Victor Basa looked a lot better …..

…… when he was younger, as seen in the photos above. He had those full lips and not-so-emaciated bod. Now, he looks a bit thin and tired, with those lips getting crookeder and crookeder. On a recent vacation, with nothing else to do but to watch tv and eat, I got to see him on the 24-hour feed of Big Brother. Victor is like a lost pup in the Big Brother show. Utterly reserved with an excruciatingly sad air, Victor tries to fit in the motley group inside the house. Yet, he chose to be there – so let’s see how far he goes…

Jon and Victor

Now that model Jon Mullally has entered the Big Brother house, will model-actor Victor Basa keep a special eye on the hunky housemate? The Big Brother house looks boring with the cast of bland models now, but people are hoping Victor Basa does a grand reveal to a ditzy buxom woman in the garden. Or maybe Jon Mullally opens up in the confession room about his friendship with singer-boyband member Lance Onate, back when Jon was still living in Isabelle Condo in Makati. The drama is about to start.

Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 hunks

William Devaughn is one of the hunks who just entered the Pinoy Big Brother house last night for the reality show’s Celebrity Edition 2. Dubbed by the cheesy writers of the show as “True Lover“, Will’s chosen charity is the Brave Kids Foundation, which helps kids with cancer. Now that he has chosen to enter the Big Brother house, does it mean that he has totally abandoned the “Dagaw” movie project with GMA Films? Will was originally cast in the thriller, as he was present during the story conference.

Okay, here’s the official tag for Victor Basa in the PBB Celeb Edition 2: The Lonely Dreamboy. Victor Basa just can’t seem to break into the Sam Milby heartthrob mold, despite exposures in a teen show on ABS CBN. Here’s hoping the pouty former male model gets his star brighter this time. Victor’s chosen charity is the Ahon sa Kalye Ministries Inc. that helps street children.

What is a “Class A” model?

[l-r: Trishan Cuaso, Derek Ramsey, Iago Raterta]

[l-r: Andrew Wolff, William Devaughn, Peter Nordell]
[l-r: Victor Basa, Rocky Salumbides, Bruce Quebral]

During dinner, my friend UPH, who has finally put up his site [ http://www.ultimatepinoyhunks.net] after the Ram Sagad saga, was diss-cussing with me recently how some D-list models classify themselves, conceitedly, as “Class A.” The subject matter came about after UPH recalled how one wannabe model [D.] he purposely met suddenly self-proclaimed that he is a Class A model, together with A., G., and a host of others I could only tick from the back of my mind’s D-list. And then again, I do not even remember the bigger-league male mannequins calling themselves “Class A models.” They are simply called models. Top models.

Finally, it dawned into smart aleck UPH that in Greenhills Shopping Center, home of the counterfeit goods, the vendors classify their wares from Class A imitation to Class D crock. Say, for example, there is a Class A Rolex in Greenhills – which means that it is a precise replica, but still a replica; the Class D would be crass-fake big-time. And it all made sense.

And so, we finally understood what that wannabe model was saying all along. Since they cannot go a bit higher and join the ranks of the Iagos, Victors and Dereks and all the models shown above [representing a select few of the top male mannequins], the Daves, Alizons, Guinesses and a multitude of others go a step nearer and call themselves respectably as “Class A models.”

Our concerns, precisely.

Top Dog: Victor Basa

Victor Basa, [21 years old, model-turned-actor-signer] spent the Holy Week vacation in a Batangas beach with friends like model Carlos Concepcion and the latter’s girlfriend [photos above]. It seems like the guys had fun and Victor, although single, didn’t mind mugging for the camera alone. In a recent interview with Him Magazine [cover: Lino Cayetano], it was revealed that his father was a lawyer [who died a few years back from throat cancer] and his mother “dabbled in painting.” His uncle is flamboyant designer Paolo Basa [it was erroneously reported before that the designer is Victor’s pop]. When asked about his mother in the interview, he was hesitant to talk about her, and merely mumbled “she is somewhere doing her own thing.” That is awfully sad, as it was implied that he is not that close to his mother; incidentally, he moved out of the family home in Valle Verde across the street, and lives with his 10-year old brother. Here’s wishing more luck in the biz for this smart and deep young man.