Melanie to train Miss Canada contestants

First, a panawagan: Senador Lito Lapid, kung saan ka man naroroon, pakitawagan po ninyo si Melanie Marquez. Ito’y tungkol sa anak ninyong si Manuelito na nasa Las Vegas ngayon.

Yes, that’s Melanie’s urgent request for Funfare. But no, she didn’t say what the panawagan (appeal) is all about, except to say that it’s important and it has something to do with Manuelito, 22, who’s based in Las Vegas by his lonesome. Melanie showed me a cellphone photo of Manuelito, now all of 6’2", and the boy looks like his father ("Mas guwapo ang anak ko, ‘no!"), good-looking enough to be an actor.

Yesterday’s lunch at Mama Rosa (Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City) was meant to update Funfare readers of Melanie’s modelling workshop which has been going on since first week of May, but the "incidentals" proved to be more meaty/juicy.

But first, the "appetizers":

Done with her workshop’s First Level (consisting of Posture and Runway, etc.) and Second Level (Basic Make-Up, Internalizing, Projecting on Camera, etc.), Melanie is now ready for the Third Level (Commercial/Product Endorsing, Speech/Acting Lessons by Buddy Palad, etc.) scheduled to start on Saturday, July 10, also in the same venue (her old, spacious house at Philam Homes, Quezon City; for inquiries and reservations, call 815-4872 or 0917-4975576).

"Classes will be held once a week, three hours per session, 5 to 8 p.m. for three Saturdays," said Melanie. "We’re also offering a Web Programming Workshop Modules and a PHP or Hyper Text Pro-Protocol." (Note: Call the same numbers mentioned above for info.)

Melanie (who plays Rufa Mae Quinto’s mother in the GMA kwelaserye Marinara) is set to leave in August for Canada where she will train the Miss Canada contestants (Aug. 7 in Vancouver and Aug. 14 in Toronto) and later sit as one of the judges.

"Para iwo-workshop ko rin sila," said Melanie who has retained her (1979) Miss International looks, figure and all. "I will teach them how to walk and how to project."

And now, the "main course":

Asked what her secret is in keeping that Miss International look, Melanie said it’s no secret at all.

"I work out twice a week, I play badminton twice a week and I play tennis twice a week. I limit my food intake. No sweets for me, very little rice and very little carbo. I take lots of liquid (water and juices). More of vegetables and very little meat, if ever."

As a practising Mormon (after her husband, Adam Lawyer, whos’ currently in Salt Lake City, Utah), Melanie said that she doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t drink coffee and, for men, "Bawal ang mambabae."

As president (for three years now) of the Mormons’ Relief Society (the biggest organization all over the world), Melanie leads members in spreading the scripture. "We Mormons read only the King James version of The Bible."

Besides Manuelito, Melanie has five other children: Mazenne (by her businessman ex-husband), 15; Maxene, 12, and Michelle, 9 (by ex-husband Derek Dee); Adam, Jr., almost 3, and Abraham, 1 (by current husband Adam Lawyer who is, despite his surname, a businessman and not a lawyer).

"I want to have one more," said Melanie. "One more girl. I want to call her Maria Luisa, after my (late) mother. Idol ko kasi ang Nanay ko, e."

Not Guilty, Says Mayor Jojo Binay

Some people, mostly Noranians, have been huffing and puffing against the non-inclusion of their idol Nora Aunor’s starrer Naglalayag (which has won for Nora the Best Actress award at the just-concluded ho-hum Manila Filmfest) in the ongoing Cinemanila International Film Festival which features 60 critically-acclaimed films from 29 countries, running until July 12 at the Greenbelt 1 Cinema in Makati City.

Nora herself has reportedly blamed Makati City Mayor Jojo Binay for her movie’s non-inclusion, citing as reason the fact that she campaigned for President GMA in the recent elections.

In an official statement, Mayor Binay said that Nora has readily and conveniently accused him of an act he did not commit.

"A simple and cursory check would have made you properly and accurately informed," Binay said in his letter to Nora. "I had no hand at all in choosing or deciding which feature films would be included in the festival. The City of Makati only acts as the host of the festival and supports it through financial and other types of resources."

Cinemanila was conceived six years ago by director Tikoy Aguiluz who is its executive director and therefore the one in-charge of choosing the entries.

A friendly advice to Noranians: Instead of making an issue with Cinemanila, you should patronize your idol’s movie(s) to keep her running in the box-office race. Had the Noranians trooped to the theaters during the 10-day manila Filmfest, Naglalayag wouldn’t have finished an also-ran. If there were, as a conservative rough estimate, 500,000 Noranians in Manila alone, multiply that by P80 (orchestra admission ticket) and that would have amounted to a staggering P40 million – had the Manila-based Noranians patronized the movie, more than enough to make it the top grosser.

(The 10-day Manila Filmfest grossed not more than P10 million, according to Funfare sources.)

I believe that fans should support their idols (and I don’t mean only Nora Aunor) by patronizing their starrers instead of just paying their idols lip service (which is the least that they need).

Six Feet Under Quiz Promo

The final season of HBO’s original series Six Feet Under will premiere the last of two episodes on Aug. 3 at 9 p.m. To hype up the series before the finale, Funfare and HBO are conducting a joint quiz promo. Easy does it: Simply answer the set of questions Funfare will be publishing starting in today’s issue and e-mail your entries to [email protected]; subject: Philippine STAR-HBO SFU contest.

The first five senders of the correct answers will each receive a copy of the SFU book (very nice; "collectible"). Participants must answer all the questions (three sets each) based on 11 episodes. They should write their complete name, address and contact numbers. (Call 725-7891, 727-5251 or 726-5132 up to 30 for inquiries.)

Here is the third set of questions for Episode 305, telecast last June 8 (watch for the replay):

• What is the name of the person who dies in this episode?

1. William Aaron Jaffe

2. Scott Somma

3. Matt Smith

• What does Oliver expect Claire to do as his assistant?

1. Clean his toothbrush

2. Praise his work constantly

3. Drive him to the mall

• William Aaron Jaffe’s bones were buried with what?

1. A Linda Ronstadt Tee

2. A tuxedo

3. A Leonard Slyward Concert Tee

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])