Annabelle has good reasons to celebrate

Three days earlier, on Oct. 26 and 27, Annabelle Rama got an early birthday gift with the SRO success of the The Way We Are concert the family-run Royale-ERA Productions mounted at the Country Waffles (Greenhills), starring Pilita Corrales and Rico J. Puno, with Jinky Llamanzares and Yam Ledesma as guest performers. So successful was the two-night show, in fact, that Annabelle (supported on the project by daughter Ruffa Gutierrez who went back to L.A. after making sure that everything was in order, staying in the country for barely two weeks) is now thinking of doing a repeat (same time, same place?).

That Country Waffles (owned and managed by Bert and Carol Nievera) affair was also intended by Annabelle as an advance birthday bash but since not all her friends were able to make it, she decided ("At the last minute") to hold last Tuesday, Oct. 30 (her birthday), a salu-salo at the family residence in White Plains, Quezon City.

There must have been a birthday cake, understandably there were no candles on it so as not to give away the age of the celebrator (clue: she’s 10 years younger than husband Eddie Gutierrez). One thing is sure: she’s a few safe years away from being a Golden Girl.

Among Annabelle’s well-wishers was Ciara Sotto, daughter of Sen. Tito Sotto and Helen Gamboa who live just around the bend. A DPA whispered to Funfare that Ciara and Eddie/Annabelle’s son Rocky are into a "MU" (as in Mutual Understanding) stage. The young would-be lovers sat together at a corner table, away from other guests.

The bash gave Funfare a chance to know more about Evelyn Mateo, the lady boss of MMG Productions which has produced a few movies (among them the currently-showing Hayop sa Sex Appeal) and is behind the IBC 13 noontime show Lunch Break which marked its first anniversary last week.

Smiled Evelyn (also the host of the Women at Work segment of Ricky Reyes’ RPN 9 show Beauty School Plus), "Our show is No. 2." Really? How come? "Well," added Evelyn, "Both ABS-CBN (for MTB) and GMA 7 (for Eat Bulaga) claim to be No. 1. So that makes us No. 2, di ba?"

Such fighting spirit! The truth is that the likes of Evelyn should be commended for helping prop up the entertainment industry in dire times like this. Evelyn is producing comparatively low-budget films (most of them starring and directed by Ronald Gan Ledesma, singer Yam Ledesma’s brother; and one topbilled by no less than First Son Mikey Macapagal-Arroyo and Judy Ann Santos). But even then, Evelyn deserves a big pat on the shoulder for providing jobs to industry people as do the big companies (Regal, Viva, Star Cinema, etc.).

Her namesake, Evelyn Alvaran-Cruz (of Hair Asia), was also present, happily reporting that the next annual Hair Asia event will kick off as scheduled later this month.

Annabelle’s other well-wishers included talent manager Cornelia "Angge" Lee, Ronald Constantino, fellow White Plains residents Rudy Fernandez and Lorna Tolentino, Amalia Fuentes and husband Joey Stevens, Jinky Llamanzares’ mom Mila and Jinky’s sister Gina (who, together with her boyfriend Yadi Sichani, both owners of Play & Display, one of the sponsors of the Country Waffles concert), Sonia de Leon, Maning Borlaza, Nida Blanca and husband Rod Lauren, Jean Saburit and daughter Nicole, Cheloy Ignacio, Veronica Jones (one of Annabelle’s talents) and Stella Ledesma (Ronald and Yam’s mom, confidante and business associate of Evelyn Mateo).

Besides Eddie, on hand to help Annabelle entertain the guests were sons Elvis (down many pounds from his staggering 300-plus weight) and Richard (whose twin brother Raymond is in L.A. with Ate Ruffa and younger brother Richie Paul).