Cogie Domingo: Epitome of cool

Curtain-raisers:

• Accompanied by her mom, former President Cory Aquino, and two sisters, Kris Aquino rushed son Joshua to the hospital last Sunday afternoon when the boy’s open wound started gushing blood, soaking up three large towels. Doctors (at St. Luke’s Medical Center) said that the blood was part of the injury Joshua got in a freak accident almost two weeks ago when he was run over by his mom’s Expedition. After dressing the wound (in the thigh) and bandaging it, the doctors had to sedate Joshua so he wouldn’t be in pain. He was sent home that same afternoon to his Lola Cory’s Times Street (Quezon City) residence where he and Mama Kris are currently "boarding."

• Yes, the title of Janice and Gelli de Belen’s new GMA late-morning show (to premiere next Monday, Aug. 20) is S.I.S. Asked what it means, a GMA staffer only smiled enigmatically and said, "Figure it out for yourself." Well, let’s hope S.I.S. won’t turn out to be "S.O.S." after only a few episodes.

• After Karen Davila and David Jude (DJ) Sta. Ana got married in Hong Kong three Sundays ago (Karen is, indeed, pregnant but only three weeks and not two months as Funfare reported), it’s fellow ABS-CBN colleagues Patrick Paez and Daphne Oseña’s turn to march down the aisle anytime soon. Like DJ, Patrick has been previously married (also annulled), likewise with one child in the custody of his ex-wife Maritess Sison (now based in the States).

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It’s a good thing Cogie Domingo kept his cool when he was beaten up by the Sotto cousins Oyo Boy and Mico (sons of Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie, and Maru Sotto and Ali Sotto respectively) several days ago, all because Oyo Boy was said to have gotten jealous of Cogie who went to the house of Anne Curtis after he was "summoned" by Anne who, it turned out, had a misunderstanding with Oyo Boy (reportedly only her suitor and not yet her boyfriend).

"I didn’t go there to court Anne," said Cogie who’s turning 16 tomorrow, opening date of his (and James Blanco and Danilo Barrios’) new starrer, Regal Films’ Cool Dudes. "I just went there dahil pinapunta ako ni Anne."

Cogie emerged from that incident an epitome of cool, not having fought back, and therefore the object of admiration of many people. On the contrary, the Sotto cousins have been jokingly dismissed as "the young Sotto goons," an unfair tag, I should say, because a few days after that unfortunate incident, Oyo Boy and Mico did seek out Cogie and ask for an apology (accepted).

Proving himself to be, like the title of his movie, a "cool dude," Cogie just laughed off that ugly incident. Had he lost his cool, Cogie would have lost a lot more, including his endorsement of some products, one of them Penshoppe (a sponsor in the Cool Dudes promo). They say that the worst of times bring out the best in people and that incident did bring out the best in Cogie who has proven himself to be a worthy role model for young people like him. You know, make love, not war. Cool it, kids, cool it! Anne Curtis (whose wholesome/sweet image was definitely tarnished by the controversy) isn’t the only pretty girl out there; there are dozens and dozens of them.

Take a bow, Cogie, for being a real cool dude!

Why Rita is a soap pet

Besides the likes of Judy Ann Santos and Claudine Barretto, there are other stars who are soap "favorites," meaning these past few years they have also been ubiquitous in soaps on both sides of the network "war."

Name one? Yes, Rita Avila.

Rita started doing soaps about four years ago via ABS-CBN’s Familia Zaragoza which kicked off the trend in lavish (as in big-budgetted and boasting of an all-star cast) soaps which have become regular staple in local television. Familia was directed by Khryss Adalia.

Now in the cast of GMA’s Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin as a scheming lawyer, also directed by Adalia (with Soxy Topacio as co-director), Rita actually started in showbiz in the GMA bagets variety show That’s Entertainment years ago, so it’s like a homecoming for her. In fact, she also did another soap for GMA, Annakarenina in which she also co-starred with Sunshine Dizon who’s also a topbiller in Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin.

Said Albert Martinez, another Ikaw Lang co-star, "It’s Rita’s talent that keeps her going and that makes her a ‘constant’ in soaps." What a compliment, ’no!

Of course, televiewers know that it’s Rita’s flexibility that makes her such a delight. She can be maldita or a martyr (remember Marinella?); her characterization ranges from being poker-faced to being scheming to being pitiful to being hateful.

Rita returned Albert’s compliment by saying (about her Ikaw Lang co-star), "I’ve never seen such thinking actors who are concerned with every detail, from the history of the characters they’re playing to the props."