Snooky Serna let out a flurry of controversial remarks in a radio program recently. After revealing she had been raped at age 14, Snooky went on to disclose whom she thought were the most “plastic” (hypocritical) persons in show biz. She named two–comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas and teen heartthrob Gerald Anderson.
Snooky justifies her choice. In an interview with ABS-CBN’s “The Buzz” on Sunday, Snooky relates:
“Magkasama kami sa pelikula noon. Talaga, she was so friendly, ang ganda nung relationship namin ni Miss Ai-Ai. Di ko makalimutan kasi yon. In-invite kasi ako ni Direk Wenn (Deramas) sa premiere party at saka, I think if I remember right, birthday celebration din ni Miss Ai-Ai. Tapos the whole evening di niya ako pinapansin. Although binati ko siya. If felt so left out. To put it bluntly, I felt stupid na para bang trying hard ako na pinipilit ko ang sarili ko na magpa-in doon.”
Ai-Ai is out of the country and could not respond. According to Ai-Ai’s manager and “The Buzz” host Boy Abunda, she will answer the charges next week.
After Ai-Ai, Snooky trained her guns at another showbiz personality, teen actor Gerald Anderson. She again relates:
“Pero ang feeling ko, pinakilala kang minsan, okay. Sabihin natin, nagmamadali ka. Pero pinakilala kang nang harap-harapan, pangalawang beses. At naka-ganyan ka lang. Parang, hello, helleur. Hindi naman ako siguro kasing superstar mo, Gerald, may karapatan naman ako sigurong galangin mo. I’m also an actor like you are.”
Snooky further gave Gerald some pieces of advice in treating actors from another generation:
“Gerald, you don’t have to kiss my (edited out). You don’t have to make me samba-samba. Sana lang naman, huwag lang naman tratuhin kaming mga medyo matagal na sa industriya na para bang hindi na kami mga sikat so, ‘Do I know you?’ Parang ganoon ang dating. Nasaktan ako siyempre. Baka kailangan ni Gerald ng memory pill.”
Unlike Ai-Ai, Gerald is in the country, surprised about the special mention and gave this reaction also to “The Buzz”:
“Kung yun po ang tingin niya sa akin, ano po ang magagawa ko? You can’t please everyone. Si Miss Snooky yan. Di ko alam kung paano ako nadamay doon eh.”
“Sorry po kung ganoon ang reaction ko kasi ngayon ko lang po talaga nalaman. Aminin ko, sobrang mahiyain po ako. Hindi po ako lalapit talaga sa ano hangga’t hindi pinakilala.”
“Sorry kung meron po akong ginawang masama.”
Now comes Kim Chiu, Gerald’s partner in the Kimerald love team, defending him at all costs while risking her own potential brush with her 1980s counterpart.
“Sabi ni Snooky? Di naman siya (Gerald) plastic. Ang bait-bait nga niya kahit hindi niya kakilala. Siguro naiingit lang sila kay Gerald. Sino ba ito, Snooky na babae o Snooky na lalake?”
* * *
Jennylyn Mercado has now started mending her ties with GMA-7 by agreeing to one condition network officials had allegedly pointed out to her previously — have her manager Becky Aguila out of the picture.
Becky, who discovered Jennylyn before she ever set foot on GMA Network Center, had become persona-non-grata in Kapuso country after engineering the flight of erstwhile GMA prized actress Angel Locsin to the network’s rival, ABS-CBN. After Becky had decided to make that gargantuan shift, the most affected were her other talents with live contracts in GMA-7. While Angel had escaped the wrath, the other prominent talent of Becky, Jennylyn Mercado, was left with abandoned projects and a potential bypass of the remaining three or four years in her GMA contract since the network had since refused to ever talk to Becky again.
While Becky had placed the blame on GMA for being an “unchristian” employer, an objective eye would always consider the move as extremely risky for someone in the business of talent management, unless her business revolves around just one talent. But, no, Becky has other talents, who gave their full trust in her expertise and connections. Now, they are all floating, waiting perhaps for the Kapamilya network to give out their “entry visas.” But of course, ABS-CBN can’t take them all. Good thing Valerie Concepcion still made that slim cut. Valerie now co-hosts ABS-CBN’s noontime show “Wowowee” with Willie Revillame, Mariel Rodriguez, and Pokwang.
This Jennylyn can’t do–jumping to ABS-CBN like what Angel or Valerie did. She still has a live contract with GMA-7 for the next few years. The only recourse for Jennylyn was to arrange for a “semi-release” from Becky. This means, GMA-7 will speak directly to Jennylyn for television projects, allowing the first Starstruck grand female champion to receive the entire talent proceeds from negotiations. But Becky can still negotiate for Jennylyn’s projects outside of GMA-7, like film projects or concerts.
According to Jennylyn she would rather be released by Becky than be dumped by GMA-7:
“Siyempre kahit sinong tanungin niyo, oo siguro yung sagot,” Jennylyn told GMA-7’s “Startalk” in a taped interview aired Saturday.
“Ayoko nang pumasok ulit sa problema pang hindi naman ako ang may kasalanan. So ngayon sana huwag uli ako madamay. Trabaho na ulit ako sa GMA. Loyal naman ako sa GMA eh. Thankful ako sa kanila na binigyan uli ako ng opportunity after all.”
Jennylyn will make her GMA-7 “Telebabad” primetime block comeback soon with the drama “La Vendetta” opposite Sunshine Dizon, Jean Garcia, Rustom Padilla and Mark Herras. She made her last appearance in primetime through the GMA-7 fantasy series “Super Twins” early this year.
