don’t have their bio. (But) that’s true, right? When you know that the future of the whole family is dependent on the eventual success (of the aspirant), it has a point, definitely. Who doesn’t love a Cinderella story? But I’ll be very honest, if the hopeful is TV-friendly, it’s additional points. Marami akong binoto, lalo na sa mga babae na they were very talented but it was additional points that they were also pretty and pleasing to the eye. Of course, we want to see on TV attractive ones so it’s a plus to be both talented and telegenic.”

Kris was also gamely asked that if she were an auditionee, what her talent will be? “Memory,” she said. “I have a semi-photographic memory.”

With the lives and fortunes dramatically changed by the exposure and experience being afforded by these reality-talent shows like Pilipinas Got Talent, Kris also recalled a singular and defining event that led her to where she’s today in her career. “It was an anniversary of (an advertising agency). I did have talk shows already at GMA at that time. But Boss (Freddie M. Garcia) took me aside, and said, “I’ll make you the biggest host in the Philippines, come back.’ That was 18 years ago. And nagkatotoo nga.”

Pilipinas Got Talent airs Saturdays after MMK and Sundays after Rated K.