Will Kay Tagal rating dip if Edu is killed?

Curtain-raiser:

• A few corrections… The dinner-tribute to Gloria Romero is scheduled on Nov. 29 (not 26), a Friday, at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel; while the concerts of Pops Fernandez (at the Old ULTRA) and Martin Nievera (at the PICC) will be held on Dec. 14 (not 4), a Saturday.

• The Soul sisters (composed of Milay, Vangie and Mica) will do a repertoire of ’60s and Top ’40, plus Broadway/disco/pop songs, at the Conservatory of the Manila Pen tonight and on Nov. 26, 9:40 p.m. The Soul Sisters, with musical director/arranger Carmen, have been performing in exclusive lounges both here and abroad.

• Several foreign artists (the latest being Brian McKnight) have backed out of their Manila concerts due to the bombings which, hopefully, will stop by next year, The good news is that The Rolling Stones might – just might – include the Philippines as possible itinerary in February, 2003, after the group’s show in China. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

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Followers of the popular ABS-CBN soap Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay shouldn’t blink – nor run to the bathroom during commercial breaks. Otherwise, when they look again, they might find Henry Aguas, played by Edu Manzano, the evil husband of Lorna Tolentino, gone in a jiffy.

You see, there’s an "omen" that Henry Aguas might be "killed" by sending him abroad (as Rica Peralejo playing Aguas’ daughter has been hinting at). If that happens, ABS-CBN could be making a big blunder because, let’s face it, Edu’s presence has been helping a lot in the soap’s high rating.

Once he is "killed," will the show’s rating suffer? It’s too big a risk to take, if you ask me. Ask one of the soap’s writers and he’ll tell you the same thing, "Edu as Henry Aguas is perfect; he adds spice to the show. He knows how to attack the character because of his poker face. I cannot think of another actor who can portray Henry Agus."

Meanwhile, stay tuned and find out if ABS-CBN would ignore the soap’s millions (both here and abroad) of followers and decide to, that’s it, "kill" Edu.

Will Ogie take Inday’s radio spot?

Not being a coffee-drinker, I take my first cup of – not coffee but – tsismis early mornings from ABS-CBN’s Magandang Umaga Bayan (MUB) via Ogie Diaz’s popular "Mga Uhaw na Blind Items" which he so delivers with his own unique style that even Pinoys in the US (reached by The Filipino Channel, TFC) are getting, yes, "addicted" to them. If you can wake up early enough (MUB is aired from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday) try tuning in and finding out for yourselves.

Even Ogie’s expression (to emphasize his point), Juice Ko Pong Pineapple Bayan, has become a household punchline. Ogie has mastered the delivery of blind-items-on-the-air, doing so with a deadpan expression.

He is also a part of Joey Galvez and Winnie Cordero’s radio show on DZMM (10 to 11 a.m.) where he dishes out showbiz news, also with gusto. He blends beautifully well with the exciting tandem of Joey and Winnie.

Incidentally, did you know that Inday Badiday is soon quitting her DzMM show Careful, Careful (2:30 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday) in favor of a TV show (a la Oprah or a public-service show?) on GMA 7? If and when, Funfare is nominating – nay, endorsing! – Ogie as Inday’s replacement. he can very well carry on where Inday will be leaving off.

Will Tinig be ‘it’?

Direk Gil M. Portes and Alessandra de Rossi are back from the successful screening of their movie Munting Tinig in an L.A. filmfest as one of the specially-selected Asian films for the event by the American Film Institute. Munting Tinig got rave reviews, one of them published by The Hollywood Reporter. Here it is (by Marilyn Moss), in full:

The earnest Small Voices, the Philippines’ official submission for the foreign language Oscar and Golden Globe, also carries with it big hopes of US distribution. If we haven’t yet tired of the familiar genre of "poor kids can dream and win," the film stands a chance of gaining favor here. Voices pumps enough sentiment and charm into these overused conventions to leave a lasting impression.

Most of the film’s good fortune rests with director Gil M. Portes’ close-ups of his translucent star, Alessandra de Rossi. She plays Melinda, a dedicated young schoolteacher who travels to students in the remote, impoverished province of Malawig. Portes’ camera catches de Rossi in sparse, beautifully lit images as she takes in the poverty of the province and reacts to the bad fortune of its inhabitants.

Melinda is as tentative and humbler as the village families she meets. Life there is severely limited, and the kids grow up knowing they’ll end up poor farmers just like the generation before. When Melinda learns of a singing competition, she persuades the families to let their kids enter. Competition is a foreign notion to these people, and just as predictable as it sounds, the singing comes to symbolize the kids’ hope they can find in their lives a kind of antidote to determination.

Cinematographer Ely Cruz’s engaging shots of the lush landscape together with the hopefulness that often crosses de Rossi’s face help Voices overcome some used story conventions to give it a very specific charm of its own.

Now, will Tinig finally make it to the Oscar’s "magic 5" nominees next year? Let’s hope – and pray.