ALL the while, a lot of people have this impression that these two popular personalities have long ago stopped seeing each other. The man, plain-looking and not one bit sophisticated or oozing with intelligence, has supposedly focused on his thriving political career, and the woman, on her part, on her uneventful and flagging showbiz career.

To be perfectly honest about it, they are never seen together in any occasion, be it glitzy showbiz events or the equally interesting world of politics where the guy is definitely one of the most colorful personalities of late.

As a matter of fact, in some of her interviews, the aging sexpot has vehemently denied any possible entanglement with the super moneyed politician. But one of our DPAs (deep penetrating agents) avers that the two are still very much on and would see each other on a twice-a-month basis in one of the finest hotels at the metropolis where they would have a real grand time together far from the prying eyes of the press and other gossip-oriented people, as well.

“You must have noticed how slimmer the sexy actress is these days,” our source says. “She really is exerting tremendous amount of effort just to look good and svelte for the politician’s sake.

“After all, she gets compensated heftily, it’s but apt and fitting that she should really look her finest best.

“One million per ‘session’ is astoundingly enormous, and the sexy actress is expected to give it her best shot every time they would have their bi-monthly mating session.”

Still on the sexy actress, her dream to find an ideal mate appear to be just that—a dream.

She’s enormously addicted to anything expensive, which leaves her no choice but to ply the skin trade or look for a most generous benefactor.

Workaholic Ehra Madrigal

If her younger sis Michelle Madrigal is famous (notorious, as other people would say) in having intimate relationships with difficult young men who are admittedly good-looking, big sis Ehra Madrigal is more focused on saving money for the rainy days.

“Dapat talagang maging aware tayo on how fast life in the business is,” she avers when interviewed at the presscon tended by GMA for their latest offering Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin, a remake of the Angelika de la Cruz-Sunshine Dizon soap barely a decade ago.

“Ang bilis-bilis talaga ng phasing ng buhay sa showbiz, tito,” she says, facial expression earnest and seemingly agitated. “One day you’re young and delineating lead roles, just to wake-up one morning practically a washed-up actress assigned to supporting roles at an age na bata ka pa naman talaga at puwede pang magbida.

“Kaya in my case, I just keep on working, making hay while the sun still shines, so they say. At least when the inevitable comes, I’m all set and ready to retire and put-up my own little business siguro a boutique, perhaps, and lead a tranquil existence with some kind of dignity,” she says.

What about men, isn’t she committed to anyone?

“I have crushes!” she girlishly reveals. “Boring naman if it’s all work and you don’t have any inspiration to goad you to keep on working. But in my case, I don’t want to commit myself into any serious relationship. Maybe when I have saved enough and my future is fairly stable. But right now, that would have to wait siguro until such time that I’m financially stable.”

But isn’t that the sole domain or responsibility of her would be husband?

“I don’t want to depend on anyone, tito,” she says with that defiant and proud expression.

“If I find someone dependable and well-stocked, salamat.

“But as much as possible.” she points out in earnest, “I don’t want to depend on any man for my subsistence. If a good provider is what I will find in the future, I’d be most thankful. Otherwise, OK lang. Ayoko namang mag-depend kung kanino for my upkeep.”

Going back to the soap she’s doing right now with the Kapuso network, she says she delineates the role of Dr. Katrina, Lilian’s (Tanya Garcia) doctor who will eventually fall for Ferdinand’s (Gardo Versoza) character.

“Marami kami rito,” she says in obvious reference to the star-studded cast headed by Barbie Forteza, Joshua Dionisio, Joyce Ching and Kristoffer Martin. “Kaya you need to put your best foot forward to get a little recognition.”

Anyway, Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin used to be starred in by Angelika de la Cruz, Sunshine Dizon, Sherwin Ordonez and the mystical Cogie Domingo.

From an original teleplay by Dode Cruz, it will be interpreted by headwriter Kit Villanueva and director Roderick Lindayag.

It’s slated to get aired on October 10 after Pahiram Ng Isang Ina on GMA’s afternoon prime-time block.

Not aging gracefully

She used to be an exotic-looking singer-actress of her generation.

She’s definitely not that old yet but personal problems seem to have hastened the aging process and at sixty-something, she is already the picture of a woman whose countenance has been mangled considerably with the passing of time, to the point that the press could no longer see the beautiful persona that lurks behind the heavily wasted physiognomy.

Anyway, if only for the prestige that goes with the name, she’s once again hugging center stage by way of a good role in this soap produced by one of the hottest networks in the country today.

Anyhow, it’s really sad and unbearably lonely to be living alone but she has no choice but to admit that she has had her own share of happiness when she was young and the world was at the tip of her fingertips.

Another reason perhaps she seems not to be radiating happiness is the fact that her only son happens to be a closet queen who’s now very much into a sordid kind of an existence with the men in his life.

How sad!

A changed person purportedly

After all the hullabaloo in connection with her turbulent existence as a drug user, this controversial actress with that bludgeoning tongue is once again back in circulation, looking a little bit too fleshy for comfort but nevertheless, a marked improvement than the abysmal state of things that she was into a couple of months ago.

So far, she has assiduously maintained her no-interview policy but otherwise, she seems in tip-top shape and once again raring to work.

Credit should be given to her son who’s always there by her side, come hell or high water, ready to be of help to his mom in anything he can.

At least, when everybody has turned her down and deserted her, he was always there to be her strength and pillar of support.

Hot hunk a certified bisexual

The sex-oriented gays and bisexuals at the network this macho actor has transferred into are now salivating over his machismo and endowments but the more perceptive of them has come to sense that the he’s not the real thing but a spurious baggage no less.

At any rate, his future at the network he has moved into seems to be infinitely bright and oozing with promise.

This early, he’s being touted to be one of the most promising hunk at the network and one with that X factor, too, if you know the salient point I’m hinting at.

As a matter of fact, the projects lined up for him are perfectly impressive and would have him pitted against the best actors of the network no less.

That is what a sizable dingdong can do to an actor.

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In Photo: Ehra Madrigal