Gossip from the Philippines

Vincent Anthony Garcia brings you all the gossip from the Philippines.

Marian is most beautiful
Manila-based Yes! magazine has chosen Marian Rivera to grace its cover and top the list of the 100 Most Beautiful Stars in the Philippines.

The controversial list excluded many known beauties, such as Gretchen Baretto and Ruffa Gutierrez, a former Miss World Second Princess. Yes! chose Rivera not only because she has one of the most beautiful faces in the industry, but also because she is a real celebrity.

Other stars that made it to this year's list include Kim Chiu and Rhian Ramos.

Cuneta to star with Concepcion?
One of the biggest movie franchises in film history - Regal Films' Mano Po - is about to get bigger. Regal producer Lily Monteverde - Mother Lily to everyone in and out of showbusiness - has been able to convince megastar Sharon Cuneta to do a movie for her.

News has it that the megastar agreed to star in Mano Po 6 and has asked Mother Lily to include Angel Locsin in the cast.

However, Locsin is contracted to another film outfit and her producers have made it known that they are not too keen to release her from her contract, or loan her to Regal for even one film.

Close aides to Mother Lily have suggested that perhaps Cuneta's daughter KC Concepcion can take over. If this happens, this could be a mega box office winner for Mother Lily, with the most famous mother and daughter tandem in the Philippines leading the cast. The film will also reunite Cuneta with noted director Joel Lamangan. They last worked together on Magkapatid, a movie in which Cuneta was cast with another young superstar, Judy Ann Santos.

Pacman and the Pussycat
The world's top pound-for-pound fighter Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's is about to broaden his movie career, with a film in which he will co-star with wrestler David Batista and Pussycat Doll sensation Nicole Scherzinger.

The movie, Wapacman will be a comedy-action and while the lead stars are not known for their acting ability, their team-up may just prove enough for a good laugh. Pacquiao is known to have a comic side and action is his thing, but he can't act. His last film, which he produced, was a box-office disaster.

Nina in Dubai
Nina will be performing live in Dubai on July 9 in the Ratsky Club at the Ramada Continental Hotel in Deira. Nina has always been a favourite among expat Filipinos and her forthcoming gig suggests that she's one of the most requested artists to perform for Filipino communities abroad.

Dubbed the Philippines' Soul Siren, Nina is a multi-platinum recording artist and has seven chart busters to her credit. Watching Nina will set you back Dh85, but it'll be worth it.

For more information, call 050-6783664. The show starts at 8pm.