Is Mark really ‘coming out’ early next year?

It’s up to you to figure out what “coming out” in today’s headline means. Those words came from Funfare’s VDPA (Very Deep Penetration Agent) who said that early next year, Mark Bautista is “coming out” with a tell-all book that can send shock waves through the industry.

“Mark will leave nothing to the imagination,” swore the VDPA close to Mark, who claimed to have seen the rough draft of the book stamped “highly confidential” at the moment and once it is out in the market, “it is bound to cause a lot of people sleepless nights.”

When word leaked that Mark was “coming out” with a “no-holds-barred” book, some people (this one included) dismissed it as, well, a false alarm, until Funfare’s VDPA said that it’s true.

“If you have read the auto-biographies of Cliff Richard, Ricky Martin, Olympic American diver Greg Louganis and other celebrities ‘coming out’ of their shells,” added the VDPA, “you will have an idea what Mark’s book is all about.”

Anyway, let’s wait and see until the book’s launch.

The big question is: Will Mark name names and invite whoever are “revealed” in the book to its launch? Will somebody stop its publication? Will anybody file a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) against its release?

“One thing is sure,” continued the VDPA. “Something profound happened to Mark during his prolonged stay abroad, starting in London where he played Ferdinand Marcos in the musical Here Lies Love.”

Kuya E (Neo de Padua) returns with a concert on Dec. 14 at the Music Museum

How the Big C changed Kuya E’s outlook in life  

There’s a reason why Kuya E (Neo de Padua) titled his concert Miracle, Music & Love, slated for Dec. 14 (Thursday), 7 p.m. at the Music Museum.

You see, Kuya E was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2006 and he went into remission two years later. He has been cancer-free since then.

“It’s a miracle that I am still alive,” confessed Kuya E, “and every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is thank God for giving me another day. Life is like music; sometimes it’s happy, sometimes it’s sad. It’s up to you to choose the melody of your life. I love inspiring and promoting love in all walks of life.”

Produced by Big Eyes Events & Productions, the concert marks the comeback of Kuya E after a long absence. He used to be known as “The Millionaire Maker of MLM Industry in the Philippines,” until he was taken ill. Among his guest performers are the E4 Band, Ani Pearl, Kath Loria, Rapido and 2017 Himig Handog awardee Aikee.

“My outlook in life has changed,” said Kuya E. “I don’t get angry easily, I am more forgiving and more prayerful. I start and end my day by praying. I also make it a point to say ‘I love you’ to my loved ones while they are still around to appreciate it. And I have forgiven those who cheated me of millions.”

Aside from the concert, Kuya E is almost finished recording an album supervised by Vehnee Saturno, with Ako’y Nangarap as carrier single. In January next year, he will host the show RYTS (Rule Yourself To Success) on NET 25.

(For tickets to Miracle, Music and Love, call 0921-3253118 or 0956-6834843.)

Jet Rai with his two ‘diptych’ works, The Muse and Mantis Head, at the Artchemy: Mixing Modern With Contemporary exhibit at the Art Anton Gallery in MOA Complex, Pasay City, from Dec. 2 to 24.

Jet Rai in Artchemy: Mixing Modern with Contemporary exhibit

Gone from the showbiz/modeling scene for a while, Jet Rai has been busy painting preparatory to the Artchemy: Mixing Modern with Contemporary exhibit which runs from Dec. 2 to 24 at the Art Anton Gallery (Ground Floor, S Maison, Marina Way, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City).

The show features legendary artists Joe Datuin, Fil Delacruz, Raul G. Isidro, Rico H. Lascano and Nestor Olarte Vinluan; international Filipino artist Migz Salazar who is based in Paris; contemporary artists Pinggot Zulueta, Janos Delacruz, Capiral Alfred, Abe Orobia, Roi Espinosa, Othoniel Otto Neri, Judeo Razon Herrera and, that’s it, Jet Rai.

Guest artists are Hermes Alegre, Jonathan Viaje Dangue and Ram Mallari Jr.

Artchemy: Mixing Modern with Contemporary is described as “a rare synergy of seasoned visual artists whose works resonate with the modern art movement; and mid-career visual artists whose refreshing compositions of contemporary sensibilities complement those of the works of the former.” The exhibition offers an interesting juxtaposition of works that are faithful to tradition and works that are deliberately irreverent. It is an alchemy of the modern and the contemporary.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)