POPS Fernandez admits that her new album, ''Moments,'' is very personal. ''I chose the songs and I was given the freedom to select the remakes I wanted,'' Pops beams.

Despite her busy schedule, Pops finds time to be with her friends and kids. ''I try to get together with my barkada (Liezel and Albert Martinez, Aga Muhlach, Charlene Gonzales, Troy Montero and Franco Laurel) once or twice a month. When we get together it's really a big thing because we are all busy, but we call each other up all the time through our cellphones or radios.

''With my kids, Robin and Ram, we usually work out together, watch movies and eat out. I make sure that I teach them to eat 'real' food. Sometimes I bake for them. Ram loves strawberry yogurt and popsicle fruits so I make sure that he has a supply of that in the house,'' Pops shares.

Pops adores her kids and admits to being protective when it comes to their welfare. ''Sana hindi show business ang maging career nila. I want Robin and Ram to have something more stable, regular and normal,'' Pops sighs.

Like a typical Mom, Pops' face lights up when she talks about her kids. How would she describe her kids? What are their similarities and differences?

''Robin is like me, very quiet, sensitive but funny. He's a very protective kuya. Whereas Ram is similar to Martin--he is expressive, demonstrative, he loves to talk and he loves telling stories. They love each other.

''They like cartoons and video games. They both love to exercise with me everyday and watch movies,'' Pops grins.

Cherry Pie Picache is still single but she plays a lot of mother roles onscreen. On television, she is as Dolores, the woman who gave birth to identical triplets in the soap ''Saan Ka Man Naroroon.'' ''I don't know if I should be flattered because people might think na mukha na akong nanay!'' she exclaims.

We both feel that Picache should be cast in other parts as well. She was brilliant as a prostitute in ''Sibak,'' and she played a lesbian in ''Burlesk King.'' Picache has played nun, teacher, lunatic, doctor-name it, she's done it. But why has she remained underrated?

''I don't really have the answer. And frankly, I don't think about it that way. If I accept an offer, I channel my energies to studying and understanding my role and giving it my best attack,'' she says. In her next film, ''Anak,'' she shares key scenes with Vilma Santos.

His weekly TV program ''Kasangga'' has already reached its third season, but Rudy Fernandez is not resting on his laurels. He works with the same intensity and dedication as he does in any project he undertakes, whether this be on film or the boob tube.

''Mas lalo pa ngang dapat ma-double ang efforts kasi habang tumataas ang ratings, tumataas din ang expectation ng manonood sa show,'' he explains.

Fernandez has always been vocal about his political ambitions, and it's common knowledge that he is eyeing the mayoralty post of Quezon City. ''All-system-go na tayo,'' he smiles, ''wala nang urungan.''

He shares that he is not bothered by accusations that he is using film and television to boost his chances. ''I suppose there's nothing wrong with doing what I'm doing because in the first place, I am an actor and both film and TV are my medium. Ang hirap minsan sa ibang tao, negative kaagad, parang pre-judged na kami porke artista.''

We caught a genuinely wonderful vocal concerto recently which featured the promising chorale Chorus Paulinus. Divided into two parts, the group fist enthralled us with their international repertoire which showcased their vast vocal range highlighted by an interesting musical texture.

With conductor Fr. Arnold Zamora and choirmaster Fred de Santos calling the shots, the singers started off playful with the Latin American ''Duerme Negrito'' then shifted to serious with an American folk song ''Shenandoah.'' There was an interesting reggae spot called ''Marry a Woman Uglier Than You'' which got thunderous applause.

Prof. Ryan Cayabyab and Cocoy Laurel performed as special guests, with the latter doing his numbers in Spanish. The choral group paid tribute to Caybyab by singing the maestro's wonderful compositions ''Anima Christi,'' ''Aba Po Santa Maria Reyna'' and ''Iniibig Kita.''

The members of Chorus Paulinus are currently on a US concert tour.

''Miss Saigon'' alumna Carla Guevara is now trying her hand at television where, she says, she can get more exposed and popular with a larger audience. She is in Channel 2's four-part summer series, ''Burn,'' which uses the beach as its central location. This not only allows Guevara to showcase her physical wares but also gives her a chance to prove her acting capabilities.

''I hope that I'd be able to meet the expectation of the audience, because acting in front of a camera is totally different from performing onstage,'' she says.

This is not to say that she's turning her back on theater, because she derives a lot of satisfaction essaying roles onstage. Her next stage role is as Princess Saphire in ''The Little Mermaid.''

El Latino follows in Francis F's footsteps

Another rap and hip hop group launched its album, ''Young and Dangerous'' under Galaxy Records at Hard Rock Caf_ late last week. The band members wanted to entice the masses to listen to their music so they were very careful about their sound.

Caine believes that they should project a positive image for rap music. ''Our songs are very musical, they aren't hardcore. We like listening to Spanish lyrics so people usually mistake us for a Latin band instead of being a rap group that can include R & B, underground and Filipino hip hop into their rap music,'' Caine says.

They started El Latino five years ago and they look up to Francis Magalona and Masta Plann because they opened the doors for hiphop and rap music.

''We wrote our own songs. We met Andrew E a few years ago and he started us off because he helped us with our sound. Then Andrew got very busy with his own album so we tried to create our sound on our own.

''Each member,'' Caine points to Tony T and Smooth, ''of our group has to compose his own verse to rap. If you can't make your own verse then you can't call yourself a rapper.

''For this album, we collaborated with Brown Beat All Stars and Louie Talan (of Razorback) for our song 'Tequila.' We included remakes in our album because we wanted to expose ourselves to the masses. We want them to understand and accept our music.''

What is their ultimate goal as rappers?

''To play good music. We aim for quality! We want to be accepted by people as OPM musicians. We believe in our music and we believe that we can match musicians abroad. People would rather buy albums from western artists, that's why we aim to match their quality. I think rap music is about to become big here. All the hip hop artists here want to make it big. So do we,'' Tony beams.

Malu Barry takes center stage once again every Wednesday for the whole month of May at the Calesa Bar of the Hyatt Hotel along Roxas blvd.

Malu is also set to do shows in Japan and other countries.