Showbiz happenings in 2008

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Dream Factory

RING out the old, ring in the new. Let’s take a last glimpse at the colorful happenings in tinseltown in the past 12 months. Showbiz won’t be showbiz without the colorful feuds and controversies involving our stars so let’s start in that department.

Gabby Concepcion returned to Manila in March after staying in the United States for 13 years. He signed up to do a movie with GMA Films, but then he got another manager, Rose Flaminiano, who made him sign a contract with ABS-CBN. After verbally committing to endorse Met Tathione to Jobert Sucaldito, Gabby and his manager signed up with the rival Lucida, so Jobert filed a case against them that became personal when Jobert also filed cases of libel against Mommy Rose and her husband, Ed. Sadly for Gabby, his comeback soap on ABS-CBN, "Iisa Pa Lamang," did not rate impressively as expected.

After only a few months, Gabby and Mommy Rose had a falling out due to money matters. Gabby wanted to have his contract with Mommy Rose rescinded so she filed a case against him. Nadia Montenegro got involved in this feud, with Mommy Rose alleging she’s a "sulsoltant" of Gabby. Cristy Fermin, a defender of Mommy Rose, also got into the fray, announcing in "The Buzz" that Nadia gave birth secretly and a friend of her took care of the baby for a while before she adopted it. Nadia filed a case against Cristy and ABS-CBN suspended Cristy from "The Buzz" and her DZMM radio show. Mommy Rose was also sued by Aster Amoyo, Ara Mina, Maui Taylor and Aubrey Miles because she allegedly deceived them about real estate that left them having loans with PAG-IBIG Fund without their even knowing it.

Aside from the Mommy Rose-Gabby conflict, there were other incidents involving managers and talents this year. German Moreno was so displeased when he suddenly found out that his ward, Billy Crawford, left him without even a by-your-leave to be managed by Arnold Vegafria. Billy also left GMA-7 and transferred to ABS-CBN to host "Pinoy Dream Academy."

Alfie Lorenzo also had a short-lived tiff with longtime ward Judy Ann Santos, who also got a lot of flak when she defended Meralco’s much abhorred system’s loss claim in a TV commercial. Alfie felt hurt when Juday consulted a lawyer about her new contract with ABS-CBN without even telling him about it. Juday quickly appeased Alfie’s bruised ego by going to his house and saying sorry to him.

Lily Monteverde ousted comedian Eugene Domingo from her two filmfest entries where she was supposed to play lead roles, "Desperadas 2" and "Shake Rattle & Roll X," all because her manager didn’t agree to the producer’s manner of payment. Other managers felt it was two good opportunities missed for Eugene and her manager should have just accepted the proposed arrangement since these film projects will no doubt help further boost her stock as a lead actress.

Manager Becky Aguila got mad when someone who used to work for her, Mel Pulmano, went to GMA-7 and had herself interviewed, revealing some unsavory stories about Becky and her wards. Becky sued Mel for alleged malversation of funds and Jennylyn Mercado sided with her. Mel filed a countersuit about unfair labor practice on Becky’s part.

Annabelle Rama had a rift with two women: Lolit Solis and GMA-7 executive Wilma Galvante. She felt Lolit was attacking her daughter Ruffa Gutierrez and defending Lani Mercado when Lani allegedly snubbed Ruffa at the wake of Rudy Fernandez. Lani apologized to Ruffa later and the tiff between Annabelle and Lolit was quickly forgotten. About Wilma, Annabelle felt she was favoring Dingdong Dantes over her son Richard Gutierrez when the Araneta Coliseum concert of Dingdong and Marian Rivera coincided with the opening date of Richard’s movie with KC Concepcion, "For the First Time." They patched things up when Wilma herself approached Annabelle at the Los Angeles airport when they were both about to watch the recent fight of Manny Pacquiao.

Bubbles Paraiso, a new actress managed by Annabelle, was accused by "Starstruck’s" Jewel Mische of hitting her on the head with her elbow during the inauguration of GMA-7’s new annex studios. Bubbles denied it but Jewel issued a letter saying what happened was true and she was really bullied by Bubbles and other actresses who were with her at that time.

John Estrada was arrested at the airport for having bullets in his luggage, while Jay Manalo was similarly detained for cracking jokes about a bomb. Ara Mina had a feud with own sister, Cristine Reyes, who joined her Ate Ara in moving over to ABS-CBN. Ara currently has no show with ABS but Cristine is currently seen in "Eva Fonda" and "Banana Split."

After that inauguration affair, some GMA stars went to a bar in Makati and there was an alleged fight involving Richard Gutierrez and Aljur Abrenica that was said to have involved Jewel. Richard issued an official statement saying Jewel was not there at all. What happened was that Aljur approached his table and had some free drinks, so he had to tell him to leave. Aljur said later that none of this was true. Richard didn’t bother to respond about this anymore.

Katrina Halili, LJ Reyes and Alyssa Alano all complained about Riza Santos snubbing them in the dressing room of a show, which Riza denied. Now, Riza has been sued by the company building her up, Viva Entertainment, for not honoring her commitments with them.

William Martinez and Yayo Aguila, along with their daughter Patrizha Maree, filed a case against Baron Geisler who allegedly performed some acts of lasciviousness on her while they were in a bar. Baron also filed a case against her but this was dismissed and the case filed against him was elevated in the courts.

Sunshine Cruz had a tiff with the sister, Mercedes or Ched, of her husband Cesar Montano who she said uttered many derogatory remarks against her. The case is now pending in court.

ABS-CBN stars Claudine Barretto and Angel Locsin had a confrontation in a beauty parlor. There was an exchange of words but ABS management quickly made a move for them to reconcile with each other.

Rufa Mae Quinto had a word war with Jessa Zaragoza and Dingdong Avanzado.

To balance the negative stories, Charice Pempengo made waves in the international music scene when she guested in the shows of Ellen DeGeneres, Paul O’Grady and Oprah Winfrey, gaining raves. She had the chance to do duets with Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Celine Dion. Vocalist Arnel Pineda joined Journey and also gained raves for his singing.

Joey de Leon of "Eat Bulaga" and Willie Revillame of "Wowowee" had a feud resulting from Joey’s jokes in his show, with Willie crying on camera complaining about Joey’s alleged tirades against him. This was aggravated when Joey allegedly called Willie’s co-host, Pokwang, an aswang. In the Supreme Awards night, the two of them reconciled with each other in front of the cameras.

Mocha and her singing group filed a case against the tabloid Parazzi for alleging that they are lesbians in a series of private photos that Parazzi published showing them kissing each other. Meanwhile, a sex video showing Criselda Volks doing all sorts of sex acts with a guy was circulated on the net and in cellphones and Criselda admitted it was indeed she and her boyfriend.

Charlene Gonzales was annoyed when Kris Aquino called her nagpapa-star several times during a fashion show and allegedly asked Kris: "What’s your problem?" This leaked to the press and Kris reportedly apologized later.

***

2008 was a season of breakups. The most dramatic was that of Dingdong Dantes and Karylle, after three years of going steady. For a while, it became a guessing game if they were still on as they both avoided being interviewed by the press about it. When they finally admitted that they’ve split, it no longer came as a surprise. Marian Rivera is suspected to be the cause of their breakup but Dingdong denies this. The break up had a positive effect on Karylle in that it boosted her languishing career. ABS-CBN signed her up to a contract, also EMI Records for a new album, and she’s now also Bench’s newest endorser. Marian got mad when she felt that Karylle insinuated in a TV interview that she was pregnant and cried during a press conference to say that she was hurt and offended.

Jennylyn Mercado and Patrick Garcia broke up while she was carrying their baby. Patrick wants permission for him to see their son but Jen adamantly refuses to show him their child.

Roxanne Guinoo and Jake Cuenca broke up, also Bea Alonzo and Mico Palanca. Jake was linked to Bea, and Roxanne who reportedly can’t let go of him is said to have confronted while they were doing a show in Guam and the confrontation ended violently. Both Roxanne and Jake denied this.

Another dramatic breakup involved Jericho Rosales and Heart Evangelista. Heart moved to GMA-7 and, at the start, she claimed that they’re still on. Later on, she changed her tune and said she had broken up with Jericho by email and phone, since Jericho was then taping a new soap in Malaysia. Heart now has a new non-showbiz boyfriend, Francisco Delgado, while Jericho was linked to his Malaysian leading lady, Carmen Soo.

Two couples who had broken up reconciled and then broke up again. Paolo Contis broke up with girlfriend of nearly three years, Isabel Oli, who still feels so bad about it up to now. Dennis Trillo broke up with Cristine Reyes to give priority to his career and it was rumored that she drank a bottle of perfume because of this but she denied trying to kill herself over a broken heart.

Iza Calzado also called it quits with non-showbiz boyfriend Jerry Garcia as she chose to prioritize her career over his proposal of marriage.

Lovi Poe and Jolo Revilla broke up (although they never admitted they were on) because Lovi’s mom was against it, Jolo being an unwed father. But now, they’re sweet with each other again.

Another couple who said they were not really on but just exclusively dating were Sam Milby and Anne Curtis. It was only after they broke up that they admitted something serious was going on between them, causing Anne to cry on TV. Pauleen Luna and Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian also called it quits.

Two married couples broke up: Sunshine Cruz and Cesar Montano, Anjo Yllana and Jackie Manzano. Lucky for both of them, they reconciled before the year was over, making their kids happy.

Another married couple who broke up were Sheryl Cruz and her US-based husband, Norman Bustos. Their long-distance relationship apparently didn’t work. Their daughter is staying with Sheryl in Manila. The distance between them was also the reason cited why Cherie Gil broke up with violinist Rene Rogoff. Their two kids are staying with Rene in Israel.

Sharon Cuneta and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan were rumored to have broken up but it proved to be false as they even had a vacation in the Caribbean as a family. Sharon admitted later that they had a spat. She offered to give a cash reward to anyone who can prove that her husband has another woman.

One of the year’s most controversial breakups was that of high profile cosmetic surgeon Dr. Vicki Belo and doctor-actor Hayden Kho, who admitted he tried committing suicide by taking sleeping pills because of the split. He later confessed that he had a fling with Katrina Halili but it was nothing serious but more like they were just playing a game.

***

People love weddings so let’s talk about them now. Showbiz folks who tied the knot with non-showbiz partners included Joyce Jimenez and Paul Eli Egbalic in L.A. on August 23, Camille Prats and Anthony Linsangan also in L.A. on January 5, Maybelyn Francisco and Michael Fernandez on January 18, comedian Maverick Reloca and Charisse Utuanis on January 28, TV host RJ Ledesma and Vanessa Pastor on March 9, TV reporter Nina Corpuz and Vince Rodriguez in Paris on May 20, Inah Revilla and Vince del Rosario on May 28, Jude Estrada and Rowena Ocampo on June 2, TV reporter Bernadette Sembrano and Emilio Aguinaldo IV on June 12, and Cheska Garcia and cager Doug Kramer on October 9. Angelika de la Cruz also tied the knot in a civil wedding with businessman Orion Cesareo in October.

The stork was also busy this year. Visited were Camille Prats who gave birth to a baby boy, Nathaniel Caesar, on January 24 in L.A. Teen star Eda Nolan, 19, gave birth to Gian Andrei on February 2, with "Starstruck" runner-up Gian Carlos, also 19, as dad. Former TV host-singer Jeni Hernandez gave birth to Atheona Alice Morales on March 21. Former Viva Hot Babe Sheree gave birth to Gian Hailey on June 5 with "Philippine Idol" runner-up Gian Magdangal as dad.

Danica Sotto became a mom to son Jean Michel, with PureFoods cager Mark Pingris, on June 29. July 11, it was Gladys Reyes who gave birth to a girl, Gianna Aquisha, her second child with Christopher Roxas. August 16, it was Jennylyn Mercado who gave birth to love son Baby Jazz, with Patrick Garcia as dad who has not seen their baby up to now.

On September 29, Alicia Mayer gave birth to a baby boy with an unnamed politician as father, said to be the son of an evangelist. Nineteen-year-old Inah Revilla, daughter of Sen. Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado, delivered a baby girl, Alexa Daniela, on September 30.

Aubrey Miles gave birth to son Hunter Cody Miller on October 3, with Troy Montero as dad. Raymond Lauchengco’s wife, Mia Rocha, made him a father on October 19 when their daughter Nathalie was born.

Sex Bomb dancers Weng Ibarra and Evette Pabalan also gave birth this year. Weng is married to an American soldier while Evette, to a Filipino dentist.

Nanette Medved had her second child with husband Chris Po. Jennifer Sevilla also became a mom, while Paolo Ballesteros became a dad courtesy of his US-based girlfriend. Gabby Concepcion’s third wife, Ginbee, also gave birth to a baby girl, his fourth daughter, all panganay.

Currently pregnant are Nancy Castiliogne (with twins), Manilyn Reynes (her third child with Aljon Jimenez), singer Jaya (now three months preggy with her second child), Angelika de la Cruz and Vina Morales (both five months preggy as we write, their first.)

***

People come, but people also go. And those who left this year included Rudy "Daboy" Fernandez after a lingering battle with the Big C. He passed away on June 7 and long lines were formed during his wake at Heritage Memorial Park. Four directors made their final goodbyes: Felix Dalay, Abbo de la Cruz, Gilbert Perez and Khryss Adalia. Others who went away were comedian Zorayda Sanchez and an institution on radio, Tiya Del. Two entertainment writers joined them: Billy Balbastro and Gil Villasana. So many loved ones of showbiz denizens also bade farewell: the fathers of Gabby Concepcion and writer Roldan Castro, the mothers of Edu Manzano, Herbert Bautista, June Torrejon, Ethel Ramos, the sister of Nitz Miralles, Pauleen Luna’s grandmother who was held up and brutally shot in public, two brothers and the mom of Rowena Agilada, and our wife, Victoria Arcega-Bautista and her mom Lourdes Maceda-Arcega.

The last to go were "Starstruck" discovery Marky Cielo and singer Didith Reyes, who both passed away in their sleep.

Let’s all pray for the repose of their souls.

Those who encountered health problems included Francis Magalona and Johnny Delgado, who are both undergoing chemotherapy, Annabelle Rama (who had hysterectomy), husband Eddie Gutierrez (who had angioplasty), comedian Tiya Pusit who nearly went blind, Eraserheads vocalist Ely Buendia who collapsed during their reunion concert, and producer Josabeth Alonzo. Let’s all pray for their complete recovery.

***

No doubt the top TV star of the year was Marian Rivera, whose shows where she portrayed the title roles, "Marimar" (which ended in March) and "Dyesebel" which started in May) are both topraters that hit 40+ percent in the ratings. Other GMA-7 TV shows that rated well are "Codename: Asero," "Joaquin Bordado," "My Name is Kim Sam Soon," "Luna Mystika" and even the afternoon soaps, "Magdusa Ka" and "Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan."

ABS-CBN was not as lucky in the ratings game as their bets like "Dyosa" with Anne Curtis, "Iisa Pa Lamang" with Claudine Barretto and Gabby Concepcion, "Kung Fu Kids," "My Girl," "Lobo," "Betty La Fea" and "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara" failed to topple their GMA rivals in the Greater Metro-Manila surveys. But their newscaster Ces Drilon really hit the headlines when she was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf along with two cameramen. They were subsequently released through the intervention of Sen. Loren Legarda.

The reality talent searches continued. ABS-CBN had "Pinoy Big Brother: Teens" in May and June (won by Ejay Falcon whose career failed to go anywhere after he won) and "Pinoy Dream Academy" (won by Laarni Lozada who now has an album). Ongoing is "Pinoy Fear Factor."

On GMA-7, they had "Pinoy Idol" (won by Gretchen Espina, whose career has also not gained any ground), "Celebrity Duets" (won by MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando), and "Survivor" (won by JC Tiuseco). Richard Gomez became a game show host in "Family Feud" and it’s now rating very well. Meantime, his colleague Joey Marquez and Keempee de Leon’s reality show, "Kung Ako Ikaw," was replaced by "Bilib Ka Ba Nights" consisting of three different magazine shows featuring video clips of funny and weird incidents.

ABC-5 has been replaced by TV 5, Shake Mo TV Mo, and they presented a roster of various new shows, including the game show "You & Me Against the World" which saw the return of Gretchen Barretto on TV as its host, the horror show "Midnight DJ," the sitcom "Everybody Hapi," the youth-oriented show "Lipgloss" and many more. GMA-7 later sued TV 5 in court as the station is now allegedly owned by Malaysians, which they say is against the law.

The local film industry remained in the doldrums. Here’s a list of films shown this year, mostly independent digital releases shown in limited theaters.

January (5 films) – "Retaso," "Condo," "Sikil," "Roxxxane," "Ang Lihim ni Antonio"

February (4 films) – "Selda," "Daybreak," "My Best Friend’s Girl Friend," "Big Love"

March (5 films) – "Ate," "Half Blood Ninja," "Supah Papalicious," "Abadeja," "When Timawa Meets Delgado"

April (3 films) – "Manay Po 2: Overload," "Ploning," "When Love Begins"

May (3 films) – "Ikaw Pa Rin: Bongga Ka Boy," "Sa Pagdapo ng Mariposa," "Caregiver"

June (4 films) – "Urduja," "Serbis," "Hugot," "Kambyo"

July (17 films) – "Paupahan," "My Monster Mom," "Tirador," "A Very Special Love" (the year’s biggest hit so far), "Kalakal," "Paalam Aking Bulalakaw," "Hubad," and entries in Cinemalaya Filmfest: "Jay," "100," "Boses," "Brutus," "Concerto," "Namets," "Huling Pasada," "Ranchero," "Baby Angelo," "My Fake American Accent"

August (7 films) – "Project X," "Imoral," "Dobol Trobol: Ready to Rambol," "Loving You," "Torotot," "Eskandalo," "For the First Time"

September (5 film) – "Italy," "Thank You Girls," "Ay Ayeng," "Quick Trip," "Teach Me to Love"

October (3 films) – "Mag-ingat Ka sa Kulam," "Binyag," "My Only U"

November (8 films) – "Kurap," "Xenoa 2," "Walang Kawala," "Lukaret," "One True Love," "Scaregivers," "Sapi," "Lalamunan" December (20 films) – "Cul de Sac," "Eraserheads The Reunion Concert," "Lovebirds," "Adela," "Keys Me Manananggal Me"; the "Cinema One Filmfest" entries: "Dose," "UPCAT," "Yanggaw," "Kolorete," "Alon," "Imburnal," "Motorcycle"; and the Metro Manila Film Festival entries: "Magkaibigan," "Desperadas 2," "One Night Only," "Baler," "Iskul Bukol: 20 Years After," "Shake Rattle & Roll X," "Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat," "Dayo"

That’s a total of 84 films. Only 28 are mainstream films and 56, indie digital films. You can’t really say that the local film industry is alive because the indie flicks cater to a very limited market and are usually shown in only one or two theaters (usually Robinsons Galleria’s Indie Sine). More often than not, they’re released with the viewing public not even aware that there was such a movie being shown.

2008 also saw the continued decline of the public’s interest in awards-giving. There was a time when awards nights were glittering affairs shown live on TV. Now, the award-giving bodies have a hard time getting sponsors so there’s no live coverage anymore. In some cases, there are delayed telecasts of some awards nights, like Star and FAMAS. Some awards were held so late in the year, like the Urian and FAMAS that gave away its trophies in September and November.

And do you know that in 2008, each award-giving body had a different choice for best picture? For Star Awards (the first to give out awards in March), their best picture was "One More Chance." For the Golden Screen, it was the indie Cinemalaya movie, "Pisay." For the Gawad Pasado, it was "Ataul for Rent." For Young Critics Circle, it’s "Foster Child." For the Urian, it’s "Tirador." For the FAMAS, it was "Katas ng Saudi." For the FAP Awards, it was "Banal." It only goes to show that the diverse tastes of the various award-giving bodies make them all the more less credible.

Source: Malaya

Copyright © 2005 - 2009. Telebisyon.net. This article is a copyright property of Malaya. This page serves as an archived copy of the article written by Mario E. Bautista. All rights reserved. No part of this website shall be copied or reproduced in any means possible without explicit permission from the owners.