NEWSFLASH 

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SHOWBIZ CURTAIN RAISERS BY FUNFARE'S RICKY LO
(from the Philippine Star)

Quezon City, March 4, 2000 - Congratulations to Carlitos Siguion-Reyna whose latest movie, ReynaFilms' Azucena (based upon the Palanca-award winning screenplay by Eric Ramos), has been rated "A" by the Film Ratings Board (FRB), entitling it to a 100 percent amusement tax rebate. It's the second movie to be rated "A" this year, after Mike de Leon's Bayaning 3rd World. A sad note, though: Right now, the FRB is operating on a pakiusap system because mayors and councilors, although serious and sincere in their effort to help uplift the quality of Filipino films, have agreed to avert amusement taxes of rated films back to the producers. There's hope. A bill creating the FRB into law has already passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate.

* Michael de Mesa clarified a Funfare item that he was "fired" (for misbehavior) as director of the top-rated ABS-CBN thriller Okatokat! On the contrary, said Michael, he quit not only because of his dissatisfaction about certain aspects of the production but because of his other pressing commitments (he's also in the cast of the GMA 7 early-afternoon teleseries Rio del Mar) and a movie assignment for Viva Films, Ika-13 Kapitolo, which will start shooting soon. It's Michael's first full-length movie-directorial job (he directed the other half of the Star Cinema twinbill Calvento Files The Movie), starring his sister Cherie Gil, Christopher de Leon, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Albert Martinez.

* Reader Mike Herrera of Cabanatuan City is adding the following to the list of Bb. Pilipinas beauties who have joined showbiz: 1986 Bb. Pilipinas-Maja Maria Cristina Recto who became a newscaster for PTV 4, 1990 Bb. Pilipinas Miss Talent Alecx Estrada who appeared in Viva movies and 1992 Bb. Pilipinas-Maja Marina Benipayo (who also represented the country in the Miss World contest) as a vampire in a Guwapings movie. (Note: One-time Manila Councilor Star Querubin was wrongly included on the list. Star was a Mutya Ng Pilipinas-World, not a Bb. Pilipinas title-holder.)

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