Zsa Zsa: Another body by Belo

Curtain-raisers:

* I’m not sure if the popular TV series The Young and the Restless is aired on Philippine television via cable TV. But here’s good news for fans of 1993 Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, ex-wife of Marc Anthony who’s now the husband of Jennifer Lopez, courtesy of reader Jingo Badillo (of Silangan Shimbun, no address given): Dayanara is having her US television acting debut on The Young and the Restless (on CBS), Aug. 31, playing Elise Tomkins, Peter Bergman’s (as Jack) gorgeous tennis partner who stirs up a little jealousy from his ex-wife, Phyllis (played by Michelle Stafford). Watch for it.

* Congratulations to Jonathan Badon, a talent of singing lawyer Dot Ramos-Gancayco, who was named Best New Classical Performer at the recent 2004 Aliw Awards, beating heavyweights like Nolyn Cabahug. Dot is building up Jonathan as "the Josh Groban of the Philippines."

* Now going on at the Teachers Camp in Baguio City (until Saturday, Aug. 21) is a seminar on Transformational Leadership, with Anthony Pangilinan among the organizers. More than 3,000 high school students and principal advisers are attending. Among the speakers are such vision-oriented politicians and artists as Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Chot Reyes, Jim Paredes, Sev Sarmenta, Francis Kong, Roxanne Barcelo, Pipo Lina, Fr. Nebres and CJ Davide. Anthony said that they expected 2,000 to join but more than 3,000 did.

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When you cruise along the South Luzon Expressway, you won’t fail to notice a huge billboard with Zsa Zsa Padilla and her sexy frame, as she models for the Belo Medical Group.

Zsa Zsa, who just turned 40 last May, is extremely proud of her "new" body which is a result of mesotherapy, the European non-surgical technique that can help with body sculpting, weight loss, cellulite reduction, wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation. The Belo Medical Group has scored another first by introducing mesotherapy in the country.

No wonder Zsa Zsa is more confident to wear eye-popping outfits lately in her weekly TV show, ASAP Mania on ABS-CBN. She also hosts the weekly talent search competition, Star in a Million, with Edu Manzano and Ryan Agoncillo, also on ABS-CBN. Starting next Saturday, Aug. 28, she will host the talent search Born Diva, which takes over the time slot of Star in a Million (grand finals on Saturday, Aug. 21).

Mesotherapy, pioneered in the 1950s by French physician Dr. Michel Pisto, is the painless injection of vitamins, minerals, medications and amino acids placed just under the surface of the skin. This limits side-effects, reduces the possibility of drug interactions and allows for a substantial reduction in the amount of medicine utilized for each procedure. The procedure generally takes 30 minutes and requires no preparations or recovery time. Furthermore, no heavy bandages or girdles are used.

After Vicki, the renowed "Doctor of the Stars," popularized liposuction in the country and successfully performed it on a number of showbiz stars, the Belo Clinic has performed the mesotherapy treatment on other celebrities, including Lorna Tolentino and Iza Calzado.

Mesotherapy is being offered at the Belo Clinic, with branches at the Medical Plaza, Makati; Tektite Towers, Ortigas; Alabang Town Center; Tomas Morato, Quezon City; and Greenhills, San Juan.

The Belo Clinic offers other treatments like lipo-dissolve, Aurora photofacial for face, neck, hands or body treatment, Aptos Threads lift for facial rejuvenation, hair transplant, collagen induction therapy to reduce wrinkles, quick tan for proper skin hydration, Stem Cell Auto Grafting (SCAG) for the face, Spanish peel for oily skin and large pores and the Obagi skin care method.

Vicki, medical director of the Belo Medical Group, has a number of regular celebrity clients who include top stars such as Lorna Tolentino, Regine Velasquez, Kris Aquino, Pops Fernandez, Edu Manzano, Rudy Fernandez, Ara Mina, Joyce Jimenez, Aubrey Miles and Albert Martinez.

Story behind a song

Girlie Rodis reports direct from San Francisco that her alaga, Rachel Alejandro, was finally able to pay her stepmother, Rio Diaz, a visit. It was ABS-CBN which facilitated Rachel and Girlie’s flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco where Rachel pinch-hit for Sheryn Regis as special performer at the ABS-CBN-sponsored Bayaning Filipino Awards. Rachel took advantage of the opportunity and visited Rio who is back home from confinement at the Stanford University Medical Center.

During their touching encounter, Rio asked Rachel to sing for her Heart’s Desire, a song inspired by Rio’s life, which Rachel composed for her new album.

Incidentally, I want to clarify a booboo I made in my recent "body talk" with Rachel. No, Rachel isn’t the composer of Keeper of My Heart, another song in her album. The composer is Joseph Pagulayan, as pointed out in an e-mail to Funfare by Paolo Pagulayan, Joseph’s brother, in reaction to that booboo. (To Paolo Pagulayan: It’s your right to correct an error but please don’t use foul language.)

Paolo said that the song (Keeper of My Heart, not Heart’s Desire) was not written by Rachel on a plane coming home (again, my error, not Rachel’s) but by his brother Joseph when he woke up in the middle of the night. Keeper of My Heart is about a girl and not a Christian song (which Heart’s Desire is).

According to Paolo, it was Junji Arias of Velcro who asked Joseph if Rachel could use it in her album as carrier single.

So, there. Loud and clear?

More ‘Melanisms’

Some people can’t believe it when I tell them that, yes, Melanie Marquez is serious with her plan to compile her "famous" quotations – you know, "Melanisms," a word coined by STAR contributor Jonathan Chua – in a pocket-sized book (like Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book).

It will be a best-seller, I’m sure, judging by the reactions of readers from all over.

Jonathan said he remembered one Melanism circa ’80s. In a talk show, Melanie remarked to a reporter, "Ang galing mo naman. Di ka gumagamit ng jot board." Asked the puzzled reporter, "Anong jot board?" Melanie replied, "’Yung parang blackboard na babasahin mo sa camera. Melanie shot back, "A, idiot board. Wala, pang-idiot lang ‘yun, eh!"

Meanwhile, reader Sandi Domingo of Oakland, California, sent his own collection of Melanisms:

Please allow me to add more Melanisms that are not yet "gasgas." Most of them were delivered when she was here in the States:

* In a fashion show at the Marriott Hotel in 1993, she thanked the audience with, "Thank you for coming; because of you we will be success."

* When asked by a producer about her English, she said, "I think my grammar is ok, I just have a problem with my fluent."

* When she asked somebody for the place at a wake and was told, "The body lies in state..." she said, "Ano, sa States pa?"

* She was on the phone with someone who was to pick her up and she was heard saying, "Ok lang, I can wait. Don’t be hurry."

* "I want to go to death row" (she meant Detroit, Michigan)

* After a successful fashion show, she said, "I love wearing Filipina dress; it shows our rich in customs and tragedy."

* In a show in Santa Clara, California, she said, "I’d like to thank our sponsors, isa po ay ang Pamilya Domingo Family."

Whew! I love Melanie. And I love your column.

Regards,

– Sandi Domingo

Oakland, California

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])