Air21 Express cager and Bench model Doug Kramer is set to wed his sweetheart of five years, actress Cheska Garcia on October 5 this year. This event will usher in Doug’s new life as a family man and officially end his bachelorhood. However, before he settles down with Cheska, he is set to appear on his last Bench underwear fashion show… as a single man, that is.

This year the Bench Denim & Underwear Show, Experience Blackout, will have the theme: celebration of Filipino Artistry with the Human Body as an art form. It will be divided into four segments featuring collections inspired by illustrator/graphic designer Abi Goy, ace photographer Jun de Leon, award winning filmmaker Raymond Red and acclaimed fashion designer Lesley Mobo. The show will be directed by two-time director of Bench Denim and Underwear shows, Ariel Lozada.

The show’s director, in an interview, exclaimed that the one-night event will be showing a bit more flesh compared to the last three shows. I wonder if Doug would be as daring as the other models in the show. You just have to witness this fashion extravaganza in person to find out.

Eric Fructuoso was introduced into showbiz together with Mark Anthony Fernandez and Jomari Yllana via the teen group “Gwapings” which was formed by their mentor/manager Douglas Quijano. They were cast as regulars in the ABS-CBN sitcom, “Palibhasa Lalake”. The group was highly successful capitalizing on the fan mentality of teen and ‘tween girls alike. The formula of putting together three up and coming handsome teen male actors worked like magic. They were seen everywhere: tv shows, movies, print and tv commercials, and even on notebook covers. However, with the advent of fresher faces in showbiz, the popularity of the Gwapings dwindled. They added a fourth member, Jao Mapa, but his addition didn’t help that much. This led them to go on their separate ways and concentrate on their individuals careers. Eric continued in doing movies until the year 2000 until movie offers got scarce.

Eric returned to the showbiz scene in 2005 via the the teleserye “Panday” as the character Gumma. In 2007, he reappeared on our tv screens by landing a role the weekend series “Super Inggo 1.5: Ang Bagong Bangis” as the Tikbalang King. This year, he was added to the cast of the Piolo Pascual-Angel Locsin hit series “Lobo” as Rodolfo, the head of the group of black man-wolves.

“Lobo” gave him the opportunity to showcase his acting talent and versatility as an actor since he played a very demanding and unconventional role. Although the series is already coming to a close, Eric’s appearance in it has made a lasting impression on the viewers’ minds. I’m sure he will see more of him in future ABS-CBN soap operas.

The Be Bench Model Search Top 3 boys Ron Morales, Carlo Guevarra and John James Uy are again reunited for the promotional pics of Experience Blackout: The Bench Denim and Underwear Show which will be held at the Araneta Coliseum on July 25, 2008 at 7PM. In the show, we will get to see this triumvirate of cuties strut their stuff on the Big Dome’s catwalk to show us why they were chosen to be three of first batch of homegrown talents of the popular lifestyle brand. Their adoring fans will certainly be elated as these boys are sure to be given much exposure for their first major fashion show for Bench. And as a fan of these three, myself, I am definitely not missing the show!

For another related tidbit about Experience Blackout - according to a very reliable source: Dingdong Dantes will be opening the show with a bang; Richard Gutierrez will have a dramatic entrance in the middle of the show; and Piolo Pascual will be the higlight of the show’s finale.

Hordes of Bench model fans will definitely flock to the Big Dome to witness this annual event. Don’t be left behind. Click here for the instructions on how to get tickets for the show.

Former Starstruck eliminee Randolf Stamatelaky finally gets his share of the limelight as he becomes part of the cast of the soon-to-be-aired telseserye “I Love Betty La Fea”. He will play the role of Randy, one of the members of the Eco Moda team.

You may remember that he was once an Ultimate Hunk aspirant in GMA7’s Startstruck Batch 4 (title was won by Aljur Abrenica) but was eliminated early on due to an anomaly involving his birth certificate. The minor fiasco didn’t hurt his career that much, but he didn’t get the stardom he aspired for and merely settled for lead roles in commercials. As they say, you can’t put a good man down (or a good talent in this case). His sheer acting talent and charisma in front of the camera was able to land him lead roles in TVC’s for Voice combo sandwich and the überpopular McDonald’s cheeseburger series of commercials. That cheeseburger commercial nailed it for him! He became an easily recognizable face.

Now, as he lends his talent to the “Betty Le Fea” Philippine remake, will his career shine brightly despite being part of a pool of castmembers of relative newcomers? I definitely hope so. This is the big break he has long been waiting for. I hope he makes the most out of it. And lest I forget, you owe us a cheeseburger treat! Burger! Burger! Burger!

Could it be true that the upcoming ABS-CBN teleserye “I Love Betty La Fea” is another John Lloyd Cruz-Bea Alonzo team up? Well, contrary to analyses from showbiz columnists and bloggers alike that the Kapamilya network’s management has given the coveted role of Armando, Betty La Fea’s boss-turned-love interest-turned husband, to dreamy young actor Jake Cuenca, there have been insider information confirming that ABS-CBN’s head honchos have reportedly signed up John Lloyd Cruz for the said role. In a recent interview, too, John Lloyd said that he is open to the possibility of playing the role of Armando as compares himself to a soldier who follows the management’s decision for his career.

This item from the rumor mill goes against earlier claims that John Lloyd and Bea are going their separate ways albeit temporarily to focus on their individual careers. Nevertheless, this seems to be a welcome development in the series as their loveteam has stood the test of time and has proven to be a formidable pairing. The fact remains, however, that until ABS-CBN reveals the identity of this actor, your guess will be as good as mine.