Edu's star-studded b-day celebration set

Author: ABS-CBNNews.com
Column: Entertainment

MANILA - It is going to be a star-studded week-long celebration.

Seventy two celebrity friends of actor-host Edu Manzano are playing in his game show, "Pilipinas, Game KNB?," beginning Monday as they mark his 54th birthday.

For Monday's celebration, singers Christian Bautista, Michael Cruz and Ronnie Liang, funnymen Bayani Agbayani, Amy Perez, and Dennis Padilla, movie villains Dick Israel, Dexter Doria, and John Regala, and the power trio of Ana Roces, Jonathan of Street Boys, and Joy Viado will spearhead the fun as they play for P2 million.

Since it's his birthday week, Manzano said he wishes that the celebrity teams will take home the jackpot prize. But the bigger question is: will he be ready for the surprise the program's staff has prepared for him?

Don't miss the star-studded week-long celebration of Manzano and see how your favorite stars get wet, get pressured, and get really competitive as they try to win the P2-million prize on "Pilipinas, Game KNB?" The show airs right after "Ruffa & Ai" on ABS-CBN.

Eduardo Manzano

Manzano was born Eduardo Barrios Manzano on September 14, 1955 in San Francisco, California.

Although he was born in the United States, most of his years were spent in his home province Negros Occidental.

He was already modeling for famous fashion designer Christian Espiritu when show business beckoned. It was also Espiritu who gave Manzano his movie break in the late 70s when the former produced a film for him, "Alaga," with the late actress Charito Solis and the fledging star at the time, Amy Austria.

It signaled the start of a very promising acting career for Doods, Manzano's pet name.

Soon enough, he met, fell in love and married one of Philippine movie queens, Vilma Santos, and bore her a son, Luis Phillippe Manzano, better known as Lucky.

Although their marriage didn't last long, Manzano has maintained a very cordial relationship with Santos all through the years.

He had a short-lived marital affair with another movie queen, Maricel Soriano, and had a memorable love story with commercial model Rina Samson. At present, Manzano is engaged to television broadcaster Pinky Webb.

Manzano, apart from his love for showbiz, has his penchant for politics. He once served as vice-mayor of Makati City and has just recently resigned from the chairmanship of Optical Media Board.

He is reportedly eyeing a Senate seat in 2010 elections but he has yet to make an official announcement.

He recently got involved in a controversy for purportedly brushing off three awards he received from the Star Awards for TV of the Philippine Movie Press Club, an allegation he denied.

Source: ABS-CBN News