Gretchen, Tonyboy finally call it quits?

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

THE latest story about Gretchen Barretto is that she and longtime companion Tonyboy Cojuangco had called it quits.

La Greta reportedly fell head over heels in love with Dodie Puno, brother of Interior Secretary Ronnie Puno who has a son with Alma Concepcion. Mr. Puno allegedly offered to marry Gretchen.

She has denied this before when it started circulating as a blind item, but the newest buzz is that Gretchen left Tonyboy's home alone as their daughter, Dominique, chose not to go with her and decided to stay with her dad.

But in a recent interview after their last trip to the U. S. on the first week of January, Gretchen has declared her undying love for Tonyboy who she'd even accompany to the States each time he'd have an operation on his throat ailment. So we don't know if we'd believe this scuttlebutt about her.

PATRICK NEGLECTS PREGNANT JENNYLYN?

ALSO rumored to have called it quits is Jennylyn Mercado and Patrick Garcia.

One version says Jen got mad because Patrick seems to be neglecting her now that she's carrying his child and told him "Lumayas ka, huwag ka nang babalik dito sa amin. " Another story says Patrick got sick and tired of Jen's various demands, prevalent mood swings, and capricious cravings while she is "naglilihi" and decided to end their relationship.

We don't know which of these versions are true but one thing sure is that their relationship is really going through some rough times. Proof of this is that Jen agreed to a taped interview for "Startalk" last Saturday, voicing all her gripes against Patrick: that it's not true he visits her everyday like he claims he's doing, and that he doesn't even answer her calls anymore.

When asked if they still plan to have a wedding in the future, she even said that "sobrang malabo na 'yun", hinting that Patrick is irresponsible and not prepared to be a family man. Patrick was supposed to be part of that interview and they were contradicting each other so it appeared that they were fighting on cam.

But before the interview was aired, she called up the "Startalk" staffers and implored them not to air the interview anymore. Friends are now consoling Jen saying it's good she was able to see the real Patrick before they tied the knot. She doesn't have to feel miserable since she's not the only unwed mother in local showbiz.

Jen may be depressed but she has resolved to still go on with her concert at Zirkoh on February 2 to celebrate her fifth anniversary in showbiz after winning in Starstruck.

She's now telling friends that she is willing to raise her child all by her lonesome. At this point, she should avoid feeling down and shun all negative thoughts for the sake of her baby.

Maybe her fans should pray that she'd still consider to kiss and make up with Patrick, then they should get a counselor to help guide them in this very tumultuous period of their relationship.

RICHARD WANTS TO BE A DIRECTOR

Richard Gutierrez told us that he eventually plans to produce and direct his own movies. It seems he's serious about this as he took the filmmaking and producer seminar conducted by American film instructor Dov Simens last weekend. Richard took the weekend off from his taping of "Kamandag" and the promo of "My Best Friend's Girlfriend" just to be able to attend it.

"It doesn't mean I'm quitting acting and will now go into producing and directing," he explains. "Kumbaga, paghahanda lang ito for the future, para kung sakaling dumating ang chance for me to direct a film, ready na ako, may prior knowledge na ako and I will not be caught unaware.

As of now kasi, marami akong naiisip na ideas for future movies. Who knows? I might be able to make use of them kung sakaling magdidirek na nga ako. "

About "Kamandag", Richard is happy with the addition of Sunshine Dizon in the cast, playing Ragona, who appears when a nasty soldier whips some slaves of Haring Budog (Johnny Delgado).

Ragona breathes fire and helps the slave against the abusive soldier. She can also fly. Succeeding episodes will reveal who Ragona really is. She'll next be fighting the cohorts of Reyna Kuran (Francine Prieto) and the slaves think she is their promised savior.

Meantime, Alicia (Eula Valdes) nurses the wounded Lucero (Mark Anthony Fernandez) back to health thinking he is her long lost son, Vergel (Richard Gutierrez). What she doesn't know is that Lucero is the evil Talim. But when she sees the real Kamandag helping some victims of a landslide on TV, she gets shocked and realizes that Lucero is not really her son.

PAOLO WILL MISS CROSS-DRESSING ROLE

Paolo Ballesteros will miss playing the role of Ida when "Zaido, Pulis Pangkalawakan" ends next week. "It's been a great experience doing the role for six months," he says. "Since I'm a crossdresser, ako ang laging pinakaunang dumarating sa set as they have to fix my costume and makeup. Pati nails ko kasi, ginagawa para pahabain ang mga kuko ko. "

What's the feedback about his playing the role of a woman? "Generally, favorable. Lahat nagsa-sabi, ang ganda ko raw! Kaya lang, since I play a bad character, may mga batang natatakot when they see me sa malls. "

Weren't there insinuations that he's really gay? "Wala. Napagod na yata sila sa kaiintriga sa'kin na gay ako. "

They will have their last taping day on February 3 and on February 7, he will be flying to the U. S. to visit his dad in Upstate New York. "He got pneumonia at nagka-complications dahil bumabagsak ang white blood cells niya.

He's bedridden up to now. I'm going with my sister. I'll be there until February 27, pwera na lang kung ipapatawag ako ng GMA at may bagong trabaho. Maiiwan na doon ang sister ko para magbantay. "

The last few days of "Zaido" will be very exciting as all the past monster enemies the Zaidos have subdued before are resurrected by their leader, Lear (Tirso Cruz III), to sow terror on Planet Earth.

This includes Alex Crisano as Bola Boba, Ryan Yllana as Siba Tiba, Gian Carlo as Shadow, plus Ngingi, Giga Wiga, Tinik-ik, Roko Loko and Bawa. Alexis (Marky Cielo) has joined the evil Kuuma and became Sigma, another enemy of the Zaidos. Watch him fight with his former allies, Dennis Trillo as Gallian and Aljur Abrenica as Cervano.

27 DRESSES: FOR HOPELESS ROMANTICS

IF you're a sucker for romantic movies about weddings, like "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "The Wedding Singer", you'd surely enjoy "27 Dresses".

Its story may be quite predictable but you won't really mind as lead star Katherine Heigl is so delightful to watch on the big screen and you really root for her, making her America's new sweetheart after the likes of Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon.

The movie follows a by now familiar formula but she still makes it all worth-seeing. We've been her fan since we saw her as Izzy in "Grey's Anatomy".

We also saw her in "Knocked Up" and we like her there, too, but she had no chemistry at all with her leading man. It's a comedy about unwanted pregnancy that's a big hit in the U. S. but failed to make any waves in our local theatre as the humor is so foreign to most Pinoy viewers. "27 Dresses" is the kind of romantic film that would appeal more to local audiences.

Katherine is Jane, an assistant to a young executive, George (Edward Burns), who moonlights as a wedding coordinator and perennial bridesmaid for her friends and colleagues.

The film opens with a prologue when Jane was still a little girl and she helped fix the gown of the bride. Since then, she's been in love with weddings and her favorite moment is to look at the groom's face while he gazes on his bride who's walking towards him at the altar.

She arranges perfect weddings and receptions, even willing to stand for a busy bride to fit the bridal gown and to test the menu and the cake for the reception. She has been a bridesmaid in 27 previous weddings and she has kept all the dresses she has worn in them that come in various forms. There's a cowboy outfit, a Japanese kimono, an Indian sari, a "Gone with the Wind" type, a Goth garb, an L. A. mini, etc.

She's secretly in love with her boss but she doesn't have the nerve to make him aware of her feelings for him. At the very moment she finally musters enough courage to tell him, here comes her younger sister, Tess (Malin Akerman of "Heartbreak Kid"), and George becomes instantly enamoured with her, crushing Jane who can only look at them with longing while they're canoodling. She even witnesses George proposing to Tess and soon, she's planning her own sister's wedding to the very man she loves.

Meantime, Kevin Doyle (James Marsden of "Enchanted"), a writer who does the wedding announcements in a newspaper, becomes curious when he sees Jane going back and forth to two different weddings in the same night.

He asks his editor to let him write a full feature article on Jane, who is at first hostile to him but later relents and learns to trust him when he sees the 27 dresses she keeps in her special closet. During a trip, their car stalls and they end up in a bar where they both get to drink a little bit too much and do a duet of Elton John's "Benny and the Jets" to the delight of the crowd inside the bar.

You have to suspend your disbelief a bit to enjoy the movie. It's hard to believe that someone as sexy and lovable as Jane have no suitors, that she's been a bridesmaid 27 times without anyone proposing to her, and that she'll be so dumb as to punish herself shuttling back and forth between two weddings with her changing her wardrobe in the backseat of a cab she hired. But obviously, Scriptwriter Aline Brosh McKenna ("The Devil Wears Prada") and Director Anne Fletcher ("Step Up") know their talented lead star can pull it all off convincingly with her perfect comic timing and charming screen presence.

One of the best sequences in the film is when Jane wears all the 27 bridesmaid gowns one by one for Kevin. Another one is the ending where the 27 dresses appear again on a beach scene that will surely warm the heart of hopeless romantics. Cynics, though, should skip the movie.

James Marsden is fine as the nosey Kevin (even if he doesn't really have that much chemistry with Katherine) while Edward Burns is properly clueless as Jane's boss. Just like in "Heartbreak Kid", Malin Akerman once again plays an annoying character that is hard to like, but she's quite effective in it. Also giving adequate support is Judy Greer as Jane's best friend.

Source: People's Journal