KRIS AQUINO'S priorities

Fans of Lani Misalucha had looked forward eagerly to watching her perform in Manila after a long, long absence. Lani has been in the US, where she has established herself as a rising star.

Recently, Lani's name was included as the special guest in the show Sergio Mendez and the Brazil 2006. To the disappointment of her fans, the information turned out to be false. Lani herself had to apologize for the booboo in a letter she wrote, explaining: "I will be in San Diego that same weekend as I will be top billing a show at the Harrah's Rincon with the Society of Seven on March 19, 2006."

She emphatically denied that she had never entered into any discussion with any promoter in the Philippines, had not signed any contract, "or agreed to lend my name and likeness to any promotional material that involves said show."

The letter sounded angry. "The unauthorized use of my name is unfair, fraudulent, misleading and highly unacceptable to me or my representatives here in the United States, nor to the public who are expecting me to appear."

Lani ended by cautioning the public "not to be misled by this false publicity." I wonder how the misinformation started and who spread it. Perhaps there were people here in the Philippines who wanted to sow intrigue about her. Maybe they were envious of her success abroad. Now why does that not surprise me?

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It's hard to believe Kuh Ledesma has been in the music scene for 27 years! That's right, the diva will celebrate almost three decades in showbiz in September. What keeps her going? "I like working," she declared.

Hard work, Kuh said, keeps the juices flowing, gives her the drive to "improve your craft." If you want to know how Kuh has evolved as a musical artist, catch her on March 25 and April 1 at the Captain's Bar of the Mandarin Oriental in Manila. She will be performing with Bobby Soul, a former member of the Platters, a group that harmonized their way up the music charts in the '50s.

Kuh and Bobby will team up on such Platters hits as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Only You" and "Unchained Melody."

Bobby by the way is married to a Filipina and they have a 10-year-old daughter.

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Despite her being a huge celebrity, Kris Aquino likes to do the things simple folks do. Like spending the afternoon strolling in the mall. Kris is often seen with her boyfriend James Yap at the Gateway Mall in Araneta Center. Her favorite eating haunt there? Taco Bell.

I wonder if James has popped the inevitable question to Kris. She seems to be too busy to settle down just yet. She has her TV shows, her endorsements, and her movie career to attend to.

She has definitely matured in the way she looks at life. "As I grow older, I realize that my relationships are ever more important - mom, Josh and my siblings. They do matter to me more now. I value the people that love me and I try to give back as much love as possible to them all," she said in a recent interview.

Kris' generosity is legendary. Her staff will attest to it. She gives them gifts at the drop of a hat. That's how she rewards loyalty and hard work.

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Film piracy is not only a scourge here, but in the America as well. Last year alone, the US film industry lost $5.4 billion to movie pirates. That is why the American film industry is trying as hard as ever to deal the pirates a crushing blow.

Their latest strategy? Training theater employees to spot people sneaking video cameras into cinemas.

The Motion Picture Association of America has created FightFilmTheft.org, a website offering techniques to detect film pirates.

"Theater employees are the first line of defense against this growing criminal act of piracy," according to MPAA chief Dan Glickman.

The MPAA said in a statement that over 90 percent "of initial releases that are stolen originate from camcording in theaters." The violation carries with it a prison term of up to five years and a vine of up to $250,000.