oller hooray for Quizon Avenue 's dazzling hottie Jeni Hernandez

That innocuous pinhole at the back of your mobile phone, all one-point-a-decimal-really-means-squat mega pixels of digital camera power in it—it's the Evil Eye, that's what it is.

In the hands of lesser beings all it's capable of producing are a bunch of grainy, blurry shots of, say, an escalator step. But given to someone who knows how to cast the piercing look of the digital Eye, the blur on that same escalator step could reveal the dark regions under a woman's skirt. In this case it takes particular skill standing a perfect distance and height below the woman (who, ideally, should be wearing those trendy miniskirts) on the escalator, and in snapping away discreetly. In general, all it takes is a bit of malice, something we all know the Evil Eye has.

New Year's Eve last year at a bar in Makati , recalls our cover girl Jeni Hernandez, a bunch of guys flocked by her as she gyrated for jolly 2005 on the raised dance floor (it could have been a ledge). The boys got the idea: there she was happy, not yet drunk but working on it, dancing, not minding anyone. And she was wearing a miniskirt. Time for the Evil Eye.

She must have really been into the dancing thing that time the boys couldn't help but notice. It was, after all, the year when she became relatively famous with a TV ad for a cell phone network. The scene was, she is in a coffee shop trying to call someone from her cell. She hears a bouncy ringback and becomes so carried away she ups and swings her booty on the tables. Boys a couple of feet away turn out to be the ones calling her.

We don't know about the stolen camera-phone shots that Jeni says made their way around the digital network. But we're pretty sure they're crap compared to what we got using our proper gear. Plus we've been training our Eye—not Evil, we're sure-for five years. We know how to look.

You're the girl who did that yummy dance to ringback in one cell network TV ad. Now you're famous.

Yes, that was a commercial I would like to think that my TV hosting for MTB: Ang Saya Saya did it for me as well. But, yes, that ad was big. Just imagine that scene where I was just a girl in a coffee shop and then seconds later I became a ledge dancer! Plus, that was my first-ever TV commercial. I had never actually done VTRs for possible TV ad gigs prior to that.

Good work. What will you be busy with next?

Now I'm part of the new ABS-CBN gag show called Quizon Avenue with brothers Epi , Vandolph and Eric . I also have a new album out called In The Mood For Love which has both dance and ballad tracks. And then I endorse the Belo Medical Group of Dr. Vicki Belo.

Let's go back to the first time—how did you land the spot in that ad?

I don't know. (laughs) Maybe they wanted a new face, young, someone who could dance… I just found myself in the final casting and then the next day, it was shooting day

So did they make you shake your booty all throughout the shoot?

Oh yeah, they made me dance the whole day! I think I began at 6AM and it ended at around 12 midnight, I bruised my knees and all because I had to get up on that ledge for every take. I really had a hard time doing that commercial, but it was all good because that commercial made me kind of—kinda!—famous.

Can you remember how this showbiz thing all started out for you?

I used to sing for a band before—not exactly a full band but an acoustic group making the rounds in bars. Now in this one show we did with Aubrey Miles , her manager Dondon Monteverde fancied me. He asked me, “Who's your manager?” I told him I had none. So he then asked if I could come to his office sometime so we could talk. I did go to his office. After a brief interview-and after I sang for him—he immediately had me sign a contract. It was that easy.

Let us guess: you really wanted to be in the biz so bad you didn't even think twice, did you?

No, not really. I have to say I was reluctant at first because I knew that behind the glamour, there was a serious hard work. Ang hirap talaga maging artista . But then I thought, here I was being a given project, so why not go for it. And besides, now I'm having fun. You see, I had done the hosting thing for MTB for a year or more and I enjoyed the grind, having to be a workaholic.

Does the reluctance have something to do with a public kitty?

Yeah, your private life practically disappears. Showbiz can really make but it can also destroy you as a person. It's hard for showbiz people to go out these days what with folks taking your photos on their MMS phones and all that. I, for one, find it hard to drink in the clubs anymore, because people would always snap shots of me.

But as far as privacy goes, those shaky camera-phone mug shots are nothing to what you're unveiling here. Does that mean you aren't too happy being here?

Ob no, this is different. I'm happy with this one! Here's the deal: My ex kasi always buys FHM. I have to admit na nagagalit ako sa kanya …well not really that angry, just curious as to why he's into the magazine. One day I told him, “You know what, I'm going to be on the cover of that magazine soon.” Well, he's my ex now so if he buys the magazine this month, he'll see me on the cover!

So this is revenge, huh!

Ha ha ha! Medyo . Actually, I'm nervous because this is the first time that I'm doing a sexy shoot. This is the first time I'm doing it for FHM, and for the cover at that.

For someone who dodges MMS phones, we have to ask: Are you truly ready for this?

Yes, I am!

You have this gorgeous snob kind of aura around you. Are guys intimidated with this?

Yes. But the thing is, that's just as far as first impressions go. I may look masungit but I'm really not like that. Sobrang friendly ko nga .

Do we have to work hard to get in your good graces?

I believe in first impressions talaga . If he's mayabang, mas nagiging masungit ang itsura ko . But if I see that the guy is nice and appears to have no bad intentions, I warm up to him easily. But then before we go any further, I have to really get to know him first. It's usually when I get to know their deepest secrets that I start opening up.

So the difficulty level goes higher as we near the part where we, you know, “dig” into it.

Yeah, nagiging boyfriend ko pag naka-sex ko na. Kidding! Just kidding! Seriously, first thing before he scores one over me, he has to be my boyfriend first. And it won't happen in a week.

How do you grand against guys hitting on you, say, in a bar, offering you drinks hoping you'd get smashed?

I'll take the drink, but he can't expect me to be around him for the rest of the night. You see right now, I'm kind of wary around guys because of my ex.

Your ex? How is that? Why, is he a politician? Is he violent…

Ha ha ha, no naman. He's not violent. Nor is he a politician. I just don't want to have quick replacement. You know, I just want to stay steady, chill, be single for a while.

Lucky, lucky bastard.

But I am dating someone right now.

Right. Confusing, but that's the way it is. This guy you're dating now, is he somebody important?

He's just a normal person with a normal job living a simple life.

He isn't boring you?

Oh no. Kasi before nasobrahan ako sa pagiging adventurous. You won't believe how wild I was before, I mean I was so wild! Wild in every aspect! My principle then was to try everything, kasi nga I was still young. I guess that I got bored with that life, so now I want to be steady.

How sure are you that the past isn't going to catch up on you, via a dirty MMS photo perhaps?

There was, in fact, one incident last New Year's Eve in a bar I went to. I was there, having a couple of drinks, dancing on stage, not minding anyone but I guess the guys down on the floor saw I was wearing a mini-skirt so they all whipped out their camera-phones and snapped away. It made the rounds in the Net but I just shrugged if off, because it was nothing compared to the sex videos proliferating now.

Let's imagine that you did have a sex scandal on video out, and you had the chance to make it look so nice you'd be proud of it. How would you want it done?

I would want to be doing a girl-on-girl thing in it. At least it's the lesser evil, ha ha ha! And I think it's sexier for guys seeing two girls doing it. I would be the submissive one, too—I'd be the one taking action!

Does the pro-active stance apply to guys too?

Well it depends on the guy. If he wants to be aggressive to please me, then I'd let him. On my part, if I really like the guy, it's easy for me to be aggressive.

What would ruin a potentially raunchy right?

If the guy wears socks I bed. It just throws me off! - -