Nanette Inventor: Once Doña Buding, always Doña Buding

Stars often get stuck in the character(s) that make them popular and famous. Rosa del Rosario will forever be Darna (the first and original) as far as Filipino movie fans are concerned, just as Edna Luna is best remembered as Dyesebel and Susan Roces as Maruja.

It’s also true in the case of Nanette Inventor – you know, once Doña Buding, always Doña Buding.

No regrets, though, according to Nanette who’s resurrecting her fabulous and extravagant alter-ego in Menu, her show opening tonight at the Republic of Malate marking Nanette’s 18th anniversary in showbiz. (More playdates on Oct. 12, 19 and 26.) Menu is a riotous mix of comedy skits and impressions, spiced up with songs from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

"In short," said Nanette, "Menu is about choices. We have all sorts of choices in life – things to use, people to be friends, decisions that we make. Iba’t-ibang choices."

Nanette has chosen to pursue a singing (and part-time acting) career even if she finished a Foreign Service course at UP (1974), and she doesn’t regret it. She has chosen to be, well, healthy, and she doesn’t regret it, believing perhaps that – yes, indeed – "health is wealth" (no matter if she’s diabetic). She has chosen to remain single and fancy-free at 48 and she doesn’t regret it ("But I hope to get a partner in life; my door remains open, day and night. Didn’t you know that a woman becomes more desirable after menopause?").

At more than 200 pounds, Nanette is very sweet and that’s not because of her high blood-sugar level, no wonder she fits the Doña Buding character as if she is her second skin, her twin sister. Doña Buding was conceived by director-scriptwriter Joey Javier Reyes in 1983 not for Nanette but for Cynthia Patag. Nanette got the role by accident – literally. Cynthia got involved in a car accident, so Tessie Tomas (for whom Nanette was then doing jingles) recommended Nanette. Tessie herself was then stuck in her own alter-ego, Amanda Pineda, which she originated in the gag show Champoy.

From a jingle singer and back-up singer (for the likes of Celeste Legaspi and Ray-an Fuentes), Nanette began to draw her own following as Doña Buding, introduced on Nov. 14, 1983 on Penthouse 7 (the same show where Pops Fernandez and Martin Nievera first met). Doña Buding was briefly retired (prematurely), only to be revived when the Cory Aquino Administration came in 1986. After a while, Doña Buding slipped back into semi-retirement.

Ask Nanette what the full name of her alter-ego is and she says it without buckling – Doña Maria Leonila Evaporada Casinday vda. de Ford. (Guess from whom those names were derived.)

What’s the downside of being Doña Buding?

Laughed Nanette: "Pag namimili ako, tinataasan ng mga tindera ang presyo. They think I’m as filthy-rich as Doña Buding."

And the advantage?

"Maraming booking!"

Like Doña Buding (who sometimes appears like a Christmas Tree decorated with sparkling jewelry), Nanette loves life. "At pareho kaming mataba." (Obvious ba?)

But unlike Doña Buding, "I’m not a social climber, I’m not pasosyal, I’m not materialistic, I’m not a show-off. Doña Buding pirates other people’s opinions and passes them off as her own while I have my own opinions."

Nanette comes from a heavyweight family (all members are big) which puts humor on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We are a fun-loving, funny family," said Nanette who’s one of four children (three girls and one boy). "Our parents inculcated in us the right values in a humorous way; they didn’t impose them on us, they injected them into us with a big dose of humor."

While still at UP, Nanette joined the UP Concert Chorus (with the likes of Nonong Pedero, Chinggoy Alonso and Anthony Castelo) even if she didn’t take any formal lessons in music, in the process "disobeying" her lawyer-father who warned her that there was no money in singing.

"I’ve gone around the world three times with the UP Concert Chorus," so she has no regrets about making that choice, too.

On her show tonight (and the succeeding nights), Nanette will again do The Glory of Love,her favorite piece, as opening number. Maybe she’ll also do her three other favorite songs – My Funny Valentine, Every Breath You Take and Someone to Watch Over Me, the one song that often makes her cry and makes her feel secure that "God is always there watching over me."

Who knows, she might even do some takes on her favorite comedians (Robin Williams, Woody Allen, Roseanne Barr, Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg; and local colleagues Tessie Tomas, Mitch Valdez, Joey de Leon, Jon Santos and Dolphy).

For sure, she’ll drop witticisms like "Love is lovelier the second time around but it’s loveliest when the husband is not around," calculated to put the audience in stitches.

"I am in my element when I’m onstage," said Nanette, adding that being a performer is the best choice she has ever made.

Being single even as she inches her way to being a Golden Girl doesn’t bother Nanette.

"I have enough company," she joked. "In the morning, I see John, in the afternoon I see Art Ritis and in the evening I see Ben Gay. I have enough men in my life."

(Tickets to Menu are priced at P750 and P500. For inquiries, call 303-3529 up to 30 to 721-4405 local 102.)

Zorayda home with half of the bacon

Our very own Zorayda Ruth Andam was chosen Miss Tourism World-Asia at the Miss Tourism-World 2001 held last Monday, Oct. 1, in Medellin, Colombia. That’s half of the bacon won. She was also one of the 15 semi-finalists.

Croatia’s Anita Dujic was crowned Miss Tourism-World 2001, winning over a 60-woman field in what organizers called "the toughest beauty contest ever held in Colombia."

First runner-up was Venezuela’s Vanessa Eral while Lithuania’s Petra Kasparavic emerged second runner-up.

Four other national beauties were selected for special titles. They were Russia’s Makey Natalia, Miss Tourism World-Europe; Colombia’s Maria Fernanda, Miss Tourism World-South America; Puerto Rico’s Patricia Santiago, Miss Tourism WorldCentral America and Coche Island’s Lenka Solcova, Miss Teen Tourism World.

Other semifinalists in the pageant, held at the Metropolitano Theater, included the candidates from Venezuela, Czechoslovakia, South Korea, Arruba, Peru, Costa Rica, Contador Island of Panama and India.

According to initial reports from Medellin, Zorayda was, together with Misses Venezuela, Great Britain and Korea, always one of top seven finishers in all categories during the contest.

"Her charismatic approach to people, particularly with her co-candidates, and her native dress designed by Alfredo Barraza made a good impression on both the judges and the crowd during the pageant.

Barraza is the Colombian designer who also did the national dress of Miriam Quiambao, first runner-up in the 1999 Miss Universe; and Zorayda when she was adjudged second best in national costume in this year’s Miss Universe in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

During the ramp modeling, Zorayda was described as "the girl with the most complete control of the ramp."

Zorayda came back on Wednesday, Oct. 3.