Dr. Victoria Belo with Regine Velasquez in the kantaserye ‘Diva.’

Celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr. Victoria Belo tries her hand at acting for the first time and joins the cast of “Diva” on GMA-7. The “Doctor to the Stars” plays herself in the top-rating primetime series, where she will transform Sam, the ugly character of Regine Velasquez, into Melody, the beautiful singer.

“Diva” is the funny but touching life of Sampaguita, a.k.a. Sam, a hideous-looking lady who dreams of becoming a famous singer someday. Sam’s singing prowess and good-natured personality will lead her to find a spot in the music industry despite her unpleasant looks.

Find out how Dr. Belo will make Sam beautiful with the latest cosmetic surgery procedures being offered by the Belo clinic.

The two-day shoot of Dr. Belo’s scenes in the series were done at the Belo Morato clinic, where Sam will undergo different treatments to make her the beautiful singing diva who becomes known as Melody.

Although acting is totally new to her, Dr. Belo was truly pleased that she did her scenes with Regine, who has been a loyal Belo patient for the past 20 years.

Before building her growing stable of showbiz endorsers, Dr. Belo had Regine as her first celebrity patient when she was still starting out in the cosmetic surgery business two decades ago.

Joining the star-studded cast of “Diva” are Jaya as Sam’s bestfriend, Mark Herras as the half-brother, Gloria Diaz as the mom, Buboy Garrovillo as the dad, Ynna Asistio as the neighbor, Randy Santiago as the recording executive, and Rufa Mae Quinto as the model who aspires to be a diva.

“Diva” is the first kanta-serye in Philippine television. It airs Mondays to Fridays, 9:30 p.m. on the Kapuso network.

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NBA legend BJ Armstrong in Manila

National Basketball Association (NBA) champion and former Chicago Bulls point guard, BJ Armstrong, recently visited Manila to lead the Junior NBA training camp that gathered the top 40 Filipino youth players from all over the country.

Alongside Armstrong’s visit to the Philippines, major sponsor Hi-Smart Multivitamins for kids launched its “Think Like a Legend, Play Like a Legend, Meet a Legend” promo. The event gave basketball afficionados, NBA enthusiasts, kids and adults alike a chance to personally meet the former Bulls guard, who once played along another NBA legend, Michael Jordan.

Hi-Smart Multivitamins is especially formulated with the right amount of taurine, lysine and zinc – a formula that has been tagged as the new TLZ helping kids grow taller and smarter. Hi-Smart Multivitamins is a quality product marketed by My.Health Corp.

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Rocco Nacino, a fast-rising star

Though he was only judged as the Second Prince in the 5th Edition of “StarStruck,” Rocco Nacino is pulling ahead of the other survivors. He is now playing a significant role in “Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak” opposite Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo. He also appears regularly in GMA-7 new Sunday noontime show, “Party Pilipinas.”

Rocco, a 23-year-old registered nurse, said that nursing will be his fall-back just in case there is a shift in his showbiz career. He said that he is so happy with “Gumapang Ka…” which he described as “becoming more exciting and interesting.”

“I’ll do everything to enhance my acting career,” he said. In “Gumapang Ka…” he takes care of Jennylyn and her child, and definitely, they will fall in love with each other.

Rocco has so much admiration for his co-star Dennis Trillo: “I’m trying to follow his footsteps… he is versatile. He can act, sing, do hosting and play music.”

The truth is, “versatility” is also Rocco’s strength. He is often described as someone who can do many things and his being chosen as cast for the TV adaptation of the Lino Brocka classic came like, as one fan boasted, almost in the bag.

The tapings for the series alone take up all Rocco’s time. But it’s no problem. Fatigue is nothing for the athletic – he plays basketball and is also a martial arts practitioner.

During the “StarStruck V” edition, Rocco kept telling himself: “I must survive!” And indeed he survived!

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings on May 13 go to Sen. Mar Roxas, Atty. Oliver Lozano, Reggie Regalado, Ditas Ferrera of Baras, Rizal; Gliceria “Tey” Lazatin-Tabor, Marilou Lagadi and Kenneth Lagadi of Las Vegas, Nevada.