Censors give

Curtain-raisers:

* A bold actor has dropped -- or was it the other way around? -- his "consul" lover for a rich Chinese lover. No wonder the actor can still live comfortably (like a "lady of leisure," according to the Funfare Forbes Park DPA) even if he has run out of movie offers.

* A bold actress can also afford to, well, live like (another) "lady of leisure," thanks to her rich Chinese lover (married, with family) who pays for her house rent and spends for all her needs. But could it be true that when the Chinese sugar daddy isn't around the bold actress enjoys "stolen moments" with her bagets lover (a dancer)? The Funfare DPA said that the actress is pregnant. Now, who could be the father, the older man or the younger man?

* Speaking of pregnancies, Kristine Florendo denies that she is -- pregnant, that is -- with the "accusing" finger pointing to a playboy TV-host as the "culprit." The persistent and annoying pregnancy yarn has driven Kristine into quitting not only as host of Eat, Bulaga! but showbiz altogether so she can concentrate on her studies. If I know showbiz-watchers, they'll be reading Kristine's decision to quit as an attempt to "hide something."

It's much too hot to handle, truly nakapang-gigigil as the movie's title puts it.

You guessed it: Seiko Films' latest sizzler, Gigil, has been rated-"X" by the MTRCB which found the movie full of double-meaning dialogues and too much breast exposure by newcomer Brigitte de Joya who's out to upstage fellow Seiko boldie Nini Jacinto.

In fact, Gigil was disapproved not only once but twice and its only hope for approval (without cuts?) is the Malacañang Film Appeal Committee headed by (the liberal?) Fr. Sonny Ramirez.

According to Gigil director Mauro Gia. Samonte, "We intended the movie For Adults Only, so the dialogues are for adults only, not poetic, old-fashioned language but earthy contemporary idioms."

The MTRCB group which previewed Gigil didn't buy direk Mauro's logic and found the dialogues "obscene" and "suggestive."

Gigil also stars Jethro Ramirez (of Sutla "dishonor"), Paula Gomez and Leonardo Litton who admitted having got carried away in his scenes with Nini.

When Christmas- time comes around, I will surely miss my friend Charlie Angeles who never failed to send me Christmas cards complete with the latest photo of him and his family (wife Connie, etc.) and a poem he would specially write for me.

Charlie died on the night of April 4 (Tuesday) in L.A. where he had been staying since he retired as Public Relations Executive of the defunct PANAM nearly two decades ago. Charlie slipped into Eternal Slumber the way he lived -- very gently, very quietly. He simply closed his eyes and that was it. He would have turned 79 on May 25.

It was cardiac arrest that got him, but he was actually suffering from emphysema for the last few years of his life, wearing a small oxygen tank tied around his waist as he moved about. When I last saw him in L.A. last year (I was there to interview Will Smith and Salma Hayek for Wild Wild West), he struggled out of bed to entertain me, seeing me off with gifts (tapes of old movies which he very patiently recorded late nights on his TV sets).

When I told him that Gus Sta. Ana (Executive Editor of Tempo), member of "Charlie's Angels" (editors whom Charlie would invite on PANAM junkets), had died, Charlie's eyes welled with tears that refused to fall. He choked a bit when he found his voice. "My friends are all going," he said.

I love Charlie not only because of the videotapes of old movies he kept on sending me and the beautiful poems he'd send me year in and year out but because it was he who literally opened the world to me in 1979 when he invited me to tour Rome, New York and L.A. on a free PANAM ticket.

Out there in the endless skies, Charlie should be flying high, free from the small oxygen tank, breathing easily and, hopefully, writing more poems with angels singing around him.

Write on, dear Charlie!

As a tribute to Charlie, Funfare is printing a poem called Who Am I to You? by his granddaughter Angela Tuason (daughter of Carla Angeles and Joel Tuason) whom Charlie is very proud of, with the girl inheriting her lolo's literary talent.

Reader's reaction

Here's a letter from Funfare-friendly reader Paul R. Mortel of MBLA Court, Malanday, Marikina City:

Dear Mr. Lo:

Somebody should advise Mr. Mike Enriquez that his closing spiel in his Saksi and radio newscasts in wrong. He closes these newscasts with: "Salamat sa inyong pagtiwala." The correct closing spiel should be: "Salamat sa inyong pagtitiwala."

While still on this subject and while we are in the midst of award-giving activities (Urian, PMPC Star Awards, FAMAS, etc.), I notice another mistake being committed by radio-TV hosts. When greeting the winners, they say CONGRATULATION Instead of the correct CONGRATULATIONS.

Other words being mis-pronounced by these program hosts are: rapport (it should be silent T); Mardigras (it should be silent S), the abbreviated Inc. is pronounced as Incorporation. Thank you very much, Mr. Lo.

-- Respectfully yours,

PAUL R. MORTEL