The 30 Days experiment

Curtain-raisers:

• Yes, I tune in to Winnie Cordero and Ariel Ureta’s DZMM radio program Todo-Todo Walang Preno (10 to 11:30 a.m.) everyday except Saturdays and Sundays when they have no show, not because it offers such a welcome relief from the traffic hassles from Fairview to The STAR Port Area office but more so because Winnie and Ariel are such a delightful tandem that they can be addictive. I also have fun sending text messages to Winnie (radio’s Miss Effervescent, I should say) and answering the show’s Sino ang Maysabi portion. Keep up the good work, Winnie and Ariel!

• Maryo delos Reyes’ Naglalayag is competing in this year’s (Nov. 2 to 7) Brussels International Film Festival where the Philippines is a suki that wins year in and year out (well, almost!). Among the Brussels past winners were Vilma Santos, Cesar Montano, Albert Martinez and Naglalayag star Nora Aunor who, believe me, will again bring home the plum. Suki, e!

• If you like magic, drop by the Moomba Bar & Restaurant tomorrow, Aug. 13, and enjoy magician Eric Mana’s thousand and one tricks. The show, with Wave 89.1 as co-presentor, also features Francis Soriano and Thor. Showtime is 9 p.m.

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Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, a lucky day for one of the three (from an original 10) remaining participants in GMA 7’s trend-setting show 30 Days, demurely hosted by Lorna Tolentino (more energy, please, LT, more energy!).

Will "it" be (the Second Chancer)? Raven Villanueva or Dino Guevarra? Or Biboy Ramirez?

The show has been a learning experience for all 10 competitors (also including Janna Victoria, Dale Villar, William Theo, Diego Castro, Jackie Forster, Anna Larrucea and Bianca Lapuz).

"In less than 30 days," said Raven, ex-wife of Diego, "I learned on the show what I didn’t in my years in showbiz – I learned how to act from the heart. Before, basta arte-arte lang, very mechanical. But thanks to directors Laurice Guillen and Joel Lamangan (among the show’s ‘facilitators’), talagang natuto akong umarte."

Interacting with her fellow "second chancers" (stars whose careers hit a snag after a good start), according to Raven, helped her deal with the "demons" in her life, prompting her to reveal what she said "things that the public didn’t know."

One such "hidden" aspect of Raven’s life was her stormy marriage to Diego, by whom she has a daughter, Angelica, five-years old.

"Because of the show," said Raven whose "bold’ launching three years ago was aborted, "Diego and I sorted out our differences and we became friends. Now, we share custody of Angelica who stays with me on weekdays and with Diego on weekends."

Raven and Diego (son of Angelo Castro and June Keithley) got married in San Francisco in 1998 and divorced in 2001.

"We were young then," said Raven sans regrets. "It turned out that we were not compatible." (Diego has two other love children by two different women.)

During the "lie detector" segment of 30 Days, Raven and Diego almost clashed anew when Diego misintrepreted what Raven said.

"He thought that I blamed him for the slump in my career because he got me pregnant. I never blamed anybody, not even my daughter. Nagsisi ako because of the time na nasayang when I got pregnant pero hindi ko sinisi si Diego o ang anak namin."

Now that she’s back, thanks to 30 Days, Raven says she won’t ever leave again, even if she has to do bit roles ("Kahit taga-abot lang ng kape," she jokes).

Like Raven, Dino Guevarra never realized how much he loved showbiz until he got out of it due to circumstances beyond his control. Dino was doing well, having starred in more than a dozen films and a few TV shows. But things turned upside-down when his being an unwed father (of two, by the same girl) became an ugly controversy. His career was damaged considerably.

"I started in showbiz at 10," said Dino (who’s now being managed again by Dolor Guevarra, no relation although Dino dropped his real surname Ross and adopted Dolor’s surname). "I’m now 25. So many things have happened in-between."

No regrets, though, he said, because his real-life experiences, especially the sad/bitter ones, have helped him become a better actor.

"You have to know pain to be able to act well," he said, more determined than ever to regain his place in the business.

The son of the inventor of Vulca-Seal, Dino earns extra bucks by buying and selling cars. He’s married to Kim delos Santos who’s suffering from hyper-thyroidism that makes her gain weight, thus preventing her from resuming her own acting career.

"She needs an operation," said Dino.

If Friday the 13th is his lucky day, Dino might win the plum (including more than P300,000 in cash and a contract with GMA 7).

"Gagamitin ko ang pera para ipagamot si Kim," he promised.

Dino has been getting high ratings on the show’s acting (especially drama) department and in the texters’ choice, too. (His and Kim’s fans may vote for him by simply texting his name, dino, and sending it to 2364 Globe or 4627 Smart.)

Matt Damon And Pinoy Martial Arts

When you watch Matt Damon’s new hit starrer, The Bourne Supremacy (sequel to The Bourne Identity) and wonder how he could be so good at martial arts, pat yourself on the back because Matt has mastered a Pinoy martial arts form called kali for the movie.

Matt himself said so in an interview for the latest issue of Playboy magazine, quote-unquote:

Are you a gun guy off screen, like your character in the Bourne movies?

Matt: "I don’t like guns, and I really am scared of them – not scared in the sense that I wouldn’t pick one up; I mean just respectful. Too many things can go wrong with a gun in your house, so I don’t own one, but I’m pretty good with them, because for the movie I did hundreds of hours of training with a former SWAT team shotgunner who had worked with Benicio Del Toro on Traffic.

"I was concerned, especially in the first Bourne movie that I do not look like f––g Opie, so I spent six months studying a Filipino martial arts form called kali. Then I worked with guns – holding, shooting – so that for the brief moments I hold one in the movies it looks as if I’ve done it a thousand times before."

What Did Joey De Leon Really Say?

Eat, Bulaga! host Joey de Leon is now serving a two-month suspension (imposed by the MTRCB) for uttering, pardon the word, tsupa (street-corner word for fellatio) during the show’s game show in which a gay was participant.

The MTRCB viewed and reviewed a tape of Bulaga! before imposing the penalty on Joey.

But Jako de Leon, Joey’s son who studies at Fordham University, said he heard otherwise. Here’s Jako’s letter to Funfare:

I was able to catch the Eat Bulaga portion TKO last July 30, where my Dad, Joey de Leon, supposedly uttered the word "chupa" several times according to the MTRCB. Before this, my Dad was reminding the contestant that all he needed was another win for him to rest and wait to be challenged later. At this point, my Dad playfully and in his usual "pa-gay" talk said, "Okay, tsapa, tsapa, tsapa…!" (one more, one more, more more…/isa pa, isa pa, isa pa…). And maybe to some, it sounded like "chupa" which I think was not my Dad’s intention at all. At this juncture, the gay contestant likewise playfully replied, "Ay, gusto ko yan!" or something to that effect. Perhaps, this made the situation "worse". But in fairness to my Dad, when he heard this "ecstatic" reaction from the contestant and sensing that things might go overboard, he ignored the said response and proceeded with the game. Definitely, my Dad did not say "chupa" to mean something vulgar. However, I would like to extend my apologies to those who thought otherwise.

I know my Dad well. He can be pilyo at times but he sure knows when to stop. Eat Bulaga, being in its 25th year, still reigns as the longest running and most successful noontime show in the country. I think it is fair to say that the show would not hold this distinction without my Dad’s participation in and contributions to it. My Dad loves the show immensely and its goals of bringing laughter and hope into the lives of Filipinos. Having mentioned all these, it is important that I emphasize how he would not deliberately put Eat Bulaga and subsequently his career in jeopardy. Mabuhay ka Dad! You’re my chupa-man! – Jako de Leon Fordham University

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