Bedtime stories with Carlos Agassi

Even before those 19 Arabs did their kamikaze attack on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon, another Arab – a harmless one, really – has been doing his own "terrorizing" but his willing "victims," especially women, just love it.

Meet (again) the Arab non-"terrorist," Carlos Agassi, bona fide member of the Hunk Terrorists.

Actually, Carlos Agassi is half-Arab (Iranian, to be specific) and half-Filipino. (His Arab name is Amir, meaning Prince, that’s why he’s known as the Amir of Rap.) Part of his early childhood was spent in Iran, a sad childhood punctuated with violence inflicted on him – and his mother – by his Iranian father who, contrary to initial reports, didn’t die at the Gulf War after all but is very much alive and living somewhere in Iran.

Carlos’s mom has remarried to another Arab who has been treating her and Carlos and his two brothers, Michael/Yusef and Ahmad (currently living and studying in San Francisco, California), with tender loving care.

How did Carlos feel when he first heard about the attack on the WTC and The Pentagon, especially when evidences pointed to Arabs as the perpetrators?

"I feel sad, of course," said Carlos who, incidentally, is also a Hanford image model (as he is shown on this page). "But not all Arabs are like the terrorists," he added. "I guess that, just like me, several other Arabs are mad at those guys who did it."

A Sunday co-host (with fellow Hunks Diether Ocampo, Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales and Bernard Palanca) of ABS-CBN’s A.S.A.P. and a regular member of the cast of the ABS-CBN soap Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, Carlos’ being Arab will be put to the test when he travels with fellow ABS-CBN stars to the States to do shows there.

Meanwhile, the Hanford image model casts away worries about travelling in dangerous times like this and talks about – what else? – his bedroom life.

What’s the best bedtime story your mom has ever told you?

"I remember when I was small and we were already living here in the Philippines, my Mom used to read Jack and Jill and Little Red Riding Hood to put me to sleep and to teach me lessons as well. Actually, she told a lot of other stories to me, such as Robin Hood which I remember the most because of the part about those who have more in life helping the poor. Robin Hood was among my heroes when I was small. ’Yung Little Red Riding Hood naman, Mom used it to sort of scare me. You know, ‘If you’re a bad boy, you’ll be eaten by the big, bad wolf.’ When I was small, I was fond of taking a bath naked in the rain or playing outside, so my Mom would warn me, ‘If you stay out too long, sige ka, the big bad wolf will snatch you’."

What’s the last thing on your mind before you go to bed?

"My family. The last thing I do before I go to bed is kiss my mom ‘good night’ and my brothers. I tell them, ‘I love you!’ I then go to sleep resting assured na nasabi ko na sa kanila na ‘I love you!’ But before sleeping, I check what my schedule is the next day so I can prepare the things that I need. I do a quick assessment of what I did during the day, both the good and the bad, and then I pray and thank God for being there for me and with me."

You’re half-Arab by blood, but are you Catholic in faith?

"Oh, yes, I am."

What if you find it hard to sleep?

"I reread my scripts and watch a little TV. When my brother (Michael, now also a member of Talent Center’s Star Circle) is awake, we make kuwento. Just to kill time. I have my own room and so does Michael. But when it’s bedtime, we move to our Mom’s room and sleep with her. She has a huge bed."

What’s the first thing that you do upon waking up?

"I pray. Then I check the wall clock how much time I have to spare before I rush off to my first appointment for the day. Before I go to the bathroom, I kiss my Mom and Michael ‘good morning’ and again say ‘I love you!’ to them."

How long do you stay inside the bathroom?

"Twenty to 30 minutes. Para sa lahat-lahat na ’yon."

Do you have a favorite bedtime fantasy, if any?

"Naughty or nice?"

Whatever.

"Performing on MTV, rapping, at katabi ko sina Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey at Britney Spears. Isama mo na rin sina Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts, dancing while I’m rapping."

So they are what you consider the most "fantasizeable" women.

"Yeah. Aren’t they gorgeous?"

Do you sleep in the nude?

"Even if I want to, I can’t and I don’t. Di ba I just told you that Michael and I sleep beside our Mom? I usually go to bed in my Hanford shorts or in pajamas. But my favorite sleeping wear is my Hanford boxer shorts; very comfortable. Incidentally, that’s one thing I can do without in my bag — Hanford underwear (shorts and briefs)."

What perfume do you wear to bed?

"None. Just my natural scent."

Are you a "pillow person"?

"Oh, yeah, I am! I have eight pillows — a long one, shaped like a huge hotdog, which I embrace; two for my head; and the rest on my sides because malikot ako matulog. That’s when I’m sleeping alone. I sleep with less pillows kapag may katabi ako."

Don’t you fall from bed, being malikot matulog?

"To avoid falling, I move the mattress on my bed, which is a bit high, to the floor. It won’t hurt even if I fall."

Don’t you sleepwalk?

"I do, sometimes, and I even talk in my sleep, according to my Mom."

Do you mention names?

"My Mom says I do, but she usually talks to me and ask for numbers para tayaan niya sa lotto. But before I can say any number, bumabalik na raw ako sa kuwarto to go back to sleep. One time, I even sleepwalked all the way to the terrace in my room. Nag-panic ang Mom ko! The next day, she had the terrace closed, baka raw tumalon ako."

What’s the most scary dream you’ve ever had?

"I had it when I was 13. We were in church; I was holding my two brothers, Michael and Ahmad, and were being chased by demons. When I woke up, I ran to my Mom’s room. On the way back to my room, I saw a sexy woman standing at the door of my room; she was fanning herself. When I got closer, I realized that she didn’t have a face. It was blank! It seemed so real, but I guess I sleptwalked again."

Are you psychic — you know, spirit-friendly?

"May third eye daw ako but I don’t want to develop it. It’s frightening."

And what’s the most beautiful dream you ever had?

"I dreamed that I was flying and it was a beautiful experience. I also dreamed that I was a good vampire and it felt nice, so nice that women fell in love with me at first sight. I also had a weird dream. Nag-astral-travel ako and I could see myself lying fast asleep, my family and even my neighbors taking a shower."

Are you vain?

"Not vain, just conscious of myself especially now that I’m in showbiz."

How long do you look at yourself in the mirror?

"Very long, because I usually practise my lines in front of the mirror. I check my hair and it takes a little time."

But not to admire yourself in a narcissistic way?

"Not really. I don’t see anything special in myself."

How did you develop such a beautiful body?

"I work out at the gym at least thrice a week; sometimes pa nga six times a week. I do mostly splits. I have my own personal trainer who gives me the right diet for whatever purpose. If I have to look bigger, my trainer has a special diet for me; if I have to look thinner, mayroon din siyang special diet for that. I can gain weight or lose weight easily."

Which part of your body do you think people like or admire most?

(Flashing a naughty smile) "Maybe the part that they can’t see. Kidding aside, I think it’s my chest. It’s muscular at medyo hairy."

What about you? Which part of your body do you like most?

(Still flashing that naughty smile) "I guess the part that people can’t see, that only I can see. It’s for me to know and for them to find out."

If you have to change any part of your body, what would it be?

"You know, people are never contented with what they have. With me, whatever it is that I have to change or improve, dinadaan ko na lang sa workout."

Do you think people like you for your body?

"Actually, I think it’s because of my personality. You know what I don’t like about myself? I’m too hairy."

What’s the best and most lovable thing about Carlos Agassi?

"I think my being a simple person, my being fun to be with. Carlos Agassi, the performer, that people see on TV or onstage is different from the real Carlos Agassi. I’m really a simple, down-to-earth person. Mababaw ang kaligayahan."

Do you get conscious when people, male or female, look at you, maybe lustily, from head to foot?

"Sometimes, I feel embarrassed. You see, up to now I’m still a shy person. When I’m at work and people look at me, okey lang. But off camera, when I’m malling with my brother or with my friends and people stare at me, I get really conscious."

How do you deal with people, male and female, who make advances at you?

"It’s flattering to be admired by men, women and even gays. Advances? I try to be polite to whoever is trying to do it. Hindi ko naman binabastos."

As a Hunk member, do you feel like a piece of meat?

"Not at all. I’m happy to be a member of the Hunks. Besides our looks, mayroon din naman kaming talent, and not only in singing."

Can you name one actor and one actress who you think have the most beautiful bodies?

"Brad Pitt, of course! I look up to him because he reinvented the image of the Hollywood Pretty Boy (Legend of the Fall, etc.). He’s a Hunk himself. He can do a ‘dirty’ character and still look very handsome. Among the females, there’s Jennifer Lopez whom I interviewed in person in Hong Kong. There’s also Britney Spears na medyo may pagka-chubby pero okey pa rin."

Which part of a woman’s body turns you on the most?

"The curves; dapat proportioned. It’s not just a single part but her totality as a woman."

And which part turns you off?

"Dirty nails, ’yung unhygienic. Also, unshaven underarm. Yuck!"

If you were to insure just one part of your body, which would it be?

(Flashing that naughty smile again) "The one that people don’t see!"