Manila Magic

Just friends

"No we are just friends," is Nancy Castiliogne's response to being linked to John Pratts. The two were recently spotted at a coffee shop. Castiliogne adds that she treats Pratts as her brother. The two actors also share the same manager.

Another couple who continue to spout the 'We're just friends' line is Joey Marquez and Alicia Mayer. The two are often spotted together but prefer to keep their relationship an open secret.

Album with a twist

Ara Mina is launching a new album entitled Moving On. Produced by Jimmy Bondoc, it will mainly consist of old songs except for a new Ogie Alcasid composition titled Kailan Ka Magiging Akin. The album is supposed to reflect the actress's love life and how she recovered from the hurt.

Hosting Cupid

A host of pre-Valentine's Day programmes should keep lovebirds happy in the days leading to D-day. Regine and Ogie will be hosting a pre-Valentine concert on February 10 and 11 called Forever After. The concert is billed as a sequel to their successful concert in 2004. Rico J. Puno and Ai Ai De Las Alas will be the guest stars. Rachel Alejandro, Vina Morales and Geneva Cruz   will host a pre-Valentine's show entitled How to get the Guy! on February 10, 11 and 13 while Maricar De Masa co-hosts a Valentine's Day special on February 14 with Jeni Hernandez and Cherry Lou.

Quick takes

- Comeback villain Carlos Agassi is back after a brief hiatus from television. He will be seen playing villain in the fantasy series Panday. "My character is called Jafir and I play Lizardo's right hand," says the actor.

- Back to films? Ina Raymundo made a surprise entry at her former manager's birthday party. Raymundo has not been on the scene these last four years as she has been devoting time to her two daughters. Raymundo did drop hints that she was in favour of accepting roles in films but also added that she would still prefer hosting TV shows as it allowed her to interact directly with her audience.

- Back home again Arnell Ignacio (right) is back with his former network GMA. Ignacio was welcomed by GMA executive Wilma Galvante when he visited GMA Networks to discuss his upcoming show titled Now Na! ( Ang Game na Pang-Good Time). The show will be aired on channel QTV11.

- Inspired Sharon Cuneta admits to being lucky at having a large fan following despite her age. The 40-year-old star says that she realised a lot of things while on her six-city tour last year but what really opened her eyes and made her count her blessings was when she performed in Dubai. She says: "Most of the Overseas Filipino Workers ( OFWs) don't have their families around them and I came to learn this after getting to interact with my fans in Dubai. I consider myself really lucky to have my family around me." Cuneta goes on to say that she was honoured to perform in Dubai and was inspired by the OFWs here.