« on: March 21, 2008, 08:03:35 PM »
MOVE OVER, MR. RIPLEY!
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:22:00 03/18/2008
MANILA, Philippines--This online telenovela is no longer a silent movie.
On Monday, rising above the din unleashed by his blog was Australian businessman Brian Gorrell's voice- subdued, but also intermittently sardonic. Inquirer Entertainment talked to him by phone.
It was like... Garbo spoke. For 24 minutes.
But who is Gorrell?
He told the Inquirer that he's a landscape designer, that he had owned a "successful flower shop in Sydney before putting up a flower farm with a previous boyfriend.
"We were a couple for 20 years," Gorrell said. "He's still my best friend."
Last year, he sold his shares to the farm to his former partner and made plans to relocate to Boracay.
He also dabbles in photography, said Gorrell, who's now 38. "I've been carrying a camera around since I was 15."
In a way, the call was a welcome, comforting confirmation that the blogger is a real person and not a figment of some publicist's wild imagination.
Prior to the call, there was wild talk that his blog--which he said he had set up to retrieve the $70,000 his Filipino ex-boyfriend had supposedly filched from him--was but a "gimmick" to promote a certain bar where the Pinoy "high" society posse hangs out.
"They can spin it any which way they like," Gorrell said. "I have proof [of the money transfers]. And I witnessed with my own eyes the drug use that I recount in my blog."
On Monday, in fact, he posted a receipt from Western Union, saying he had nine other similar documents in his possession.
That same day, he also re-opened the comments section, which he earlier closed. It had become just as caustic as Gorrell's posts.
He pointed out, "I have no wish to control any social dialogue that may arise from my posts."
The comments section, where ordinary folk have been critiquing society celebs, has made the blog a cyber sensation.
According to Gorrell, a self-confessed "non-techie," his blog has received over half a million hits since its launch on March 4.
Amid the frenzy, the Filipino ex-boyfriend called up the Inquirer on Thursday and declined to comment, adding that he would issue an official statement only if Gorrell filed a case "in the proper forum."
Gorrell, however, asserted that he wasn't inclined to do so. Not at this point, anyway. "I approached three lawyers in Manila, all of whom cited conflict of interest--because they represent many of the people involved in this case," he said.
Not an option
"The thought of spending years within [the Philippine] court system is not even an option for me now. I can't lose any more time... my HIV is not going away."
From the onset, Gorrell had disclosed his ailment to his blog's readers.
"I was interviewed by [the Canadian newspaper] Toronto Star recently; we discussed how being HIV positive made me vulnerable [to the abuse]," he explained.
Asked how the stress was affecting his health, Gorrell said in an earlier e-mail interview: "I'm a very strong man. I have been through a lot. However, my HIV worries me because things pop up all the time. I have no money [in case something happens]. That upsets me. I have a friend who helps with my daily needs. She brings me food and makes sure I'm eating. My nerves are gone until my money is recovered. I am scared."
More rewarding
Rather than attending court hearings, he said, he would rather focus on more rewarding activities, like "taking care of my dog Siesta (a champion Golden Retriever born on Boracay Island) and writing a book."
Yes, a book.
Like the blog, he said, the book will be named after his ex-lover- "The Talented Mr. ----------."
Yup, like that Hollywood movie about an "unrepentant, social-climbing grifter portrayed by Matt Damon."
After the book, can a movie be far behind? Imagine the scenery, the costumes, the plot twists and turns, maybe even a courtroom drama.
And, for sure, the dueling interviews in "The Buzz" and "Showbiz Central."
VISIT www.delfindjmontano.blogspot.com