GETTIN' LO WITH j.Lo.  3-Mar-2004  Emmmmm... So the Ben/j.Lo saga seems to be over... for now. You never truly know with these Hollywood types. *eh* But breaking up with Ben obviously hasn't kept the girl down in the dumps. In fact, she's up and at 'em... with none other than ex-flame, Marc Anthony. Yes, that's right. It's been reported that Lo spent her Valentine's Day with the latin crooner. Anthony is, once again, a single man...having been divorced for the second time by ex-wife - former Miss Universe from Puerto Rico, Dayanara Torres.

The "Lo" spent her "V" day with the singer at her Miami home. According to an article from rediff.com, a friend of j.Lo told People that "'Jennifer and Marc hugged and kissed at the pool,' and later called on his mother. 'It looks like they are back together,' the friend said." Apparently the two had met previously on the sets of a video shot back in '98. They collaborated on her song No Me Ames, and are currently working on another collaboration for a movie theme song.

Well, good luck to them. Don't know what she sees in the poor guy. He's totally lacking in facial value, which was another reason why it seemed almost unfathomable that the very pretty Dayanara fell for his wandering eyes TWICE. Good thing for her... she's still got her Miss U crown, but thank goodness she got rid of the "ugly" baggage. Just cause he has a great voice doesn't mean that he has a great face. Oooooooh!

Oh j.Lo. What is the world gonna do with you?! *shakes-head-in-disbelief*
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

GUILTY!  5-Mar-2004  OH BOO. So the verdict is in... Martha Stewart has been found GUILTY on all counts! BoO!! Here's the article from YAHOO! & The Associated Press:

"NEW YORK - Martha Stewart was convicted Friday of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a superbly timed stock sale, a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomizes meticulous homemaking and gracious living.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated three days before convicting Stewart of all counts against her. The charges carry up to 20 years in prison, but Stewart will most certainly get much less than that under federal sentencing guidelines.

Stewart, 62, grimaced as each count against her was read. Her eyes appeared to widen slightly.

Her ex-stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, 41, was convicted on all but one count against him, filing a false document.

Sentencing was set for June 17.

The charges centered on why Stewart, 62, dumped about $228,000 worth of ImClone Systems stock on Dec. 27, 2001, just a day before it was announced that the Food and Drug Administration had rejected ImClone's application for approval of a cancer drug, an announcement sent ImClone's stock plummeting.

Stewart and Bacanovic claimed they had a standing agreement to sell when the price fell below $60. But the government contended that was a phony cover story and that Stewart sold because she was tipped by her broker that ImClone CEO Sam Waksal was frantically trying to dump his own holdings."

HERE COME THE PHILIPPINE BEAUTY QUEENS!   7-Mar-2004  So the race for the fairest woman of the universe is officially on. No, wait a minute. That would be the race for the fairest woman of the UNIVERSE, the WORLD, the EARTH, INTERNATIONAL, GLOBE, TOURISM, GLOBAL-TOURSIM... name it, there's a queen for every possible designation that this pop culture has to offer. Now that the Philippines has its queens declared, the race can officially begin. No, wait again... nothing happens until the United States' bet for Miss Universe is chosen, right?! Well, in time that will be decided on, too.

For now, let's just relish in the fact that another year of international beauty pageantry is officially underway for the Philippines. On March 6th, at the Araneta Coliseum, the top three women of the country were chosen to represent our island nation in three of the most prestigious beauty contests that the world knows. Going to Miss International, a pageant that's run by Japan, is Maan Bayot. Standing at a towering 5'9", she's a shoe-in for a top slot in this international tilt. Most important is the fact that the Miss International pageant doesn't require an interview portion, which would work in this girl's benefit. She can't hold a decent conversation in English AT ALL. Poor thing. Will Maan be able to follow in the footsteps of previous Bb. Pilipinas International queens who've won the crown (Gemma Cruz, Aurora Pijuan, and Melanie Marquez)? Probably not, but let's see what happens.

Attending the British-run Miss World pageant, where last year's Philippine rep - Mafae Yunon - placed 4th runner-up (out of 106 contestants, mind you), is Karla Bautista. She doesn't register well in photographs...at least I don't think so. Let's just hope that she's a lot better in person. Whether or not she can ace the pageant with a bubbly personality like Mafae has yet to be seen.

And finally, and most prestigiously, Maricar Balagtas will be sent to Ecuador in June to compete for the ever-so-coveted Miss Universe crown. The American-run pageant has seen two winners from the Philippines: Gloria Diaz in 1969, and Margie Moran in 1973. The last time a Filipina came close to the crown was in 1999, when Miriam Quiambao emerged as 1st Runner-up to Botswana's Mpule Kwelagobe. Before that was 1994's Charlene Gonzales, who finished in a strong TOP 6 position. Will Maricar be the one to end the country's crownless drought? Again, it's highly doubtful. But she is, hands down, a definite improvement from last year's winner - Carla Gay Balingit, who couldn't even scratch the surface as a Top 15 semi-finalist. My, oh my. The only thing is, Maricar supposedly doesn't think quick on her feet, and doesn't exactly ooze with personality. A possible background smiler?! I would think DEFINITELY.

Please stand-by and see what could possibly happen as these women take the international stage against powerhouse pageant pattys from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, India, and the United States. First up, Miss Universe in June. Good luck, ladies...!

OH, WHITNEY.  17-Mar-2004  Whitney Houston's publicist said, on Monday, that the diva has FINALLY entered a rehab program. FINALLY.

I still remember her on that interview with Diane Sawyer, when she said, "I'm not addicted...!" or some bullshit like that. Whatever, Whitney. Stevie Wonder could've seen the coke remnants under your nose. The woman is a mess, and has been a mess since she hooked-up with loser-and-poor-excuse-of-a-husband, Bobby Brown, of the long-time-defunct New Edition. Whatever. It's about time the woman cleans up her act. She's got a reputation to refurbish, as well as a daughter to take care of.

The rehab center which she has commited herself to is undisclosed. Let's just hope that this time works for Miss Thang. Emmm... Crack-Head.