This corner’s “breaking news” last Thursday about Vic Sotto and his Eat, Bulaga! co-host Pauleen Luna now being “officially an item” left some people incredulous, maybe because of the age difference between the couple. Vic is 57, Pauleen is 23. So what? Age doesn’t matter in love, does it? Besides, romance specialists say that May-December is the most ideal set-up, with the partners learning from each other (in more ways than one) by symbiosis.
Pauleen (only 17 when she joined Eat Bulaga!), who is the textmate of Paulina, Vic’s golfer-daughter with Angela Luz, will surely learn a lot from Vic about the intricacies of livin’ and lovin’. If Vic is not a techie, I guess he can get tips from Pauleen on how to become one. Together, they can learn all, as the song goes, about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above and the thing called love.
Vic’s past loves included also Bulaga! co-hosts like, aside from Angela Luz, Coney Reyes (who bore him a son), Chiqui Hollman, Christine Jacob, Kristine Floirendo(?) and, of course, Pia Guanio who is now happily married to businessman Steve Mago.
It’s public knowledge that, like most comedians, Vic is a great lover so it’s not surprising why he won the heart of Pauleen whose ex-boyfriends were her age, including Mark Herras, Marvin Agustin, JC de Vera and Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian.
So how did Vic win Pauleen’s heart?
“He showered Pauleen with gifts,” said somebody privy to the couple’s affair. “At first, Pauleen would return the gifts. But Vic must have been so badly smitten that he never gave up. As they say, walang matimtimang birhen sa matiyagang manalangin. He courted not just Pauleen but also her parents. He even talked to Pauleen’s father and assured him of his ‘pure intentions’. In the end, love triumphs.”
How does Pia feel about it? Happy for Vic, no doubt. If you watched Bulaga! yesterday, you must have noticed how sweet Pia and Pauleen were, standing beside each other in almost identical dresses, looking as if they were about to sing, “The more we get together, together, together. The more we get together the happier are we…”
Incidentally, Pia was piqued when a TV5 female reporter ambush-interviewed her the other as soon as she came out of Broadway Centrum after the Bulaga! telecast. Even as Pia politely begged off since she was rushing to an interview with Rhian Ramos, the reporter insisted, “Just say ‘No comment!’” even if Pia refused to say anything. Imagine how shocked Pia was when the TV5’s early-morning show Sapul! inserted the intrusive reporter’s non-interview with Pia in a report about the Vic-Pauleen romance!
“What kind of journalism is that?” said Pia’s manager June Torrejon, crying “Foul!”
Maybe TV5 News chief Luchi Cruz-Valdez should lecture that female reporter on the ethics of journalism.
Phl stude wins Tony Blair award
Last September, Funfare published an item from reader Conrad Reyes about his son Paulo having been shortlisted in the Tony Blair Faith Shorts global film competition.
The good news is that Paulo, 18, won the family category with his entry, First Steps to Recovery. He and dad Conrad were flown to London to attend the awards ceremony at the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Paulo received his award from Tony Blair and Nik Powell, director of Film and Television School.
First Steps to Recovery explores illness and death and the ways in which faith can be a great source of strength and solace to those facing these issues.
“Paulo was deeply inspired by his Christian faith to make his film,” said Conrad.
Blair recalled, I visited the Philippines for the first time a few months ago to mark the launch of my Faith Foundation’s education work in the country.
“The Philippines has had a difficult past but there is a genuine commitment to work towards a more peaceful future with mutual understanding between all faiths.
“I was very touched by Paulo’s film. It has a very positive message about faith and its ability to pull people through difficult times. All of the films showed a deep sense of values and solidarity with those of other faiths. This is faith at its best….”
Education Sec. Armin Luistro said:
“Congratulations Paulo. I am very proud as a fellow Filipino to congratulate you on receiving this important award…”
Entries to the awards came from five continents around the world with young people from Australia, Canada, India, Lebanon, Philippines, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States being shortlisted. Fourteen-to-18-year-olds were asked to express what their faith means to them in their own words by answering the brief “let me show you how my faith inspires me”.
Paulo is one of three winning filmmakers. Fifteen-year-old Nadim Merrikh from Canada won the musical category for his film Be the Change You Want to See and 14-year-old Amna Aslam from the North West of England won the action category for her film Muhammad in Accrington Inspiring Me.
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit http://www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on http://www.twitter/therealrickylo.)