Only 300 invited to Aga-Charlene wedding - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Curtain-raisers:

• Could it be true that the son of a very popular actor (I’m not saying, though, if he’s an action star, a drama actor or a comedian) has gotten a teenage student pregnant (meaning the boy, barely 18, will be making his mom, a retired sex-drama actress, a grandmother for the first time)? The Funfare DPA said that the girl’s family, a rich and respected one, has opted for the birth of the baby even if it’s out of wedlock. You won’t believe he’s a would-be unwed father if I tell you who the boy is.

• Could it be true that one of the causes of a newlywed couple’s fights is the wife’s jealousy over her husband’s closeness to a venerable director (same age as the husband)? Or could it be all in the imagination of the wife who’s still into the critical post-wedding adjustment period?

• Yes, it’s true: Deo Endrinal and Diether Ocampo have ironed out their differences and are back to their usual relationship as manager and talent. Let’s hope that both of them have learned from the recent mess they found themselves in. You know, all’s well that...

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Although it’s not definite just yet what date Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales are getting married (sometime in May – or is it June? – next year), the venue of the special event, which is the first showbiz wedding in the New Millennium, is as has been reported in the media, Baguio City. It has been Aga’s long-cherished dream to get married in the Pines City even long before he met and fell in love with Charlene.

As of now, details of the wedding aren’t in place yet. But for sure, Aga and Charlene will invite only 300 people to the event so it will be as solemn and as serene and as "family" as they want it to be. The people to be invited will be carefully chosen. The soon-to-be couple will even limit the number of principal sponsors to maybe only six pairs, unlike in other showbiz weddings where there are sometimes two dozen pairs of ninongs and ninangs crowding all over the altar.

"The ninongs and the ninangs will be chosen because close talaga sila kina Aga at Charlene and not because dapat silang gawing ninongs at ninangs for show, you know."

Besides the venue, one thing also definite is the couple’s honeymoon which will be spent in Europe, including Milan and other cities in Italy which Aga recently visited as special guest star of the launching of E-Money Plus, a global remittance service put up by ABS-CBN. During the affair, Aga had an eyewitness view of how Pinoys in Italy are doing, surprised to discover that there are "thousands and thousands" of them there.

On his free day in Milan, Aga and company (his manager Ethel Ramos, mom Anita and brother Albert) toured the city, mesmerized by such scenic spots as the Milan Cathedral built in the 16th century (located just near the hotel where the entourage was billetted), the La Scala Opera House and the Castello Sforcesco built in 1854 which is frequented by Filipino workers there.

Aga brought home several books about Milan as pasalubong for Charlene (such a pity that she couldn’t go with Aga on the Milan trip, unlike last month when Aga went to Canada for a show). When she and Aga fly to Milan for their honeymoon, Charlene should already be familiar with the place.

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Meanwhile, here’s Funfare’s little lesson in grammar and general information, courtesy of Funfare-friendly Ramon Alfonso A. Fuentes, "a concerned senior citizen":

You may wish to do a valuable public service by way of informing your avid public (many of whom, I’m sure, are also TV viewers) that the researcher/writer for the Korek Ka Dyan portion of Eat Bulaga on GMA-7 of Dec. 9 – including, unfortunately, its M.C., Vic Sotto – committed a serious mistake.

One of the questions asked in that portion: Ang IMF, WHO at WB (World Bank) ay mga ahensiya ng anong organisasyon?" The researcher/writer – including Vic Sotto – specified UN as the correct answer. (The other choices were: NATO, ASEAN, UNESCO.)

It may please everybody involved in the program – specifically the researcher/writer of that particular question and, of course, Vic Sotto _ to know that the UN Charter was drawn up and signed at the San Francisco Conference (USA) held from April 25 to June 26, 1945 and that the UNITED NATIONS (UN) came into being OFFICIALLY on October 24, 1945.

On the other hand, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the WB (Official name: International Bank for Reconstruction & Development or IBRD) were founded at the Bretton Woods Conference (New Hampshire, USA) in July, 1944.

The foregoing historical facts clearly indicate that the IMF and WB came into being BEFORE the United Nations Organization or UNO, the official name, now more popularly known as the UN.

Therefore, the IMF and WB (IBRD) are NOT ... repeat, NOT ... agencies of the UN. The WHO, however, is a UN agency. (The official name: World Health Organization.)

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• You want to party until morning without a guilty conscience? Then put on your espadrilles, dig out your shoulder pads and tease that hair for Decadence, an ’80s-theme dance party for charity. Strut your way to Stars Bar & Dining on Dec. 19, Tuesday for a night you won’t forget! Boogie all night with special guest TSI International featuring Tinee de Guzman, Jo Montes, Victor Romualdez, Marco Urera, Junie Jalandoni, Martin Cu-Unjieng, Bobby Balagot and Jon Tupaz. That’s not all, the event is graced by the special participation of Ika Ysmael of Stars. Decadence is organized by Joanie Mitchell, Kim Ramos and Nick Ramos. For advanced tickets, call Stars at 729-6750.

• The ’70s Bistro Café/Bar and Music Lounge, located at 46 Anonas St., Quezon City, is celebrating its 8th anniversary on Dec. 16, Saturday. Regular habitués will be feted to a whole day of fun and excitement, with a Vegetarian Smorgasbord from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for P250 only and a night of powercast performing artists like The Jerks, Noel Cabangon, Ang Grupong Pendong, Gary Granada, Joey Ayala, Session Road, Rivermaya, and a lot more who have long performed at The ‘70s Bistro. Added bonus is the giving away of raffle gifts and more exciting surprises.

• Magnavision Home Video releases its Animé on Video collection. Enjoy high-kicking futuristic action in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, wild western comedy with Trigun, magical adventures with Magic Knight Rayearth, kiddie fun with Monster Rancher, big robots with Daimos and sci-fi with Ghost in the Shell. All videos are available in both VHS and VCD formats. Look for these hot titles in all Odyssey, Astrovision, SM Record Bar and National Bookstore outlets.