In last Saturday’s edition of the ABS-CBN noontime show Wowowee, three Bb. Pilipinas-Universe title-holders sat as judges of the Miss Fitrum search — Gloria Diaz (1969 Miss Universe), Margie Moran (1973 Miss Universe) and Miriam Quiambao (1999 Miss Universe first runner-up), together with couturiers Rajo Laurel and Renee Salud, and Gabby Concepcion.
Miriam’s guesting in an ABS-CBN show made some people wonder what she’s up to since she’s an exclusive contract artist of rival station GMA 7. Was Miriam, or her manager Annabelle Rama, sort of “testing the waters”?
Yes, they were. That’s according to an ABS-CBN insider who added that Miriam is being eyed by Wowowee host Willie Revillame as a possible replacement of Precious Lara Quigaman (another Bb. Pilipinas beauty and 2005 Miss International no less) who was asked to quit the show when she violated an unwritten rule about bringing a boyfriend to the set.
“Willie has been looking for a possible replacement for Lara,” said the ABS-CBN insider, “at siempre gusto niya ay isa ring international beauty queen. It was Willie who suggested that Miriam be included as one of the judges in the Miss Fitrum finals.”
During a casual on-air interview, Willie sent Miriam a “feeler” while briefly mentioning what happened to Lara. “Wala ka bang boyfriend?” Willie asked Miriam jokingly. Miriam hesitated and said, “How did you know?” and then laughed.
The truth is that after she separated from Claudio Rondinelli, her Italian-businessman husband, Miriam briefly dated only one guy, also a foreigner.
Don’t get Willie wrong. Any of his female co-hosts can have a boyfriend, why not, but they should refrain from bringing their boyfriends to work so they (co-hosts) won’t be distracted, especially during Wowowee’s staging abroad.
If and when Miriam decides to jump ober da bakod and join Wowowee, she should take note of that.
Why did Rustom Padilla ‘kill’ Rustom Padilla?
But a few days ago when he flew in from New York dressed, again, as a woman, Rustom elicited more than just amusement but mild concern, you know: Is he really serious about becoming, hmmmm, a “real” woman?
“Rustom Padilla is dead!,” the former Rustom Padilla insists when she is addressed by her former name. “I am now Bebe Gandanghari.”
Rustom, err, Bebe related that she now acts and sounds like a woman that the Taiwanese lady seated beside her on the Eva Air flight from New York never suspected anything unusual. “Tawa ako nang tawa,” she said, “but very ladylike, of course.”
During her three-month stay in New York, Bebe said she hooked up with modeling agencies and tried to make “connections.” But contrary to what many people suspected, Bebe didn’t take any pills for female-hormone formation nor did she undergo any psychological counseling in preparation for a sex change.
“Sex change? I haven’t seriously thought of that,” said Bebe who, according to showbiz-observers, now looks strikingly like her ex-wife Carmina Villarroel (now Zoren Legaspi’s beloved). “My role model is Audrey Hepburn. Siya ang gusto kong gayahin.”
If offered a project with Carmina, what roles should they play, sisters or mother and daughter (who’s the mother and who’s the daughter)?
“Not naman mother and daughter, sisters na lang. Hahahaha!”
The Padillas, led by their mom Eva Cariño, seem to be one in saying that wherever their sibling is happy, it’s okay with them — “Basta huwag lang siyang lalabag sa batas ng Diyos.”
By that, Bebe presumed that Mama Eva was referring to, well, falling in love and/or having sex.
“My mom doesn’t have to worry,” assured Bebe, “because I’m not promiscuous.”
Asked if she plans to eventually settle down with the man of her dreams, Bebe smiled.
“I don’t want to grow old alone.”
Reminded that she was doing very well as Rustom Padilla the macho actor (in such films as Mistah and Yamashita Treasure, etc.), Bebe promptly replied, “It means that I was a good actress!”
Thank you, Rustom Padilla!
“Correction, please! Rustom Padilla is dead. You are talking to Bebe Gandanghari!”
How long will this romance last?
Paolo Contis and EB Babe Lian Paz are all over television professing their “undying” love for each other. In fact, they are now talking about engagement and, your guess is as good as anybody’s, very soon about marriage. It’s the same old story, isn’t it?
Paolo went through the same familiar routine when he was going steady with Nancy Castiglione (now plainly Nancy Jane and abroad waiting to deliver twins, courtesy of her non-showbiz boyfriend) and then with Isabel Oli from whom he broke up only late last year.
The new lovers first spent a vacation together in Macau in October last year and then in Boracay end of the year.
Asked in the Don’t Lie to Me segment of Showbiz Central last Sunday if Lian (previously linked to Janno Gibbs and Mark Herras) is the last woman in his life, Paolo readily answered “Yes!” but the lie-detector machine said it was a “LIE.”
Asked how long the couple’s romance would last, Paolo’s manager Lolit Solis said, “Sana umabot sila sa Valentine’s Day — this year! Hahahaha!”
No further question.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)