Leading ladies' man

If there is one actor who seems to be comfortable playing lead to different ladies, it's drama prince JC de Vera.

De Vera has been paired with Yasmin Kurdi a lot, and the team-up has rewarded the stars with several top-rating programmes. Soon De Vera will be paired with another controversial teen star, Rhian Ramos, and the combination seems to be generating a lot of buzz.

De Vera and Ramos will be starring in a TV series which will put the love team to a test. If talk about the new love team is any indication, this new pairing will be just as successful as the De Vera-Kurdi team-up.

Even before he gets to Ramos, however, De Vera is being paired with former off-screen partner Michelle Madrigal in the movie, My Monster Mom. The film will be released shortly and will prove whether or not De Vera indeed has crowd-pulling power no matter whom he is paired with.

Just being John

One of the more enigmatic actors in the business, John Lloyd Cruz celebrated his 25th birthday recently, and announced he may soon be taking a leave of absence from the industry to pursue acting studies and find more time for an activist group he helped establish.

Is he going away soon? According to Cruz, leaving has been on his mind for some time although he has no set time frame. In the meantime, he is starring in a soon-to-be-released film called A Very Special Love in which he is paired for the first time with pop princes Sarah Geronimo.

Some critics are sceptical about the success of this untested team. Cruz is usually associated with Bea Alonzo, with whom he has made several successful movies. Their latest TV series failed to create a stir and ended uneventfully after only one season, but their most recent movie together was more successful.

Cruz is undeterred though, saying he and Geronimo have a special chemistry on screen. Their producers can only hope.

Carmina stays put

Noontime talk show host Carmina Villaroel is staying with Sis, the noontime talk show that has ruled its timeslot for more than six years. Whispers about Villaroel leaving the programme gathered strength last week when she appeared on the noontime variety show of the rival network.

Villaroel was also spotted with her manager in the TV station's building leaving a conference venue. The silence of Carmina's camp has only fuelled speculation. The pretty actress is allegedly dissatisfied.

Now it seems the almost-done deal has gone awry. Villaroel's publicist and manager finally came out with a statement saying she is staying with Sis. The question most people are asking is: Why leave when you're on top?