Partying with Echo, Christian

ECHO (right) with girlfriend Kim and Christian with girlfriend Carla

I had a blast at the 60th birthday bash of Solar Entertainment president Wilson Tieng at Mandarin Oriental. The crème de la crème of Philippine show biz, politics and high society were present.

Spotted at the party were Jericho Rosales with his girlfriend Kim Jones and Christian Bautista with his significant other, Carla Dunareanu. Kim hosts “Etcetera” and “I Am Meg” on ETC, while Carla, who’s half-Chinese half-Romanian, is a model/actress/dancer/host.

Do they have marriage plans already?

“Not yet,” Echo said. “We’ve been together for a year. So far, so good. I plan to introduce her to my son in due time.”

Christian said: “We’re taking it slow. It’s been six months [and] settling down is part of the plan, but not at the moment. We’ve both met each other’s families, though.”

No ill feelings

Echo was excited about his coming birthday on Sept. 22, while Christian said he was busy preparing for his concert, “X Class,” on Oct. 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at the Meralco Theater.

Also at Wilson’s party, I bumped into Shirley Kuan, manager of Claudine Barreto. Some controversies ago, Shirley hosted a press con in reaction to an article I wrote about Claudine.

Some of my media “friends” who had taken her side lambasted me in their columns. But I never retaliated in my own column. That’s not my style.

I made the first move to greet Shirley and told her, “Uy! Wala na ’yun, ha?” She looked so shocked, as if she had seen a ghost.

Be that as it may, I was sincere in making peace with her. It felt so liberating to learn how to forgive and forget.

I no longer harbor ill feelings in my heart. And that, for me is the best birthday gift I can give myself.

SOPHIE Albert

Dark horse

I am pleasantly surprised by the talents seen on TV5’s “Artista Academy.” There are many upstarts worth mentioning, but one who really stands out for me is Sophie Albert.

Initially regarded as a dark horse, Sophie has emerged as a deserving contender for “Artista Academy’s” first best actress. Watch out for this young thespian—she has an exciting career ahead of her.