NOW that her sister Cloie (this is how she spells her name in her FB account, not Chloe as other writers do) is joining showbiz and has signed up with Viva, some self-appointed pundits are saying this will only put KC Concepcion’s career in further danger. “Si KC, kaya ayaw sumikat nang husto, nandiyan pa ang nanay niyang si Sharon Cuneta,” they say. “Mas malaki ang chance ni Cloie to make it kasi hindi naman sikat ang madir niyang si Jenny Syquia.”

They’ve also started comparing the sisters with each other since Cloie is also using Concepcion as her surname, even if her legal name is that of her stepdad, Skarne. “Magkamukha talaga sila,” says one newshen. “Kaya lang, ang advantage ni Cloie, mas bata siya at 18, samantalang si KC, 27 na. Kung magiging dalawa silang Concepcion sa showbiz, sino sa tingin nyo ang mas tatangkilikin ng tao?”

But they don’t have to be a threat to each other as they have different career paths. Cloie will be sold as a teen star (but she has yet to learn how to speak Tagalog) while KC has taken a sexier career turn with her daring pictorial for Rogue Magazine that displays her ample butt which she, jokingly says, she’ll have insured. KC is very thankful the cover showing her with a snake in one hand and the head of a man on the other generated very positive feedback. Everyone’s asking if the headless man represents her ex, Papa P, who she slew with just one tearjerking interview. She flashed a cryptic Mona Lisa smile and hinted that her inspiration for the pictorial are her very own “feelings and emotions.” As of now, everything just goes on for her. “Tuluy-tuloy lang naman ang buhay, di ba?” she adds.

FROM 'HEREDERA' TO 'BIRITERA'

AFTER making an ‘heredera’ a toprater, Director Maryo  de los Reyes will now do the same for a “biritera” that will introduce another talented child star. Set in the colorful world of the music recording industry, this will be bannered by stars who not only act well but also sing well: Dennis Trillo, Glaiza de Castro and Angelika de la Cruz.

Dennis plays Andrei, lead vocalist of the group called The Bridge, with Glaiza as the drummer/singer, Mikaela. Angelika plays the foster mom of the new child singer-actress being introduced here, Roseanne Magan. This will be Roseanne’s engaging emotional journey from being a nobody to being a famous biritera, as she also discovers her past and real identity.

The show starts with the unexpected death of the reigning biritera. Mr. D (Ryan Eigenmann), a top talent manager, then makes a hasty search for a new one. In an amateur singing contest in the province, he brings Dennis along and Dennis is drawn to one particular contestant, Roseanne. But Roseanna loses to her rival, Barbie (Sweet Ramos), much to Andrei’s disappointment. Her adoptive mom, Angelika, prefers that she focuses on her studies rather than sing.

Dennis uploads a video of Roseanne on the net and it goes viral, making Roseanne a big Internet singing sensation. How this affects her life is something viewers would enjoy following eagerly every night on GMA7. Also in the show are Rich Asuncion as Roseanne’s ambitious aunt, Neil Ryan Sese as a rich businessman, Gwen Zamora as Andrei’s ardent fan who falls in love with him, Ces Quesada as Angelika’s aunt, Yul Servo as Rich’s boyfriend, and Claudine Barretto in a special role as the biritera’s real mother.

Also in the cast are Ken Chan, Kiel Rodriguez, Orlando Sol, Hiro Magalona, Kim Komatsu, Barbara Miguel, comedians Scarlet and Patricia Ysmael, and new child singers Nomer Limatog and Jamaika Olivarez. “Biritera” starts airing on February 6 replacing “Munting Heredera”.

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING: MOST EXCITING EDITION

IN “Underworld” (2003), vampire warrior Selene (Kate Beckinsale) falls in love with werewolf Michael (Scott Speedman). It did well so “Underworld: Evolution” followed in 2006. Kate refused to do another sequel so what they did in “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” in 2009 was a prequel starring Rhona Mitra. It’s not as a big hit as the two previous flicks so they’re now back with Kate in “Underworld: Awakening” and yes, it opened number one in the U.S. box office, minus Speedman who’s replaced by a lookalike.

This is strictly for fans of the series. If you’re looking for something more “artistic”, go watch “Coriolanus” that’s a modernized version of Shakespeare’s play. But loyal fans will surely like seeing Kate again garbed in her skintight black latex costume and once more kicking ass. She and Michael get separated and she wakes up years later from cryogenic slumber in a lab called Antigen where Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea of “The Crying Game”) is boss.

The past films look like they were inspired by “The Matrix” production design. Now that it’s set in a lab, it reminds you of the “Resident Evil” series. The difference is that Kate is now a mom. To breathe new life to the series, she has given birth to a teenage girl named Eve (India Eisley, real life daughter of Olivia Hussey who played Juliet in Franco Zefirelli’s version years ago), a vampire-werewolf hybrid. It turns out Dr. Jacob has his own secret son, Quint (Kris Holden Ried), who looks more like a rock star but is actually the most monstrous werewolf that Kate would ever encounter.

Personally, we think this is the most exciting edition in the series, with bigger budget and better staged action scenes that would surely look more thrilling on 3-D. Kate is definitely in top form here. You know she’s aided by CGI and wire works but she makes it all very credible. There’s also an eye-popping scene where she performs heart surgery with bare hands on a guy whose heart has stopped beating.

Angelina Jolie is often considered the top female action star but she’s now being challenged not only by Kate but also Milla Jovovich as Alice in the “Resident Evil” franchise (the 5th edition is coming out soon) and Gina Carano in “Haywire”.

HAYWIRE: SLOW YET ENGAGING

GINA Carano is familiar to those who watch UFC and “American Gladiator.” A muay thai champ, no less than Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”, “Contagion”) now launches her as a Hollywood action star in “Hay-