UFFA Gutierrez
wants to make it clear that she did not snatch the hosting job in "The Buzz"
from Ai Ai de las Alas. "I heard she’s shocked daw na ako’ng nakuha. I
wish hindi sumama ang loob niya sa’kin kasi hindi naman ako nagprisinta,"
she says. "It was the ABS management who chose me. I care for Ai Ai kasi
in 1989, when Carmina Villaroel, Aiko Melendez and I did the TV show ’13, 14,
15,’ she played our yaya, so I was very happy when she became such a big
star. Kahit hindi napunta sa kanya ang ‘The Buzz,’ I’m sure may iba
pang magagandang projects na darating sa kanya. Now, nagustuhan
daw ng management ang hosting ko so I’d be co-hosting with Boy
Abunda and Cristy Fermin until April 8."
Cristy was sued by her mom for libel and her mom won. Is the
animosity between them now forgotten? "You know, before the show started last
Sunday, she went to my dressing room to greet me and hug me. It’s the first time
nagkaharap kami uli since 1995 and I appreciate the fact that she reached
out to me. Everyone naman deserves a second chance. I now call her Tita
Cristy."
It is good Solar and RPN-9 allowed her to do "The Buzz" when
she’s hosting "Philippines’ Next Top Model" (PNTM) for them. "I’m not under
exclusive contract with any network naman. Okay lang sa RPN-9 as
long as it’s not the same kind of show. Reality search naman ang PNTM and
showbiz ang ‘The Buzz,’ so okay lang."
A lot of people noticed that while hosting ‘The Buzz’ last
Sunday, she kept on reading her cellphone and texting people. "I was so
overwhelmed kasi sobrang dami pala’ng nanonood ng ‘The Buzz’ and my
friends keep on texting me, like Donita Rose. They kept on giving me feedback
even on what I was wearing on the show. I told them not to text me anymore while
I’m on the air."
What’s the reaction of Kris Aquino who she replaced on the
show? "She texted me to say I look nice and I did well daw. So I texted
her back to thank her for her kind words kahit alam kong hindi ako ang
original choice niya to substitute for her. I even said take care of
herself and her baby. Hosting ‘The Buzz’ made my sked complicated. From March 22
to 28, I’m supposed to accompany the remaining models in PNTM to Hong Kong. On
March 25, Sunday, I have to return to Manila in the morning for ‘The Buzz’ then
return right away to Hong Kong after the show. Sabi nga ng husband ko,
why am I punishing myself like this when I need not do this at all. It’s because
showbiz is my passion, and not because I’m a deprived wife like someone wrote.
Yilmaz is very generous and he really requested me when we got married to make
our family my priority. I did that naman for four years. But now that our
kids are bigger, how can I refuse it when offers for shows and endorsements come
my way? Kita naman niyang happy ako with what I do, kaya hindi
na rin siya tumututol. At hindi naman lahat, tinatanggap ko. Pinipili ko lang
ang gusto kong gawin. But definitely, I’m not doing this just for the money.
Magkano lang ba naman ang binabayad sa’kin compared to what my husband
can give me? I’m doing this for my own self fulfillment."
She’ll soon be launched as the endorser of Kisses & Co., a
new clothing brand. Around May, she’ll put up a fashion show for the benefit of
some charitable institutions, "Rampa for a Cause," featuring young designers and
new models. How about acting jobs? "There are offers but I can’t accept them
kasi magdamagan ang taping. Yilmaz requires me to be home by 9 p.m.
Talagang he calls me up at 9 to check and talk to me then the kids. He’s
giving me only five years to do showbiz work. After that, he believes wala
nang kukuha sa’kin dahil gurang na ko. But my God, I’d just be 37 then,
which is just the age of Gretchen (Barretto) now."
* * *
Janno Gibbs had his stalker arrested. No, it’s not Gladys
Guevarra but a 17-year old girl whose identity is withheld as she is a minor.
The girl has been texting Janno repeatedly at any time of day or night asking
for a secret date with him. At first, he was just ignoring the text messages,
but when she started threatening him and telling him that she is familiar with
his daily routine and could harm him and his two daughters if he’d continue to
ignore her, Janno decided to seek the help of the police. The cops told him to
arrange a meeting with the girl in a restaurant on Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City.
He did so and with this entrapment operation, the girl was arrested. She claimed
it’s not really her who’s calling Janno but a friend who’s a diehard fan of his.
The girl is now under the custody of the Quezon City children and women’s desk.
Meanwhile, former child actor Nino Muhlach who is Angelo Jose
Muhlach in real life, was arrested by cops last Tuesday while in possession of
shabu at a shopping mall in Libis, Quezon City. He was charged with possession
of illegal drugs and asked to post a bail bond amounting to P200,000. Recently,
Nino was also in the news because he turned out to have sired a girl, now 11
years old, who he just met for the first time last month. The mother is not from
showbiz.
* * *
People working with them in "Eat Bulaga" say Pia Guanio has a
very positive influence on Vic Sotto. Vic has long been trying to stop his
smoking but it was only Pia who succeeded in persuading him to do so. "Yun
ang naging wish ko sa kanya on Valentine’s Day when we were on
vacation in Singapore," says Pia. "I’m so glad that he heeded my request
dahil it’s also for his own good. Alam naman nating smoking is not
good for one’s health."
We heard that TAPE, producer of "Eat Bulaga," is preparing
some big surprises for the show to make sure it retains its supremacy as the top
noontime show, now that it’s facing stiff competition from "Wowowee," which is
also reportedly having a facelift now that Willie seems to favor Roxanne Guinoo
as his co-host over Janelle Jamer and Marielle Rodriguez who’ve been his
co-hosts for sometime but have now been relegated to being dancers.
* * *
Talent manager Shirley Kuan celebrated her recent birthday at
Taste of LA with some friends from the press and it turned to be an evening of
endless "kuwentuhan," most of which are off the record. Shirley is very
proud of her son, Nyle, who is now a year old. She also happily tells us that
one of her wards, Joyce Jimenez, is back in showbiz after finishing her business
course in Australia. Joyce will now be a part of the reformatted "Nuts
Entertainment." "She’s glad to be doing comedy this time," she adds.
Does this mean she’d turn down sexy roles from now on? "Hindi
naman daw. If the project and the director are really good, she’s still
willing to go sexy."
* * *
Luis Manzano’s new movie, "Ang Cute ng Ina Mo," is not a bold
flick, but do you know that he has two scenes where he gets to expose his naked
butt? Didn’t he have any second thoughts about doing it?
"I did it dahil mahirap kumita ng pera ngayon," he
says in a joking manner. "Seriously, I only agreed to do it kasi comedy
naman ang treatment ni Direk Wenn Deramas. Kahit may butt
exposure ako, the movie remains wholesome kasi matatawa lang ang mga
bata when they see me doing that embarrassing scene. Now, if we were doing a
sexy flick and those scenes were meant to titillate the viewers, that would be
another story. Actually, ang first worry ko rito is my own mom (Vilma
Santos). Kasi when I did sexy poses for a magazine before, talagang
inirapan niya ako. I mean to inform her formally about it before the film is
shown, pero ngayong nabasa na niya ito, I’m sure iirapan uli ako noon.
But I’ve seen both scenes when I dubbed my lines in the movie and, in fairness,
cute naman ang execution. Hindi ko ikahihiya. I’m sure my butt
will get good reviews."
* * *
Our condolences to the family of Director Joey Gosiengfiao who passed away in
the early morning of Friday, March 16 due to heart failure. He started his
directorial career doing stage plays then got trained on TV in "Balintataw" in
the late ‘60s. He started directing films for Tower Productions in the early
‘70s, starring Tina Revilla and Sajid Khan. He directed Vilma Santos’ hit
thrillers like "Takbo, Vilma, Dali" and "Hatinggabi Na, Vilma." He did spoofs of
cartoon heroes like "Si Popeye Atbp" and "Zoom Zoom Superman," both starring
Ariel Ureta. He also managed his own talents, notably Orestes Ojeda, Al Tantay
and Albert Martinez who he launched in films like "Ang Boyfriend Kong Baduy,"
"Beach House" and "No Other Love," respectively. His "Temptation Island" is a
cult favorite among advertising people. He also director a number of Alma Moreno
films, like "Bomba Star," "Sugar Daddy," "Abandonada," "The Rape of Virginia P,"
and "Diary of CG." He launched the careers of "Regal Babies" Dina Bonnevie,
Maricel Soriano and Snooky Serna in the hit youth flick, "Underage." The last
film he directed was "Nights of Serafina" starring Georgia Ortega and Angelika
de la Cruz. The remains of Direk Joey were cremated on the night of
Friday. Let’s all pray for the eternal repose of his soul.
