Guess who came to Eddie’s birthday bash - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Curtain-raisers:

• Reacting to an item here the other day, Funfare’s ABS-CBN DPA said that Noli de Castro will be retained as host of Magandang Gabi Bayan even if he runs for the Senate. But he has to be replaced as host of TV Patrol – by whom?

• "Miss Anne" suggests that impeachment witness Emma Lim be enlisted as endorser of ice tea (Lipton, maybe?). You know, "Hindi po kinakain ang ice tea, iniinom po!" Nice suggestion, isn’t it?

• Patti Austin takes centerstage with James DeBarge in Reminiscing 3 tonight (Feb. 9) and tomorrow (Feb. 10) at the Araneta Coliseum. James DeBarge is performing in his brother El DeBarge’s place. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the latter, who is ill, could not make it to Manila. James is a former vocalist of the group The DeBarges. The producers have also requested Austin to add more songs to her repertoire. Those who want refunds on their tickets may do so at the TicketNet box office from Feb. 16 to 20. For more information, call telephone 911-5555 and 893-0026.

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He arrived at a little past 8 o’clock when the party was just starting to roll, when the guests were just starting to warm up, when the usual fond reminiscing of The Good Old Sampaguita days (the usual conversation piece in an occasion like this) was just starting to turn nostalgic.

And there he was, wearing a wide, wide smile, momentarily stopping at the door, his eyes surveying the scene as if he was still walking into a hostile (well, some of them, anyway) group of Senator-judges at the aborted Impeachment Trial.

Ladies and gentlemen (as if an imaginary master of ceremonies was announcing, complete with a drum roll), the Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson!

For a while, everybody was motionless as if in a trance, incredulous, mouths agape, short of rubbing their eyes to find out if it was all true, if he was for real.

The occasion was Eddie Gutierrez’s 59th birthday bash last Tuesday night, Feb. 6, at the Gutierrez home in White Plains, Quezon City, which has become an annual "reunion"/get-together among Eddie (and wife Annabelle Rama’s) close friends – yes, Chavit among them.

These past many years on Eddie’s natal day, Chavit and dozens of Eddie’s friends troop to wherever Eddie’s bash is. In short, Chavit is a usual sight at such an important occasion in the life of Eddie Long Legs who was Chavit’s long-time friend, a classmate both at the San Sebastian High School and at the San Beda College.

I remember way back in 1999, when Eddie celebrated another birthday at the Casanila Restaurant in Greenhills, Chavit was also around, posing for posterity with then new President Erap Estrada, a rare "historic" moment that will never happen again but was faithfully immortalized on photograph by STAR’s contributing photographer Richard Chen. (It’s a collectors’ item, Richard, so better keep it!)

Just like old times, Chavit mixed with the well-heeled crowd as if, well, you know, as if nothing happened. That night, politics was swept under the rug and everybody, just like in past similar occasions, just had fun – reminiscing.

It felt like a reunion of Sampaguita stars, graced by the likes of Susan Roces (minus FPJ who recoils from such social gatherings), Amalia Fuentes, Romeo Vasquez, Liberty Ilagan (with her boyfriend, lawyer Lardizabal), Sampaguita scion Pepito Vera-Perez and Elvie Gonzales, Sampaguita daughter Lilibeth Nakpil, directors Maning Borlaza and Chaning Carlos, along with Nida Blanca and husband Rod Lauren, Ethel Ramos, Dolor Guevarra, Angge and the Gutierrezes’ PR man Jun Lalin.

Eddie’s son Ramon Christopher came with wife Lotlot de Leon (but Eddie’s other son, Tonton Gutierrez, was sorely missed). Eddie’s brother-in-law Frank Mulfield was there, too, and so were Eddie’s cousins Bob Soler and Jun Gutierrez, Joey Stevens (Amalia Fuentes’ husband), lawyer Boni Alentajan, Karla Estrada, Melissa Mendez, Jerry Pelayo, Eddie’s long-time friends (Tom Apacible, Dr. Joey delos Santos, Lito Guidotti and wife Maripaz and Charlie Orloriz).

The party won’t be complete without Eddie’s golfmates who were all accounted for: Capt. Rolly Trinidad, Mari Ojeda with daughter Katrina (boyfriend Martin Nievera couldn’t make it because he was taping advance episodes for martin late@night; he’s leaving again for a series of shows in the US), Mike Romulo, Louie Manahan, Arturo Pertiera, Xavier Pertiera, Rene de Belen, Mario Badillo, Joe Hagedorn, Billy Gualberto and Nando Pimentel.

While the golfers talked about – what else? – birdies and holes, the showing group once again recalled bygone years when Eddie and Romeo and Susan and Amalia and company romped around the sprawling Sampaguita Studio (part of which is now a portion of Ortigas Avenue and part of it a cluster of luxurious townhouses) as if it was their playground. The same good old stories which will be retold same time next year – and the years after that – when friends, Chavit included, gather once more to greet Eddie Long Legs many happy returns of the day, looking not a year older.