Richard has good reason to rejoice

First confirmation (for Royalty-watchers): Somebody is giving birth middle of this month (that’s anytime now!) and the whole world is guessing what the gender of her child is and what the name will be. Clue: Her first name has “A” and her surname has an “I” and an “L”.

Second confirmation: Richard Gutierrez (photo) has a good reason to rejoice. Reason: His GMA contract has expired and he has decided to go freelancing, for him to be able to try something new. It’s a new-found independence and Richard can sing, Free again! Independent me free again…Time for celebration now, time to have a party, a party..!

Gladys’ precious moments

Like most everybody, I like Gladys Reyes as a villainess; she’s so hatefully effective that you want to wring her neck.

But I like (nay, love!) Gladys even more when she’s herself… that is, as host of the feel-good Net25 show Moments…she’s so cool, so relaxed and so spontaneous (as if she isn’t following a script/idiot board) that you want to hug her and ask her, “How do you do it? How can you be so casually natural face-to-face with your guests who are mostly from the A-List?” (Trivia: Gladys told Funfare that she likes the word “A-List” so much because, she joked, “It makes me feel so class at parang tumataas ang status at market value ko.”)

And she just loves to recount her precious moments with her guests who very kindly welcome Gladys to their homes for their one-on-one, including…

 Former First Lady Imelda Marcos

Gladys: I interviewed her at the old Marcos residence in San Juan City. As usual, Ma’am Imelda was dressed to the nines, ayos na ayos from head to foot. She’s very charming, very charismatic. After our interview, she invited me to a quick tour of the museum across where we were. Mantakin mo, naka-heels siya at naka-long gown pero she walked with me at hindi man lang siya humingal. And to think that she’s already more than 80 years old!

 Sen. Bong Revilla and wife Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado

Gladys: Sen. Bong is very funny; ibang-iba siya in person from what you see on TV and in his movies. May pagka-comedian pala siya. I asked him about his marriage and he said in all seriousness “Lani used to be a Wonder Woman because she kept on wondering kung nasaan ako,” adding with a laugh, “Now, iba na siya; She’s already a Congresswoman.”

 Ryan Agoncillo and wife Judy Ann Santos (against whom Gladys played kontrabida in the original ABS-CBN weepy soap Mara Clara)

Gladys: They don’t hide things; willing to discuss their family life and even the rumors about their marriage. I didn’t have to ask them about the rumors, they just started talking about them. Juday said that when she kept on hearing about the tsismis, she told Ryan, “Hindi ko alam na hiwalay na pala tayo.” They can talk freely about the tsismis that’s why I know that it’s not true.

Bong and Lani, and Ryan and Judy Ann are among Gladys’ celebrity-couple guests in this month as Moments (airing Saturdays at 7 p.m. with replays on Sundays 3 to 4 p.m.) enters its 22nd season, featuring guests that perhaps no other such show can invite in the seven years it’s been airing on Net25. Other guests include Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and wife Sharon Cuneta, Dawn Zulueta and husband Rep. Anton Lagdameo, Richard Poon and wife Maricar Reyes, and Sen. Grace Poe (Gladys’ former boss at the MTRCB where she’s one of the 30-plus members) and husband Neil Llamanzares whose episode was shot at the MTRCB office during Gladys’ birthday bash last week.

Starting from now, Gladys is also co-producing Moments (under her and husband Christopher [Roxas] Sommereux’s own company GPRSSommereux Incorporated). Christopher has joined the show as co-host, together with their kids Christophe (seven years old) and Aquisha (five) for the kiddie segments. Their youngest child is Grant (almost three years old).

On cam or during off-guarded moments like during the recent merienda presscon, Gladys is a sight to behold and a joy to listen to, so animated and so full of stories about her “precious moments” that you wonder if she’s ever quiet.

“At home,” she said with a laugh, “I’m the same. I do most of the talking.”

Understandably so. Husband Christopher is shy and quiet, so they complement each other.

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