KRIS Bernal was one of the celebrity judges in “Amazing Cooking Kids” when we visited its taping. Has she tasted partner Aljur Abrenica’s hotdog? “No, not yet,” she says. “But the one he’s endorsing, natikman ko na. 'Yung tuna. He sent a box kasi to me.”

That’s what we’re referring to, not Aljur’s personal hotdog. She laughed. “Ganun ba? Ako pala ang nag-isip ng masama. Akala ko kasi, naughty question.”

After being paired anew with Aljur in “Spooky Nights,” she’ll now be paired with Mark Herras and Rocco Nacino in the new danceserye called “Jump.” Why is she paired with Mark who’s from Starstruck 1 and Rocco who’s from Starstruck 5? “I also don’t know, kasi from Starstruck 4 ako. Love triangle daw kami rito. Siguro, gusto lang ng GMA pagsama-samahin ang iba-ibang StarStruck batches kasi kasama rin dito sina LJ Reyes, Sarah Lahbati, Diva Montelaba, Enzo Pineda and Steven Silva. Eh, ako nga, hindi naman kasinghusay magsayaw ni Mark Herras kaya they’re sending me to a dance workshop para mahasa ako.”

She looks so thin and admits she lost weight. “Nagpapayat talaga ako. 90 lbs. lang ako ngayon. This is in preparation for ‘Jump’ kasi sexy raw outfits namin, laging naka-shorts at kita ang tiyan. No rice ako for two months now. Kasi pag mataba ako, lumalaki mukha ko sa screen.”

WENDELL DENIES TIFF WITH FORMER CO-STAR

SO how's Wendell Ramos doing four months after he left GMA7 to join TV5? “Okay, masaya ako maging Kapatid,” he tells us on the set of “Babaeng Hampaslupa” where he plays Harry, a hired assassin. “Mas nakilala ako sa exposure ko sa ‘Babaeng Hampaslupa’. People call me Harry in public at heto, I’m doing another show na comedy naman at nagti-taping na kami ni Kuya Joey Marquez.”

How come a rumor circulated that he left GMA because he’s having a feud with his co-actors in “Bubble Gang”? “That’s definitely not true. Nagulat nga kaming may kumalat na ganun, hindi naman totoo. Nagpaalaam ako nang maayos sa lahat ng kasama ko roon, kina Kuya Ogie Alcasid, Michael V, and Antonio Aquitania. Up to now, may communication kami. Dinalaw ko pa nga sila kelan lang. Ayoko talaga iwan ang ‘Bubble Gang’ kasi 15 years na kami roon. Ang laki ng naitulong sa’kin noon at enjoy ako gawin 'yun. Kaya lang, kahit non-exclusive ako sa TV5, hindi puwede yung ganung setup, e. But now, I’m doing a film with GMA, ‘The Road’ with Director Yam Laranas so walang bad blood between us. May ginagawa rin akong movie sa Star Cinema ng ABS-CBN, with Eugene Domingo and Toni Gonzaga naman, directed by Joey Reyes. Ang sarap nga ng feeling na nakakatawid ako para magtrabaho sa three major networks natin.”

GLADYS GROPES ROBIN

GLADYS Reyes is back playing villain roles in “Guns and Roses” that starts airing tonight. “Kontrabida ako rito kay Bea Alonzo pero binali 'yung pagiging contravida ko kasi ginawang comedy 'yung character ko,” she says. “Ang tangkad-tangkad ni Bea kaya para maka-level ako sa kanya, nagpagawa ako ng mga sapatos na sobrang tataas ng heels nang hindi ako magmukhang unano pag magkaeksena kami. May mga eksena pa naman kami ng sapakan dito. At si Robin Padilla, napagsamantalahan ko rin. Hinipuan ko siya, pero sa tiyan lang, huh.”

Her third baby, Grant, is now six months old and she continues to breast feed him. Her husband, Christopher Roxas, is also busy as he’s in “Nasaan Ka, Elisa.”

“Pareho kaming nag-aalaga sa mga anak namin.”

The remake of “Mara Clara” which made her and Judy Ann Santos was a big hit. Julia Montes recreated her role as Clara. What does she think about it? “Maganda kasi hindi siya basta nanggaya, she has her own style na bagay sa generation ngayon. Even the show now is more fast paced compared to ours before.”

ALFRED REVEALS BEING MARRIED AND A FATHER

ALFRED Vargas and his Fil-Italian wife Yasmine Espiritu were interviewed in “Startalk”. They met in 2008 at a fiesta in Laguna while Yas was on vacation from Europe.  They revealed that they had a civil wedding in August of last year. Yasmine was already preggy by then and she returned to her parents in Italy to deliver their baby girl named Alexandra Milan on October 23. Alfred was there when the baby was born.

Why did they hide it? “Ako, gusto ko talagang sabihin na in public from the start but my wife’s family said huwag muna,” says Alfred. “Gusto nila, private na lang muna kasi alam nyo nga naman ang intriga sa showbiz. Ganu’n na rin ang naging decision ng wife ko kasi mahiyain siya, hindi sanay sa showbiz.”

They planned to have a church wedding last March but Alfred’s dad passed away in January so they had to call it off. They now plan to have it next year. Meantime, their baby was baptized last Saturday and among the godparents were Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Paolo Contis, Lucy Torres, Lolit Solis, QC Mayor Herbert Bautista, and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte. Yasmine is  pregnant again  and they’re hoping it will be a baby boy this time. Apparently, Alfred is following in the footsteps of his Pareng Paolo Contis who’s having one baby after another.

ANGELU PREGNANT AGAIN

JACKIE Rice's “Sisid” is rating well and it seems they have a lucky charm in a cast member who’s now preggy. It’s no one else but Jackie’s mom in the show, Angelu de Leon, who’s now carrying the baby of her husband Wowie Rivera who she married September of last year. This is their first child together, but Angelu has two other daughters from past relationships: Nicole, her first born who’s now 13, was sired by actor Joko Diaz while the second one, Louise, 10, was fathered by businessman Jojo Manlongat.

How will this affect her work in “Sisid”? “Siyempre, itutuloy ko pa rin ang trabaho ko,” she says. “Bago pa lang naman ang pagbubuntis ko. If ‘Sisid’ would run for four months as projected, tamang-tama, by that time, baka doon pa lang mahahalata ang tiyan ko. Pero siguro, hindi na muna ako gagawa ng physical scenes sa taping. Tama na muna 'yung mga sapakan namin nina Alicia Meyer at Maricar de Mesa na siyang mga kontrabida sa amin ni Jackie in the story. The conflict between us gets more intense this week dahil gusto kaming palayasin ni Alicia mula sa isla at tutol ako sa anak niyang si Dominic Roco for Jackie. Nagselos naman si JC Tiuseco kay Dominic at binugbog ito. I’ll force Jackie to marry JC to avoid Dominic.”

TIMELY DOCU

STUDENTS return to school today and Sandra Aguinaldo offers a timely docu about five friends who just graduated as honor students from a public high school in a remote farming village in Nueva Ecija. Children of farmers and fishermen, they all know a college degree will give them a better future but this is also a test on how far their families would go to get them to school. Camille is valedictorian of her class, consistently excelling in academics since grade school. Her father is the barrio photographer, taking pictures of weddings and graduations. Their family can barely make ends meet. To realize her dream of being the first in the family to get to college, her dad thinks of selling the lot where their home stands.  Camille’s friend Arlene is the third honorable mention. Unlike Camille, she had already enrolled in a state college. But can she stay long enough to finish it? Her father’s only source of income is fishing or catching frogs. Time is running out for these teeners. In a country where a college education is a privilege to only a few, the college dream of many students like Camille and Arlene will never become a reality. Don’t miss Sandra Aguinaldo as she joins the journey of these poor graduates who aspire for a better future in tonight’s “I-Witness” after “Saksi.”