PEP YEAR-END REPORT (Part 1): A recount of stormy showbiz issues in 2008

Author: Karen A. Pagsolingan

Ang showbiz sa taong 2008 ay parang bagyo. Halos buwan-buwan ay umuulan ng mga isyu na kadalasan ay nakagugulat o minsan naman ay nakalulungkot. May panaka-nakang intriga na biglaang natutuldukan. May kalakasan din ang buhos ng kontrobersiya, at ang ilan ay may matindi at matagal na epekto sa mga nasalanta.

That sums up the year that was. It rained hubbub!

Almost every month, there was real-life drama. Almost every week, a strong current of emotions among those involved. Almost daily, an impromptu quotable quote from the newsmakers.

Showbiz news had, in one way or another, helped the Filipinos deal with the oil price hike and looming financial crisis. Instead of talking about our daily problems, we discussed celebrities and their fascinating lives. Instead of fretting over the alarming cost of commodities, we diverted our attention to the continuing saga of hottest issues in the entertainment scene.

As we say hello to 2009, let's recall the biggest stories that either caught us by surprise or got us hooked, or left us gaping in awe.

JANUARY. Three days after the New Year, PEPsters were greeted by a screaming headline, "Jennylyn Mercado nearly two months preggy, to wed Patrick Garcia."

At that time, Jen had just finished La Vendetta and was slated to do the sine novela Maging Akin Ka Lamang, with the dad of her baby.

She was then starting to regain her momentum after her career slowed down due to her manager's fall-out with GMA-7. It will be recalled that the first Ultimate Female Survivor of StarStruck was considered a "casualty" when Becky Aguila orchestrated the highly-publicized network transfer of Angel Locsin, who was then a prized talent of GMA-7.

In short, the baby news was untimely.

Her delicate condition pressed her to make a hiatus. But Jennylyn made sure the public would not cease talking about her. The expectant mom proved that becoming less visible was not tantamount to becoming less controversial.

By end of January, Gretchen Barretto stole the scene with a bang. She was reportedly booted out by her partner Tonyboy Cojuangco from their home in Dasmariñas Village, Makati. The cause was said to be her affair with government official Dody Puno.

As it turned out, the "boot-out" issue was not true, but the other rumor had not leave her side ever since.

FEBRUARY. Incidentally, the hottest topics in February had something to do with the two women mentioned earlier.

Barely four days after Gretchen's "romance" with Dody was reported, the "breakup" became the topic.

To quote the articles uploaded in PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last February 1: "Tonyboy supposedly gave Gretchen an ultimatum to drop this liaison or leave his home for good. Now comes the highly reliable report that Gretchen has broken up with Dody."

But this issue was nil compared to the other uproar which hollered the name of La Greta. Last February 20, the infamous "Rembrandt confrontation" between her and Nadia Montenegro took place.

Nelson Canlas's First-Read-On-PEP item, which was posted the following day, described the incident vividly :

"Ayon sa mga ilang nakausap namin noon sa Hotel Rembrandt na tumanggi nang magpakilala--kabilang na ang isang kilalang tao at ilang staff ng hotel--may ilang masasakit daw na salita ang nabitiwan sa pagitan nina Gretchen at Nadia. Nauwi raw ito sa batuhan ng baso. Hindi lang nila nakumpirma kung natamaan si Greta.

"'Gretchen said something really nasty, Nadia did the same. After that, glasses came flying,' kuwento ng isang source."

That eventful night damaged the 15-year friendship of Gretchen and Nadia.

Meanwhile, on the heels of Jennylyn's pregnancy were items claiming she already broke up with Patrick.

On February 3, Patrick Garcia denies that there's trouble in paradise, saying, "Kung anuman yung napapag-awayan namin or hindi napagkakasunduan, at the end of the day, e, naayos naman. Of course, she's very emotional also now, little things, to her big deal yun."

But Mrs. Bing Garcia, Patrick's mom, disclosed via a television interview that things were not well between her son and Jen. She described their status then as "lagi yatang nag-aaway."

On February 21, PEP first broke the news about the split. Jennylyn cited Patrick's "irresponsible behavior" as the cause. The Kapuso actress said indignantly, "Magbuhat nang magbuntis ako, wala naman siyang ginagawang effort para sa akin at sa magiging anak niya."

Another drizzle this month was the paparazzi photos of Dingdong Dantes with an unidentified girl in Boracay.

Karylle backed up Dingdong's explanation: The lady in the photo was actor's first cousin.

The screen partner of Marian Rivera then said about his relationship with the daughter of Zsa Zsa Padilla, "Matibay lang talaga yung pundasyon. We're open to each other every small detail so kapag nagkakaroon ng konting problema we work things out."

And of course, who could forget the second chapter of the Beverly Hills 6750 controversy?

The PEP Scoop dated December 15 was the first to relate the details 0f David Bunevacz's sudden flight abroad after his partners reportedly beat him up and accused him of "embezzlement."

Last February 1, PEP unwrapped another scoop with the help of an American investigator: Beverly Hills Surgical Institue, the U.S. affiliate of Beverly Hills 6750, no longer exists.

A few weeks later, the new management of Beverly Hills 6750 affirmed the story. Dr. Eduardo Santos, the clinic's managing director shared the findings of theU.S.-based investigator they hired:

"BHSI does not exist as a legal business entity and probably never existed as such. We have been dreadfully misled by its alleged reputable, celebrated, and esteemed existence and operation in California, as well as the existence of a legit and valid affiliation with such a business entity. It is nothing more than a cheap 800 number and ambiguous website."

Lastly, there's Regine Velasquez confirming her plans of transferring to ABS-CBN.

In an article dated February 25, she said: "I was very, very grateful and very, very flattered to ABS-CBN that they think of me every time that may gagawin silang show. Meron pa rin silang na-offer sa akin. That's very flattering kahit alam nila na nasa GMA ako.

"Hindi ko alam kung ano yung pampa-pirate. Basta ako, sa akin lang, I got interested in this work, in this job, which is Betty La Fea. I really, really want to do it. Kaya po ako nagpaalam sa GMA at kaya po kami nag-iyakan last Sunday because that was my last show."

But by some twist of fate, Asia's Songbird decided to stay in GMA-7, and has so far done one primetime series on top of SOP, Celebrity Duets, and Song bird. The Betty La Fea project was awarded to Bea Alonzo.

MARCH. The apt description for the first wave of summer is "scorching hot"--there was a comeback, two controversial rifts, two breakup rumors, and a divorce.

March 30 marked the arrival of Gabby Concepcion after 13 years of residing in the U.S. The former matinee idol was warmly received by showbiz denizens and fans. He instantly bagged numerous endorsements, television projects with ABS-CBN, plus a recording album.

On a separate note, turbulence set in with the word war of Annabelle Rama and Lolit Solis. The rift sprung from a snubbing incident, when the Annabelle's daughter and the Lolit's ward became the main characters.

Lolit stated, "'Day, sa totoo lang, hindi si Lani ang nagpalaki ng isyung ito, sila. Kung hindi sila kumibo, hindi sila nag-react, dedma, di ba? Ngayon, nagre-react sila dahil inisnab daw ni Lani si Ruffa, nalaman ngayon ng mga tao na may nakaraan pala si Ruffa at si Bong. Dati ba, may nasulat na naging sina Bong at Ruffa? Wala naman, ah..."

And Annabelle's retort to Lolit's statement was a fistfight. She said on national TV, "Gusto mo, mag-upakan tayo!"

The two feisty women eventually buried the hatchet. This had some insiders think that the issue was a mere publicity stint for the "first" movie of the "Monster Mom."

Another "rift" which became the talk of the town involved Claudine Barretto, Angel Locsin, and a dressing room. The Iisa Ka Pa Lamang star reportedly threw the Lobo female lead out of a dressing room during their guesting in A.S.A.P.

Claudine put an end to the issue by saying it did not happen. But the rumored rift between the two ladies did not die.

Meanwhile, the divorce of Sheryl Cruz and her husband Norman Bustos made it to the Most Viewed Stories of PEP last March.

The U.S.-based dad of Sheryl's unica hija said: "Our long periods of separation have taken their toll. Four years is a long time. She's there working and I'm here working. We have taken different career paths. I understand that she enjoys working in showbiz and she understands that I can't leave my job [in San Francisco].

"I can't join Sheryl in the Philippines and be a burden to her. You see, I'm used to working and earning my own keep since I was young and I just couldn't depend on my wife to support me. That's not me. I think we are faced with irreconcilable differences, so... This is a very hard decision for us to make. It's great when we are together but life is just hard and lonely for me when I'm alone, living by myself in our big house. It's a situation that is just unhealthy for any couple."

It's also worthy to note the alleged split of Sharon Cuneta and Senator Kiko Pangilinan , and also of Dingdong and Karylle . The tittle-tattle would persist and get revived in the ensuing months.

APRIL. With Gabby's comeback making so much noise, the Sharon-Gabby fans started clamoring for a reunion movie.

But the Megastar's statement, which was released last April 2, dashed the hope of the love team's fans: "Could you imagine how my movie with Gabby, if ever, could turn the lives [of our respective families] upside down? The last thing I want to happen is for people to turn our lives into a circus."

Two weeks later--April 14, to be exact-Shawie, the nickname of the Megastar--made another startling statement about her past with Gabby Concepcion: "There's never been closure."

The second pregnancy news to hit Showbizlandia was posted last April 13 . Inah, the eldest daughter of Senator Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado, would become a mom in October 2008--barely a year after her debut--and tie the knot with her boyfriend Vince del Rosario in May.

Another non-showbiz kid born to famous parents got dragged into a controversy. Patrizha Martinez, daughter of William Martinez and Yayo Aguila, filed an "Act of Lasciviousness" complaint against actor Baron Geisler, who reportedly touched her breast and asked her to have sex with him. To date, the case has not been resolved.

On a lighter note, the news about Heart Evangelista was the summer's chiller: She became a Kapuso . The 23-year-old actress left Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano's Genesis to join Annabelle's roster of talents.

MAY. A few weeks after Heart's transfer, she dropped a bomb: Her breakup with Jericho Rosales. "Third party" was believed to have caused it.

But Jericho, who just arrived from Malaysia, was flabbergasted and devastated about the news . He denied the "third party" angle and could not exactly point out why her girlfriend of two years ended their relationship via text so suddenly.

To date, the two have already moved on and are doing well with their respective careers.

It was mid-May when PEP found Marian Rivera's "flare-up" video, where the Dyesebel actress exchanged words with the guy who was taking it and allegedly slapped him.

It unleashed the mataray side of Marian for the first time, and this launched two schools of thought: one side lauded her for being upfront, the other side jeered at her "lack of finesse." The topic became one of the most talked about this year, and it generated 3,555 comments, excluding the below-the-belt posts.

Almost simultaneously with the "flare-up" video, the first major reconciliation of the year happened. Lolit Solis retracted her poolside sweetness" story about Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby , and the two Kapamilya actors dropped their libel case .

Source: Philippine Entertainment Portal

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