MANILA, Philippines - It?s official. and, with a short text message, singer-actress Vina Morales confirmed her pregnancy: ?I am very happy... I will be a mother soon. I never intended to hide my condition.?
Rikka Dylim, PR and Publicity head of Star Magic, told the Inquirer: ?She?s two months pregnant and the father is her nonshow biz boyfriend Cedric Lee.? (Actually, when Rushes first asked, Dylim seemed a little peeved, and said, ?Didn?t Vina deny that already??)
One sore spot is that the annulment of Cedric?s marriage is still ongoing.
Inquirer consulted lawyer and TV host Gaby Concepcion of ?Unang Hirit,? who said, ?Even if there is a pending case for declaration of nullity, there can still be a case for concubinage, [which] is different from adultery, [though] concubinage is harder to prove.?
According to previously published reports, Cedric, a businessman, has two kids with wife Judy, ages 12 and 9.
Mentor German Moreno, whose son Federico is married to Vina?s sister Sheila, said the whole family is ?very happy.?
A talent of ABS-CBN?s Star Magic, Vina is scheduled to give an interview on the network?s talk show ?The Buzz? today.
Outed in the lift
If you wander into a condominium building somewhere in Ortigas Center, look for a seemingly innocent note posted inside the lift.
It?s a list of delinquent tenants who?ve not paid rent. Among those on the dishonor roll is Former Matinee Idol.
And what?s this? FMI is renting the flat with another man!
A love nest?
Exhausted, not suicidal
At the press con for her latest gag show, ?Banana Split,? Cristine Reyes denied the rumor that she attempted suicide.
She told Rushes, ?That made me laugh. I was in the hospital because of fatigue. I work almost every day... but it?s okay. This is what I wished for.? To be busy, that is.
Double take
Veteran Actress failed to recognize Acclaimed Filmmaker at a gala event.
VA confided to a pal: ?AF looked very different when we worked together. Maybe plastic surgery??
Return of prodigal baby
Lily Monteverde celebrates her 48th anniversary in the biz this year with a big she-bang. Invited are past and present Regal babies who will have special video messages for her.
Among those on the guest list, reportedly, is prodigal Regal daughter Angel Locsin, who?s been very vocal about wanting to make amends with Mother Lily.
Diva showcase
In the works is a major concert at the Big Dome starring four divas: Kuh Ledesma, Zsazsa Padilla, Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez.
The event is already a target for intrigue-mongers. Is this diva showcase (set Dec. 5) an attempt to pre-empt Regine?s planned showdown with Lani Misalucha in February?
Price of nudity
Young Actor consulted Trusted Friend about a movie offer. ?I?ll be paid more than P10,000, but I?ll have to bare my body.?
TF told YA to follow his instincts. YA quipped, ?I think it?s a bad idea.?
Bordering on the exploitative, really, because YA is a minor. Plus, the film director is known for filming more than what?s necessary or acceptable.
YA is ripe for exploitation, especially after his sexy online photos went largely unnoticed. In one snapshot, he was faking a French kiss with another guy!
Tough journey
Life on the road has been tough so far for Journey?s new front man, Pinoy Arnel Pineda.
In the Oct. 2 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Pineda, 41, whom band leader Neal Schon discovered on YouTube, poured out his anxieties while on tour.
Pineda said he told Schon he wanted to back out, moments before his first gig with Journey in Chile last February. Schon?s reply: ?It?s too late... Go sing for us.?
Pineda misses his girlfriend and son in Manila. ?It?s very, very sad,? he said in the interview. ?There are days when I just break down... This is a job I?m doing for my family?that?s all the consolation I?m getting.?
He also said he had yet to enjoy the perks of traveling, because his routine, simply told, consists of bus rides, sleeping in hotels, sound checks... ?It?s a fantastic job but, at the same time. It?s a curse.? He told Schon he would surely quit if he got sick. ?I guess that?s the same reason Steve Perry bailed out.?
The current Journey tour is said to be the 6th highest-grossing in the US this summer.
Song of respect
Nonoy Zuniga recently recorded a song titled ?Ramadan??a far cry from the loves songs that made him famous.
He explains, ?When I choose a song to interpret, I listen to the melody first. Then, I consider the lyrics, the message. This song intrigued me, and challenged me as an artist.?
?Ramadan? promotes tolerance and respect, said executive producer Nelia Lim. ?It?s just so sad that radio stations are not keen on playing it.?
No small roles
?There are no small or big roles for me as an actor,? says Arnold Reyes, who has just finished four (!) indie films? ?Jaguar,? headlined by Piolo Pascual; ?Padyak,? co-starring Rita Avila; ?Puntod,? directed by Cesar Apolinario; and ?Ugat sa Lupa,? a project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Not bad.
?I like the fresh, creative and edgy ideas of young filmmakers,? Arnold, a Backroom talent says. ?They bravely explore new themes and techniques.?
Amen to that.
Walk the walk
Iza Calzado and Regine Tolentino are supporting Avon?s ?2008 Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer? campaign.
A big part of this campaign is the annual walk set Oct. 5. This year, the event is called ?I Walk with 30,000 for a Healthier Tomorrow.? It starts from 16 locations across the country. Iza and Regine invites all women to log on to www.avon.com.ph for details.
Murder on his mind
NEW YORK?Hollywood veteran Robert Wagner, says he was so distraught over the breakup of his first marriage to actress Natalie Wood, that he pondered suicide and would sit with a gun outside the home of her lover, Warren Beatty, intent on killing him.
?Pieces of My Heart,? Wagner?s autobiography released this week, reveals details of his career and life, including the split with Wood, their decision to remarry a decade later, in 1972, and her drowning death in 1981.
Beatty, who met Wood on the set of ?Splendor in the Grass,? in 1961 ?was pretty smooth, very attractive. He was the man,? Wagner, 78, said.
Wagner said he was ?absolutely paralyzed? in November 1981, when Wood?s body was found floating off Southern California?s Catalina Island. They had been staying on their boat with Christopher Walken, her co-star in the movie ?Brainstorm.? Wagner said he believes Wood accidentally fell overboard. Reuters
What they said
Entertainment quotes this past week, from The Associated Press:
?It was the first decision I made as a father.??Clay Aiken, acknowledging that he?s gay in an interview in People magazine.
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?We?ve had old banners being held up, new banners being held up, people singing the old songs, partying with the new songs, bras thrown onstage with women flashing us.??Donnie Wahlberg, on the current reunion tour of New Kids on the Block.
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?I?ve been out on the street, I know what it?s about.??Tyler Perry (screenwriter, actor and director), who has donated enough food to feed 1,000 families for two weeks in Atlanta. AP
How dare you
LOS ANGELES?Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler on Wednesday sued unknown bloggers who the singer said impersonated him on the Web, writing about the death of his mother and other ?intimate details? from his life.
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Tyler, 60, said he didn?t know the real names of those who have impersonated him and girlfriend Erin Brady on the Web, but he believes the same group was responsible for similar postings in 2007.
At that time, Tyler asked Google to remove the blogs, and the Internet company complied. On Wednesday, the new batch was unavailable for public viewing. Reuters
Hathaway, lawyer
LOS ANGELES?Anne Hathaway will next play the role of a lawyer who refuses to commit to love, in an adaptation of the best-selling book ?The Opposite of Love,? according to press reports Thursday.
Hathaway, 25, is currently receiving critical acclaim, and hints at an Oscar nomination, for her role as a disturbed young woman in the newly released ?Rachel Getting Married.?
?The Opposite of Love? was the debut novel by Julie Buxbaum, and the adaptation will be produced by studio 20th Century Fox. AFP
Monroe footage sold
MELBOURNE?Rare film footage of Marilyn Monroe on the set of her 1959 hit ?Some Like It Hot? sold at auction for 17,500 Australian dollars, or US$14,624.
The two-and-a-half minute 8 mm film, which features Monroe goofing around with co-stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, was shot by a US naval officer who was invited to the set after Monroe visited his base in San Diego.
The sailor?s daughter, who moved to Australia?s Victoria state, discovered the film by chance among her late father?s possessions. The footage was snapped up Thursday by an unnamed collector from Sydney. AP
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Top of the tabloids
The top show biz stories in local tabloids this week. (And why we are moved, if we are moved.)
Peek of the week
?Mariel Rodriguez lumobo ang boobs! (How, where, when and why! Este, why?)
?Rhian Ramos di magpapalaki ng boobs! (That?s news.)
?Jolina Magdangal pinagkukurot ang boobs ni Rufa Mae Quinto! (For real? Este, really?)
?Rufa Mae, inaming naging bahagi ng kanyang nakaraan si Mark Bautista! (When, why and how? Este, how?)
Quote me not
?Hindi banned si Cristine Reyes sa GMA?Dennis Trillo (Is he network spokesperson now?)
?Angelu de Leon: Wala kaming relasyon ni James Yap (Eh di wala.)
?Ayoko pang magkasyota?Kim Chui (Is there a punch line to this?)
Gabo?s woes
?Gabby Concepcion, tumataginting na P125,000 pala ang bayad kada taping! (That?s close to $3,000.)
?Gabby sinisisi ang manager sa pagkamatay ng kanyang ama (Pero bati na yata sila ngayon.)
?Mommy Rose nalulungkot sa pagpanaw ng ama ni Gabby. (Ano kaya meaning nito?)
?Mommy Rose Flaminiano, isang libong beses hindi mapapatawad si Gabby. (Pinatawad na, promise.)
?Rosita Flaminiano, umaastang kaedad si Shaina Magdayao! (Walang kapatawaran ito. Kung totoo, ha?)
Lost and found
?John Lloyd Cruz muntik mapraning! (Biogesic agad!)
?Nakakagulat ang rebelasyon ni Nora Aunor tungkol sa kanila ni John Rendez! (Di kami masyadong nagulat.)
?Baron Geisler napaaway sa Italy dahil sa kalasingan?! (Di rin ito nakakagulat.)
?Ruffa Gutierrez, may dyowa sa Hong Kong?! (Ito rin.)
?Nawawala si Jake Cuenca! (May suspect kami.)
?Robin Padilla takot na takot sa pating! (Kami rin.)
Sarah?s secrets
?Sarah Geronimo, si Rayver Cruz ang misteryosong crush?! (Bakit naman misteryoso? di naman siya 16?)
?Sarah baka magrebelde dahil sa mga lalake! (Payagan na kasing mag-boyfriend.)
?Rayver jackpot na kay Sarah! (Because...?)
?Swerte raw ang magiging unang BF ni Sarah. (Sapagka?t...?)
Ay, buking!
?Angel Locsin at Luis Manzano pag naging seryoso, walang problema kay Edu Manzano! (Eh kasi.)
?Mga lihim ni Nadia Montenegro ibinuking ng cameraman. (Ayyy.)
?Bangayang Janice De Belen-Gretchen Barretto noon isinisi kay Nadia. (Siksik ba sa info?)
?Dingdong Dantes ipauubaya si Marian Rivera kay John Lloyd. (Of course.)
?Jennylyn Mercado, kapapanganak pa lang pero pakalat-kalat na! (Waste not, want not.)
?Robin dapat mag-sorry kay Judai! (Di kaya kay Lizelle?)
?Jennylyn paawa epek kay Patrick Garcia! (Di pa ba tapos ito?)
?Vina Morales binuntis lang saka iniwan?! (Happy daw siya, di ba?)
?Chocolate ang pinaglilihian ni Vina. (Ayy, ate, ang balakang!)
?Nadia 2 malalaking bomba ang pasasabugin! (Ang laki nga.)
?Charlene Gonzales hindi natatakot kay Kris Aquino. (May Aga yata siya!)
?Wendy Valdez nagpapaka-Miss Congeniality kahit hindi true! (She?s not alone.)
?Wendy, imbudo sa mga taong ginagawa siyang libangan? (Please qualify.)
?Mga ?babae? ni Bong Revilla nagharap-harap. (Ang saya-saya!)
?Lani Mercado imbyerna sa joke ni Rufa Mae Quinto. (Sa joke lang, ha?)
(Bandera, Tumbok)
E-mail us: rushes@inquirer.com.ph