Yasmien bares real lovelife

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Freehand

Yasmien Kurdi won P18,000 for best costume in the anniversary party of Dr. Vicki Belo. "Ang swerte ko nga dahil nag-enjoy na ako sa party, nanalo pa ako," she says. "Very generous talaga si Dr. Belo. "

Is it true she now has a non-showbiz boyfriend who's a flight attendant? "Sino 'yun? Nun ko pa naririnig na may guys who claim naging boyfriend ko sila, hindi naman totoo. One guy na I admit na naging ka-on is 'yung si Wong, na kasama ko sa Iglesia ni Kristo. Pero noon pa 'yun. He now has a studio on Studio 25 na TV station ng mga Iglesia. As of now, wala talaga akong lovelife. "

What about JC de Vera? "Mag-on kami, pero sa TV lang at sa movie namin, 'Loving You'. Paano ko magiging ka-on ang isang lalaking hindi naman nanliligaw sa'kin?"

So what's she doing now that she has no new assignment after "Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita"?

"I'm busy promoting 'Loving You' and when I'm free, I'm taking up review classes at Angelicum College kasi nalimutan ko na ang mga natutuhan ko nang high school and I want to take the qualifying exams so I can enroll in college this semester. Sa New Era muna ako, college ng Iglesia. "

She says it's her (Lebanese) dad who told her to get a college degree. "He doesn't really want me to join showbiz. He'd agree lang daw na ituloy ko ang pag-aartista ko if I'd go back to school. If i won't enroll, then I might as well quit showbiz na lang daw. I know tama naman sila kasi showbiz is not forever. Kung may degree ako, pag wala na akong showbiz career, I can also follow my dad abroad and start a new career there ayon sa kursong natapos ko. "

Someone quipped that she's going back to school only because JC de Vera has now also enrolled at the UP Open University. "Hindi, a," she says. "Ano ako? Gaya-gaya? Even before he enrolled, balak ko na rin talaga to continue my studies. I know it'll be stressful na pagsabayin ang showbiz at college, but I have no choice kaya kahit mahirapan, I have to do this. "

What can she say now that Katrina Halili is just number 8 in their batch in Starstruck but she's now hotter than any of them? "Siyempre happy ako for her. Wala namang inggitan sa amin. Mabait na tao si Katrina at magaling pa, so she deserves the success she's getting. "

HAPPY WITH ABS

John Prats almost moved to GMA-7. He felt nothing is happening in his career with ABS since the sitcom he did a pilot for, "Parekoy," seems to have been shelved and he hasn't had a show for sometime now, while his sister Camille is now playing the lead in the toprated 'Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan. "

But before he and his manager, Arnold Vegafria, were able to sign up with GMA, ABS stopped him and he had a meeting with ABS execs Cory Vidanes and Deo Endrinal where he was persuaded to stay. He was promised new projects and John is now banking on this. His first show will be an episode in "Komiks Presents Mars Ravelo's Tiny Tony," where he'll play a small man. Then he'll also topbill an episode in "Your Song" for the month of September.

"I really want to stay with ABS dahil diyan naman ako nagbinata," says John. "I was just 10 when I did my first project with them and now, 25 na ako, so bale 15 years na ako sa kanila. "

Meantime, John is busy promoting his new movie with Regal, "Loving You," where he plays a cab driver who falls in love with his regular passenger, Ehra Madrigal. "This is the new movie promised to me by Mother Lily after I did 'Manay Po 3. ' Kasi ayoko na sanang gumanap ng another gay role after 'Ako Legal Wife' and 'Manay Po 1', but she promised me I'll have a new movie kung gagawin ko ang 'Manay Po 3' at heto na ngayon. I'm glad to be a part of the cast kasi nakatrabaho ko rito ang GMA-7 stars like Ehra, Yasmien Kurdi, JC de Vera, Polo Ravales, Jean Garcia, Kris Bernal at Aljur Abrenica. I really enjoyed working with them. Maganda ang roles namin ni Ehra and I loved working with her at napaka-sexy niya. Isa siyang babaeng laging naloloko ng mga lalaki but I get to prove to her that not all men are the same. "

NO LONGER A LADIES' MAN

COMEDY king Dolphy says he's not proud or happy that he has 18 kids by different women and he's not married to any of them. "Ngayon, pag naiisip ko, naririmarim ako kasi alam kong hindi tama," he says candidly. "Nahihiya na rin ako kay Zsa Zsa (Padilla) dahil 20 years na kaming magkasama, and yet hindi pa rin kami naikakasal kahit sinasabi ko laging she's the last woman in my life. Pero hindi naman ako ang dahilan kaya hindi kami makasal. I think you better ask her dahil siya naman ang may problema sa previous marriage niya at hindi ako. Matagal na akong ready na pakasalan siya hindi nga lang matuloy dahil sa problema niya. "

Would he consider having a double wedding: he and Zsa Zsa along with Vic Sotto and Pia Guanio?

"Why not? Pero kung hihintayin nila kami, baka pumuti na ang buhok ni Vic hindi pa kami puwede ni Zsa Zsa. "

Dolphy says he's no longer the ladies man he used to be. "Nung araw, malandi talaga ako kaya hayun, dahil sa kalandian ko, dumami ang mga anak ko. Kapag kasama ko ngayon si Vic, nakikita ko sa kanya ang ugali kong tahimik pero malandi nung araw. Malambing din kasi siya, gaya ko, kaya maraming nahuhumaling sa kanya. "

One of the best numbers in the tribute given to him by ABS-CBN on his 80th birthday is the duet he did with Vic of "Of All The Girls I Loved Before. " "Bagay na bagay nga sa amin, di ba?" he laughs.

His movie with Vic, "Dobol Trobol, Redy to Rambol" opens today nationwide. "Labor of love namin ito niVic para sa lahat ng mahilig sa comedy. Ang tagal munang pinagplanuhan. Inabot ng taon. At ngayon, we're glad natapos din namin and we offer it to all the moviegoers. Sana, tangkilikin nila. "

MARCO DENIES ROMANCE WITH LOTLOT

LAST Sunday's "Showbiz Central" covered the birthday celebration of Dranreb Belleza at a cafe last Thursday night. We're happy to see that he's up and about after getting sick for so long. Among the guests were the uncouple Lotlot de Leon and Ramon Christopher, who are his personal friends since Dranreb was even paired with Lotlot during their teens. Lotlot and Monching were interviewed on camera and they said that after their annulment, they're now better off as friends. "We've moved on and it's really good that we're friends for the sake of our four kids," says Lotlot. "Niloloko ko pa nga siya na we were never married at naging boyfriend ko lang siya. "

Lotlot has been linked to other guys, like Marco Alcaraz, her co-star in "Dyesebel," but Mon has yet to be linked to anyone. "Nakatutok lang ako sa mga anak ko," he says. "Lotlot and I have joint custody of our kids but, most of the time, they stay with me. Lot and I consult each other when we make decisions about them. "

Lotlot denied she's on with Marco, who she said she even matched him earlier with her eldest daughter, who's 19. It so happened that Marco was also the guest on the show's Hot Seat and he said he got close to Lotlot while taping "Dyesebel" as he learned so much from her about the ways of showbiz. Pia Guanio (Rufa Mae Quinto was absent as Central Juror) asked him why he broke up with Isabel Oli, who hails from Cebu like him, and he said they were just not meant to be. He also denied rumors linking him to Jennylyn Mercado and Katrina Halili. Marco chose to do the Killer Task than to answer the Killer Question. The task is for him to talk directly to Lotlot, who's already waiting on the phone. "Hi, Miss Lotlot," he said. "I'm happy nakatrabaho kita sa 'Dyesebel' at sana, kahit matapos na ang show, we will still be friends. "

HILARIOUS EPISODE

BEFORE she left with hubby James Yap for a two-week vacation in the U. S. , Kris Aquino did advanced tapings for "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal. " Program head Alou Almaden said one of the happiest episodes she taped had Melanie Marquez as the special guest. But an even more riotous episode was last Monday night. Gladys Guevarra and K Brosas guested together to prove that it's not true they're not in good terms. They were quite a happy pair on cam.

As Mr. Banker said: "Kina-career talaga nila ang game at gusto nilang manalo. " But sad to say, their tandem wasn't so fortunate as they opened the high-priced brief cases containing millions early in the game. So they only had a take home prize of P25,000. But still, it's one of the best episodes in the show as Kris asked them to sing before they'd give an answer, and they did sing such hits as "Sasakyan Kita" and "What About Love. " Also rooting for them were their singer-comedian friends and band mates who all gave spirited suggestions while the game was going on.

GABBY SINGS MORE

WRITER Roldan Castro is producing the show "Faces Voices & Bodies" at Zirkoh Timog this Thursday, August 14, 9 p. m. , topbilled by Gabby Concepcion, Toni Gonzaga, Valerie Concepcion and Joross Gamboa. The other performers are Baywalk Bodies, Raphael Martinez, Lex Lopez and Eleanor G. All the detractors of Gabby who doubt if he could sing live should watch the show to see for themselves that he can now do his own concert and has the K (karapatan) to be a recording artist.

PEQUE BARES BUTT IN PLAY

ONE of the films shown in the exhibition section of the recent Cinemalaya Filmfest was "Hubad," based on a play by Liza Magtoto originally shown at Huseng Batute Theater at the CCP. The film version, directed by Denisa Reyes (of Ballet Philippines) and Mark Gary, retains the original theater cast of Irma Adlawan and Nonie Buencamino, but the material is expanded to include other actors and the film is now a stylized tribute to the medium of theater.

The original play shows a husband and a wife playing various sexual games and fantasies to enliven their boring marriage, told with raunchy humor and raw language. This is also retained in the film, which is definitely geared to a mature audience. The film is really meant for more intelligent viewers, preferably young professionals who cater to arthouse films, as the C&D crowd will find it cumbersome.

Irma and Nonie get to reprise their roles on stage, but they also play the roles of actors Carmen and Delfin, who are both having problems with their respective spouses, Dennis Marasigan and Shamaine Buencamino, who happen to be their husband and wife in real life. Both Irma and Nonie deliver heartfelt bravura performances as the theater performers who act mainly as a labor of love since they hardly get paid for their efforts. Take note of the sequence where Nonie auditions for Hongkong Disneyland.

Giving them excellent support is Peque Gallaga as the play's director who has to fight for freedom of artistic expression in staging his work that the producers find to be too sexually explicit. At one point, during a meeting with the powers that be, Peque declares he will never kiss their asses and then puts down his pants and shows them his own naked butt. "Hubad", which is surely worth watching, will have a special screening this Saturday, August 16, at the CCP Dream Theatre, 6 p. m. , with tickets at P100 each.

Source: People's Journal