Did A.S.A.P. ‘snub’ Richard?

Curtain-raisers:

• Oops! You’re right, of course, Ferdinand (Lapuz, Funfare’s Toronto-based "international correspondent"). Mel Chionglo’s movie is Kapalit, starring Alma Moreno, and not Katapat as Funfare wrongly reported yesterday as one of the two films competing for the First President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Quality Movie of the Month (for July, worth P500,000 cash), an incentive from President GMA for the local movie industry. The other film, Regal’s Pakisabi Na lang… Mahal Ko Siya, directed by Boots Plata and starring Judy Ann Santos and Cogie Domingo, won and is now on extended run in 30 Metro Manila theaters. Congrats also to Pakisabi writer Andrew Paredes and its producer, Roselle Monteverde.

• Inactive for quite a spell, direk Peque Gallaga is poised for a comeback via a bold flick entitled Sukdulan, topbilling Angelu de Leon (who will go very, very bold), by Viva Films. Direk Peque has been staying in his native Bacolod City, holding an honorary position at La Salle Bacolod.

• Due to some "technicality," the new ABS-CBN showbiz talk show (Star Tracks? Starstruck? Or what?) will not premiere this Saturday (Aug. 10) as planned but perhaps next Saturday yet, right smack into GMA’s Startalk. Hosting the show are Edu Manzano, Ryan Agoncillo and Carmina Villarroel, plus a fourth one who could be a movie writer. In the pilot episode, Carmina and Zoren Legaspi’s twin children will make their first public appearance.

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You, too, must have noticed it when you watched the tribute on A.S.A.P last Sunday to Sharon Cuneta who’s celebrating her 25th year in showbiz with a bang, highlighted by a two-night concert (Aug. 16 and 17) at the Araneta Coliseum.

Sharon was honored with a recollection of her movies, mostly smash hits, complete with excerpts from some of them flashed on the huge screen onstage while the likes of Carol Banawa, Roselle Nava and Tintin Arnaldo sang the movies’ theme songs, making Sharon misty-eyed.

Well and good?

Not quite.

If you were perceptive, you must have noticed, as I was saying, that there was something amiss in the head count of Sharon’s sterling roster of leading men, including FPJ, Bong Revilla, Robin Padilla, Herbert Bautista, Gabby Concepcion and even Andrew E. (Megamol, remember?). Very conveniently left out was, of all people, Richard Gomez who did about seven movies with Sharon, the last one having been Star Cinema’s hit romance-drama Minsan, Minahal Kita.

Now, was it a "deliberate snub" (because Richard is now on rival channel GMA 7) or an "honest mistake"?

Understandably, Richard felt not just slighted but terribly offended. In response, Richard is asking – nay, demanding – that he be excluded from Sharon’s Big Dome concerts where he would have been shown in a taped duet with Sharon on a giant TV screen, with the tape segueing to Sharon continuing the song solo "live" onstage. That portion has already been pre-taped and if ABS-CBN, which is producing Sharon’s concert, and Richard aren’t able to sort things out between now and next week, then you know why Richard would be "missing" in what is definitely a highlight in Sharon’s remarkable career.

Meanwhile, Sharon and Richard’s movie for Viva Films is scheduled to start shooting sometime in October, with Joel Lamangan (director of Magkapatid, Sharon’s recent movie) at the helm.

Tessie is not migrating

Contrary to initial reports, Tessie Tomas hasn’t migrated to any foreign land, not even to England where her husband, marine biologist Roger Pullin, comes from. The couple is happily settled in the Philippines, thank you.

Tessie herself made this clarification in a brief phone chat yesterday. "Since my contract with (ABS-CBN’s) Feel at Home expired last May," said Tessie, "I’ve been taking it easy. I’ve been working and working all these years and I deserve a break."

After the last telecast of Feel at Home, Tessie went to New York to attend the graduation of her son Robin (Interior Designing) and stayed there for 20 days. A few weeks after she came back, she took a week-long vacation in her native Catbalogan (Western Samar, where her mom, Laura Hermosa, has opted to retire).

"The people in Catbalogan thought that I was planning to run for the elections there," laughed Tessie. "Aside from taking a rest, I also sorted out papers to our properties there."

End of this month, Tessie and Roger are again taking off for a month-long holiday in Europe where, according to Tessie, "I’m going to trace my roots, kasi mayroon daw kaming dugong Español. O, di ba?" After resting for a while, they will again leave in November for England to visit Roger’s folk, especially his mom Edna Pullin who’s celebrating her birthday. They’ll be back in January next year.

In tonight’s edition of Charo Santos-Concio’s Maalaala Mo Kaya (starting at 9 o’clock on ABS-CBN), Tessie turns drama actress in her role as an emotionally-battered wife, the boss of Amy Austria who herself is physically-battered, with Tommy Abuel co-starring as Tessie’s husband.

"When I come back next year from all these trips," Tessie assured us, "baka I’ll go full-time on TV again."

Meanwhile, let’s leave Tessie on her "tracing my roots" expedition.

Cheers to Arnee Hidalgo

Congratulations to Arnee Hidalgo, sister of Jeffrey, for winning second place at the Voice of Asia International Music Festival held from Aug. 2 to 4 in Kazakhstan Republic. Past winners in this musicfest include Ladine Roxas (in 2001) and Vehnee Saturno (Best Composer Award, also last year).

Arnee actually sang three songs, all composed by Vehnee, namely Where I Wanna Be (lyrics by Doris Saturno), ‘Til My Heartaches End (lyrics by Tito Cayamanda) and Sing But One Song (lyrics by Nyoy Volante) which was Arnee’s winning piece.

Malaysia finished first, followed (after Arnee) by Georgia (Russia), third; and Bulgaria, fourth. Some 28 countries competed, eight of them from Asia (the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Mongolia).

An accomplished singer and composer, Arnee was a former member of Ryan Cayabyab’s 14K (from 1991 to 1992). She was a finalist in last year’s Metropop competition.

"Arnee was the only amateur in the Voice of Asia competition," said Arnold Vegafria who accompanied Arnee to Kazakhstan and head of ALV Productions which manages, among other talents, Arnee and Jeffrey. "All the other contestants were superstars in their own countries."

Arnee is arriving tonight at 6 o’clock on a Cathay Pacific flight.