Aiko and Martin: For real!

As you must have noticed, there’s an exclamation point in today’s headline because, yes, Aiko Melendez and Martin Jickain are definitely getting married second week of February next year come what may.

Proof? Aiko, 29, and Martin, 22, are already finalizing the list of principal sponsors and I happen to be one of them. When Aiko called, I asked her twice if she and Martin were sure of themselves and she said yes without hesitation.

You see, when the couple recently announced on national television that they were getting married, eyebrows soared and you can’t blame the skeptics because Aiko and Martin have been going for only more than two months.

"Life is short," said Aiko, "and besides, from Day One I knew that our relationship would last. I have a strong feeling that I’ve found Mr. Right, at last!"

It will be Aiko’s second marriage. Her first (to Jomari Yllana by whom she has a son, Andre, seven) was annulled.

A commercial model, Martin has brushed aside speculations that he has a plan to enter showbiz and he’s only "using" Aiko. "No such plan," said Martin who is half-German and half-Filipino.

Martin has been a fan of Aiko’s since, as a grade-schooler, he saw Aiko in the Regal movie 13, 14, 15 (in which Aiko co-starred with Ruffa Gutierrez and Carmina Villarroel).

"I like her eyes," said Martin (whose brother Luke is a model), "they are very expressive. I bought notebooks with Aiko on the cover. That’s how much I admire her."

They first met two years ago. Martin had a girlfriend then. They met again more than two months ago and, recalled Aiko, "everything just fell into place."

Dismissing their romance as a "passing fancy," Aiko said that she doesn’t go for flings.

"I want a lasting relationship," said Aiko who, after her separation from Jomari, has been romantically linked to Victor Neri (with whom she went steady for two months) and band member Jonard Yanzon (barely a year). "It seems that Martin and I have known each other for a long time. We are open to each other. He knows all about my past and vice-versa."

So what more and what else can we say but "All the best" to the couple!
Julius and Tintin are vindicated
Having survived probably the biggest crisis in their life, Julius Babao and Tintin Bersola look back at the passing year misty-eyed and look forward to the future with hope and faith in their hearts.

Julius has been cleared in that ugly "terrorism" issue and, according to Tintin, "We felt like a thorn has been extracted from our chests."

As morale-booster, Julius and Tintin have been named among the Anak TV Seal Winners for 2005. It’s a "people’s choice" kind of awards for "the most highly-respected and wholesome TV personalities." The canvassing was held from March to November this year by 3,653 Anak TV jurors/respondents from all walks of life, from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Among the jurors/respondents were four bishops; two Muslim imams; college deans and school principals; teachers; businessmen; nuns, priests and pastors; parents; workers; NGO representatives; artists; and regional media people.

Here are the winners:

Top Five Male

l.
Gary Valenciano

2.
Julius Babao

3.
Mike Enriquez

4.
Aga Muhlach/Arnold Clavio

5.
Piolo Pascual

Top Five Female

l.
Christine "Tintin" Bersola-Babao

2.
Sharon Cuneta

3.
Mel Tiangco

4.
Korina Sanchez

5.
Bernadette Sembrano/Karen Davila

Runners-Up (Male)

1.
Marvin Agustin

2.
Paolo Bediones

3.
Dolphy

4.
Ryan Agoncillo

Runners-Up (Female)

1.
Jolina Magdangal

2.
Vicky Morales

3.
Rhea Santos

4.
Jessica Soho
Has Dayanara found a new love?
Here’s an interesting item from Funfare’s New York-based correspondent Edmund Silvestre (news editor of The Filipino Reporter):

Actor Terrence Howard has revealed he has been secretly dating former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres – the ex-wife of Jennifer Lopez’s husband Marc Anthony.

The Hustle & Flow and Crash star began dating Torres earlier this year – just four months after his wife of 14 years Lori left him for her childhood sweetheart, a fate Torres suffered when Anthony left her for Lopez.

The couple kept the romance secret until Howard confessed all to reporters while picking up a Renaissance Artist Honor at the recent Diversification Awards in Hollywood, reports PageSix.com. (New York Post).

He explained, "She went through so much over Marc Anthony. I don't want her to have a secret."

Howard was later overheard calling Torres and telling her, "I just told a television reporter about us. I told the whole story. I love you."
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E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph

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