Korina taking a short break

Korina Sanchez is going on a week’s hiatus as news anchor of “TV Patrol.” The official reason is she’s going on vacation, according to my source. Really? Everyone knows about her sharp exchanges with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on her radio show, “Rated Korina,” over the giant network’s coverage of the Yolanda disaster.

My source tells me Korina must have been advised to lay low to allow the thing with Cooper to blow over.

The tiff began when Korina targeted Cooper’s remarks that relief operations in Tacloban City were going badly, that no one seems to be in charge on the ground. Korina hit out at Cooper, saying his reporting was biased.

Cooper dared her to come to Tacloban and see the situation for herself. He added, sarcastically that Korina’s husband, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, could easily book her on a flight, because he’s a “politician.”

Korina definitely wouldn’t let Cooper have the last word, so she went to Ormoc in Leyte supposedly to report from there. But before she could, the buzz spread that she’s going instead on a break from her broadcasting chores.

That spared ABS-CBN from getting embroiled in a row with CNN, with whom it provided early footage of the catastrophic effects of Yolanda’s fury in Tacloban. It also saves Secretary Mar from getting caught in the crossfire. The government has its hands full in coping with the crisis as it is, and the last thing it wants is another confrontation with the international media.

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Sarah Geronimo’s Perfect 10 concert at the Araneta Coliseum last Friday was, as advertised, spectacular. 

The glittering show was a celebration of her 10th anniversary in showbiz, and it highlighted her achievements as a singer, actress and TV host.

She told the audience that packed the Big Dome that she worked hard for what she has achieved.  “Destiny is a choice, not a chance,” Sarah said, and the crowd roared their agreement.

A video showed the four-year-old Sarah singing “Sino ang Baliw” at a prayer rally. She said she was too young to grasp the meaning of the song, but her parents explained it her.

The show started with a minute of prayer for the victims of Yolanda and Sarah pledging part of the concert’s proceeds to them. She said she couldn’t get the images of the tragedy off her mind and she even dreams about them.

Sarah started off the show with Alicia Keys’ “Brand New Me.” She followed it up with original songs from her albums. She gave a hint about her past romances when she performed  “Sweetest Mistake” and “Eyes on Fire.” 

I also liked her vocal cord-challenging version of “Creep.” “If I don’t hit a high note, will you still love me?” she jokingly asked the audience.

At one point, Sarah shouted: “To all my haters, I love you! Thank you for inspiring me.”

She had a reunion onstage with TV pals Rachelle Ann Go, Christian Bautista and Mark Bautista. It’s been quite a while since the three former ABS-CBN talents got together with Sarah.

Sarah and her guests, Regine Velasquez and Lea Salonga, did a medley of Barbara Streisand songs such as “People,” “Memory,” “Papa Can You Hear Me,” “Tell Him,” and “Somewhere” that had the audience on their feet.

Perfect 10 will have a repeat performance at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on November 30 and in Cebu this December 7 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug.

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The Empire State Building in New York expressed its sympathies to the victims of the super typhoon with a light display of the Philippine flag. The Empire State Instagram account uploaded the picture of the building, with the caption: “Tonight and tomorrow night, we shine our lights in the colors of the #Philippines flag – red, blue, yellow and white – to raise awareness and support for the country as they recover from Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).”