Where, oh, where art thou, Leonardo?

August came and went, and so did September. October is into its last few days and soon, it will be November.

And like Claire Danes as Juliet in the movie Romeo & Juliet, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays Romeo, fans must be asking, “Where, oh, where art thou, Leonardo?”

You see, as Funfare reported the “scoop” a few months ago, Leonardo was supposed to come in originally in August, then moved to September, to help “sanitize” the image of the Philippines. According to information received by Funfare, Leonardo was to stay for one week at an uppity “environment-friendly” resort in Bicol but while here, he would be guarded and protected by a cordon sanitaire befitting a superstar.

The sad news is that the negotiations have been aborted due to, well, “miscommunication” between the PR company and the invited sponsors and the group in touch with Leonardo in the States. Initially, Leonardo would have been paid $1.5-M (roughly P70-M) for a week-long stay which was cut to four days and then to just overnight which was much too short for Leonardo to fulfill the itinerary. Sponsors have to get their money’s worth, you know, and that would have been fair enough.

Then, third week of August the hostage drama at the Rizal Park happened which unfortunately gave the country’s image abroad a black eye. Naturally, people around Leonardo got worried.

Anyway, to make a rather murky story a bit clearer, the whole thing was scrapped.

But yes, it’s true. There was really a plan to bring Leonardo here and Leonardo knew about it. But then, sometimes the well-laid plans of mice and men do go awry, don’t they?

Will Leonardo still come maybe next year or…maybe never?

Will Shintaro Valdez resurface on TV5?

Fans have been wondering whatever happened to Shintaro Valdez who was a contract star with Viva Films until he simply disappeared from the showbiz amidst juicy rumors.

The good news (for Shintaro-watchers) is that he just might make a comeback soon — perhaps on TV5?

Now 40, Shintaro is as fit and as macho as ever and, he said, that’s thanks to Immuvit multi-vitamin that he’s endorsing, and a healthy diet and regular exercise that included boxing which he quit when he started competitive cycling in 2002. He’s a designated sprinter for the Liquified Petroleum Marketers Association (LPGA) American Vinyl Cycling Team.

“I’ve actually been cycling since I was in high school,” Shintaro was quoted in an Immuvit press release. “I started out as a BMX rider, then transitioned into a mountain biker in the late ‘90s before switching to road bikes (racer type) in 2000.”

His recent accomplishments include finishing first place on a team time trial at the Tour of Macapagal in 2008 and placing second on a team time trial at the Tour of Clark this year.

Shintaro should return to showbiz. First thing he should do is clear the rumors about his private life on Paparazzi, TV5’s showbiz talk show reputed to “tell all” and to spare no one. TV5 is where Shintaro’s heart should be.

Willie’s ‘past’ is Victor’s ‘present’

As Funfare reported a few months ago, Willie Revillame’s ex-wife Liz Almoro has found a new love in the person of Victor Aliwalas. At first, Liz (who has a son with Willie) said that she and Victor, a Fil-Am, were “just friends” (the usual alibi of showbiz couples vainly trying to hide the true state of their relationship). But now, they are seen more often in public, once at the John Mayer concert and at the recent first Philippines gala show of international Filipino designer Furne One at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La.

Curiously, Willie was also in the same affair but he didn’t cross paths with Liz and Victor. Yes, they deliberately stayed away from each other, with Willie at one end of the ballroom and Liz and Victor at the opposite end. Victor was quoted as saying that, can you believe it, he didn’t know who Willie was until he decided to come home for good and pursue a showbiz career. But Willie’s defunct show Wowowee was beamed across the US (and other places abroad) via The Filipino Channel, so how could Victor have missed Willie? Or hasn’t Liz told Victor about her immediate past?

Asked if he has also found a new love, Willie said yes, he has.

And what could be the name of his new love?

“Willing Willie,” said Willie laughing, referring to his new show on TV5 (now airing 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 5 to 7 p.m. Saturdays).

By the way, Furne One’s show was an annual fashion fund-raising of the Philippine National Red Cross organized by Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga.

Stars’ healthy thoughts and ‘other health starts’

“I believe that to be a healthy citizen and to impart a healthy attitude towards our fellow countrymen and nation, we just have to begin with ourselves. It’s not easy. Follow the clear regimen — Eat well, keep away from alcohol, cigarets and similar bad habits…”

That tip comes from Boboy Garovillo of The APO, responding to the call of journalist Marc Guerrero who has launched a “What are your healthy thoughts?” campaign in his Facebook account.

“I’m inviting the general public as well to join,” said Marc who calls it a public-service contest dubbed The 100-Day Healthstart for The Philippines Idea-Challenge which he put up for the Institute of Health and Wellness Philippines Foundation Inc.

Marc will give 10 premium medical-value OneHealthCards as prizes for the 10 best entries which will be judged by Jan. 18, 2011. The rules are available in Facebook http:/www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=36803805705.

Briefly noted

•What do Kris Aquino, Edu Manzano, Vicki Belo, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Katrina Ponce Enrile, former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Ejay Falcon, Keanna Reeves and Queenie Padilla have in common? They have fallen in love with MedChef cakes and pastries. Among the favorites of these celebrities are Lemon Merengue Pie (Dragon Ball Pie), Bread Pudding Crème Brulee (Pudding Me Softly), Molten Chocolate Decadence (Decadence ’70), Concorde (Cake Ko ‘to) and Flourless White Chocolate Mango Torte (Torte Fast, Torte Furious). Medchef is located at 139 Mother Ignacia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, right across from the ABS-CBN Tower Entrance.

•From reader Ito:

My brother brought our mom to watch the recent concert of Jack Jones. My mom is 86 years old and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease already. She can hardly remember anything and has gotten very lazy to think at all. What a pleasant surprise it was when she was singing almost all the songs and remembering the lyrics as she sang along with Pareng Jack! Alzheimer’s is such a strange disease and while my mom’s brain is fading away, somewhere deep inside it are all the memories of her life and her youth! It just took Jack Jones to bring them out again!

 Thank God for music, thank God for old singers! They never die, they’re just stuck in our brain somewhere!

Incidentally, reacting to this writer’s review of his Big Dome show, Jack sent the following note through Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions which produced the concert: Dear Ricky, I know you don’t give those reviews away. I am grateful for your opinion! You can interrupt my dinner anytime. JJ.

•Oops! The last song sung by the five performers at last Saturday’s Hitman David Foster and Friends at the Big Dome was Earth Song by Michael Jackson (not What About Us). Also, When I Fall In Love was a duet between Natalie Cole and Ruben Studdard as correctly noted in the caption and not between Natalie and Peter Cetera as wrongly mentioned in the main story…From reader Noel Ibañez (also a rejoinder to the same show): Miss You Like Crazy stars John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo and not Sam Milby and Anne Curtis. (Natalie sang the song in the concert.)

•Marvin Agustin (photo) is confirmed as one of the judges in the deliberation of the entries in this year’s Brussels Film Festival. He’s the first Filipino to be accorded that honor. “I’m very excited and happy,” said Marvin who is in the cast of Beauty Queen, the new GMA soap. Filipino artists are big favorites in the Brussels Filmfest where they win every year. Past winners include Albert Martinez and Nora Aunor.

Christian spends birthday with special children in Indonesia

On Oct. 19 which was his birthday, Christian Bautista spent the day at Yayasan Pemelihara Anak-Anal Cacat, Asiansation in Indonesia for a workshop with special school children for Jayden’s Choir, his first international feature film produced by Nations Pictures. Before lunch break where a presscon was held, the school prepared a surprise greeting from the teachers, then the kids brought out a cake for Christian. The wall behind the presscon table opened to another room where kids in wheelchairs sang Happy Birthday. In the evening, Christian hosted a party for the movie’s cast and crew. As requested, Filipino dishes were served.

Birthday and blessing

Long-time friends Eddie Baddeo and Dolly Salcedo, owner of Baliuag Lechon chain of restaurants, recently bonded at the blessing of her new plant in Pasig City. It was also Dolly’s birthday which she celebrated with her husband Edgar and siblings Baliaug CEO Sarabeth Salcedo and Ira. Right photo (from left): Sarabeth, Kumon owner/teacher Jacqueline Samson, Baliuag endorser Daiana Menezes, Baddeo and Dolly; and (above) Cristy Fermin and businessman Edgar Medina.

—Reported by CARLO OROSA

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