MANILA, Philippines?It?s a day late but the sentiments are still very much intact.

I am still celebrating the birthday of my amigo from way back, Aga Muhlach. Morning and I have a ?low-maintenance, high reward? kind of friendship. I cannot count the times he cheered me up and cheered me on even just through a text message or a phone call.

Even if he?s already way up there, it?s good to know he?s still within my reach. Although his name is so big already, he still finds joy in little things.

I remember when we were in Singapore to watch Michael Jackson?s concert. Like a kid, he kept badgering me to give him one of the MJ souvenir shirts I bought even if he could afford to buy the whole shop.

I?ll never forget the time he playfully pushed me into the pool at a friend?s party so I would stop texting the guy he warned me about.

?Nahihiya si Ags pag tinatawag siyang cute pag kami kami lang,? his cool dad (Tito) Cheng revealed. ?Madali siyang nakakatulog pag kinakamot ang likod niya. I was so touched during my birthday when Ags embraced me and cried. He was apologizing for a wrong decision he made.?

Here?s to you, Ags! Sweetness is a gift you were born with.

Romance flick

There?s a kind of mush all over the screen when Kris Bernal and Aljur Abrenica do their thing in Regal Films? dreamy romance flick ?Loving You,? opening Aug. 20. We can no longer relive our teenage romance but we can recapture the joy of it in this movie.

?Aljur always surprises me,? Kris says, blushing. ?Minsan sabi niya kakain lang kami sa labas. Tapos dinala na niya ako sa Subic para mamasyal.? Craziest thing she did for love? ?Even if di pa ako magaling mag-drive, I did it by myself just to see my special someone.?

Would she rather be known as the other half of a love team rather than shine on her own? ?Lahat naman dumadaan sa love team stage. I still need more experience before I can establish myself as a solo artist.?

Kris plays the role of tomboyish Tonee who turns all girly when she meets her co-trainee Ryan (Aljur) in a call center. Will they heed the call of love anytime soon?

Inspiration

I teased Marvin Agustin. ?No wonder ?Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan? is the highest rating daytime show (27.2 percent) kasi inspired kayo ni Diana Zubiri working together. Kailan ba kayo aamin??

He neither denied nor confirmed and just kept laughing. Diana?s Facebook status reads: In a relationship with Marvin Agustin. But she dropped his name recently to keep the mystery.
Marv?s hearty laugh is enough to say that he?s Zubiri happy.

Guess list

? An actress suspects that an actor?s manager is the one spreading stories about her and his ward. ?Barkada ko lang ?yun. I call him ?pag may gimik kami and I?m with my gay friend who has a crush on him. ?Kala siguro ng manager ako ang may type.? Mistaken identity? Identify feelings please!

? Another actress wonders how she can put up with her hubby?s philandering ways. ?Basta raw ?di lang daw niya binabahay at mabuntis ?yung girl eh tanggapin ko na,? she laments. Conditional pardon? Life sentence to be a martyr wife?

? A married politico bought a P15 million house and lot for his mistress-actress. If only the walls could speak. Knock, knock, knocking on (forbidden) heaven?s door.

Top three Idols

?Pinoy Idol?s? Top 3, Jayann Bautista, Gretchen Espina and Ram Chaves, will battle it out on Aug. 16 (aired on GMA 7 after ?Pinoy Records?).

JayAnn?s best friend Rachel Ann Go gives her singing tips. Gretchen is a member of the UP Singing Ambassadors but her ?Idol? experience has taught her how to become her own conductor. Ram has the makings of a rock star.

Joining them are Regine Velasquez, Basil Valdez, Cueshe, Freestyle, Itchyworms, Southborder, Hajji Alejandro, Vernie Varga, Luke Mejares, Duncan Ramos, Jett Pangan, Pupil, Callalily and the UP Concert Chorus.

The ultimate finale will be on Aug. 17 (after ?Kap?s Amazing Stories?).

TV, TV by the wall, who?s the best of them all?

Award-winning

Christopher de Leon and wife Sandy Andolong opened a seafood resto (C-food) in Baclaran. Their dishes are worthy of awards just like the stellar couple?s performances.

Concert repeat

Bo Cerrudo will serenade you with chansons d?amour du monde entier in ?Love? Around the World? (The Repeat) at the Captain?s Bar of Mandarin Oriental on Aug. 15 and 16 at 9 p.m. It was full-packed on its first run, with the crowd asking for encore after encore. (For tickets, call 0928-7347125 or 750-8888 local 2446).

Mr. Premier Classical Balladeer certainly knows how to enchant his audience in any language.

E-mail wateringholeshangrila@yahoo.com