AFTER a successful team-up in "Rama at Sita" and a recent concert with Ogie Alcasid at the Ultra, Ariel Rivera and Lani Misalucha are back together in "Memories," a benefit show for the Sto Rosario Parish Church in San Pedro, Laguna, on Oct. 15 at 9 p.m. at the PICC Plenary Hall.

Both artists are in great demand on the concert circuit either as headliners or guest performers. Ariel's show biz career is now on its 10^th year and there are no signs that the audience has grown tired of him despite negative write-ups written by some scribes.

The balladeer has antagonized some members of the movie press because of his frank, often biting replies to questions that he considers irrelevant or insulting.

Ariel admits that he doesn't get along with the movie press because "they are offended by my answers''.

The singer recalls that when he was making a movie with Sharon, some writers were trying to pair him off with the Megastar to generate "tsismis" value. He refused to play along, saying he didn't want to pretend to be something he was not.

Ariel believes that his answers should not be embellished to project a certain image. "I want to be true to myself," he says.

Ariel also gets pissed off by writers who ask intimate questions meant to generate titillating answers.

He tells them, "Can't you guys ask intelligent questions?

During the run of "Rama at Sita," a columnist wrote a biting criticism of the musical, focusing on Ariel and Lani. Ariel, who says he welcomes constructive criticism, felt the write-up was "below the belt." "He was poking fun at the production," says the singer. "It was no longer criticism."

So, Ariel used his Sunday show, "ASAP" to hit back at the writer, giving him a dose of his own medicine. Looking back, he says he regrets doing it but he felt he was provoked. Because of his encounters with some press people, Ariel has been branded as "walang PR." That's a risky tag in a business where PR could make or break a star's career.

Even in dealing with his fans, Ariel doesn't go to extraordinary lengths to please his admirers.

If a fan asks him for an autograph when he is tired, he will not think twice about telling the fan to come back later. Sometimes, when he and his wife Gelli de Belen are out with the baby, people will crowd around the infant. Ariel shoos them away when they get too friendly.

Isn't he afraid that people will find him "suplado?" "I don't care," says Ariel. "People should learn to respect my privacy."

Despite Ariel's perceived aloofness, his career continues to flourish, but there are those who feel that he could be even more successful if he played ball with the press and his fans.

Lani doesn't have Ariel's problem with the press. She's been getting favorable coverage as her career skyrocketed in the last two years and Lani has become a recognizable figure in public. She can no longer shop without getting recognized. That's a far cry from the time when she was known as the multiplex queen when she did cover versions of songs by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Barbara Streisand.

However, Lani remains unaffected by her celebrity. She still looks approachable, has not gotten involved in any scandal and doesn't deny the fact that she's married.

Thanks to the public's open-minded attitude, marriage is no longer a hindrance to a celebrity's success. Thus, Lani is open about discussing her nine-year marriage. Her husband manages a section that deals with the Internet at PLDT. Yes, fellow employees have already teased him that Lani earns more than he does but it's no big deal, he doesn't feel insecure about it.

Her husband is very supportive of her career even if it means that she has less time for their kids. He realizes that Lani finds a lot of fulfillment in her singing and will not stand in her way. But Lani makes it a point not to accept Sunday gigs so she can be with her family. What do they do when they're together? Nothing special, really. They just stay at home and enjoy each other's company.

When asked if she wanted to do a big concert at the Folk Arts Theater, Lani says not yet. Ariel agreed, saying there was no rush. FAT is a performer's biggest challenge because it seats 5,000 to 7,000 and its is a big blow to a performer's ego if he doesn't fill the theater.

Ariel disagrees saying one should perform with the same intensity no matter how big or small your audience is. He did admit that if there only 10 people watching him at Folk Arts, he would feel downhearted. That's why he and Lani say they don't look at how big the audience is before they go onstage. They might get affected and they don't want their performance to suffer.

When a concert doesn't attract enough people, Ariel says a lot of factors enter the picture. The production requires team effort and if the show is not promoted well or other elements are not handled well, the concert will not succeed.