New beginning for Karylle

"There was a time I was afraid to face the press," she confesses. "Kasi pino-process ko pa noon ang mga nangyari. But now, tapos na ‘yun, so I’m ready to face now whatever question you’ll ask of me."

It can’t be denied that her career that was on a status quo at GMA-7 got a boost it badly needs due to her controversial breakup with Dingdong Dantes. ABS is now casting her as Kristine Hermosa’s cousin in the TV remake of "Maruja." She has signed up for a new album with EMI Records. Bench Body also got her as underwear endorser. What can she say about this?

"Well, as they say, everything happens for a reason. I’m in a new home now, this is a fresh start and I’m thankful for this. When something bad happens to you, it’s up to you to dwell on the past or leave it behind and move on para may blessings na dumating. I also changed my manager. Nasa Stages na ako of Audie Gemora and I trust their strategies for my career."

What can she say to some comments that she seemed so nervous and was not at her best when she sang the National Anthem in the Pacquiao fight?

"I’m really surprised when I heard that pag-uwi ko rito. Kasi doon sa Las Vegas, right after I sang, people flocked to me, Pinoys, Americans, even Mexicans, congratulating me as they liked the way I sang the song."

Her sexy pictorial for Bench will be unveiled at Trinoma this Saturday. Did she go sexy to prove to Dingdong, also an underwear model, that she can do what he does?

"No naman. At this point, naging mas adventurous lang siguro ako and I’m really flattered kasi I didn’t think puede pala akong mag-endorse ng underwear until the Bench offer came. Maganda naman ang kinalabasan ng pictorial and I’m proud of it. Now, may offers din from Maxim and FHM but I’m not ready for that yet."

Will she drop the businesses where she and Dingdong are associates?

"No. Nag-uusap naman kami and, also, we have other partners, the Garcias, who are the ones really running Centerstage in Timog and Makati. Fully booked nga kami for the holidays. We also have a new restaurant, Mei Lin."

She was quoted she’ll never reconcile with Dingdong because she has realized some things about him that she didn’t acknowledge before. What are those?

"That’s between the two of us na lang. My dad taught me never to wash your dirty linen in public and that’s something I’ll never do."

So does she still feel the pain of the breakup?

"Wala na. Pero noon, I was really hurt and what helped me is that I faced the pain head on. Rather than drown in self pity, I listened to self-help audio books, turned to running to lessen the stress and sought the help of a priest friend na pinakuha ako ng retreat where we did a lot of sharing and I opened up about my feelings. I can say now that I’ve moved on."

This Sunday, ABS-CBN will officially welcome Karylle in "ASAP" where she’ll do numbers with her mom Zsa Zsa Padilla and the "Heartthrobs" Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby. She’ll project a new look with new moves so watch out for the new Karylle.

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We saw Shaina Magdayao growing up from being a child star to the young woman that she is now. At the presscon of "Dragonna," where she plays the title role, Shaina came in her revealing costume that shows her shapely legs and sexy figure and cleavage. "Babaeng-babae na," remarks one writer. "No longer a girl but all woman."

Shaina is not only a looker but also articulate. When asked about John Prats, she says: "We’re not really on formally yet. ‘Yun na lang ang kulang. As of now, we date nang kami lang, but no formal commitment yet. I told him I don’t want to rush things kasi nakita ko ‘yung mga pagkakamali noon ng mga Ate ko. Also, I know that being a Scorpion, I’m a very passionate person. When I commit to a boyfriend, I’ll make sure doon na lang ako sa kanya, no turning back. So now, I want to enjoy being unattached first and John understands that."

It’s long been rumored that her parents have separated. Is this true?

"As much as possible, I don’t want to talk sana about it kasi it’s a sensitive issue and they’re the ones directly concerned. It’s true that they separated, but I want to make it clear that most of the things written about them aren’t true. Like it was written that they separated dahil sa nagalaw ang pera ko, hindi po totoo ‘yun. Nabawasan ang savings ko kasi nagpatayo ako ng apartment as my investment and I also bought a house and lot. Pero hindi dahil may nakagalaw. Siempre, affected ako sa nangyari sa kanila. Hindi naman ako bato. But life has to go on and we, their children, ayaw naman naming makialam, but we are praying na sana, maayos pa rin ang lahat in the future."

What can she say about the pregnancy of her Ate Vina?

"I support her, 100%. I can see she’s so happy now and I’m happy for her as she really wants to have her own baby na kasi she’s of age na naman. She will have a baby girl."

She’s thankful to ABS-CBN for giving her a solo project like "Dragonna" that starts airing on December 13, replacing John Prats’ "Tiny Tony." She’s paired with Jake Cuenca. "Pero bawal umibig si Dragonna kasi the moment she falls in love with someone, she will lose all her powers," she says.

In such a situation in real life, which one will she prioritize: love or powers. "Siempre love, because love is powerful."

In "Dragonna," she’s half human-half dragon, but she grew up with three firemen, Bayani Agbayani, Long Mejia and Arnold Reyes, not knowing she has superpowers. It’s only much later that she learns how to use them and becomes a superhero.

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Also in the cast of "Dragonna" is Eda Nolan, the 18-year-old Star Magic discovery who was impregnated by GMA "Starstruck’s" Gian Carlos and is now the young mom of a baby boy.

She’s glad ABS-CBN is giving her another break and she also makes a comeback in Regal’s filmfest entry, "Shake Rattle & Roll X," where she appears with Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson in the "Class Picture" episode.

She denies reports that she and Gian have parted ways. "Kami pa rin po," she says. "We plan to get married kapag nakaipon na kami."

Gian is the runner-up to Marky Cielo in "Starstruck 3." "Up to now, hindi matanggap ni Gian na wala na si Mark as they treat each other as brothers. The day before Marky died, nagkausap pa sila as they’re planning a party for their manager, Tatay Rommel Gacho, on December 14, na nagkataon ding birthday ko. Kaya nagulat na lang ako when I was watching sa TV at ibalitang patay na si Marky. I called Gian and he said, naku, may nanloloko lang diyan. Hindi siya talaga makapaniwala, so he called Marky sa cell pero wala nang sumasagot. Noong 6 p.m. na, nagpunta na kami sa bahay nila sa Antipolo. When Gian saw Marky’s remains, humagulgol talaga siya kasi sobrang close sila. Ninong kasi siya ng anak namin. Pag-uwi namin, iyak pa rin nang iyak si Gian habang nagda-drive. Masakit talaga for him. Feeling niya, he lost a brother."

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ABS-CBN teen sexpot Princess Ryan is happy to be in her home station’s "Eva Fonda" and "Banana Split" and also on TV 5’s "Lipgloss." As a member of Koolchx, she has done sexy pictorials for Maxim and in "Lipgloss," seen Saturdays at 6 p.m., she plays Sarah, an aggressive sex kitten who is the former girlfriend of newcomer Kevin Lapena. She now tries to get Kevin back from Saab Magalona and in her very first episode, she’s shown coming out of the swimming pool sporting a wet sexy look.

In "Eva Fonda," she also plays contravida who tries to snatch Jason Abalos away from Cristine Reyes. She even does a love scene with Jason. How does her boyfriend Alwyn Uytingco react to such scenes?

"He’s not the jealous type so okay lang sa kanya as he knows this is just part of my work," she says.

Doesn’t she have qualms playing villain roles?

"Okay lang, so the public will be more familiar with me. But someday, I do have I’ll also get the chance to play lead roles."

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Is it true Yasmien Kurdi is leaving local showbiz after the conclusion of "Saan Darating ang Umaga" on GMA-7’s Dramarama sa Hapon?

She says she has asked the permission of her mom (and also her dad who’s abroad) so she can join a reality show in a foreign land. She won’t say exactly what this show is expected that it’s like "Big Brother" and it will require her to stay there for some months. Seems like Yasmien is now singing a different tune. Last time we talked to her, she said the reason why she turned down some projects offered by GMA-7 is because her priority is her college studies. Now, she wants to try her luck in a foreign show. Seems like this young lady is very much confused about her priorities in life. Can it be true that she’s still smarting after JC De Vera was yanked out of their love team and paired with Rhian Ramos in "La Lola"? Maybe her manager, Lolit Solis, can help her sort things out and knock some sense into her head.

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Boots ANSON ROA obviously had the time of her life playing the role of an uncouth "probinsiyana" mother who murders the English language in Ronnie Bertubin’s new digifilm, "Lovebirds," previewed at the UP Film Institute last week. The movie is another gay flick but, although it has its share of male nudity and lovemaking, the story really centers more on the mother Amelia (Boots) who has a hard time accepting that her youngest son Mario (Joseph Ison) is gay.

Amelia’s two older kids have gotten married and live in Manila. She’s long been trying to find a match for Mario who’s quite shy. She gets excited when she learns that Mario has found a girlfriend in the internet, Alexis, who lives in Spain. When Alexis announced that she’ll be coming over to see Mario in person, Amelia prepares a feast for her, inviting all their neighbors. What she doesn’t know is that Alexis is actually a he, a hunky Spaniard (Andres Alexis Fernandez). Fernandez is really a Puerto Rican and a programmer in an international filmfest who met Bertubin when his previous film, "Sikil," was shown abroad.

The quick-thinking Amelia announces to their visitors that their foreign visitor is actually Alex, the brother of Alexis who got sick. But no one really believes her story, not even her husband Celing (Tommy Abuel), who’s very tolerant of gay relationships as he claims he had experienced it with another Pinoy while he was an OFW in Saudi Arabia.

Amelia tells Mario he’s just confused "dahil virgin ka pa at hindi ka pa nakakatikim ng kipay." Mario tells her he already did and he didn’t like it. He really loves Alexis. Amelia insists they stay in separate rooms and they’ll never make out inside her home. The movie, which can be the gay version of "Meet the Parents," can very well be retitled as "Not in my house!" as Amelia gets to deliver that line several times. It’s also reminiscent of the hit play of the ‘80s, "Norman, Is That You?"

The film will not win awards but the script of Romualdo Avellanosa does offer some good laughs even if some scenes drag.

Boots certainly deserves an acting nomination for her rollicking offbeat portrayal of Amelia, whose heart eventually softens and learns to accept her son’s true identity. "This is my own coming out of the closet movie," she tells us with a laugh during the preview.