LAST year, when Pinoy Big Brother’s Celebrity Edition ended, housemate and TV host Bianca Gonzales admitted that she and director boyfriend Lino Cayetano were working out their wobbly relationship. The reason? The obvious closeness she and fellow housemate Zanjoe Marudo shared during the show. Lino would not comment on the issue.

During the January 2, 2007 episode of Bianca’s entertainment show Blog, she finally revealed that she and Lino were kaput. Interviewed by manager Boy Abunda, Bianca said, “ My heart is in the right place, it’s young and ready for the future.” She also added that she’s not closing her doors for possible reconciliation. “Anything can happen,” she positively remarked.

But will Bianca and Lino actually have a second chance at romance now that mega-daughter KC Concepcion has entered the picture? KC and Lino were reportedly spotted at the secluded Sonya’s Garden Restaurant in Tagaytay during the Christmas holidays. The two were said to be extra close – close enough to be holding hands daw.

Although some say that KC might just be shooting a commercial with Lino as director, the buzz refuses to die. And they do make a cute couple.

As for Zanjoe, the model is said to be a little too close to Mariel Rodriguez, who co-hosts Wowowee with Willie Revillame and who pals around with Bianca.

So where does this leave our wholesome ka-Blogger? Unattached but not unhinged. As Bianca herself might tell you, her heart naman is in the right place.

Ely Buendia, a heart attack at 36

ELY Buendia, the most famous Pupil of the Philippines (although he will always be best known as an Eraserhead), didn’t know he was suffering a heart attack when he played a 90-minute show in Laguna on January 7.

"It was Ely’s first heart attack and it could have cost him his life,” Ely’s wife, Diane Ventura told The Philippine Star’s Ricky Lo. “One of his major arteries was 100 percent clogged and the other, 95 percent.” Diane drove Ely to the Asian Hospital where the songwriter underwent an emergency angioplasty, a procedure to free up his artieries. Diane said Ely thought his chest pains were simply signs he was suffering from heartburn.

As is often the case with rock stars, rumors swirled that Ely had OD’d on drugs. But the real culprit, it turned out, was too many late nights, an all-meat diet (“He loved the fatty part”), very little exercise, and work, work, work.

"Because of mostly out-of-town gigs,” said Diane, “Ely would come home oftentimes at 5 a.m. He’d wake up at 8 a.m. to take our son to school. He’d get only three to four hours of sleep. Despite his work load, Ely is a hands-on father. He’s an ideal family man.”

Ely is expected to do nothing for a change in the next four weeks.

An early-year break-up

“AALIS kami ni Angel ng December 26,” Oyo Boy Sotto told a local magazine about his post-Christmas plans with girlfriend Angel Locsin. But that wasn’t to be as their romantic alone-time ended up in a quarrel…and horrors, a split.

A teary-eyed Angel faced Butch Francisco of the GMA gossip show Startalk to confirm she and Oyo had finally decided to part ways. Among the frankly weird rumors that have been going around for the reasons of the split are: Oyo’s reported liaison with Bing Loyzaga, Janno Gibbs’ estranged wife; Angel’s supposed jealous fit when Kristine Hermosa, Diether Ocampo’s girlfriend, and Oyo dated at the trendy dance club Embassy. The word is that Angel was upset that Oyo hid the “date” from her.

Although there’s not been a confirmation of the real reason, many observers agree it was Angel’s lack of time because of her nearly 24/7 working sked that doomed the three-year relationship.

Oyo’s dad, Vic Sotto, known to be tight-lipped when it comes to controversies, even weighed in on the subject as you can see in our cover story.

International award-giving bodies spot a real winner

HER performance in in the indie movie, Kubrador has earned Gina Pareño a slew of acting awards from international film fests like the 8th Osian festival of Asian Cinema in New Delhi, India held last July and 33rd International Festival of Independent Film in Brussels in November. Recently, Gina got more kudos, from 26th Amiens International Film Festival in France. Said director Jeffrey Jeturian to a local newspaper, “This latest honor only confirms that Gina’s previous triumphs were not flukes and that our artists can compete with the world’s best.”

Gina, who attended the festival in France was reportedly mobbed on the streets of Amiens by festival goers, a lot of them women.

In the latest MMFF awards, Gina was also awarded a best actress trophy, this time, for the Star Cinema movie Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo.