A Kapuso and Kapamilya 'show of unity' for the sake of Noynoy?

As a welcome gift to the incoming president (the 15th) of the Republic of the Philippines, ABS-CBN and GMA 7, the two most powerful networks in the Philippines, can declare a week of “unity and solidarity” (or maybe ceasefire?) during the inaugural week of President-apparent Noynoy Aquino by allowing some of their big stars to appear in the rival network for the whole week. Example, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera will guest in The Buzz while John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo will be in Showbiz Central, or Piolo Pascual and KC Concepcion will guest in Startalk while Richard Gutierrez and Rhian Ramos will be in Entertainment Live, or Aljur Abrenica and Iza Calzado will join Sharon while Sam Milby and Anne Curtis will be in Mel and Joey, or Dennis Trillo and Carla Abellana in Wowowee while Jericho Rosales and Bea Alonzo will be in Eat, Bulaga!

Crazy idea? Far-fetched? Impossible dream?

This wild suggestion comes from my US-based friends and, come to think of it, why not?

They explain, “One week lang naman and I guess it’s just a way of showing to everyone that there’s still hope for peace, unity and solidarity, and it’s a great welcome for the new administration. It will be fun and historic and might even help relax a little the fierce competition between the two giant networks. Maganda ang rivalry kung friendly and those two stations can lead the nation in proving that anything is possible.”

Getting crazier and crazier? Well, not really, considering that everybody is calling for “solidarity” to enable our country to move along and move forward “as one.” After all, don’t the two networks agree on the same idea when disaster (such as last year’s killer typhoons) hits the country by conducting telethons to raise funds for the victims? During the May 10 presidential race, even without asking the permission of their bosses, some Kapuso and Kapamilya stars actually bonded together in a music video TV campaign for Noynoy?

My friends insist, “It can also include the personalities of news and public affairs wherein they would visit each other’s set before the closing of the newscast to say hello to each other. Mga symbolic things na malaki ang magagawa para sa pagkakaisa ng lahat. Then after that week, puwede nang magpatayan ulit kung gusto nila. Of course ang gandang example if they see the two networks display camaraderie kahit one week lang! Pag-uusapan talaga ‘yon in the years to come and it will inspire people to do the same.”

I told my friends that one week may be too long, so one day (June 30, perhaps, when Noynoy takes his oath of office?) is good enough. And then I sang to them a few lines from the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino’s favorite song: This is our quest, to follow that star; no matter how hopeless, no matter how far...

“We can dream,” my makulit friends say, “can’t we?”

Ogie: Kris an asset to her Kuya Noynoy

Ogie Alcasid, one of the Kapuso stars in the pro-Noynoy music video, said in a joint Funfare/The Filipino Reporter interview conducted by this corner’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre that Kris Aquino can be a “powerful asset” rather than liability to her brother, President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, in helping the country get back on its feet following a tumultuous regime.

In the interview before he and company (his beloved Regine Velasquez, and Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera) mounted the stage for their Heart 2 Heart concert last May 23 at the Mark Etess Arena of Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, Ogie said that Kris can use her celebrity status to do “so many things” to give Filipinos a new sense of “hope, pride and direction.”

 “I think now more than ever, Kris can really help the country,” said Ogie, defending Kris from critics demanding that she disappear to spare her Kuya Noynoy from being dragged into whatever controversy Kris may find herself in. “Really, she’s smarter than all of us combined. And people, the masses, know it that’s why they love her and they listen to her.”

Edmund pointed out that Kris topped Yes! Magazine’s “20 Stars Who Ruled the Decade List.” Ogie is also on the list, along with Regine, Dingdong and Marian.

“I find it sad when people think of unpleasant things about Kris because I know her well enough to say that she really has a genuine heart,” Ogie added.

Ogie commended Kris for leaving The Buzz and SNN (Showbiz News Ngayon, calling the move a “good start” to avoid constant public scrutiny, especially when she makes controversial or delicate remarks.

“That’s really very humble of her,” said Ogie. “Of course, she only wants to protect her brother Noy. Maybe she’s thinking that everything she says can be taken against her or Noy. I don’t think she wants to be unfair because anything that she says can be taken out of context. We all know that Kris speaks her mind and she can’t help it because that’s the way she is. She may be tactless at times at mapagpatol siya sa mga issues, but that’s her, that’s why she’s the queen of talk and that’s why people have opinions about her.”

Ogie believes that the time has come for Kris to shine as a presidential sister and use all her power to preserve and continue the legacy of her parents and to make a difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos who are longing to see “genuine change.”

“Pero sa totoo lang, marami talaga ang makaka-miss sa Kris Aquino, the talk show queen,” Ogie concluded. “But she can always get back to hosting after Noy’s presidency (in 2016).”

Pussycat gal not the first Pinay to win in Dancing

Did you know that Nicole Scherzinger, the Pinoy Pussycat Doll lead singer who is proud of her Philippine roots, is not the first Filipina to win in Dancing With The Stars? The first was Cheryl Burke, the professional Fil-Am dancer known as the first two-time champion of the wildly-popular dance competition in America.

And that, aside from Nicole and Charice (whose album is, so far, No. 8 on Billboard 200 and No. 4 in Canada), another Filipina — that is, Vanessa Hudgens — is making a lot of noise these days promoting her upcoming flick where she plays a prostitute(!).

Here’s an item from E!online, titled Vanessa Hudgens’ Hooker Role: ‘It’s Really Fun’ written by Cristina Gibson:

Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron aren’t in High School Musical anymore.

At last night’s Nylon party at the Tropicana, cover girl Vanessa talked about the mature role she’s playing in Sucker Punch: a prostitute!

“Honestly, it’s a combination of a lot of things,” she told E! News diplomatically. “It’s really fun and it’s a fantasy and you’re going to have to see to understand.”

So how did the Disney darling prepare for her adult role?

No word if she visited strip clubs or street corners for research, but she did say she got physical.

“We did martial arts,” Vanessa said. “We trained with the Navy SEAL(s). We got to shoot a lot of guns. It was very exhilarating!”

That’s not the only challenging role V’s taking. She’s also appearing on stage in Rent this summer, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.

Sounds like Vanessa would like to show off her singing skills on the small screen, too. The starlet said she’d love to be on the hit show Glee.

As for her boyfriend, Zac, he was just there to support last night. “I think it is absolutely amazing,” he told E! of her magazine cover. “I think it looks great.”

Inside, the couple were as cute as could be, sharing a corner table and sipping drinks since they’re both finally 21.

Sucker Punch is an upcoming action-fantasy film written by Steve Shibuya and Zack Snyder, who is also directing the film. Sucker Punch features an ensemble female cast that also includes Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jamie Chung, and Jena Malone. The film follows a young girl in the 1950s about to be lobotomized and as she attempts to escape the asylum with her inmate friends.

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