Showbiz Roundup: Vice Ganda and the ‘EXpecially For You’ brouhaha

The debacle involving Vice Ganda and the contestants on “It’s Showtime’s” “EXpecially For You” segment is the most-talked-about entertainment topic this week, with the comedian-host stating that he won’t apologize to Axel as he seemingly tried to kiss Cristine without her consent.

Meanwhile, rumors linking Richard Gutierrez to Barbie Imperial made headlines after showbiz insider Ogie Diaz reported they are exclusively dating.

Missed out on the hottest entertainment buzz? Look no further as we recall INQUIRER.net’s top showbiz news from May 31 to June 6.

Vice Ganda won’t apologize to ‘It’s Showtime’ searchee

Vice Ganda said he does not intend to apologize to “It’s Showtime” searchee Axel, whom the show host called out for supposedly trying to kiss searcher Christine on the cheek without asking for her consent.

The incident happened during the May 31 episode of the show’s “EXpecially for You” segment, when Axel — who wasn’t chosen by Christine — was asked to show and introduce himself to her.

Axel then approached Christine, who already had her arm raised to shake his hand. He then leaned closer to her, seemingly in an attempt to kiss her on the cheek, but Christine avoided the gesture.

“Hoy, ‘di pwede ‘yon. That’s bad. You don’t do that. You ask for permission,” Vice Ganda told Axel. “Alam mo bang pwede kang mademanda sa ginagawa mo? Hindi ka pwedeng nagnanakaw ng halik.”

Axel, through a video on his TikTok page, then explained that he was not going to kiss Christine but was only trying to bump shoulders like what guys usually do after a handshake.

Christine likewise clarified in a separate video that Axel was not going to kiss her but instead leaned closer to hug her. She also thanked the hosts for their concern and apologized to Axel for the bashing aimed at him after the incident.

After Axel and Christine’s statements, Vice Ganda said he would apologize to Axel for their reaction on X, saying he thought Christine felt violated which was the reason he called Axel out.

However, Vice Ganda and his fellow hosts addressed the matter anew during the noontime show’s June 4 episode, saying they — along with the staff and psychologists — had talked to Axel and Christine regarding the matter.

During their conversation with Christine, Vice said he admitted he felt “off” over Axel’s gesture, and that she had a reason—which the hosts and staff wouldn’t disclose—why she priorly said through her statement that she didn’t feel such.

“Nakausap po [naming] muli si Axel at si Christine, at dahil po don ay binabawi ko ‘yung ni-tweet ko na I will say an apology because I do not need to apologize for what I did,” he said. “Paniniwala namin na hindi namin kailangang mag-apologize because what we did was right.”

Vice Ganda also underscored that it is every woman’s right to refuse or express herself whenever she feels violated by a gesture. He noted as well that they called Axel out to protect Christine. Nonetheless, he appealed to stop the bashing toward Christine and Axel.

‘EXpecially For You’ searcher’s crying video surfaces

After “It’s Showtime’s” hosts aired their statement regarding the viral “beso” issue that took place on the show last May 31, a crying video of ‘EXpecially For You’ searcher Christine surfaced on TikTok as she lamented that the show “made her appear as a liar.”

On June 5, a video of Christine crying surfaced on TikTok, which now has 8 million views. A sibling of Christine’s ex-boyfriend uploaded the video. It showed Christine talking to an “It’s Showtime” staff member and was said to be taken right after the airing of the hosts’ statement.

In the video, Christine was sitting on the floor while crying as she was talking to a woman on the phone. “Mas lalo niyo po sila binigyan ng dahilan para maibash ako. Pinagmukha niyo akong sinungaling. Paano naman po ako,” Christine was heard as saying to the woman on the phone.

The staff replied that Christine uploaded three videos with three contradicting statements, to which she responded in tears, “Iniexplain ko nga po lahat. Nakatatlong video po ako. Hindi po iba-iba. Paulit-ulit po ako. Inie-exaggrate ko lang po kasi po ‘yung mga tao nirereplyan ko po sila kasi hindi po nila magets ‘yung point ko.”

The rest of the video, however, couldn’t be fully viewed, but the woman on the phone could be heard saying in the background that it wasn’t their intention to paint Christine a liar. As they ended the phone conversation, the woman said that they would call Christine back.

Are Richard and Barbie dating?

After previously denying that the two were involved, showbiz insider Ogie Diaz finally confirmed, citing a reliable source, that Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial are “exclusively dating” after their recent sighting in South Korea and after the latter posted their “workout bonding” on Instagram.

In his vlog, Diaz claimed the two are dating and denied that Imperial was a third party in the separation of Gutierrez and his estranged wife, Sarah Lahbati.

“Kumpirmado exclusively dating na sina Richard Gutierrez at Barbie Imperial. Ayon sa aming very reliable source, walang overlapping na naganap at hiwalay na umano sina Richard at Sarah bago pa pumasok sa eksena si Barbie,” he said.

“Last year pa hiwalay umano ang mag-asawa, pareho nang single at co-parenting na lang sa kanilang dalawang anak. Si Barbie daw ay ngayong taon lang nakapalagayan ng loob ni Richard. Ani pa ng source namin, Barbie had nothing to do with the hiwalayang isyu,” Diaz added.

Diaz asserted that his source claimed that there was no truth to the allegations that Gutierrez “physically abused” his former wife or any of his ex-girlfriends.

“Idinagdag pa nito na lahat ng naging girlfriends ni Richard ay kaibigan pa rin ni Richard hanggang ngayon tulad nila Anne Curtis at Georgina Wilson. Ito ay sinabi ng aming source bilang patotoo na hindi nananakit ng babae si Richard tulad ng ibinibintang sa aktor,” he explained.

“Hindi porket hindi nagsasalita si Richard ay siya ang may kasalanan sa hiwalayan. No, hindi siya nagsasalita anything against Sarah, kasi hindi naman ang tipo si Richard na makikipagaway sa babae lalo na sa mga nanay ng anak niya,” he continued.

Further citing his source, Diaz said the two will confirm their relationship “in due time.”

Cristine and Ali in daughter’s moving-up ceremony

Former couple Cristine Reyes and Ali Khatibi were present to celebrate their daughter Amarah’s milestone at her moving-up ceremony.

Reyes documented the event through her Instagram page on May 31, showing Amarah holding certificates of compassion and athlete awards given to her.

Amarah was also seen all smiles with her classmates while showing off their certificates on stage.

“Moving up,” Reyes briefly said in the caption.

After the ceremony, Reyes and Khatibi seemed to have taken their daughter on a meal date, as shown in one of the photos.

Fans and fellow celebrities then took to the comments section to send their congratulatory greetings to Amarah, with some commending the former couple as well for their co-parenting setup.

Reyes and Khatibi welcomed Amara in 2015, then wed a year later. The actress confirmed their separation in 2019, then revealed in a February 2024 interview that they had been annulled for over a year.

Niño Muhlach explains why he sold FAMAS trophy

Weeks after selling one of his Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) trophies to Boss Toyo, former child star Niño Muhlach explained that it was the content creator who offered to buy it for a fee.

Muhlach addressed the reason behind selling his FAMAS trophy to Boss Toyo for P500,000 in a “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview on Monday, June 3, even as Abunda pointed out that he’s “successful” in his life.

“Tinawagan ako ni Boss Toyo. He was telling me merong nag-offer sa kanya ng FAMAS award ng child star pero hindi daw niya binili because para sa kanya ang child star talaga sa isipan niya was Niño Muhlach. So he called me,” he said. “I have five awards, nakatambak lang sa bahay. Hindi ko naalagaan.”

Muhlach pointed out that despite selling his trophy to Boss Toyo, he struck a deal with the latter to ensure that it would be kept in good condition and wouldn’t be sold to anyone.

“Ang usapan namin ni Boss Toyo, I’ll sell it to you pero may deal. Kailangan i-restore mo na magmumukhang bago and idi-display mo sa museum at hindi mo pwede ibenta. Idi-display niya sa museum niya na forever makikita ng mga tao,” he said.

KC and Mike unfollow each other

Amid breakup rumors, actress KC Concepcion and her boyfriend, Filipino-Swiss businessman Mike Wuethrich, appeared to have recently unfollowed each other on Instagram, as noticed by some eagle-eyed netizens.

As of June 1, the two were missing from each other’s following list, and Wuethrich seemingly deleted his picture with the actress which he posted in September 2023. Meanwhile, Concepcion has retained her Instagram reels with the businessman.

On May 18, Concepcion posted photos of her flexing her new hair, as she wrote in the caption, “Moving on.”

Concepcion and Wuethrich began to be hounded by separation rumors in April after netizens pointed out that the two seldom saw and posted each other. The businessman also was not present during the 39th birthday celebration of the actress.

However, Concepcion posted a bouquet given by her boyfriend, writing, “Special thanks to Swizzy, who is in Switzerland, for sending me my first beautiful birthday blooms that lit up the mood and the whole room.”

On April 23, Concepcion greeted Wuethrich for his birthday, saying that despite the distance, there’s a reason they are in each other’s lives.

Despite not confirming their relationship, the two began to be seen around each other in January 2023. When Concepcion was asked about her love life in August 2023, she remarked that she wanted to keep it low-key.

Bea Alonzo snubs ‘1521’ premiere night

Bea Alonzo was a no-show at the premier night of her own movie “1521” but the film producer Francis Ho said he “doesn’t blame” her for her non-appearance and that it is “understandable” after their previous debacle.

The camp of Ho, who is the head of Inspire Studios, claimed in September 2023 that Alonzo had “unreasonable demands” while filming. This prompted the actress’ manager Shirley Kuan to retaliate, calling out the flawed costume that they wanted the actress to wear, and the overall “incompetence” of the production team.

In a report on TV Patrol, Ho said he is taking responsibility for their past mishaps that inconvenienced the actress and led to her decision not to attend the premiere night of their movie last May 29.

“Of course, I understand. And then again, I don’t blame her because as a first-time producer, I made some calls that were not able to somehow help her in a way that would’ve been helpful,” he said.

The film producer said he would “improve” in his next project should he be given a chance to do so.

“I take responsibility for that. I could improve the next time around and there would be another chance. I totally understand. And I want to let people know that even if she doesn’t show up, it’s not her fault,” he said.

In a separate media gathering last month, Ho told reporters that he invited Alonzo and Kuan to attend the premiere night but didn’t receive a response. He also apologized to the actress’ camp for the past debacle regarding the film’s production.

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