Sharon in control

The recent five-week trip of Sharon Cuneta to Paris and Los Angeles served as a second honeymoon for her and her hubby, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan. It was a perfect time for them to be alone and enjoy each other after rumors of a third party hounded their marriage, which they strongly denied.

Sharon had repeatedly expressed her desire to get pregnant again and have a baby boy. So she cried in disappointment when she got her period after they returned to Manila. But she hasn’t lost hope in having another baby. In fact, she has revised her Scarsdale diet to lose those added pounds she gained during her trip abroad.

During Kiko’s birthday last Aug. 24, Sharon and her husband had a quiet, romantic dinner in a posh Paris restaurant. The balcony of their hotel room also gave them a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.

In L.A., Sharon and Kiko brought their two-year-old daughter Frankie to Disneyland for the first time. Of course, Sharon’s 18-year-old daughter, KC, was also with them.

Sharon also went to Paris to help KC settle in the city where the latter will go to college as a freshman. Sharon has declined to answer questions about her daughter because "KC had requested me not to talk about her anymore." Sharon wants KC to enjoy a private life abroad. She says that KC will go home during breaks. In fact, this early, Sharon is already looking forward to the Christmas holidays when KC is expected to return home.

"KC is a big girl now and she’ll be pretty much on her own in Paris," Sharon says. "She did a lot of work before she left, but she finished all her commitments, including another TV commercial which has yet to be shown. The distance is not a problem to me. KC is just a (long) plane ride away. I don’t even want to think about how expensive the airfare will be. If I want to go to her and if I have the chance, I will really visit her anytime. But we’re in touch almost every day. I miss her when I see her TV commercials and her billboards."

Sharon would have wanted to have a longer vacation but she had to return to Manila to resume her many commitments. She is busy with the fifth anniversary celebration of her ABS-CBN show, Sharon, every Sunday, as well as with the promo of her latest movie, Kung Ako na Lang Sana, under Star Cinema. Sharon is paired for the first time with award-winning actor Aga Muhlach.

Although it was the first time for Aga and Sharon to work together, they unexpectedly exhibited a different kind of chemistry on and off the camera.

"Aga is one of the best actors the industry has produced," Sharon notes. "He is very good. He is someone I’ve always admired as an actor for a long time now. I watched him in May Minamahal which I think was also one of the best works of Direk Joey Reyes. Before we started doing the movie, we were not sure about the kind of chemistry we would have. But when we viewed the trailer, we were very satisfied. Whatever expectations I had of Aga before we started shooting, they were fulfilled after we finished this film. One of the good things that came out after we did this film is that we became best friends."

Meanwhile, the film is also a dream-come-true for its director, Jose Javier Reyes, who has long been wanting to work with Aga and Sharon together in one movie.

While others initially thought it would be unbelievable to bring together Aga and Sharon because of their respective tight schedules and seemingly endless commitments, Star Cinema made it possible with Kung Ako na Lang Sana. There have been failed attempts of many production outfits to pair Aga and Sharon, but the film arm of ABS-CBN succeeds in its latest romance-drama.

Tintin Bersola makes her acting debut in the film, where she plays Sharon’s best friend. Mickey Ferriols also makes her acting comeback as Aga’s girlfriend. Others in the cast are Dominic Ochoa, Jennifer Sevilla, Chat Silayan, Shintaro Valdez, Patrick Guzman and Gabe Mercado. Sharon recorded her own version of Kung Ako na Lang Sana, the hit single of Bituin Escalante which won the grand prize in the ABS-CBN songfest, Himig Handog. The ballad, which also earned for Bituin an Aliw Award trophy, is composed by Soc Villanueva.

The film is about two long-time friends – Sharon as Emmy and Aga as Vince – who manage to affect and influence each other’s lives over the years until they find themselves falling for each other one day.

In between promoting for Kung Ako na Lang Sana and taping for her TV show, Sharon has also started filming Unitel Productions’ Crying Ladies, the outfit’s official entry to the Manila Film Festival in December, produced by Tony Gloria.

No wonder, Sharon does not have time to entertain any political offers as she denies for the nth time that she is joining politics. While she admits to have been offered a number of political positions, Sharon insists she is not the next Cuneta to return to the Pasay City Hall, where her dad, the late Pablo Cuneta, served as mayor for more than 20 years.

"I believe I’ll do better as an ordinary citizen," Sharon allows. "It’s better for me to stick to showbiz because this is what I really love to do. I love making movies. I love doing my TV show."

There have been offers for Sharon to do concert tours in the US but she has turned them down. She insists that the performances out of the country would be too strenuous for her, especially if she wants to have another baby.

Instead, Sharon will try her hand for the first time at film production, when she bankrolls with Tony Gloria’s Unitel Productions, a film starring Dolphy.

"I believe it’s about time I should be part of a movie starring one of the legends in the film industry," Sharon enthuses. "We might not be co-starring in the film but at least I get to produce it for him (Dolphy). I take my hat off to him because he’s really a good comedian. He is also a very good and loving person. He deserves the best."