Will Salisi Gang derail Charice guesting in London show?

Now it can be told: Charice Pempengco is being invited to guest in the Paul O’Grady Show in London, which is just as popular in that country as Ellen DeGeneres’ self-titled show in the US.

This was the “secret” first mentioned by Funfare Update several issues ago in the story about Charice and her mom Raquel’s trip to New York early this year to negotiate with a recording company and at the same time to celebrate Raquel’s birthday.

In that New York trip, the first for the mother and daughter, they were accompanied by immigration lawyer and STAR columnist Michael J. Gurfinkel who fast-tracked the processing of their US visa to enable them to keep their date with Ellen.

As we all know, Charice’s Ellen guesting, which left DeGeneres teary-eyed, was a hit.

But Charice and Raquel’s trip to London might be derailed by a Salisi Gang which victimized them Wednesday night in Barrio Real, Calamba, Laguna, while they were having dinner at a restaurant. The gang took with them the Pempengcos’ bag containing two cell phones, wallets and, the most valuable items inside, their passports.

Mother and daughter are scheduled to leave for London second week of this month but they have yet to apply for British visas.

Charice and Raquel, together with the Manila office of Gurfinkel, are appealing to the Salisi Gang members to please, please, please return the passports (never mind the other items). The gang members, who must also come from Laguna, should know who Charice is and they should take heart. (Note: The culprits may get in touch with Norrie of Gurfinkel’s office at landline 894-0239. Don’t worry, everything will be confidential.)

Readers’ reactions

• rom Brenda Leocario: I am just reacting to what Mr. Bruce Conte alleged in the Funfare story yesterday about Earth, Wind & Fire. I live here in the Bay Area, San Francisco, and I have watched EWF’s concerts a couple of times at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. Sorry, but the other EWF group (Not the Al McKay group performing in a series of shows here. — RFL) performed “live.” Philip Bailey (Of “the other group.” — RFL) does the vocals and Verdine White is still on the guitar. They have a woman in the group now and I think she is Philip’s wife. Philip Bailey’s group toured Brazil and Chile last month, and is scheduled to go on another tour of Germany and The Netherlands this month.

• From “Allen” and “Kat”: With regards to your article Let Ne-Yo Love You last Feb. 24, I refer you to the following paragraph: What’s your all-time favorite song? “I have not just one but many favorite songs. One is Lady in My Life by Michael Jackson. Another is Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic by Prince. Certainly by Billy Ocean. One more would have to be Written in the Sky by Stevie Wonder. I think he meant Ribbon in the Sky.

• From “R LL”, Delfin Cruz, Agnes Caruso and Romeo Andal (on the recent Geneva Cruz story): Seattle (where Geneva and husband KC Montero live with KC’s family) is in Washington State and not in Washington DC. The two are always mistaken as one and the same. To clarify, Washington State where Seattle (made famous by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sleepless in Seattle movie, Bill Gates and Microsoft, Starbucks, etc.) is located in the West Coast, which shares boundaries with Oregon in the south, Vancouver BC (Canada, in the north), Pacific Ocean in the west, and Montana and Idaho in the east. Washington DC (District of Colombia), home of the White House, is in the East Coast.

What’s up?

• Ang Lihim ni Antonio has been excluded from Director’s Cut: Mga Eksenang Dapat Mong Nakita Pero..., a festival of controversial uncut films slated from March 5 to 7 at the Cine Adarna in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Instead, Ang Lalake sa Parola (by Jay Altarejos) will be shown on the slot reserved for Lalake, March 5, starting at 9 p.m. Lalake is the story of a lighthouse caretaker who falls in love with another man as the former’s girlfriend struggles to win him back.

• The new works of painter Christian Tamondong pay homage to animalandia in an exhibit titled Zoo Lala. Tamondong’s ninth solo exhibition opens at 6:30 tomorrow night, March 1, at Gallery Art Verite on the second level of Shops at the Serendra, The Fort in Taguig City. The exhibit will run for two weeks. Tamondong, who has previously exhibited in Indonesia and Singapore, says the animal-inspired show germinated during his six-week holiday in Thailand, where he noted how well the Thais took care of their animals, not just pets. Common animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, among others, make their way into Tamondong’s artistic menagerie reflecting his fascination with colors and shapes. Tamondong finished Fine Arts, Major in Painting, at the Philippine Women’s University. Gallery Art Verite can be reached at tel. no. 915-1982 or 0917-3296273.

• Lastikman, your favorite elastic Pinoy superhero, will be seen at the Gateway Trade Hall of the Araneta Center, and in some of your favorite malls at 10 a.m. tomorrow, March 1, at the second Toys, Anime, Gaming, Cosplay and Movies (TAGCOM) convention titled The Gathering, sponsored by ABS-CBN Licensing. It’s a whole-day affair with activities and booths for kids and adults who are into these kinds of stuff. ABS-CBN will be staging a booth that sells premier ABS-CBN collectibles, and at 1:30 to 2 p.m. There will be a meet-and-greet activity with Lastikman. Afterwards, Lastikman and the team will visit the following areas: SM Cubao, Children’s Wear section at 2:30 p.m.; SM South Mall, Character Shop, 4:30 p.m.; and Toy Kingdom, 5:30 p.m.

• NBN 4 will air the recent Aliw Awards Night in as a TV special tonight from 10 to 12 midnight, according to AAFI president Rema T. Manzano. The two-hour special, directed by Junne Quintana, features numbers rendered by Bungkos Palay of Nueva Ecija. Performers at the Aliw night were Faith Cuneta, Miguel Aguila, Retrospect, Tosca & Rox Puno, Rachelle Gerodias & George Yang, Reuben Laurenti, Ayen Munji Laurel, Julia Abueva, Pal Chorale, Olivia, Cast of Moises, Lance Raymundo, Frida Nepomuceno, Jordan Aguilar and Nina. The TV special will show Regine Velasquez, the new Entertainer of the Year, receiving the Aliw Applause trophy and the Presidential Tropy donated by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, from Rep. Annie Susano, assisted by founding president Alice H. Reyes, past president Leo Baluyut, current president Rema Manzano and QC Councilor Ariel Inton. Supporting the show are Manila Bulletin, PAGCOR, PCSO and Jade Vine.

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