‘Winwyning’ all the way

Winwyn Marquez

Winwyn Marquez’s recent victory at the 2017 Reina Hispanoamericana beauty pageant has effectively silenced her dissers and disparagers, who have been griping and grousing that she isn’t “beautiful enough” to “deserve” the signal honor of representing Filipino pulchritude on the global scene.

True to her victorious name, she’s won the darn pageant, right? So, shut up already.

For our part, we’ve long been in Ms. Marquez’s corner, because we’ve seen how she’s worked hard to become a really good solo dancing star in some of her TV appearances.

Yes, she may not be as strikingly lovely as her mother, Alma Moreno, was when she first appeared onscreen in a Chiquito starrer at only something like 15 years old. But, she’s certainly made up for that with her dancing and performing verve.

We also dote on Winwyn due to her dusky complexion—the very same aspect of her looks that her dissers sniff at.

In our admittedly not prevalent view, some tisay beauties are a pale approximation of the exotic loveliness of more uniquely “ethnic” Filipinas, which makes them stand out abroad.

What’s up next for Winwyn’s stellar career after her “reign”? Her handlers should maximize her “beauty queen” advantage and get GMA 7 to produce a “dancing queen” TV show for her.

The network tried to whip up such a showcase for Marian Rivera some years ago, but it fizzled and flopped because the lovely star just sort of beautifully but listlessly went through the “dance diva” motions, as viewers fell into an unexcited snooze.

Being a better-trained and “giving” dancer, Winwyn can more dynamically deliver what the dance diva program is looking for—and GMA 7 will finally be able to match ABS-CBN’s past dance showcases for the feisty and “ferocious” likes of Charlene Gonzales and Dayanara Torres.

Those shows were so excitingly danced and realized that viewers remember and appreciate them to this day.

Tribute to Rico J

Other show biz luminaries who’ve come up with similarly winning moves and gambits this quarter include Rico J. Puno, who’s survived a number of personal and career tests and glitches, and remains a popular singer-actor to this day.

Rico J celebrates his professional longevity and indomitability in “A Tribute to 40 Years of the Total Entertainer” at Solaire on Dec. 2.

For his part, Markki Stroem consolidates his gains as a standout musical-theater star with a new portrayal in Repertory Philippines’ staging of the ’60s musical, “Hair,” also topbilling Topper Fabregas and Caisa Borromeo.

And Joey “Pepe” Smith may be all of 70 years old, but he’s still rocking—and rolling with life’s punches—with shows like “Pepe Smith Rockfest” at Amoranto Stadium this month (Editor’s note: The show has been moved to a later date due to Joey “Pepe” Smith’s illness.)

Of late, Joey has also figured in some TV and movie productions as an actor, or playing himself—with agreeably “textured” results!