SKINNY DIPPING, anyone? SAVOUR the BREEZE, FEEL the SPRAYS. It's the ETERNAL SUNSHINE of the SPOTLESS MIND.

So you are really stressed out from your daily grind?

You feel like screaming out loud?

HOLD it, man, there is a recovery phrase here .....

ONCE in a while, think of something naughty you wanna do.

Why not?

Cool therapy for the mind. It's like the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

But is your mind spotless?

Mine ain't for sure.

Life's short, so go get your blast before your light "dims" out.

Everyone, I am sure would have some claims to life's fantasies.

You don't?

Oh come on.

How about romping free and easy, such as a careless day at the beach or go SKINNY DIPPING?

Great idea, sure - it is letting yourself go, an ethereal dream come true, swimming naked and let the waves and sprays tingle your spine and chilling the "in-between" of your crotch area.

It's better than self-gratification, believe me.

Just ensure that some unwarranted for tiny sea eels don't kiss your raw butt, then you'll be safe, hah.

Check this one out, man.

It's absolutely dreamy, yum.

First, embark on the journey with your soulmate.

WHERE?

Ah, the New Zealand lagoons?

Phi Phi Islands?

Montana where the BROKEBACK MOUNTAINS are ....(the scenic lagoon that inspired JAKE GYLLENHAAL and HEATH LEDGER to go skinny dipping).

Actually I was wondering what the heroes break in the movie BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN ..

The law of skinny dipping?

Or THEIR act of butt-cracking?

DID you hear their nuts crack?

Or ....

You go ask your local Travel Agent for an entire list of HOT SPOTS for SKINNY DIPPING.

There is an ADAM and EVE quality about nude swimming.

Inhibitions fall away as fast as the wind flapping away your towels.

PRIVACY?

Take a quick look around and if you are not offending anyone - then strip off and jump in !!

But wait....... wait ...

My head is reeling and I am rising from a deep slumber.

I was asleep ...

Let me pinch myself.

OUCHH .....

Oh man, I was just dreaming...

Hmmm....

So I was only dreaming?

FOR A WHILE, I thought the whole BLAST was real.

(I would like to thank JEREMY, an international model who have travelled all over the globe for the last 2 pictures of his SKINNY DIPPING. Gracias, JEREMY. Let us collaborate very soon.)

TEENAGE ANGST and "INAPPROPRIATE" LOVE = surefire BOX OFFICE SUCCESS for LOVE OF SIAM movie.

Let's give KUDOS to the THAI FILM MAKERS.

They are really smart at horning their craft.

They research into what their audience wants.

They tirelessly and painstakingly continue to churn out endless scare movies (the type that unintentionally makes you laugh), crude country comedies (heck, if not for cheap thrills, are they really funny at all?) and soapy teenage dramas (sure…. with tears thrown in aplenty).

With a huge population of 61.5 million, when a movie “flunk” at the box office, sales from the VCDs (not DVDs) help to cover investment costs.

Because VCDs are much cheaper (so that those country folks who cannot afford the expensive cinema ticket) would buy these for home entertainment and keepsake.

What if 50% of the 61.5 million buy your VCDs?

Just imagine how rich you can get, right? What you have achieved at the local Box Office is just a bonus, really. Not to speak about foreign distribution outside of Thailand.

So film making in THAILAND, unlike Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia can hardly go wrong. If you do it well, you strike gold.

Viva lah, VCDs !

These days, the ghost thrillers are so laughable that you’re bound to leave the cinema in stitches.

Mostly the deadly scenes are bloodied and gruesome and the plot sucks so much that at curtain call, you’d still be wondering what the goofy tale is all about.

And when you “roar” at the rude rustic comedies, you’d probably be laughing at yourself - because the jokes are so self-deprecating mostly.

The teenage romantic films tend to “make you feel oh-so-young again”. In life, if there is a second chance at rejuvenation …… why not?

After all, film making is also a cash making machine, and which true blue investor do not want to see a good return for money spent?

So the cycle goes on.

THAI people generally enjoy movies about teenage love as reflected in past successes, and following hard on the heels of recent blockbusters such as FARN CHARN (My Girl), PERN SANIT (My Bosom Buddy) and SEASONS CHANGE, 26 year-old writer and helmer CHUKIAT SAKVEERAKUL takes over the reins of LOVE OF SIAM and weaves a sad albeit heartbreaking tale of teenage angst, "inappropriate" love and a Catholic mother’s coming to terms with the loss of her missing daughter, an alcoholic husband and her teenage son’s growing sexuality.

Film Director CHUKIAT laces the film with two pairs of pretty boys and girls in key roles so there are plenty of eye candies for us to gawk at.

Bangkok’s SIAM SQUARE is a hip, trendy and “happening” place for teenagers with tons of “swell” eateries, designer boutiques, open air jamming sessions, karaoke and ‘live’ sing-along bar restaurants. If you are young or young-at-heart, this exciting place is a “must” for you.

LOVE of SIAM has an energetic pulse throughout the entire movie.

The film takes off when MEW, a young child prodigy and talented songwriter re-encounters long lost buddy TONG who is experiencing first love with a cute girl in SIAM SQUARE (where else)? FRIENDSHIP and CHILDHOOD MEMORIES are soon rekindled to a point where their pubescent feelings for each other run far too deep, and spinning of out control, thereby culminating in a rift with their own girl friends.

This is a different kind of teenage romance and it takes CHUKIAT’s competent directing to frame family loss, growing up pains, confusion of sexual identities and Thai pop boy bands in 150 minutes of running time in LOVE OF SIAM. There's also a controversial lingering scene of the 2 boys kissing passionately.

The ending? Well, it's Christmas time and TONG persuades his mum to allow him to make his own "choice" of his friendship with MEW.

He goes to find MEW who has just finished a performing gig in SIAM SQUARE and hands him a Christmas present. The yuletide mood is deeply haunting and with misty eyes TONG tells MEW that he cannot be his boy friend anymore as it is an "inappropriate" relationship. But his decision has "never been a choice of not loving MEW". On the contrary.

Newcomers MARIO MAURER as TONG and WITWISIT HIRANYAWONGKUL as MEW give extraordinary performances in their roles. They share an affable chemistry, but it is TONG's distraught mother-in-distress played by veteran actress SINJAI PLENGPANICH who dominates screen presence in most parts.

There are 2 very lovely and lilting theme songs thrown in for a measure, the type that stirs the fall-in-love-again feelings in you, and you may want to reach for a tissue. Sniff....

To sum up, let's take a verse from JO HALE's poem:

"ANOTHER DAY PASSES,

MY LIFE GOES BY,

I THINK OF YOUR MEMORY,

AS I SIT HERE AND CRY,

I REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES,

THERE WERE MANY WE HAVE SHARED,

AND I ALWAYS KNEW

THAT FOREVER YOU CARED,

AND I'LL CARRY YOUR MEMORY

RIGHT HERE IN MY HEART."

LOVE OF SIAM movie picks up many accolades in different Thai festivals, and the latest is the 2008 STAR ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS where it bags:

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST ACTRESS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST SCREENPLAY

BEST COMPOSER

AWESOME, isn't it?

ACTRESSES I LOVE TO WORK WITH. Hitting 40, but still so BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS and TALENTED.

These are divas and fashionistas, hitting 40 and still look stunningly beautiful.

They are Thailand's SINJAI PLENGPANICH and Singapore's ZOE TAY, two of Asia's most talented actresses.

Some die-hards may differ in opinions, but being in the same industry, I'll vouch for them any time, man.

Bow out, armchair critics, it's easier to gripe than compliment.

Did your wife, girl friend or sister look this good when they were 40?

If so, I salute them.

But please have a sense of proportion.

Be fair.

As actresses, they may be deemed as "public properties", but hey... give praise when it's due.

In life, for all and sundry, a sincere compliment is always a morale booster.

A pat on our backs feels just great...

A stab....ouch!!

We all need love and encouragement. There's no need to build "walls" to protect ourselves.

Or should we?

SINJAI PLENGPANICH (THAILAND)

She is 43, with beauty, brain and a body to match.

She is a much revered artiste of the big screen, stage and soap operas.

She is also happily married to CHATCHAI PLENGPANICH, a famous Thai actor and has 3 children who adore her.

Because in Thailand, artistes are treated with adoration and professional respect, she has a blessed career that she immensely enjoyed.

Her latest film was LOVE OF SIAM, where she played the challenging role of a distraught mother-in-distress battling emotional "demons" brought about by a defiant gay son and an alcoholic husband.

For this difficult role, she finally bagged home the BEST ACTRESS accolade simultaneouly from 2 Thai film festivals as a glorious tribute to her accomplished acting career.

ZOE TAY (SINGAPORE)

This woman is friendly, professional and unpretentious. Having worked with her once, I should know.

She is Singapore's best known and most beautiful actress, joyously married to a RSAF pilot and blessed with 2 children.

She's really cool at 40, and she's still every inch the gorgeous belle.

Just check out the fashion spreads of her in bikini. Then ask any hot blooded male.

Yet fans in Singapore, unlike Thailand, are sometimes known to be selfish and "retarded" when it comes to according their homegrown artistes the professional respect they deserve. They are quick to criticize.

They should take a cue from Thailand.

Many derided ZOE with snide remarks when, as the spokeswoman for the IMEDEEN ad campaign, she was quoted as saying "My Secret to Beautiful Skin? I swallow."

The ad copy was intended to be naughty and provocative, but had never meant to upset a portion of the conservative market in squeaky clean Singapore.

Or was it just pure spite from a fickle audience who was ready to switch camp to another rising star?

Yet this advertisement created a "storm in a tea cup" and became the butt of sexist jokes from gossip mongers.

But ZOE TAY remains the undisputable queen from Singapore's Tinseltown for the past ten over years.

She's one established long lasting brand, chic and sophistication personified.

THESE ARE STARS that I hope to collaborate with in the near future with an appropriate script.

How about one on mid life crisis and marital angst, a la SEX AND THE CITY genre?

Can you remember the 1983 hit song I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ME sung by CHARLENE on women's rights?

Catch these lyrics:

HEY LADY,

YOU LADY,

CURSING AT YOUR LIFE,

YOU ARE A DISCONTENTED MOTHER

AND A REGIMENTED WIFE,

I'VE NO DOUBT YOU

DREAM ABOUT THE THINGS YOU'LL NEVER DO

BUT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TALKED TO ME

LIKE I WANNA TALK TO YOU.

It's a haunting and beautiful song, isn't it?

Now let's check out the script ......

KEN ESCUDERO - Pinoy Actor, FRESH from the OVEN. He's PIPING HOT and 100% SULTRY.

Feeling the heat?

Meet delectable PINOY hottie - KEN ESCUDERO, fresh from the oven.

He has just wowed audience at home and abroad with his compelling portrayal of ENZO, a lovelorn hunk who's desperately fighting his "inner demons" from a tortuous romance.

ENZO has a more-than-platonic-friendship with his male childhood friend, who in turn has the hoots for another girl.

To portray ENZO who's nursing an unspoken love requires a lot of pain, but KEN ESCUDERO delivered his task with aplomb.

This arthouse indie is SIKIL and it's directed by ace director RONI BERTUBIN and executive produced by JO JO BARRON.

Critics say KEN is beautiful, this CUTIEPIE with that doleful boyish look.

He's likened to a hapless pup in peak form - an unwilling HERO or SEX SYMBOL, whatever you may wish to call KEN.

And that's what his mentor-cum-manager, JO JO BARRON described him.

KEN ESCUDERO can give HARRY LAUREL, the one other PINOY sex icon a run for his money.

In fact, he's working a lot more than HARRY LAUREL who has temporarily shifted his gear to casinos-invested MACAU, for whatever-he-maybe-doing there.

Modeling in MACAU? I've yet to hear of this one.

Whetting people's appetites and oozing immense sex appeal aren't priorities in KEN's life.

Gratification comes from being respected for your brain and your latent talent.

KEN ESCUDERO had bagged the title MR. PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL in 2006.

He went on to represent PHILIPPINES in the MR. INTERNATIONAL FINALS in SINGAPORE that year and did his country proud by taking home the MR. PHOTOGENIC award.

At 22 he is also armed with a BACHELOR DEGREE in MARINE TRANSPORTATION, so he ain't anybody's fool.

He loves movies, basketball, reading and strumming the guitar.

And boy, this dude can sing!

He loves to gesticulates and ejaculates with the occasional outbursts of:

"I LOVE TO SING!

I LOVE TO ACT!

BOTH ARE PURE ENERGY AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS THESE OUT FOR THE WORLD!"

The list would go on for KEN ESCUDERO, the "feel good" celebrity hunk.

He may be a relative newbie in show business, but the past year saw him in a lead role in an arthouse film, a sprinkle of theater performances, amongst them GREASE plus a "crunch" of two soap operas.

Progressive and definitely with more to come.

The only thing KEN has to contend with is the myriad of backstabbing, professional jealousies, bitching and mayhem in this flimsy industry of make-belief entertainment.

Not forgetting the two timing PLASTIC people aplenty.

But he sees a competent manager in JO JO BARRON who guides and charts his career path.

Despite being cool and discreet, the admirable thing about KEN is his disarming frankness to difficult questions.

THIS INTERVIEW IS UNRATED AND UNCENSORED, SO PLEASE READ WITH AN OPEN MIND:

I am only 22, he says, the only son in my family comprising also of my dad, mum and two other siblings.

YES, I am dating a special someone at this moment.

YES, I have had a few unsucessful relationships prior to this one. TO LOVE AND BE LOVED is of supreme importance to me.

SEX?

YES, let's not be hypocritical about this. Everybody enjoys great sex, to be honest. I am a homebody at heart and do not hang out much, except when I am hitting the gym.

Sex is an expression of love, of a shared physical intimacy between two people in love. I lost my virginity at the age of 15. No regrets - but for me, if you are not in love with that someone, then don't even think about exploring sex.

YES,I have read a lot about the wonders of KAMA SUTRA.

MY FAVORITE POSITIONS?

On a scale of 1 to 10, my favorites would be the missionary and the doggie stances ...(laughing). These positions allow for deeper penetration from my own experiences . (He jests and winks mischievously).

YES, I am physically well endowed (he demonstrates this with an 8 using his fingers, lo and behold. He brandishes a broad impish grin).

And NO, penile size is immaterial as love and techniques should be the pre-requisites to mutually enjoying wonderful sex with your partner.

YES, my soulmate has to be really hip, smart and understanding.

YES, I love SINGING. I believe I have a competent voice, and aspire to cut an album soon. I am a devout fan of JERICHO ROSALES as he is one great actor cum singer to emulate.

YES, I had accepted a role in a gay genre indie film called SIKIL as a stepping stone to an acting career. I had no qualms about being stark NAKED on the screen, as this is part of my acting profession.

YES, i want a variety of challenging roles and I always look forward to doing the occasional theater acting. I have just completed two prime time soaps with the GMA and ABS-CBN networks.

KEN ESCUDERO thinks that HAPPINESS is a byproduct of love, peace and joy to the world and he wants to spread this goodwill around.

He is ready to move on to the next chapter of his life as a serious actor.

That's one swell guy for sure.

LET'S dedicate this cutesy song to KEN ESCUDERO for his honesty, a song of the 60s, aptly called MY BOY LOLLIPOP:

"MY BOY LOLLIPOP,

YOU MAKE MY HEART GO GIDDY UP,

YOU ARE AS SWEET AS CANDY,

YOU ARE MY SUGAR DANDY.

WOH OH, MY BOY LOLLIPOP,

YOU NEVER, NEVER LEAVE ME

'CAUSE IT COULD GRIEVE ME

MY HEART TOLD ME SO.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU SO,

BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW,

I NEED YOU, I NEED YOU, I NEED YOU SO,

AND I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO ......"

Feel the beat of this sweet upbeat song?

KEN ESCUDERO is asking you, "SHALL WE DANCE?"

Would you, please?!!

I have uploaded the YOUTUBE VERSION here for your listening pleasure.

ENJOY!!!

ASIAN CELEBRITIES. It's AIN'T SUMMER all year round.

Hey, MAN.

If only we can all grow wings, like the man in the picture DIRECTLY above.

We can then take flight and soar to another realm of surreality.

Life can be so unreal sometimes, so to speak.

CELEBRITIES?

OH YAH, we all know that CELEBRITIES have their heydays.

That's pure bliss.

But just like all of us, they have their downslides too.

Don't we all?

Everyone has problems. You have yours, They have theirs.

CELEBRITIES are as human as we are.

They eat, sleep, poop and love like we all do.

Their careers could escalate and soar one moment.

And maybe nosedive the next.

Who knows really?

NOT all celebrities lead charmed lives.

They are what you called public property and the paparazzi stalks them all the time.

AND NOT EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THEM IS TRUE. Poor souls.

But they have to keep a straight face through it all.

They race through hectic filming schedules, never missing a cue.

But the more exciting their public personas are, the more anxiety they are facing from celebrity burnout.

Plus, facing an ongoing influx of competitors threatening to knock them from their hooks, being a star is hardly fun.

They have latent insecurities to deal with from malicious people who are trying to eclipse them every time they turn your backs.

They are in a world which sometimes threaten to tear them apart.

And they dread the paparazzi or news hounds, because you wouldn't know if they are going to slam you with some hurtful rubbish.

Gossip sells the magazines, at your expense.

Take, for example, some of these ASIAN ARTISTES and their hazy dazy tales of Summer:

- JULIAN HEE (TV ACTOR from SINGAPORE) -

Poor JULIAN.

He's good and can be even better.

He's tall, strapping and a celebrated hunk. And he apparently must have stepped on somebody's toes.

Because he's a much misunderstood, misquoted and underrated actor who only want to prove his worth.

True, he has taken some unfair "bashing" from bad press and vile gossip from spiteful colleagues, who rather see him being torn apart than helping him grow.

Politics or jealousies?

JULIAN is a pretty nice guy, lah, if you get to know him better.

Life's not easy and he has to grin through all the grind as a contracted actor from Singapore's only TV Station, that monopolizes ratings and the careers of all their contracted artistes.

After some "not so happening" years at the TV station, JULIAN decided not to renew his contract in the third quarter of 2008 and opted for a freelance status to focus on a new business venture with friends.

JULIAN A COMPETENT ACTOR?

SURE, and why not?!!

Anyone can excel in this trade, given time, opportunities and experience - coupled with a good script and an understanding director who can get "the best" out of any artiste. This is patience.

Take MAGGIE CHEUNG from Hong Kong and IVY LEE from Singapore. Weren't they really blasted when they first ventured into acting? Look at their collection of accolades now.

JULIAN has received some bad vibes, but he has proven himself aptly in his latest drama series PERFECT CUT, a NIP/TUCK genre about the profundity of plastic surgery in Singapore.

FREELANCING A BETTER OPTION?

Yeah, he gets to choose his roles and focus on his new found business venture as well.

In fact, JULIAN's absence is felt and he's now back to the TV Station to freelance on a long haul ENGLISH drama series to be followed by a second season of PERFECT CUT.

- HUANG BI REN (TV ACTRESS from SINGAPORE) -

In Singapore, it may NOT pay to be a veteran actress, as in the case of HUANG BI REN who has bagged numerous accolades for her acting ability.

After 20 years as a SINGAPORE TV actress, HUANG BI REN has gracefully decided to call it quits.

She is almost hitting 40, a precarious age for an actress.

When advertisers do not knock on your door as they used to, and when you are slipping into "auntie" roles, you then become very much dispensable.

AWARDS or no awards, her beloved employer the TV STATION has decided to pay tribute her to two glorious decades of brilliance by slamming her with a beautiful contract stipulating a notable pay-cut, no annual leave, no CPF and no medical benefits.

Such heartfelt gratitude.

Would you have stayed if you were her, when everything is a "no-no" ??

It goes to show that as you grow older as an actor in Singapore Tinseltown, your sense of security is thwarted as your value drops .....

When something as unnerving as this happens, where is your mentor?

HUANG BI REN has screen presence and is really good as an actress, mind you.

- PIOLO PASCUAL AND SAM MILBY (ACTORS/SINGERS from the PHILIPPINES) -

From the shores of the Philippines, another kind of problem is brewing.

The paparazzi there deems to have the assumption, that if you are a pretty boy, then you must be pretty gay.

Such is the hapless case of A-listers PIOLO PASCUAL and SAM MILBY, both household names in the Philippines.

They are pretty boy hunks, nice guys, bosom buddies, until renowned Pinoy talent manager LOLIT SOLIS "espied" them in a lovey-dovey tryst at the Manila Sofitel's poolside cafe last October 2007.

LOLIT went on to spice up this "scoop" through her regular show biz column creating controversy and fodder for vicious gossip shaming the two buddies....and in return LOLIT was bestowed with a prize of a 12 million peso lawsuit.

Sometimes, genuine friendships can be destroyed by rumor mongers, as in this case.

The matter was finally amicably settled out of court, but the dent was too deeply entrenched.

Was it worth it, this cheap scoop at the risk of the celebrities' reputations?

Whether it was fact or fiction, this piece of juicy news have caused extreme anguish and anxiety for a platonic friendship that has gone awry since the hurting news leaked out.

Sometimes it goes to show that CELEBRITIES do have every right to their own privacy and we must respect this.

Would you want to take a dump in a public toilet with the paparazzi waiting for you to finish your business outside the cubicle's door? Or worse still, they climb up and take pictures of you in your moment of "release"?

Do not unto others as others would do unto you.

- EDISON CHEN and his BEAUTIFUL MAIDENS -

From HONG KONG, EDISON CHEN the perennial bad boy rocked the BIGGEST boat hell-out-of-everyone in early 2008, when lurid pictures of his famous dainty ladies and himself having explicit sex were leaked on the internet for downloading.

NO HOLDS BARRED, this guy is proven to be a sure dandy and good at the sexual stuff.

Some stars just love "lollipops", as in this case of EDISON CHEN and his beautiful friends.

And we all know that he loves to be "blown" in his favorite standing up position and gets extra mind tingling thrills by filming his sexual romps on camera.

WE are also treated to a glorious peek at "mounds" of pubic hair on his nubile leading ladies and himself.

And surely GILLETTE or some notable brands could have reaped a fortune, if they had known earlier to take an advertisement or two extolling the art of waxing, hair removal and shaving, before the pirated DVD highlighting his bedroom farce was released to the world.

Look at what EDISON's "fetishes" had got him into.

Tons of inexplicable problems and career destructions.

Worth it?!!

Sexual conquest or not, we surely know that GILLIAN CHUNG, CECILIA CHEUNG and BOBO CHAN must have loved him a lot to give him such delicious "blowings".

You'd risk anything for the one you love, won't you?!!

Now ICE CREAM, anyone??!!

THEY are BEAUTIFUL. THEY are ASIANS. LIFE's a BITCH. Well, almost.

I really dig RODGER AND HAMMERSTEIN's MOVIE MUSICALS.

Don't you?

THE SOUND OF MUSIC, FLOWER DRUM SONG, THE KING AND I and SOUTH PACIFIC are some of the magnificent films that I can watch over and over again.

These are classics, timeless gems.

THERE'S this BEACHY song in SOUTH PACIFIC extolling the wonderment of a woman.

It is called THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A DAME.

The lyrics run like this:

We've got sunlight on the sand,

We've got moonlight on the sea,

We've got mangos and bananas you can pick right off the tree,

We've got volley ball and ping pong and a lot of dandy games,

What don't we got?

WE DON'T GOT DAMES.

Chorus

There's nothing like a DAME

Nothing in the world

There's nothing you can name

that is anything like a DAME.

Can you imagine life without a woman?

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ sums it all up when he says:

" I LIKE TO SEE YOU WALK

BECAUSE YOU LEAVE STREAKS OF FIRE WITH YOUR EVERY STEP,

YOU ARE MUCH MORE THAN AN OBJECT OF DESIRE,

YOU ARE THE FLAME THAT SLOWLY KEEPS ALIVE MY FIRE.

I LIKE TO LOOK AT YOU

OBSERVING YOUR EVERY DETAIL,

YOUR FEELINGS ARE SO PURE, SO FRAIL."

This article pays homage to our ASIAN BEAUTIES.

ASIAN WOMEN are soft, trilling and enticing, don't you think so?

GASP ...... YES!

Talking CRAP. Taking CRAP. All that BULLSHIT in SHOW BUSINESS.

One famous actor confided in me that SHOW BUSINESS is really CRAPPY.

It's the pseudo-psychological factor, liken to someone taking a dump.

You either land up smelling sweet all over.

Or stinking to high heaven.

Actors can really be like "dough", especially IF you are a station or film company monopolizing a certain territory, offering work to these hapless souls.

You knead them and mould them into any shape you want.

This is what you call STAR making.

Or you just throw the dough on the floor and trample it with one foot.

That's STAR breaking.

Now which mould would you subscribe to?

StarMAKER's or StarBREAKER's?

Some stars you can make, others you can break.

Specially those who have yet to climb any rung on the ladder of stardom, but are giving everyone the superstar glint in their eyes.

PLASTIC people, plenty of them you can find in ASIAN TINSELTOWN.

It's a very small world out there!!

Everybody knows everybody.

And among producers, opinions are always being exchanged as to who is a joy to work with, and who is such an arsehole.

Experience teacheth fools.

Make one industry friend MORE and one enemy LESS.

Big deal, ah.

Check this one out, man.

By choice or by circumstances, these plastic people are queuing to flaunt their talents.

Check the myriads of aspirants who throng the REALITY SHOWS to make fools of themselves.

Better a few minutes of fame to be remembered by, than none at all.

What price fame?

Plenty, specially those who crave for it and determined to get in, no matter what.

What comes with fame?

Recognition, stardom and material wealth and everything that money can buy.

So everyone wants to give this so-called STARDOM a shot.

Why not? It's just another job.

You get to be immersed in REEL roles and play characters you cannot be in REAL life.

No matter how a star looks like now,

Somewhere,

Somehow,

One day, as the years roll on,

Someone would be tired of his or her shit.

So aspiring stars up there.

Don't let your ego over rule your brain.

Eat humble pie first.

CAN ANYONE STAY BEAUTIFUL FOREVER?

Of course, there are some who beg to differ.

And your guess is as good as mine.

Fat hope.

JERICHO ROSALES and HEART EVANGELISTA when the BUBBLE bursts. A lesson on LOVE and BREAKING UP.

Another celebrity break-up?

This one's from PHILIPPINES and it's about a fairy tale that has gone awry.

Regarding the line-up above, I am sure many in MALAYSIA (JERICHO has a huge fan following there) are familiar with JERICHO ROSALES and HEART EVANGELISTA.

Hence you'd have no problem to identify the faces of Hollywood's new actress BRIANA EVIGAN (of STEP UP 2 THE STREETS fame) and CARMEN SOO (Malaysia's model/actress).

IN ASIAN TINSELTOWN, it's hard to differentiate what is "real" from what is "reel".

It's also difficult (though not impossible) for an artiste to find true friends in this dog-eat-dog industry of rivalries and petty jealousies.

Yeah, your fellow artiste may congratulate

you on a plum role that has just landed on your lap, but how sincere are his good wishes?

Sweet words do not maketh a friend.

It's also safe to say that NOT every every actor is longing for his rival to "topple" from grace so that he can take over the reins.

The entertainment world is full of manipulators - the media machines and the television stations, and the "feuding" artistes will just be fodder to fuel more gossip to boost sales and ratings.

Of course, as in every business, company politics are rampant, MORE so in the the entertainment circle where "plastic" people are always lurking around.

So it comes as NO SURPRISE that, when JERICHO ROSALES and HEART EVANGELISTA (Philippine on-screen and off-screen sweethearts) called their 3-year old relationship quits officially in May 2008, the television stations played up the split to garner more ratings by interviewing the hapless artistes on national television, to a point where it was impossible for either of them to take on another recourse.

Or is it the other way around, where the stars are using the media to devise a "prime-time publicity blitz" for themselves as a form of promotional gimmick?

JERICHO ROSALES comes from a humble background and his is a poor boy-to-successful-actor as compared to born-rich HEART EVANGELISTA.

This may not be a match made in heaven as HEART's wealthy parents have always objected to the relationship.

It has also been rumoured that JERICHO has fathered a child years back, but nobody can attest to this "hiccup in the grapevine".

Both JERICHO and HEART are under the management of MANILA GENESIS, but HEART has moved on to greener pastures by signing up with GMA-7.

Bad boy JERICHO (a born again Christian) has been espied to be two-timing HEART by having flings with upcoming American Actress BRIANA EVIGAN and Malaysian actress CARMEN SOO which caused HEART to put a damper on their relationship (or this is just a timely excuse for a fresh start in a career move)?

SO WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE BUBBLE BURSTS ..... WHEN LOVE DIES?

I totally agree with fellow blogger THESS BACSAL when she said

"If the heart is the place where loves come from, then where does love go when it dies?

But does love ever really die?

If someone has hurt us in the past, is there a need to shut off the feelings we have for him or for her, so that we may feel better?

The years that a couple spent together is something that can never be thrown away nor forgotten.

Love never dies.

In fact, you will always care about that one special person, but on a different degree of loving.

You will always be concerned for his or her welfare.

You will never wish ill of that person no matter how much they made you cry, or left your heart to bleed".

For JERICHO, the world is a stage and life goes on.

For HEART, hell knows no fury like a woman scorned.

For us, it's a lesson about LOVE that we should learn from their breakup, that love needs to be nurtured, and to stay faithful in top form to the one we care about.

And never to take our soulmate for granted.

'Cos sometimes, true love may not come this way again.

DID SOMEONE SAY THAT LOVE MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU ARE SORRY?