Rufa Mae a standout
as wacky babymaker

"I was in Boracay then for a vacation and I was having a massage when my road manager called me and informed me about it," she says. "Then my mom also texted me. Wala, natawa na lang ako kasi buhay pa naman ako. I don’t know what’s the motive is of whoever started that text message na pinatay agad ako."

Another report about her says she has found a replacement for Patrick Garcia and this is a VJ named Drei Felix. "That’s not true. Si Drei, nakasama ko sa isang movie, ‘Tiyanaks,’ and we’re friends. Ewan ko why we’re being linked now."

Is she still at odds with Patrick? "We communicate naman. He calls me up twice a week para kumustahin ako, kung okay ba ako at ang baby. Mas focused ang attention niya sa baby and may right naman siya to check on the baby kasi siya naman ang ama."

Is it true she has more regular communication with Mark Herras? "No. I haven’t talked to Mark at all. Pero okay naman kami ‘pag nagkikita kami."

Will her baby be a boy or a girl? "I had an ultrasound last week pero nahiya raw yung baby at tinakpan ng legs niya ang picture niya kaya hindi namin ma-figure out kung ano ang sex. Maybe next month, when I have my next ultrasound, makikita na namin. Mas gusto ko sana kung girl siya. Basta I pray na maging healthy siya."

Jen gamely revealed her "Killer Question": "Did you undergo a breast enhancement procedure kaya lumaki ang boobs mo?"

Her answer: "No, nagpa-tanggal lang ako ng cyst noon sa dibdib ko, but I didn’t have breast enhancement."

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Someone’s floating the rumor that Vic Sotto is enamored with his leading lady, Riza Santos, in the movie he’s now shooting with Dolphy. It’s said they’re always together during shooting breaks and are so sweet to each other with Vic’s eyes glittering each time he’s talking to the former Miss Earth Canada.

"Obvious na may namumuong relasyon sa kanila dahil mas bata and mas maganda naman si Riza kaysa kay Pia Guanio," adds one source.

Now, why does this sound like it’s a mere promo for the movie? Is it because Vic had already said that Pia will be the last woman in his life? Or is it because Riza, who’s a devout Christian, previously stated that she never goes for men who are already attached to a significant other?

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Gary Valenciano is the official interpreter of all the theme songs of Aga Muhlach’s movies. This started with "Kailangan Kita" with Claudine Barretto, followed by "How Did You Know" in "All My Life" with Kristine Hermosa, "Dubai" with John Lloyd Cruz, "Tell Me" in "A Love Story" with Angelica Panganiban, and now, "One Hello" originally by Randy Crawford in "When Love Begins" with Anne Curtis. Does Aga consider Gary his lucky charm?

"He’s not just a lucky charm," says Aga at the presscon of "When Love Begins" where Gary sang the theme song live. "Let’s face it, iba ‘yung mga banat ni Gary V. and no one can interpret a love song in a more heartfelt manner like he does."

Gary is currently celebrating his 25th (silver) anniversary in showbiz and his first treat to his fans is his new album, "Rebirth," an inspiration album from Universal Records with 15 uplifting songs that are full of hope and his unwavering faith in the Lord that reverberates in each cut. The carrier is Gary’s poignant version of Mandy Moore’s "Only Hope." The other meaningful songs are "Lean On Me," "Natutulog Ba ang Diyos," "Shout for Joy," "Home," "Stand By Me," and his own compostion, "Ohhh," "When I Hear You Call," "Father’s Love," "Mary, Did You Know?," "Better than I," "Friends," and "Letting Go."

Gary left for a US and Canada concert tour this week. He’ll be at Bakersfield, California on April 18; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on April 20; Toronto on April 26; Montreal on April 27; and Winnipeg on May 4. Then he’ll do a series of shows at Music Museum in May and have a grand 25th anniversary concert in November. Given the time, Gary wants to be a teacher and impart his knowledge and experience on the art of performing.

Gary looks so young on the jacket of his album you wouldn’t think he has grown-up children. His agelessness comes from living a meaningful life that is full of purpose. The songs in "Rebirth" will show how he continually explores and sustain his well-intentioned life that is the reason his fans continue to hold him in high esteem after all these years.

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Rufa Mae Quinto proved to Mother Lily how responsible and professional she is by returning from the shooting of her movie in Italy right on the day of the premiere night of her movie with Regal, "Manay Po 2: Overload," last Sunday. She’s the only cast member who came home and the rest are still in Europe. Her fans cheered her wildly when she entered SM Megamall’s Cinema 6 for the "Manay Po 2" screening.

She arrived that morning at 6 a.m., rested a while, then went to host "S.O.P" at noontime. Then she went home. "Kasi ngarag pa ko from jetlag at antok talaga ako," she says. "Hindi na ako nakabalik sa GMA studio at 4 p.m. for ‘Showbiz Central’ para makapag-rest naman ako in time for the premiere night of ‘Manay Po 2.’ Nahihiya naman ako kay Mother Lily as she even hosted a solo presscon for me for this movie. Mahihiya rin ako kay Direk Joel Lamangan kung wala ako sa premiere as he gave me such a good role in ‘Manay Po 2’."

And it’s true. The other cast members are good in their respective roles, but it’s really Rufa Mae’s performance as the wacky babymaker of gay couple Polo Ravales and Sid Lucero that stands out as this crazy comedy’s real centerpiece. She’s funnier here that in her past comedies and her nonstop hilarious antics alone will already be worth the price of admission.

***

Senator Chiz Escudero is so lucky to have a beautiful and talented wife like Christine Flores, a theater actress who majored in voice at the UST Conservatory of Music and who now owns a music studio, Bel Canto, at Scout Borromeo. Cristine was last seen and heard in Repertory’s production of "The Wizard of Oz." She’s now the proud parents of their twins, Joaqui and Cecilia, turning six months old.

Aside from Annabelle Rama, Chiz and Christine are also the new endorsers of Circulan. Aside from his job as a senator and as a lawyer who helps poor clients for free, Chiz is also a loving husband and doting dad.

"I have a very hectic sked, but with the help of Circulan that fosters good blood circulation and maintains good cholesterol and blood pressure levels, I’m able to meet all the challenges I face each day," he says.

Christine looks so lovely in their TV commercial we won’t be surprised if she’d get more offers after this.

"I’ve done commercials before but this is my first since I got married and had kids," she says.

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For incoming senior masscom students who want to learn TV production this summer are welcome to "Eat Bulaga." The students must be strongly motivated and very passionate about television. This is the students’ chance to learn and also earn and be a part of the country’s longest-running noontime show. There will be no fees, no books or lab work, but actual work will be done inside the studio to have a firsthand experience in TV production. Send resumes to the TAPE office at 79 Xavierville Ave, Xavierville Subdivision, Loyala Hts., Q.C.

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Jet Magdangal, second cousin of Jolina and first wife of Wendell Ramos (they have an 8-year-old son and their marriage was annulled in 2004), used to be a talent coordinator for "Eat Bulaga." She’s now a talent manager and is handling the career of new band called Kinta that was recently launched at Funnside with Ogie Diaz as host. Kinta offers new wave sound and their 11-cut album is released by Galaxy Records, produced by Francis Reyes of The Dawn.

The members are Mark Gerald Esguerra (lead vox/song writer who works with PLDT DSL), Ern Gatdula (lead guitar/back-up vox), Job Agayatin (bassist/back-up vox, the tallest at 6 ft. and youngest at 23), Eman Garcia (guitarist/back-up vox, the only one who’s married and works at Landbank) and Jon Santos Jr. (drummer/percussionist).

Kinta came from the Latin word Quinta, which means five, and there are five of them in the band. "Tinagalog lang namin ang spelling," says Mark Gerald, who wrote the song "Girl" (recently revived by Erik Santos) when he was still with a band called Immaculate.

They were formed by Jet, their common friend who has a recruitment agency. What is their edge over other bands? Eman answers: "Each letter of our name, Kinta, stands for something. K stands for PBA cager Kenneth Duremdes who supports our band. It means intensity and intelligence as we’re all college educated. N is for New Wave as we are New Wave disciples, our influence. T is for our tightness dahil very close kaming lahat. A is for adorable, which refers to us all."