'Walang utang na loob'

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

IS he or isn't he? We're referring to Diether Ocampo and his reported "ober da bakod" move from ABS-CBN to GMA-7. Some say he's moving for sure, some say he had second thoughts after the news leaked out to the press right away and he got a counter-offer from ABS. We asked people identified with both networks how they feel about it and they have varying opinions on this matter.

"Wala siyang utang na loob sa ABS," says an obvious ABS defender. "Isa lang siya hamak na bartender nang kunin siyang artista and introduced sa Star Circle Batch 2 in 1992. Binigyan pa siya ng screen age para pabatain ang edad niya. Personal siyang tinulungan ni Deo (Endrinal) even in putting up his own businesses and never siyang pinabayaan, lagi siyang may project. Nagseselos siya dahil mas may projects daw si Piolo (Pascual). But what can he do? Mas gusto talaga ng tao si Piolo kaya mas in demand din ito as endorser. Basta, ungrateful siya. Sumama pa siya sa pictorial ng Star Magic catalogue for 2009, yun pala, lalayas siya. "

"We can't blame Diet if he wants to transfer to GMA," says someone who claims to be an unbiased observer. "It's always believed naman the grass is greener elsewhere than where you are now. Wala raw kasi siyang bagong show after 'Iisa Pa Lamang. ' Siguro, nainggit din siya kina Marvin Agustin, Alfred Vargas, Dennis Trillo at Paolo Contis na alagang-alaga ng GMA ngayon. Pero hindi lahat ng lumilipat sa GMA, nagpo-prosper ang career. Best example si Patrick Garcia na mas inuna ang pagiging unwed father. "

"Maraming GMA stars ang sumama ang loob when they heard guaranteed 4-year contract ang ibinigay kay Diether," says someone who cares for other GMA stars. "Bakit sila raw na matagal na sa GMA, never nabigyan ng ganung offer na assured na laging may project? Isa pa, di bale raw sana kung sikat na sikat pa si Diet. E, hindi naman. Sa 'The Buzz' nga, ni hindi na siya niranggo ni Boy Abunda sa top stars ng ABS at ang binanggit lang, sina Piolo, John Lloyd Cruz at Sam Milby. In fairness to ABS, lagi siyang may project dito, pero let's face it, para na siyang si Jericho Rosales na hindi nagre-rate ang shows kahit anong gawin. Diet was paired with Wendy Valdez in 'Margarita' pero hindi nag-rate. Maski yung projects niya noong hot pa sila ng ex-wife niyang si Kristine Hermosa like 'Till Death Do us Part' and 'Palimos ng Pag-ibig,' mababa rin ang rating, pati yung mga ginawa niya with Claudine Barretto like 'Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin,' 'Maligno' and 'Iisa Pa Lamang. ' Di lalo naman yung 'Princess Sarah' na sandali lang tumakbo sa ere. Maski ang movie nila ni Jericho na 'Nasaan Ka Man,' hindi rin naging blockbuster. Nag-singer naman siya, pero hindi rin bumenta ang albums na ginawa niya ng banda niya, just like Jericho. Kaya it's really makes you wonder why GMA will get someone who's career is down. Akala ba nila, lahat ng nalalaos sa ABS mare-revive nila? Iba ang kaso ni Heart Evangelista. Pinareha muna nila kay Richard Gutierrez para bumango uli ang career kaya when she went on her own in 'Luna Mystika,' hayan, toprater na. But si Diet, puede ba nila itong ipareha kay Richard? Ha-ha-ha!" says our source who has a signature laughter.

DIANA ADMITS RIVALRY WITH CO-STARS
Diana Zubiri has two entries in the coming Metro Filmfest. She plays Vivian, the free-spirited friend of Katrina Halili, in "One Night Only. " She has the hots for Jon Avila and wants to bed him when they meet in a motel, but Jon is already with Valerie Concepcion that night so this becomes a problem for Diana. In "Shake, Rattle & Roll 10," she is in the "Engkanto" episode with Marian Rivera, who also has two entries in the filmfest: "Desperadas 2" and "Shake 10. "

"First time ko magkaroon ng entry sa filfmest, tapos nagkasabay pa," says Diana. "Sa parade of stars, I'll just ride on one float one half of the trip then lilipat ako sa kabila sa other float in the middle of the parade. Star studded ang cast ng both movies ko and I'm glad I got to work well with every cast member na nakasama ko. "

Wasn't there any rivalry or competition with her and other stars at all like? "Kung meron man, hindi maiiwasan 'yun but we didn't allow it to become a real problem for us. Basta ako, hindi ako patatalbog kahit kanino. Kung paseksihan ang labanan, handa akong makipag-compete kahit kanino. Pero wala naman kaming naging ganyang problema. We all had a good relationship on the set. "

How about in the billing? Was there no problem also? "Sa akin, wala. Kasi kahit nasa una man o gitna ang name ko, no problem for me. Ang mas mahalaga, maganda 'yung role ko at hindi ako natabunan ng kahit sino. "

RUFA MAE, CRADLE-SNATCHER?
A NUMBER OF people saw Rufa Mae Quinto crying in the dressing room of "SOP" last Sunday as she felt she's being taken for granted by the staff and not given enough participation in the show. But later on, she denied this. What she admits is that she has a crush on Aljur Abrenica who she finds cute. "Talagang nilalandi niya si Aljur," says someone who saw her. "Hindi ko naman siya masisi kasi mukhang delicious at yummy talaga yung bata. But my gosh, Aljur is only 19 and she's 30 years old plus. Sa totoo lang, mukha na silang mag-tita, huh. Baka mapagbintangan siyang cradle snatcher dahil may gatas pa sa labi si Aljur. "

SUNSHINE CONFIRMS RECONCILIATION WITH CESAR
LAST Sunday, stand up comic Erick Nicolas bested the other comedians who competed with him in "The Singing Bee. " Later, he also defeated Marty, the defending champion who has already won P110,000, simply because he knew the correct lyrics to the song "Nais Ko. " Erick initially won P50,000 plus a trophy and this Sunday, he gets to defend his title from teen stars who are products of ABS-CBN's Star Circle Quest: Joseph Bitangcol, Aaron Villaflor and Erich Gonzales. Find out if he'd be successful in defending his title or it will be snatched away from him by Joseph, Aaron or Erich in "The Singing Bee" hosted by Cesar Montano right after "The Buzz. " Incidentally, we saw Sunshine Cruz, Cesar's better half, in the presscon of Petit Monde in which she's one of the signature models and she confirmed to us that she has indeed reconciled with her hubby. They now live in their new love nest in Tivoli Gardens in Commonwealth Avenue, Q. C. More about this later.

JAY R'S INVESTMENTS
R & B Prince Jay R lost millions when he invested in the club Rock Candy at Glorietta 2, which was destroyed in a blast last year. "I never recovered my capital as it happened at a time when the club was already picking up," he says. "And we were never compensated at all kasi under investigation pa raw. So I just invested in a Mini-stop outlet at Wilson St. in Greenhills and in my own recording studio, Homeworkz Records that released my new Christmas album, 'Holiday of Love. ' I'm now also into talent management. I'm launching a new band, Wobb, with my niece Desiree Joy Poblete as lead vocalist. They're recording now their first album with Homeworkz and I'm very proud of their original songs na maghi-hit talaga. "

By the time you read this, Jay R has left to do shows with Pops Fernandez in Chicago and Atlantic City. "I finished shooting muna all my scenes for 'Desperadas 2' where I reprise my character as Ruffa Gutierrez' boyfriend. I'll be gone for two weeks kaya hindi rin muna ako makakapag-taping for my role as Pato in GMA-7's primetime show, 'La Lola'. Pinalabas nilang nag-abroad muna ako after I get broken hearted kay Angelika de la Cruz. Iyak naman nang iyak si Gary, the gay character played by Keempee de Leon, kasi na-in love siya sa'kin. "

Jay R's Christmas album has 14 well-loved yuletide songs that help spread Christmas cheer, all digitally recorded and given new arrangement with a fusion of jazz and R&B. He's sharing the proceeds from its sales with the GMA Kapuso Foundation to share his blessings with the needy this holiday season. The songs include "O Holy Night," "Do You See What I See," "Give Love on Christmas Days," "Sleigh Ride," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "White Christmas", "Winter Wonderland", "Christmas Song," "This Christmas," "Santa Baby," "Little Drummer Boy," "Tito Reny," and "Spread the Love. " The album features guest performances from Amber, Kris Lawrence, his sister Jing and South Border keyboardist Jay Durias. Jay R himself did a lot of the string and horn arrangements. His dream of cultivating an international career may seen country with the release of an album he's now doing for World Peace Federation, a collaborative effort with Iya Villania that will be launched in Japan and distributed in the organization's 70 member countries.

HILARIOUS LEGENDS
THE presscon of Viva Concerts' "Legends of OPM" turned out to be a hilarious affair with the legends involved (except for Nonoy Zuniga) trying to outdo in each other in making wisecracks. Of course, no one can top Rico Puno in this department as he has no qualms in delivering the raunchiest of jokes. Are they really legends? Rey Valera says "yes, kasi may lumot na kami. " Eva Eugenio then quips: "Hoy, hindi tayo lumot, tayo'y alamat, kaya nga legends. "

We asked the two women if they're married. "Ako biyuda na," says Claire de la Fuente. "Ang misterko, sumakabilang buhay na two years ago. "

"'Yung sa'kin, sumakabilang bahay naman," says Eva, meaning her husband left her and her daughter for another household.

Eva says her daughter, Evangeline Nora Mae, now 18, will be in the concert. "Very short participation lang. Ayaw niya but she also sings well so gusto ko, masanay siya sa tao. She's now taking up mass media in La Salle. "

Is it true her kumare and former rival Imelda Papin married a rich man in the States? "Yes. His name is Oscar Parel and he lives in a house formerly owned by Hollywood star Clark Gable, may sariling elevator, pool and tennis court. I'm so happy for her that she found 'yung hinahanap niya. Sana nga, ihanap niya rin ako ng mayaman doon. "

Doing "Legends of OPM" is both happy and nostalgic for Eva. "Ngayon lang kami magkakasamang anim dito, along with Joey Albert. All of us, may kanya-kanyang hits so this is going to be a night of really great music. "

Eva is known for "Tukso," "Pag-ibig Na Walang Dangal," and "Ano ang Gagawin Kapag Wala Ka Na. " Claire for "Sayang," "Nakaw na Pag-ibig" and "Something in Your Eyes. " Joey for "Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin," "Tell Me," "Iisa Pa Lamang. " Rico for "Kapalaran," "Damdamin," "May Bukas Pa. " Nonoy for "Kumusta Ka," "Doon Lang," "Never Ever Say Goodbye. " Rey for "Maging Sino Ka Man," "Pangako Sa'Yo," "Kung Kailangan Mo Ako. " "Legends of OPM,' with Jun Latonio as musical director, will be shown at the PICC on December 30, Tuesday, 8 p. m. Tickets range from P420 to P5250. Call Viva 687-6181 local 620 and 745 for tickets.

'PINOY MEETS WORLD: CHILE'
PERU is a land of startling beauty and contrasts where you can see scorching hot volcanoes in the morning and go up to chill in the glaciers of the freezing Andean Highlands by nightfall. Raffy Tima now features this beautiful land in "Pinoy Meets World: Chile". He started his trip by joining the Chileans in a merry Independence Day celebration with parades, food and trade fairs. He even had a close encounter with Chile's popular first female president, Michelle Bachalet. He also got a taste of the country's wild, wild west when he attended a Chilean rodeo and met real-life cowboys, the Huesos. The trip went from wild to serene when Raffy hiked to Rapa Nui or Easter Island to see the mysterious giant stone heads, the Moai. It's an extreme Chilean adventure with Raffy Tima on SNBO presents Pinoy Meets World: Chile tonight right after Ful Haus on GMA-7.

Source: People's Journal