MANILA, Philippines?Before you start getting worked up about the brewing scandal on Gretchen Barretto?s purported breakup with partner Tonyboy Cojuangco, listen: This could just be because a new TV series is supposedly being cooked. Wait and watch.

An unimpeachable source tells Rushes that Gretchen met with a top female executive of ABS-CBN last week.

The source goes as far as saying, ?Whenever Gretchen has a new project (whether on the big or small screens), she uses it as leverage [against] her partner.?

An associate of the businessman?s insists that everything was ?okay.?

Coffeeshop lovers

Handsome Boylet keeps denying his rumored affair with Gay Manager. But the two were recently spotted in an out-of-the-way coffee shop, which they thought was far enough from the TV studio that employs them both. Coffee break?

Brazen model

Female Celebrity instructed her yaya to bring groceries to the set of her latest commercial shoot. She wanted to impress the advertisers.

?See, I?m loyal to your company. I hope this will be the start of a long relationship?between you and not only me, but my kid as well,? she blurted out.

Her ploy had the opposite effect. An ad exec, turned off, huffed, ?How brazen!?

Reyes? big move

Filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes has signed a three-movie deal with GMA Films and its co-producer Regal.

Is it true that Reyes? move was sparked by Star Cinema?s failure to invite him to the US premieres of ?Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo??among other transgressions?

Quite tellingly, he didn?t attend the ?SSS? victory party, held on the same night that his transfer was announced.

Judai bypassed

Is Judy Ann Santos feeling slighted that, for the third year in a row, Star Cinema is not supporting her bid for the Box Office Queen title?

Two years ago, Kristine Hermosa (?Enteng Kabisote 2?) cinched the title. Then, Claudine Barretto and Kris Aquino (?Sukob?) shared the honor.

This year, Star Cinema is reportedly grooming Bea Alonzo as BO champ.

The question remains: Will Bea and John Lloyd Cruz?s ?One More Chance? make more moolah in the end than Judai and Ryan Agoncillo?s ?Sakal??

Will this latest oversight push Judai and Ryan to move to GMA 7, too?

What about Anne?

There are also reports that Viva is pulling out Anne Curtis from ABS-CBN.

Is it because she is being considered for the Darna role on GMA 7, side by side with former flame Richard Gutierrez as Captain Barbell?

Where does this development leave Marian Rivera, who is also vying for the Pinay superheroine role? Sources say, however, that Marian is a lock for the Dyesebel role.

Potty mouth

Looks can really be deceiving. This male celebrity looks holier-than-thou, invoking scripture in public.

Turns out, the guy?s mouth needs a good washing ? with holy water.

An ex-girlfriend complains that MC can be manipulative, and thinks nothing of using emotional blackmail and misogynist slurs when angry. Moreover, MC can be ?publicity hungry,? says a spy. He even dropped by unannounced at an ex-GF?s magazine pictorial.

* * *

Top of the talk shows

For those who missed TV?s gabfests last weekend. (And why we are moved, if we are moved.)

Katrina Halili, on being pitted against Iwa Moto as sexiest male magazine cover girl:

?Hindi ko alam. Bale sa akin, wala naman akong competition sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. Siguro ?yung mga tao lang ang nagsasabi.?

Alfred Vargas, on reports ex-girlfriend LJ Reyes is dating another man:

?Di naman ako nabigla kasi kung babae ka nga naman tapos maganda ka, matalino ka, mabait ka pa, siguro natural lang.? (Good answer.)

Lian Paz?s wish for ex-boyfriend Mark Herras:

?Sana maging masaya na po siya at saka mag-move on na rin. I-let go na namin yung sama ng loob sa isa?t isa.? (Just do it for yourself, girl.)

Mark asked for further comment on Lian:

?Ayoko muna, kasi ngayon magulo na. Mahirap magsalpukan baka sumabog lang lalo.? (Huh? Run, girl, and don?t look back!)

Jolo Revilla on courting Lovi Poe:

?Actually, bigla na lang ito dumating. Bigla na lang ? siyempre hindi naman natin iniisip na darating ?yun, bigla na lang darating. Kumbaga dumating na lang doon sa point na hindi ko nalalaman biglang ganoon na.? (Shaks, biglang-bigla naman ?yan.)

Lovi Poe, on the courtship:

?Ayoko pang magsalita ng patapos because we?ll never know what?s gonna come. I just hope everything goes well. So far Jolo and I are still getting to know each other. We?re good as friends. If it gets better, everybody will know naman.? (At least, ?di siya nabigla, ano?)

Mark Herras, on romantic links with Nadia Montenegro?s daughter, Yna:

?Hindi, hindi. Family ko sila eh. Ayokong may magalit sa akin; at the same time, ayokong magalit sa akin si Tita Nadia or sino man, ?di ba? Ni-rerespeto ko ang family nila. I?m happy dahil nagiging part ako ng family nila lalo na sa mga bata. Ok na ako doon.? (Okay, forget it.)

Aiko Melendez on Martin Jickain:

?Sobrang okay na ang lahat. Kami ni Martin, nag-te-text na kami, civil na kami. So every time may kailangan siya with regard to Marthena, sinasagot ko nang maayos. Kumbaga, may closure na. If we didn?t work out as husband and wife, we need to save the friendship at least for Marthena.? (Next time, guys, keep it really, really private. Ay, next time daw, o.)

?Twas me

Mark Anthony Fernandez, admitting a ?fling? with Rosanna Roces eight years ago:

??Yung sa dad ko, hindi totoo ?yun. Ako ?yun. Parang fling-fling lang din. Seven, eight years back. So, it wasn?t my dad; it was me.?

?The Buzz? hosts? message to an ?embattled? Gretchen Barretto:

Boy Abunda: ?Kung ano man ang laman ng iyong puso, kung ano ang nangyayari sa iyong buhay, malungkot o masaya, ako bilang kaibigan, I will always support you.?

* * *

Cristy Fermin: ?Ang sa akin lang, batas ng buhay. Kung hindi ka na maligaya, lumabas ka.?

* * *

Ruffa Gutierrez: ?Ipagdarasal kita. Piliin mo ?yung ikakasaya ng iyong puso. Life is short; be happy.? (No comment.)

Cristine Reyes, asked if she had gone out on dates with Willie Revillame:

?Group [dates, yes] and never po kaming lumabas na kaming dalawa lang po. At saka anong masama ?di ba dahil single naman ako. Pero lilinawin ko lang po na wala kaming relasyon and pag lumalabas kami kasama ?yung mga staff niya, ako kasama ko si ate. Marami kami. Sweet kasi talaga si Willie. Wala naman akong masabing masama sa kanya.? (Stay where you are, girl.)

(Startalk, The Buzz, Showbiz Central)