Cristine refuses to play it safe

Cristine Reyes looks better in person. She is also a good interviewee. She is forthright and she doesn’t always follow the safe road. She often drops the script and surprises audiences with disarming comments. At the height of the accidental meeting she and Dennis Trillo had with Carlene Aguilar, she enthused, “Nabigla ako. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang aming gagawin.” It would have been easy to say that she was surprised and pretended to be in control.

‘Uglifying’ pretty Bea

Some people think that Bea Alonzo is still pretty as Betty la Fea. That the effort to deglamorize and “uglify” the pretty Bea is so obvious, it strains viewers’ sensibilities. At the least, it is distracting to see pretty Bea as Ugly Betty. Do I agree? Not totally. I am not at all bothered by the effort of Bea to look her role. It’s the actress in her. Actresses should not only act their roles. They should look the part. And it must not be easy for Bea to go through that physical transformation. My take is, we, the audience, have just become so lured to seeing Bea flagrantly beautiful. I would take Bea or Betty anytime from actresses who play impoverished women but who look like high fashion models ready to take on the ramp.

Sen and Rachelle Ann

Sen of Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA) is charming and amiable. But I think he knows he has to work hard on his craft. Tough, tumultuous times are ahead for the young singer as he sings alone or with the best in the industry. Either Sen is a nervous wreck or he has weak ears but he is not impressing people with his music. What’s going for him is he talks well and he looks good. He says he has a crush on Rachelle Ann Go who happens to have two of the best ears for music in the industry. Let’s see if they’d hear each other well.

Showbiz friendships

They say that it’s trying to find needle in a haystack when making friends in show business. Because people in show business are supposed to be just interested in their own personal welfare. And it is a world where everything is beautiful. Pimple free faces, silky hair and perfect noses. It’s a celluloid world where there’s only joy and no pain. Of course, things change through the years. Today, its reality TV. And subsequently there is a broader sense of today’s stars. Audiences are more forgiving these days and more realistic. And in showbiz there are friendships that are amazing and strong. Look at Mariel Rodriguez and Bianca Gonzalez who can almost read each other’s hearts, Danica Sotto and Alessandra da Rossi who will do anything for each other, JR Siaboc and Pooh who will laugh at anything together, and many other enduring friendships. Some of my most loyal friends are from showbiz. In short, friends can come from anywhere just as traitors can come from everywhere.

Fan of Kristine’s beauty

Kristine Hermosa remains one of the most beautiful girls in showbiz. In her case, its genetics. Her mom is pretty, blessed with flawless skin. It’s always fun to see Tin. I’ve always liked her. There’s this special connection that I have with her, perhaps, the crazy illusion that I want to be as pretty as her. We actually laugh at this obnoxious joke. I am looking forward to the next TV outing of Tintin. The last time I saw her, I told her that to this day, there’s still kilig factor of the Jericho-Kristine tandem. I hope they team up again for a future material even just on screen.

A classy Carmen Soo

“In the past six months, I haven’t seen anybody except the face of Echo,” enthused Carmen Soo. Carmen is a big star in Malaysia. I have seen a few episodes of Kahit Isang Saglit and Carmen delivers a performance that is honest and

warm. She registers very well on screen. In person, she’s a classy young woman who is very proper. She even sits like ladies do and you know it’s second nature to her. She has interesting insights about Badawi, Mahathir, and of course the controversial Anwar Ibrahim who I told her is a big fan of our National Hero Jose Rizal. This girl Carmen is talented, bodacious, and smart and she said she and Echo have become great friends. I believe her.

Jericho’s birthday wish

Jericho Rosales’ fervent birthday wish was for the “restoration of my family.” He prays that he patches things up with Ryan, one of his nephews who used to work for him. Yes, sometimes it is extremely difficult to work with relatives or you would have to be careful about hurting feelings — which becomes a family issue. Not that you can indiscriminately hurt non-relatives but in highly emotional moments — distance is an advantage. You can be professional with emotions. But Echo hopes to fix his differences with Ryan who will always be family to him. Echo also looks smashing with that killer smile back in his face. He also has a dress style that makes him virile but not overly macho. These days he looks gorgeous, delicious even.