| Unofficial Website of Ms. Janice de Belen |
| Janice interviews Aga Part 1 |
| Janice interviews Aga Posted:8:38 PM (Manila Time) | June 30, 2001 WHEN Janice de Belen pinch-hit for Lyn Ching on �S-Files� some weeks ago, she did so well that we urged the GMA-7 bosses to think up a show for her. Little did we know that they would simply ease Lyn out and give her other shows to do, so that Janice could become Paolo Bediones� co-host on a permanent basis. That was a pretty rough trade, but perhaps the show�s high ratings when Janice temporarily co-hosted it gave Channel 7 the immensely pleasurable notion that, with Janice on hand, it could finally achieve its perfervid dream of vanquishing Channel 2�s own Sunday afternoon show, �The Buzz,� in the all-important ratings game. In any case, after Lyn�s tearful goodbye two weeks ago, a definitely beaming Janice was all present and accounted for on the show last Sunday. To make her �official� debut as co-host truly special and eminently viewable, the show whipped up a double-whammy that must have pulverized the competition: Janice in a one-on-one encounter with the newly-married Aga Muhlach. What was so special about that? Well, for the benefit of deafmute quadriplegics who have been trapped in a cave at the base top of Mt. Mayon for the past 20 years, sometime in the late 1980s, Janice and Aga were teen lovers. Their affair produced a son, Luigi, but Janice chose not to marry Aga, so they remained cold and even combative for years � in fact, right up to their interview on �S-Files� last Sunday. So, the interview was a must-see �event� for many viewers. How would the estranged former sweethearts relate to each other? Would there be tension on the set? Would old resentments flare up? Would there be recriminations, tears � even the still shouldering embers of a once and perhaps future love? That last speculation was far-out, considering that Aga had just gotten hitched to Charlene Gonzales, and they were already expecting their twin firstborns. But you know how local movie fans are � they don�t call them �die-hard� for nothing. In any case, when Aga finally sat down to be interviewed by Janice last Sunday afternoon, everybody and his grandmother was watching � with bated breath and unblinking eyes. First impression: Aga and Janice were trying hard to look casual and relaxed, but they felt awkward with each other. Well, who could blame them? As Aga honestly but also rather cattily pointed out, this was practically the first time in years that they had really talked, as opposed to barking or hissing at each other. This was unfortunate, considering that their son Luigi was growing up and needed the harmonious care and loving of both his parents � but that�s reality for you. Anyway, Aga and Janice did their best to lighten the trying moment for each other. In fact, Janice tried rather too hard to look friendly and cool: instead of sitting down, she perched on top of her seat with her legs prettily tucked under her. It was a rather flirty pose that suited the strange set-up for the scene involving the two ex-lovers. It was strange because, despite the fact that they had called it quits a decade ago, there was occasionally a �ligawan� quality to their on-camera conversation last Sunday. But there was also a contradictory quality of often hidden but sometimes not so subtle recrimination. It was as if the mess of 10 years ago had not been completely worked out. This prompted the viewer to wonder what was the real reason why Janice and Aga didn�t marry each other when she had gotten pregnant. Different �versions� abound, of course � they were too young, her folks didn�t approve of him, she was a bigger star then than he was, they didn�t want to make up for a mistake with another mistake, etc. � but what was the real reason? Alas, Janice and Aga were generally quite forthright on �S-Files,� but this was one key area that they saw fit to keep in the realm of rumor and speculation. To be concluded Inquirer News Service |
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