Queen Gretchen
Gretchen Espina was declared the first Pinoy Idol on the Philippine franchise of the popular singing star search. On finals night, Espina proved, though rather unconvincingly, that she was the best among the three remaining contestants. She beat Jayann Bautista and Ram Chaves. Wags are saying text votes powered Espina to the top, although that shouldn't be a surprise. Pinoy Idol is, after all, a popularity contest. Winners (and losers) are determined by the number of votes they get from the public.
Espina's fans are up in arms about the insinuations, saying they would not have voted for her if she didn't deserve the title. Still, Espina has a lot to prove — her voice is good, but not great.
Life imitates art
The first team-up of Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion, For the First Time, is set to be released in the Pilippines before the end of the month, but adding further excitement is the rumour going around that Gutierrez and Concepcion are in fact now a real-life couple. They were said be sweet while producing the film in Greece, plus their parents — Sharon Cuneta for KC and Annabelle Rama for Richard — have said in public they approve of the relationship, if there is any. When asked about any romantic link, Concepcion and Gutierrez would neither deny nor confirm anything, but as they say actions speak louder than words. Watch the movie and find out if they have any special chemistry.
Crying game it's no laugh — comedian Pokwang is at war
Comedian Pokwang is currently embroiled in a raging controversy. The drama began when veteran comedian Joey de Leon sang a song during a recent show in Los Angeles where he alluded to Pokwang as a ghoul or a monster.
The "joke" has of course spread through YouTube and needless to say has reached and slighted Pokwang.
Many have sided with the comedian saying the offensive song was uncalled for; others are saying Pokwang should just brush the issue aside because she herself makes it her business to make fun of other people and in some cases her jokes seem far worse.
The situation was compounded when Pokwang's co-host on the noontime show Wowowee, Willie Revillame, made a big fuss about the incident. Keen to play the hero, Revillame, who has an ongoing rift with Joey de Leon, blasted his nemesis for the mindless and abusive joke about Pokwang.
Revillame even challenged De Leon about an unrelated issue — payment of taxes. As a result, the fight has now worsened with no reconciliation in sight any time soon. We'll see where this raging battle leads.
Tsismis Tidbits
- Viva Films is producing the most expensive movie shown in the Metro Manila Film Festival in December. With a budget of a little over Dh800,000, the film Baler stars Jericho Rosales and Anne Curtis.
- Good news for Eraserheads fans. The defunct Pinoy band, probably the most popular during its heyday, will have a reunion concert. The date has not been confirmed, but organisers Marlboro Philippines announced the event is happening for sure. The concert is free, but Eraserheads fanatics have to be included in Marlboro's Red List to get in. Information about how to become a member of the list has been at best scanty.
- Aiza Seguerra will be back in the UAE for a series of concerts. She will be performing her hit songs at the Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi on October 9, and then proceed to Dubai's Chi@Lodge for a gig on October 11. For details, contact 050-6783664.
