From the pigeonhole:

It’s been almost six years since Pops Fernandez played her last dramatic role in GMA-7’s primetime drama series, “Twin Hearts,” which then starred Karylle and Dennis Trillo.

Thankfully, she’s now back onscreen in ABS-CBN’s “I Love Betty La Fea,” where she plays the role of Paulina Dela Serna – the businesswoman/resort owner aunt of Aldo (Jericho Rosales) who makes life miserable for Betty (Bea Alonzo).

So, why has she put her acting career on hold for so long?

“Most of my fans know that my sons Ram and Robin take first priority in my life, and with the typical taping schedules for a drama series, it’s hard to find ‘quality time’ for everything else,” she admits.

“And of course, my singing engagements and shows abroad also take up a large chunk of my yearly schedule.”

“If I could only add more hours to my day, I’d love to be able to put in more time to TV work, and maybe even movies too,” she adds. “Especially, if the role is really worth it.”

“Thankfully, I’m able to do all that now with ‘Betty La Fea,’” she adds. “Especially now that my role is a lot more challenging. It’s not your typical pa-sweet or pa-martyr role that’s one dimensional. It’s demanding in the sense that there’s that hint of deception and cunning underneath Paulina’s sweet exterior.”

And judging from the audience’s reaction, it looks like a lot of televiewers are beginning to ‘hate’ Paulina’s mean streak, never mind if her character just came out early this year.

Doesn’t Pops worry about televiewers who might not be able to distinguish fact from fiction?

“Haha! My God! It’s just a role!,” she quickly retorts. “I think it’s a trademark of all the great character actresses who I truly admire, like Cherie Gil, that their fans actually believe they’re the characters they play in real life. I’m not about to say that I’m at that level already, because I still have a lot to learn. But if I’m starting to get that same reaction now, then maybe I’m doing something right.”

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Meet this wonder boy soprano

We’ve heard Kris John Paul Gonzales sing a few times (once at the birthday blowout tendered by Gov. Chavit Singson for boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, then at the Fr. Suarez’s fundraising concert at the Tent City of Manila Hotel) and we were really impressed. Because he is only seven years old and yet he manifested innate musical talent, poise and stage presence that project ease and comfort. We predict that he will go a long way in the field of music if he chooses this to be his career.

Kris John Paul’s musical talent was inherited from his dad, Noel Gonzales, CEO of Muebles Italiano. Noel has also been singing in various formal occasions, wowing the crowd like his son. If you haven’t you should endeavor to hear father and son sing one of these days.

There’s this group called Monday Music Club, composed of 16 music enthusiasts but with varying professions – lawyers, retired generals, painters, doctors, businessmen, entrepreneurs, housewives – who’re banded by their common passion for music. Every first Monday of the month, they meet at a certain venue to render their respective reportoires.

Last Feb. 2, the venue was the penthouse of Muebles Italiano, and the dinner musical soiree was hosted by Noel and lovely wife Ellen. The routine was the same, with the members taking turns in performing, in a drawn by lots sequence done by Dr. Rita Brawner. The routine was broken when Kris John Paul was called to perform.

The boy mesmerized the crowd as he sang in clear and brilliant high notes and in nearly perfect diction English, Tagalog, Hebrew, Italian, French, Chinese, Latin, Armaic, Spanish, and Visayan songs. Who wouldn’t be impressed? The sopranos, baritones and tenors in the crowd were awed as Kris John Paul went from Broadway to kundimans. He proved to one and sundry that he is indeed a musical genius of his generation.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 2, go to Cocoy Laurel, Paquita Revilla, Alice Cuazon, Monette Guevara, Rebecca Guinto, Dr. Hermie M. Isaac,  Dick E. Orense, Danny Mangahas, Ferdie Salinas and MB’s graphic artist Mark Anthony P. Lara, Congratulation to Dr. Ma. Dorothy Joy Escolano for passing the Medical Board Exam…