As you must have heard by now, Dingdong Dantes gave Marian Rivera a diamond bracelet (carats not revealed) last Christmas and she in turn gave him an expensive Omega watch. They wear their gifts like feathers on their caps.
Marian showed Funfare the bracelet during lunch at the newly-opened Via Mare restaurant (on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City) yesterday where she and movie writer Ernie Pecho, so to speak, smoked the peace pipe. Ernie called Marian “tupperware” (plastic) during the Desparadas 2 presscon in December last year, driving her to tears.
Still and all, Marian (whose new GMA TV starrer with Dingdong, Carlo J. Caparas’ Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang, kicked off last Monday night with a high rating) insisted that the bracelet doesn’t mean that she and Dingdong are “an item,” admitting that even if they are both free/eligible, “We just want to enjoy each other’s company; nakakalabas naman kami, kumakain kami,” but they are not committed to each other...yet?
Is it then only a matter of time before they go beyond being, ehem, just “special friends?”
“I don’t know,” Marian said, then laughed and laughed, covering her face with the right hand on which she wears the bracelet.
“I know the real story. I happened to be the woman closest to Dingdong because of our work, so people suspected that I caused the break-up. Alam ni Kaye na hindi ko inagaw sa kanya si Dingdong.”
Has she crossed paths with Karylle?
“Not yet. It’s not true that we are avoiding each other. I have no problem with Kaye.”
The feeling seems to be mutual.
When Karylle saw Ernie Pecho at the S magazine luncheon the other day, she told him, “Give (Marian) a chance.” Told about it, Marian was touched. “Wow, thank you naman,” she smiled.
Incidentally, one of Marian’s ardent admirers is Carlo Joseph (CJ) Caparas, the handsome artistahin son of Golden Couple Carlo J. Caparas and Donna Villa. CJ was “thrilled to the bone” when he met Marian during the presscon of Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang. Funfare learned that two TV networks are “interested” in CJ who would rather finish first his studies (AB Economics at Ateneo).
“Hindi lang guapo,” said RKC, one of CJ’s ninongs, “mabait din siya at matalino. Marami siyang girls na paluluhain.”
Readers’ reactions
• The “curtain-raiser” item about komiks novelist Ruben Marcelino’s having written a novel titled Ang Misteryo ni Gamaliel Grajo (TSS Komiks) three decades before the critically-acclaimed Brad Pitt starrer The Curious Case of Benjamin Button drew strong reactions from readers (including Tomme Gutz, Macario Tiu, Ardia Igpuara, Gina Biluan-Camus and Elrico Muñoz). The two stories are about a man who ages in reverse. Yes, of course, Button was based on a short story (with the same title) by F. Scott Fitzgerald written in 1921. In fairness to Ruben, all he said was that his komiks serial revolve around the same plot.
• The item on Nora Aunor’s recent concert in L.A. having been “ignored by our kababayan” (according to somebody who was there) elicited violent reactions from Noranians, most of whom reprimanded me and my source (who stands by his story). Here are the three readers who were sensible and cool (and thankfully did not hurl unprintables at me):
• From Cheese (no surname, no address): It was a successful concert. We the audience had fun. Nora didn’t bungle up the lyrics but her back-up singers...Most of the tickets sold were the $150’s, $75’s and $50’s. People from Canada, Las Vegas, Arizona and Northern California came to support her. My husband and I drove for four and a half hours from Las Vegas to watch the concert...One of those in the audience was a 94-year-old lady who was called to the stage by Nora and who said, “Now that I have seen you in person, I can die.”
• From Albert (also no surname, no address): To set the record, straight, Nora’s recent concert was not ignored by our kababayan in the US. More than 90 percent of the venue was occupied by the Noranians. And, yes, because the concert was quite long, she intentionally did not sing some of the songs included in her repertoire (overtime means additional expenses on the part of the producer). It’s really unfair to say that the concert was snubbed by our kababayan because it was not.
• And for the information of reader Angeline Sapungan: No, Iya Villania did not graduate cum laude with a B.S. Psychology degree from La Salle (as a Funfare item weeks ago mentioned that she might) because she was an irregular (not a “full-load” student. Iya’s manager Arnold Vegafria confirmed though that Iya was an honor student and a Dean’s Lister. “It’s my other alaga, Carla Avellana, who graduated cum laude, also with a B.S. Psychology degree,” added Arnold.
Fr. Joey Faller’s healing sked
Here’s Fr. Joey Faller’s healing schedule for the rest of February:
• Feb. 5, at St. Ignatius Church, Tituan, Zamboanga;
• Feb. 6, at Damar Village, Quezon City, 6 p.m.;
• Feb. 7, at Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 8, SM Bacoor, Bacoor, Cavite, 9 a.m.;
• Feb. 9, Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 10, at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cebu City, 7 p.m.;
• Feb. 11, Sariaya, Quezon Healing Explosion, 5 p.m.;
• Feb. 12, at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pasig City, 12:15 p.m.;
• Feb. 14, at Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 15, at NBN Channel 4, 8 a.m.;
• Feb. 16, Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 17, at Buklod ng Pag-Ibig, Balete St. Extension, Quezon City, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 18 at Dambana ng Ina ng Laging Saklolo in Cabanatuan City at 2 p.m.;
• Feb. 21, at Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 22, SM Bacoor, Bacoor, Cavite, 9 a.m.;
• Feb. 23, Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.;
• Feb. 24, at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Barangay Balatong, Laoag City, 4 p.m.;
• Feb. 27, at Export Bank, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, 12 noon; and Metropolitan Hospital, Masangkay St., Sta. Cruz, Manila, 7 p.m.; and
• Feb. 28, at Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon, 9:30 a.m.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)