Why actor beat up girlfriend - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Curtain-raisers:

* Could it be true that a popular garment magnate is eyeing an upcoming sexy-drama actor from the ABS-CBN Talent Center, trying to win his attention and affection – and "something else," of course! – by giving him expensive gifts, the latest being a Rolex watch? The young actor is said to be not new to such kind of "courtship" by wealthy gays.

* Could it be true that the surname of Paolo Bediones’ secret (and real?) love starts with the letter "F"? According to the Funfare DPA, the person is "partly" showbiz.

* Could it be true that until now, months after her wedding, a semi-retired actress has yet to pay for the beautiful wedding gown she wore during the event? The poor designer is being given the run-around.

* * *

I didn’t know that this handsome, seductive/sexy and highly-desirable (to all sexes, no exception!) actor has a violent streak. But then, you can’t really blame him for, that’s it, beating up his live-in non-showbiz girlfriend with whom he has three kids.

You see, last Thursday (which happened to be Thanksgiving in America) the girl had a cellphone chika-chika with a guy who’s the namesake of her former boyfriend (a basketball player), just an innocent chat, you know. By accident, the girl pressed a button in her cellphone that connected to that of the actor who flared up while eavesdropping on the chika-chika between the player and the guy who’s the namesake of her former boyfriend (of whom the actor was very jealous).

Right on the campus of the school where they’re both studying, the furious actor beat up the girl in full view of their horrified schoolmates, some of whom rushed the black-and-blue girl to the nearest hospital.

Lesson from this unfortunate incident?

One, make sure that you press the right button when using your cellphone;

Two, refrain from unduly provoking a jealous boyfriend by talking to guys with names that are "poison" to him (the jealous boyfriend); and

Three, for jealous boyfriends, double-check the identity of the person your girlfriend is making chika-chika with before lifting a fist, or even a finger.

The latest on Batang West Side

So what’s the latest on the Batang West Side project which has been touted to be "shot entirely in the US" directed by US-based Lav Diaz (from his own award-winning story)?

Well, as of last Nov. 14 when Funfare talked to Yul Servo (as the title role) in New York, in the one month that they had been there (since Oct. 14, that is), they had shot only one scene during the Halloween Parade, with Gina Alajar shown mixing with the crowd searching for her lost son (Yul). That’s all – so far.

Since then, Gina has decided to quit the project after more than two weeks of waiting and waiting with husband Michael de Mesa (also cast in the movie) at the two New Jersey houses rented by the company for the shoot. Gina and Michael are back home with their children whom they left with Gina’s brother in San Francisco so they could spend a vacation while mom and dad were busy at work.

Gina replaced Elizabeth Oropesa who couldn’t do the movie because of visa problems. Now, they’re thinking of getting a US-based actress as Gina’s replacement. Maybe Anna Marie Gutierrez? No, she has gained weight; too fat for the role. Why not Susan Valdez? Oops, hindi bagay. They might settle for Baby Delgado (based in New Jersey) – if they can find her.

Batang West Side, which won in the Palanca Awards, is the story of a Filipino boy’s search for his parents and his own identity. Also in the cast is Joel Torre as a cop who helps the boy in his search. Being eyed as Yul’s leading lady is Priscilla Almeda who, until now, has yet to fly to New York while waiting for some papers and other matters to be cleared.

Joel left last week for New York, his third time to go there this year for the shoot that never seems to get off the launching pad, keeping his fingers crossed for sure that this time he won’t be waiting for... nothing.

Batang West Side is Lav Diaz’s third movie, coming after the critically-acclaimed Ang Kriminal ng Bo. Concepcion and Hubad sa Ilalim ng Buwan. It’s supposed to be Yul’s launching movie after he did two telemovies, Motel Boy (directed by Maryo delos Reyes) and Pusang Gala (by Jeffrey Jeturian), both unreleased.

In the meantime, people behind the project (including production designer Cesar Hernando, the cameramen, other crew members, etc.) are cooped up in the two rented New Jersey houses, faced with the prospects of spending what is expected to be the coldest winter ever in America – unless the movie is done in the planned 21 calendar days.

Praises for Muro-Ami

Meanwhile, here’s a glowing review of GMA Films’ Muro-Ami (a.k.a. Reef Hunters internationally), written by Michael Rechtshaffen for The Hollywood Reporter in connection with the recent AFI Fest 2000 in which films from the US and other countries were shown:

George Clooney and The Perfect Storm crew had it easy compared with what the net fishermen of the southern Philippines must endure in Reef Hunters.

Directed effectively by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, one of her nation’s most successful filmmakers, the beautifully shot nautical adventure follows an ill-fated fishing expedition led by the obsessed Fredo (Cesar Montano), a man who, in addition to wanting to boost his catch considerably at the risk of endangering his mostly juvenile crew of reef divers, carries a grudge against the sea that took his wife and young child years earlier.

While the storytelling treads familiar literary waters, with Mutiny on the Bounty and Lord of the Flies being among the more transparent influences, Diaz-Abaya’s startling underwater visuals and committed acting by the photogenic Filipino movie star Montano and his supporting cast of professionals and amateurs make for an engaging, educational excursion that deserves to be projected on Imax screens.