THE last time we saw Champagne Morales, she was a very young-looking 16-year-old who wore sweet dresses in pastel colors, with her hair in China-doll bangs and the rest of it hanging down her back, just like in a shampoo commercial.
Thus, one might be surprised to discover that today, Champagne has not just grown up and become older; she has also acquired a new and edgier look, which suits her just fine.
Now a talent of Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, Inc. – she inked her contract with them last August – Champagne has started making her presence felt on TV again. She is co-hosting “Manny Pacquiao Sports Idol,” a new show featuring local sports hero, boxer Manny Pacquiao. The show has different segments, including one in which they feature different sports personalities. Among those that Champagne has met since they started taping the episodes are swimmer Akiko Thomson, the Philippine Taekwondo and Wushu teams to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and former PBA hotshots Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Samboy Lim, Herctor Calma, and Vince Hizon.
“Manny Pacquiao Sports Idol” started airing last Friday, 6-7 p.m., over Channel 13. Aside from the show, Champagne has also been busy doing theater with a company called Pro.Pro which mounts theater productions in different campuses across the country (one of their more recent productions was “Batch 2005: Greased,” a musical inspired by the movie starring John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John, but using essentially the same songs mixed with the company’s original compositions). She has also been joining the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) provincial tours along with other artists like Karylle, Jeffrey Hidalgo (formerly of Smokey Mountain), the all-boy group 604, Nino Alejandro, and Pinoy R&B band South Border, fronted by keyboardist Jay Durias.
