Alfred's double victory

Curtain-raisers:

• Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers for our dear friend Alice Ojeda Martinez of New York City on the sudden loss of her two sisters in a span of three weeks. Her sister Violeta “Bon” Ojeda-Sison passed away on June 30 at Lenox Hospital in Manhattan following a stroke; while her other sister, Corazon “Sony” Ojeda-Qui, succumbed to aneurysm in Nagoya, Japan, on her way back to Manila from New York on June 10. While families all over the US were spending the long weekend celebrating the Fourth of July (America’s Independence Day), the Ojeda clan was mourning during Violeta’s two-day wake over the weekend.

• The ABS-CBN showbiz talk show The Buzz is undergoing reformatting effective on Sunday, July 11. Kris Aquino, who bade the show goodbye two Sundays ago, will be replaced by Toni Gonzaga. Co-hosts Boy Abunda and KC Concepcion will stay but Phoemela Barranda and Jobert Sucaldito will be assigned as field reporters.

• How can you tell if a star has been “Botoxed” or undergone cosmetic surgery (salamat po, duktor!)? Here are some tell-tale signs (according to specialists): Pointed nose that seems to have been pressed (by a clothespin?) and never went back to its original shape, puffy cheeks, “tilapia” lips that seem to have been bitten by a horde of bees, unnaturally “chinky” eyes, taut face (“Botoxed!!!”) that seems ready to crack when he/she smiles (remember the characters in the movie Scanner?) and chin that seems to have been chopped a few centimeters shorter. There are a lot of such “new” faces in our midst.

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If Alfred Vargas is walking on Cloud 9 it’s because he continues to savor a twin — his having been elected councilor of the second district of Quezon City and his being named Best Actor (for the 2009 Cinemalaya entry Colorum), tie with co-star Lou Veloso, in the first (and probably the last) Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Awards given last June 25, spearheaded by MTRCB chairman Consoliza Laguardia (keep up the good work, Ma’am!).

But Alfred still has to win one more battle --- the battle with the bulge.

You see, during the hectic May 10 elections campaign, his first ever foray into the political arena, Alfred gained so many pounds that he now looks more like a konsehal (in crisp Polo Barong by Randy Ortiz) than the hunk (in skimpy trunks) he used to be.

“But I’m winning,” said Alfred the other day when he met with a handful of movie writers over lunch at Romulo’s Café. “I gained more than 20 pounds. I’ve shed four; 16 more to go.”

A B.S. Management graduate from Ateneo, Alfred recently took a week-long crash course in Public Administration in UP together with other newcomers in public service like Manny Pacquiao (congressman from Sarangani), Lucy Torres-Gomez (congresswoman from Ormoc City) with her husband Richard Gomez (her adviser), Lani Mercado (congresswoman from Cavite) and Daisy Reyes (councilor from Pateros).

Alfred had a first-hand look at the pressing problems in his district during the house-to-house campaign when he discovered that those in depressed areas were far happier, even if wanting in material things, than those in richer places.

“There are more ‘informal settlers’ (euphemism for squatters) in the second district than in any other district of Quezon City,” said Alfred who took his oath of office last July 1 before newly-elected Q.C. Mayor Herbert Bautista, witnessed by newly-elected (and also political newcomer) Q.C. Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte. “I know that most of those who voted for me came from those areas and I’m grateful to them.

While Alfred is putting on hold his plan to marry his non-showbiz girlfriend, he will go on with his showbiz career.

“I can devote time to shoots after my work as councilor,” assured Alfred.

In fact, during the campaign, he managed to squeeze in time to shoot (for 10 days) for the indie Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio, directed by Mario O’Hara for the Cinemalaya which opens on Friday, July 9 at CCP. Alfred plays the title role, while Lance Raymundo (more on him in tomorrow’s Funfare) as Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

“It tackles controversial issues,” said Alfred. “When I saw it, I told myself, ‘Ang hirap pala ng ginawa ko, a.’ It’s a good movie. You should watch it.”

Unsolicited advice for Kris and James

The real-life KrisJames soap is becoming crazier and crazier, with new subplots, twists-and-turns, and “characters” thrown in every day.

Now, the grapevine is linking Kris not only to “an older, influential and prominent politician,” but also to, among others, Gerald Anderson, Coco Martin, a newly-elected widower Metro Manila mayor and a very much married senator.

As she prepares to leave tomorrow night for the US with son Baby James (without son Joshua and estranged husband James Yap who has left the couple’s conjugal home and moved to a bachelor’s pad), Kris only laughs off those wild rumors.

Meanwhile, here’s an unsolicited advice for the un-couple from Dr. Randy Dellosa (photo), showbiz psychologist and relationship counselor:

Kris and James should go into counseling for them to own up to their faults, have a civil, respectful relationship, re-establish their friendship, accept each other and hopefully, restore that feeling of love.

Then and only then, can their wounds start to heal.

Kris and James can restore the feeling they had for each other when they got married in hush-hush rites in 2007. Kris is still hurting from James’ past wrongs. But they can at least be friends for the sake of Baby James and their family.

James’ statement about sticking it out with Kris is borne out of fear and convenience. But should James stand by his decision, Kris should learn how to fight fairly.

By fighting fairly, I mean focusing on behavior, not character and not digging up the past and resorting to insults. It’s good to separate and cool off first in order to get back and resolve issues.

Separation is useless if the intense emotions are unguided. The problems may return all over again.

(Note: Dr. Randy Dellosa can be reached through tel. nos. 415-6529, 415-7964 or www.randydellosa.com)

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