Duet with Manny
Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow has expressed eagerness in visiting the Philippines and recording a duet with boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. In an interview with GMA 7’s news programme, 24 Oras (24 Hours), the actress, according to People magazine said she would love to have a duet with Pacquio so she could “entertain the Filipinos”. Paltrow said she would leave it to Filipino fans to choose the song that she would sing with the sports icon. The interview was aired shortly after Paltrow’s movie, Iron Man 3, broke box office records in the Philippines for having the biggest opening day take at the tills with Dh5.7 million.
Family feud
What once known only as a fight between sisters has now become a family feud. Sisters Gretchen and Claudine Barretto are apparently at odds again, thanks to some nasty potshots posted by the former on her Instagram account last week. Nothing surprising there as the two have been bitterly fighting before, until they supposedly made up late last year. But what shocked the public was when their mother, Inday Barretto, sent a letter to the media publicly defending Claudine against the “evil” Gretchen. Then their brother Joaquin came out with his own statement refuting their mother’s side of the story. Soon after, another sibling Gia, who is based in the US, came out firing against Gretchen, accusing her of hurting the family. The fight continues to be the hottest topic in local showbusiness, but both Claudine and Gretchen have yet to make their own statements about the issue, something the public is eagerly looking forward to hearing about.
Leaving GMA?
Singing diva Regine Velasquez bid her Sunday variety show goodbye last week, prompting kibitzers to speculate that she’s leaving GMA 7 to follow her husband, singer/composer Ogie Alcasid, who is rumoured to be transferring to rival station TV 5. But Velasquez quickly denied the rumours, saying she is just leaving the show for a brief period to rest her throat, which has been badly affected with her continuing problems with acid reflux. The singer dubbed Asia’s Songbird said she will be on leave for a month, after which she will resume hosting duties.
Severed ties
Another GMA artist rumoured to be transferring is Marian Rivera, who announced last week she has severed ties with her long-time handler, Popoy Caritativo. Rivera said she has left Caritativo’s talent management agency and is open to doing projects with other networks once her contract expires in August. The primetime TV queen said she was just looking to take her career to a different direction, and left Caritativo’s stable of talents in good terms.
