Sarah quits GMA, joins ABS-CBN

Curtain-raisers:
• Condolence to the family of Tatus Aldana, award-winning production designer and friend of everybody (especially Kris Aquino, his bosom buddy) who succumbed to a massive heart attack yesterday afternoon, dead on arrival at the Philippine Heart Center. Only three Saturdays ago, Tatus was the life of a dinner-among-friends hosted by Marichu "Manay Ichu" Maceda at the Sampaguita studio. As usual, he regaled everybody with anecdotes and funny stories. See how fast and fleeting life is! His remains are at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City.

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By the time you read this, Sarah Geronimo should have quit GMA 7 (where she co-hosts the Sunday show S.O.P. and the talent show Star for a Night, her stepping stone to stardom) and is ready to sign an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN which, according to Funfare’s Bohol Avenue DPA, has "big things lined up for Sarah," including her own soap.

Described as "the new Regine Velasquez" because of her powerful voice, Sarah, 15, is not the overnight sensation that everybody thinks she is. Before she won as Star for a Night, the talent search produced by Viva Television, Sarah joined – and lost – other singing competitions. She even did a bit part in the Camille Prats starring Sarah Ang Munting Prinsesa (a title that now fits Sarah to a T).

Her win as Star for a Night came with a house and lot and P1 million, part of which was used by the Geronimo family to pay old debts and the tuition fee of Sarah’s siblings and to expand the small family business. And also: A recording contract with Viva Records which produced her debut album, Sarah Geronimo: Popstar A Dream Come True, which has been certified "platinum."

Through it all, Sarah has remained level-headed (she should be, otherwise a premature big-headedness could weigh her down the drain faster than she could say, "Is this all a dream?"). Besides the album, Sarah has also starred in her own (two) smash-hit solo concerts and appeared in two Viva movies, Captain Barbell and Filipinas, both shown at last December’s Metro Filmfest.

Watch Sarah’s star grow even bigger and brighter.

Bublé And Kristine: An ‘Item’ Soon?

In a related story on Page C-6, written by STAR’s music critic Jonathan Chua, Canadian singing heartthrob only (shyly) hinted at his developing friendship with Kristine Hermosa, describing her only as, ehem, "a friend."

But an unimpeachable Funfare DPA said that the two are almost like sweethearts whose feelings for each other have been developed through a regular exchange of e-mails after they first met at ABS-CBN last year when Bublé first came for a concert (he’s featured in another one tomorrow night, Jan. 30, at the PICC and the following night, Jan. 31, in Cebu). It was obviously attraction at first sight. Bublé didn’t have any girlfriend, or so claimed the Funfare DPA, while Kristine was nursing a broken heart after she broke up with Jericho Rosales (now said to be...living-in?... happily ever after with MTB co-host Cindy Kurleto).

Tomorrow night before his PICC concert, Bublé will have a quiet – candlelit, romantic? – dinner with Kristine at an undisclosed place. For sure, Kristine will be in the audience, her heart presumably beating faster and faster as Bublé sings (will he?) for her The Way You Look Tonight – you know, I will feel the glow just thinking of you...

If ever the beautiful friendship blossoms into beautiful love, Bublé will join a growing roster of foreign singers/artists smitten by a local beauty, including Gary Lewis (of the Playboys) to Jinky Suzara (they are divorced), Morris Albert (Feelings, remember?) to Becca Godinez who are also divorced, Julio Iglesias to Isabel Preysler who are also divorced, Michael Caine to Minda Feliciano who are also divorced, and Robin Williams who’s happily married to Marcia Garces (half-Filipina), former nanny to Williams’ child from a previous marriage.

Manghuhula At Ricky Reyes Central

Want your fortune told?

Check out the Manghuhula Festival now going on (until Saturday, Jan. 31), 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Ricky Reyes’ one-stop-beauty-shop Beauty Center at the second floor of the Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan, Metro Manila.

Seven popular and respected fortune-tellers led by Madame Akhilesvari are around to attend to manghuhula enthusiats and believers. Others are Bonita, Babadam, Master Eddie, Jukri, Brother Gem and partners Dayang and Abner. Madame Akhilesvari will give away lucky charms from India and China.

There will be consultations on feng shui, numerology, astrology, palmistry, hand analysis, healing/exorcism, dream analysis, past-life reading, aura and chakra.

Come and let them "tell your fortune." Just give them your hand.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])