Who’s the ‘lucky M’ in Mikey’s life?

The absence of First Son Mikey Macapagal Arroyo and his wife, Angela Montenegro, at the red-carpet welcome for US President George W. Bush last Saturday might generate another round of nasty rumors about their marriage. (But their months-old daughter Mikaela Gloria was there with her yaya; she was the baby Bush cuddled and kissed.)

But Mikey is the first person to nip in the bud any such speculation.

"My personal life is okay," he told his journalist-friends five days before the Bush visit over dinner at the Spring Deer restaurant (on Timog Avenue, Quezon City). "Tahimik ang buhay naming pamilya. Angela now knows the ins and outs of showbiz. She’s not bothered by rumors anymore."

Mikey and Angela have been married for one year and a half. They first got married in civil rites in April 2002 and in church on June 24. Early this year, Mikey was romantically linked to a sexy actress but he dismissed the rumor as a spin-off of the publicity for the movie he was doing with the actress whom he described as, you know, "just a friend."

"Angela is getting adjusted to the kalakaran both in showbiz and in politics," added Mikey. "In fact, after the premiere of my last movie (Viva Films’ Masamang Ugat), it was Angela who arranged the cast party in Malacañang where she met my co-stars."

Yes, including Maui Taylor over whom, according to another rumor, Mikey had an on-the-set altercation with newcomer Marky Lopez (introduced in another movie, Bugbog Sarado, in which Maui also stars, with Victor Neri, Jordan Herrera and Andrea del Rosario).

"The letter ‘M’ has been bringing me good luck," said Mikey without specifying what "M" stood for. "It could mean Masamang (Ugat) or Montenegro or Mikey." Or Maui – why not? – but not (Rufa) Mae Quinto, the actress Mikey was once linked to.

"Since the showing of Masamang Ugat," said Mikey, "sunud-sunod na ang suwerte ko. All my projects in Pampanga (where he’s Vice Governor) have been going smoothly. We’ve built a flood-control system. As you know, the major problem in our province is the unmanageable floods during the rainy season. We’re also continuing our livelihood projects for farmers and their families in different barangays. Mayroon din kaming feed-programs and tree-planting activities."

Does Mikey sound like he’s running for a higher position in 2004?

"Yes, I am," confirmed Mikey.

For Congressman, that is. As early as last April, Mikey had already been "endorsed" by incumbent (and last-termer) Congresswoman Zeny Ducut who is reportedly running for Governor against Mark Lapid, son of incumbent Governor Lito Lapid, who’s on his third and last term and is eyeing the Mayorship of Angeles City.

"My decision to run for Congress was influenced by the will of our party and the clamor of the Kapampangans," said Mikey.

On the showbiz front, Mikey is as busy as ever. He has just finished shooting Kapitan Kidlat, directed by Willy Mayo, in which he plays the title role (once played by Armando Goyena in a 1950s LVN movie), with Alessandra de Rossi and Gwen Garci as leading ladies. He’ll soon start shooting the Viva comedy Six and the City (directed by Al Tantay) with Joey de Leon, Mikey Ferriols and six Viva Hot Babes as co-stars.

"Thanks to my ‘lucky M’ things are coming up roses for me," said Mikey.

It remains to be seen whether his "lucky M" will spell magic for him at the 2004 polls.

Mama Giselle Back At Work

Barely two weeks after she gave birth to her and husband Emil Nepomuceno’s first child (a girl weighing 7.6 pounds at birth, with fair skin and almond eyes like her mom), Giselle Sanchez was back at work last Friday, hosting the opening of Asiana Realty’s new project in Bacoor, Cavite; and, the next day, performing in a show in La Union.

Oops! Does Giselle need money so badly that she has to risk her health by plunging right back to work?

"Definitely not," Giselle told Funfare. "Now that our house is finished, Emil and I don’t have to slave it out like horses to make money. We can relax now. So what made me return to work so soon? My love for it. I have a passion for making people happy," added Giselle who is a favorite for hosting Christmas parties and some such corporate events.

If you see Giselle, she’s back to her slim self, as if she didn’t give birth at all.

"How did I do it?" Giselle asked. "Sekreto namin ni Emil ’yon!"

Reader’s Suggestions

As usual and as expected, the recent Star Awards for Television turned out to be controversial, as all other awards are (even the election of George W. Bush as US President was controversial, wasn’t it?). I won’t touch on whether or not the awards were "fair" (the issue is subjective, you know, since no award-giving body can ever hope to please everybody). Instead, I’m printing some suggestions from reader John Reyes (of Mandaluyong City) on how the Star and other awards can be improved. Here they are:

1. Limit the awards show to three hours, or up to four hours maximum. I wonder if the show has even one percent of the viewers’ share by midnight.

2. If the show is expected to last for four hours, the telecast must start at 8 p.m.

3. The musical numbers should be limited, especially if there are too many categories to be given. The audience is there to find out who the winners are, and not to watch a musical/variety show. If they want the latter, they can always watch those Sunday afternoon shows on ABS CBN and GMA networks (ASAP and SOP).

4. If there are a lot of categories to be given, maybe some of these awards can be given before the telecast, similar to the Grammys and Emmys. This may be a difficult decision, since some of the awards may have to be classified as "minor."

5. This is especially true for the Star Awards for Television. It has too many categories, and some of them can be combined. I know they are trying to please more people. Examples are: Celebrity Talk Show and Showbiz-Oriented Categories can be combined into just one category, as well as Newsmagazines and Public Affairs into another category. It's no surprise that in the next five years, everyone on TV will have a Star award.

6. Another suggestion for Star Awards for Television: In nominating hosts of shows, you can single out individual performances instead of group performances. An example is the list of winners from Magandang Umaga Bayan winning their category. They could have cited one or two individuals from that group, instead of declaring everybody in that group as winners.

7. Please limit speeches to 30 seconds to one minute. That's what the Oscars do to prevent the show from running overtime. This can cut a five-hour show into three hours.

8. Have only one speaker from the group. If needed, two or three can speak but the total duration should not be more than one minute. The Oscars usually play music to wrap up the speeches. When ABS CBN’s Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay won the Best Drama Series, at least six persons gave acceptance speeches. Lorna Tolentino or the producer could just give the speech in behalf of the group.

9. The presentors should be chosen in such a way that they are not involved in the production of the nominated shows in that particular category. It is very awkward to see the presentors join the winners group the next minute (like what John Estrada, Rica Peralejo and Richard Gutierrez did).

10. Limit the glamour awards to just one set. Why do they have to give separate awards for face, hair and body? These also lengthen the show unnecessarily. There is also no need for them to give speeches.

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