Showbiz Roundup: Arnel Pineda; Emman Atienza, Krishnah Gravidez’s dinner

(From left) Arnel Pineda, Emman Atienza and Krishnah Gravidez. Images: FILE PHOTOS

Arnel Pineda asked his fans and that of the American rock band, Journey, to help him decide whether to leave of stay in the band after his poor performance at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, Kim Atienza’s daughter Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza is on the brunt of backlash after a now-deleted video of herself, friends and Miss World Philippines 2024 Krishnah Gravidez went viral, which featured them in a “guess the bill” clip of their P133,000-worth dinner

Here are the biggest showbiz headlines of INQUIRER.net from Sept. 20 to 26.

Arnel Pineda offers to quit Journey

Arnel Pineda. Image: Facebook/Arnel Pineda

Arnel Pineda, lead vocalist of Journey, said sorry after his poor performance at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He also asked his fans to decide whether or not they wanted him to stay or leave the band for good.

Pineda caught the attention of music fans after Behind the Songs shared a clip of Pineda struggling to reach the high notes of the band’s hit song “Don’t Stop Believin” on Facebook on Sept. 21.

He apologized to his fans for the incident in a Facebook statement on Sept. 22, noting that more than anyone, he is devastated about how his performance turned out.

Then, Pineda asked fans to decide whether or not he should stay or leave the band for good by responding to his post with either stay or go. “Mentally and emotionally, I’ve suffered already and I’m still [suffering]. But I’ll be okay. So here’s the deal here now.”

“I am offering you a chance now (especially those [who’ve] hated me and never liked me from the very beginning) to simply text GO or STAY right here,” he continued. “And if ‘Go’ reaches 1 million, I’m stepping out for good… God bless all of you and thank you once again to all of the fans and friends who believed in me since Day 1.”

Pineda replaced Steve Perry as vocalist of Journey in 2008 after answering an email from band guitarist Neal Schön inviting him to join.

In accepting the offer, keyboardist Jonathan Cain described Pineda as “the future for our franchise.”

In 2023, Pineda was accused by Schön and his wife of ditching the idea of bringing back the rock band’s founding member and vocalist Greg Rolie for their celebratory tour.

The feud started in November 2022 after Schön was involved in a legal dispute with Cain, which led to Pineda making cryptic posts three months later, hinting that he was unhappy with the treatment within the band.

Emman Atienza cries foul after P133,000 meal

Emmanuelle Atienza. Image: Instagram/@emmanatienza; TikTok/@emmanatienza

Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza, daughter of TV personality Kim Atienza, addressed the criticisms over the “guess the bill” video of her P133,000-worth dinner with friends, saying it was meant as a “joke.”

Atienza, in a now-deleted TikTok video, was seen dining at a restaurant with her friends, including reigning Miss World Philippines Krishnah Gravidez.

The clip shows each of them guessing their bill, saying whoever has the closest estimate would pay for it.

Gravidez’ had the closest guess, which was revealed to be P133,423.99.

She was then seen giving her card to apparently pay for the group’s meal.

This drew flak from netizens who criticized the group for flaunting how they splurge, which came across to some as an “insensitive” move.

Atienza then spoke up on the matter through a TikTok video on Sept 24, saying the dinner was a birthday treat of her friend and was shouldered by the latter’s agency.

“I find it so stupid that I even have to address this but it has gotten to a point where I feel like I need to,” she complained.

“One, the video was a joke,” she said. “I thought it was obvious because we were laughing and the bill was outrageously high number. But apparently, it’s believable that I can pay that much for dinner…”

“Even if I had paid that much, even if we did have that much money, it is our choice and our freedom to do what we want with money that we earned,” she went on to say.

Atienza also spoke about a media platform that wrote about the flak on her video and then included the reminder “check your privilege.”

The post further stated that Atienza and her friends should “redistribute their wealth to those most in need of it.”

She also pointed out that it was “ironic” that the same page “praised” actress Nadine Lustre for attending an event for a luxury brand.

“If you’re gonna hate on me ‘for being rich,’ you need to do the same to everyone. Because guess what? Your favorite celebrities — not just in the Philippines but worldwide — make more, have more and spend more than I ever have,” she said.

“And on top of that, I doubt any of them are redistributing their wealth,” she further mentioned.

She then noted, “I, a singular teenage girl, am not responsible for the wealth disparity in the Philippines — contrary to current popular belief. I find it so stupid that people are picking and choosing what to be activists for.”

Emman Atienza’s ‘mental health struggles’

Emman Atienza | Image: Instagram/@emmanatienza

Amid the criticism over her viral “guess the bill” video, Emman Atienza declared that “she feels herself again” and is proud of her journey amid battle with mental health.

Emman shared a video on Instagram featuring photos and clips from her younger years to the present, supposedly including her joyful as well as “breakdown” moments, and hospital visits.

“[TikTok] kept taking this video down so I’m moving it to reels. I’m really proud of myself and this video so I really wanted to share it,” she wrote in her caption, adding the hashtags mental health awareness and mental illness. “I’m me again; it feels like it’s been years.”

The video showcased clips of Emman crying and talking to herself whenever she experienced “breakdowns.”

“Come on. You’re crazy. You’re weird. You’re egocentric, and you think everything is about you. You’re awkward. You’re annoying. You think everyone hates you but they don’t. They just don’t care about you enough to acknowledge or respect you,” she said to the camera.

The video also showed the fun times of the 18-year-old social media influencer as she bonded with her friends and did some voluntary activities with children.

Emman’s post resonated with her followers, commending her for proudly sharing her journey.

Miss World PH org rallies behind Krishnah Gravidez

Reigning Miss World PH Krishnah Gravidez. Image from her Instagram.

Reigning Miss World Philippines Krishnah Gravidez found valuable support amid her involvement in the controversial “Guess the Bill” challenge video, as her national pageant organization said it is standing by her.

“The video in question does not reflect Krishnah’s true character or the values that she upholds. What transpired was a lighthearted moment among friends, meant to be shared in private,” it claimed.

“Unfortunately, it was uploaded without her consent, leading to misunderstandings about her intentions,” the Miss World Philippines Organization (MWPH) said in a statement issued on social media on Sept. 26.

In a now-deleted video posted on Tiktok by content creator Emman Atienza, she, Gravidez and several other women were playing a game where they were asked to guess the cost of their dinner, and whoever guessed closest to that amount will foot the bill.

The beauty queen’s answer was closest to the total bill worth P133,423.99, and she was filmed handing out her credit card.

Gravidez, who in July was crowned as the Philippines’ representative in the 72nd Miss World pageant, also addressed the issue on social media, saying she’s taking full responsibility for her actions.

The beauty queen further reiterated her earlier claims that she was a mere invited guest and had no involvement in the choice of venue or the handling of the bill.

Nevertheless, she said that she fully understood the “impact the video may have had and the assumptions it has generated.”

“Please allow me to clarify that I did not pay the said amount and in no way was my participation in the video meant to promote or glorify an extravagant lifestyle. I genuinely empathize with the struggles that many Filipinos face on a daily basis, and I would never want to come across as insensitive or unaware of these harsh realities,” she claimed.

“I am truly sorry for any unintended harm, and I promise to be more cautious and reflective in the future,” she added.

Carlos Yulo on rift with family

(From left) Chloe San Jose and Carlos Yulo. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Toni Gonzaga Studio

Carlos Yulo continued to stay mum about his rift with his family, but, this time, admitted to having committed “mistakes,” that have caused him to suffer from karma.

Yulo and his girlfriend Chloe San Jose were guests of Toni Gonzaga in her vlog, which was broadcast on her YouTube channel on Sept. 22.

In the interview, Gonzaga noted that Yulo’s family has been vocal about their misunderstanding, shooting posts and comments here and there on social media, while the gymnast mostly kept to himself, with San Jose acting as his defender.

“Personal po kasi masyado eh. Hindi na rin po para malaman ng tao, ng buong sambayanan, kung ano ‘yung nangyari. Basta ako, alam ko po sa sarili ko, sa puso ko na napatawad ko sila and inamin ko sa sarili ko na nagkamali ako,” he said.

“Kinarma na ako, kasi mali nga naman na sagutin mo sila nang ganu’n. Syempre, emosyonal ka na po eh. Gusto mo ipaglaban ‘yung sarili mo and relationship nyo,” continued Yulo without delving too deep into the details.

Despite this, Yulo said he would rather choose to stay faithful to God, noting that it was because of his faith that led him to achieve milestones as a gymnast and to people who truly love him.

He also did not explain what mistake he was referring to and what kind of “karma” he dealt with.

However, it would be recalled that following his historic win at the Paris Olympic, he suffered public backlash after he and San Jose spoke up against his mother, Angelica.

Angelica, too, had her fair share of criticism, for her lack of support for Yulo at the height of his Olympics campaign and verbal attack on Yulo and his girlfriend, who was with him in Paris.

According to Yulo, his mother used to handle his financial affairs, until he found out about her alleged undisclosed withdrawals and mishandling of his savings.

He made the public know about this through a social media post, with San Jose beside him.

San Jose was then asked by Gonzaga if Yulo’s family problems were painful to her as well. She shared that it was, as it reminded her of her own problems with her family.

“Siyempre, nasasaktan po ako kasi it happened to me. I know how it feels like na your own blood is putting you down, hindi naniniwala sa’yo,” she said. “Yeah, family first. Pero your family should be the first one na sinusuportahan ka, pinoprotektahan ka. So why is it the opposite?”

Without disclosing any names, San Jose said the thought of a family putting someone down “doesn’t make sense” for her, knowing that they should love unconditionally.

“Sila ‘yung nauunang mag-down sa’yo. Sila ‘yung una na hindi naniwala sa’yo. Why is that? Parang sa’kin po, [it] doesn’t make sense, or hindi po nagtutugma ‘yung family first dapat. Family should be the first ones to love you and support you unconditionally,” she said.

Sofronio Vasquez wows ‘The Voice’ US coaches

Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez. Image: screengrab from YouTube/The Voice

Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez, a “Tawag ng Tanghalan” alum, was able to get a four-chair turn during the blind auditions of the American reality competition “The Voice.”

Vasquez earned praises from show coaches Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani who all turned their chairs just seconds into the singer’s performance of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down.”

The four coaches even gave the singer a standing ovation after his performance.

“I could not hit my button fast enough,” McEntire told Vasquez. “Your voice is like butter. It is so easy on the ears, but your soulfulness touches my heart. You got the whole package.”

Stefani then followed and described Vasquez’s audition piece as a “Grammy performance.”

“It felt like somebody that knows God gave him the gift, and they’re just trying to get on this stage to show everybody,” she added.

Bublé, for his part, was teary-eyed as he thanked Vasquez using the Filipino language. “I want to start by saying ‘salamat’ because the relationship I’ve had with the Philippines for so many years makes me love you even more.”

Vasquez was then urged by Snoop Dogg to join his team, with the latter flaunting his achievements from signing with a record label to owning the said label.

Vasquez chose Buble as his coach.

Aya Medel’s past battle with brain aneurysm

Aya Medel. Images: IMDb, Facebook/Aya Rechie Medel

Aya Medel, a former actress best known as the “Papaya Queen” in the 1990s, revealed that she’s a survivor of brain aneurysm, while thanking God for “another chance to live.”

The actress-turned-chef recalled her bout with brain aneurysm on Facebook on Sept. 21.

Her post contained photos of herself being confined at the Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan, and enjoying a visit at a high-end restaurant in Pasay.

“I am back… Many people are wondering what happened to me, why suddenly I stopped posting, and talking to people, and I was gone for months. Yes! I had a brain aneurysm, but I survived,” she wrote.

Medel considered herself as one of the “lucky few” who survived the condition while acknowledging God for her “second chance” at life.

“I know that I am one of the lucky few, and the day-to-day isn’t always so easy. But I planned to live my life to the very fullest. My heart is filled with gratitude. Thank you to all of you. Thank you, Lord, for giving me another chance to live. And yes, I am back,” she said.

A brain aneurysm is caused by a bulged-out artery in the brain which puts pressure on the nerves and brain tissue, per the US’ National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

This leads to hemorrhagic stroke, coma, and death.

Medel started her entertainment career as a model before starring in sexy films.

She also appeared in episodes of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and “Magpakailanman,” as well as “Esperanza” and “Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka.”