Angelika won’t be a ‘second-rate trying-hard copycat’

No, I’m not referring to the lingering suspicion that Angelika dela Cruz has undergone a chin surgery that made her look intriguingly like Rep. Imee Marcos but to her new role as a bida-kontrabida as the classic villainess Lavinia in the upcoming ABS-CBN soap Bituing Walang Ningning, popularized (nay, "immortalized") by Cherie Gil in the Viva classic drama starring Sharon Cuneta.

But first, a clarification from Angelika on her "new look" (almost similar to that of Nancy Castiglione who has had her nose "undone").

"No," said Angelika, "I didn’t have plastic surgery; all I had was to have my bite corrected. Manipis talaga ang chin ko. One time, that part of my face got swollen because of my defective bite – my upper teeth were protruding – so my dentist decided to correct it (the bite). I’m happy with my looks. Every part of my face and my body is original. Nothing has been changed or tampered with. Do I look like Imee Marcos? I don’t mind," added Angelika with a smile. "She’s pretty, di ba?"

And now, the Lavinia role...

"It’s my first time to do a kontrabida role and I love it," said Angelika who co-stars in the teleserye with Sarah Geronimo (playing the character Sharon did in the movie), Ryan Agoncillo, John Prats, Carlo Aquino, Tonton Gutierrez, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Amy Austria and Zsa Zsa Padilla.

"Lavinia is one of local movies’ classic characters," added Angelika, "and Cherie played her in a memorable way. She was the one who delivered that immortal line...’You’re nothing but a second-rate, trying-hard copycat’...in her confrontation scene with Sharon."

The first thing Angelika did after she signed up for the teleserye (her first TV project after Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin which ended six months ago) was buy a DVD copy (genuine, huh, not pirated) of Bituing Walang Ningning directed by Maning Borlaza but finished by the late Leroy Salvador when Maning was taken ill.

"I’ve seen the movie but I wanted to see it again," said Angelika (who topped the just-concluded Celebrity Dance Contest of the ABC 5 Sunday show Shall We Dance?, hosted by Lucy Torres and Dominic Ochoa). "Just to be very sure. No, I won’t do the role the way Cherie did it; I won’t ever dare try to copy her acting. Otherwise," she added with a laugh, "I might end up a second-rate trying-hard copycat."

The new teleserye should put to rest persistent rumors that Angelika is "not happy" at ABS-CBN and was toying with the idea of accepting an offer if ever GMA made one.

But Angelika did admit that she met with a GMA executive last year for her possible inclusion in the cast of Encantadia. It fell through because Angelika had an existing contract with ABS-CBN.

Besides the ABS-CBN soap, Angelika will soon prepare for her new album, her first in six years.

"I miss singing," she said. "I hope my new album will come out soon. You can’t really be considered a singer unless you do an album, ‘no?"

American hunk is here

Here for a visit is American hunk, blonde and blue-eyed model-actor Travis Kraft, who stands 6’1"; weighs 187 lbs.; and measures 33" (waistline), 32" (inseam) and 44" (chest). If he looks familiar, it’s because he’s the guy in the Rexona ads.

A candidate in the Body Heat Model Search (Year 3), Travis was a three-time North Dakota state wrestling champion. He graduated from the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) with degrees in Telecommunications and in Film.

From EMU (where he was on a wrestling scholarship), Travis moved to Los Angeles where he studied acting and stunt-fighting. He has appeared on a few Hollywood movies, including Skeletons in the Closet, No Rules and The Life and Passion of Christ.

(Travis’ local manager is Miss Ammabelle, cellphone number 0915-5758120.)

Dayanara rushed to NY hospital

Here’s another interesting item (about Dayanara Torres) from Funfare’s New York correspondent Edmund Silvestre, news editor of The Filipino Reporter, who got it from the Us Weekly magazine (quoted verbatim):

Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres was rushed to a Queens, New York hospital on Mar. 1 upon landing at JFK International Airport and later underwent a three-hour surgery to remove scar tissue blocking her intestine, Us Weekly reported.

She experienced severe abdominal pain on the plane, according to witnesses, but told the pilot, who was ready to make an emergency landing in Chicago, that she could make it to New York.

A friend of Torres told Us she was doing okay and has already gone home. "She’s in good spirits but a lot of pain," the unnamed friend said.

Torres’ two sons by Marc Anthony, Cristian and Ryan, flew to New York to be on their mom’s side after spending the week with their grandmother in Torres’ native Puerto Rico.

Torres and Anthony spent a turbulent four years together. They married in May of 2000 and separated in July 2002, only to renew their vows five months later.

But the union didn’t take long. Anthony reunited with former flame Jennifer Lopez, and Torres filed for divorce, calling their marriage "irretrievably broken." The split became official in May 2004, and a week later, Anthony and Lopez tied the knot.

Torres, 31, was most recently linked to Oscar nominee Terrence Howard, but their relationship reportedly stopped its hustle and flow in February when the two decided they needed to spend more time with their respective families. Howard has three children with his ex-wife, Lori.

Once she recovers, Torres is expected to resume her showbiz career. She has served as a correspondent for Access Hollywood and has appeared on The Young and the Restless.

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