Love ya, babe. Um, hey, gotta go: The Brooke Barlow story

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Who is Brooke Barlow, and why should you care?

It’s all about ‘My Antonio.’ Brooke -- a 30-year-old nurse from Jackson, Miss., who seems likely to stumble into a new career at some point -- was chosen to be the “true love” of “General Hospital’ alum and Calvin Klein underwear model Antonio Sabato Jr. on the “My Antonio” reality series finale Sunday night on VH1.

Now, through the magic of the interwebs, helped by the fact that ‘My Antonio’ was shot way back in January, we have learned almost immediately, courtesy of VH1, that all is not sunshine and unicorns in the Land of Antonio-and-Brooke-K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

According to Brooke, it was a little tough for the relationship to flower when any date in public was a possible spoiler. So, well, they “haven’t spoken in probably two, three months.”

The VH1 interview is pretty sweet, actually, with dish on Sabato’s life with his kids and Brooke’s thoughts about some of the other 12 contestants. If you missed the “reality” as it unfolded and can’t wait to wallow in knowing what’s really going to happen to the radiant Ms. Barlow, VH1 will replay the “My Antonio” finale again (and again and again) Monday night.

But get this: If you’d been watching “My Antonio” all along, you could have had your own ‘My Antonio’ Fantasy Team. It looks to have been sort of like fantasy football, with fewer players, and you score whenever one of your team members gets her heart broken and is subjected to public humiliation.

I feel slightly less guilty now regarding the “American Idol” pool at work.

Oh yeah, the answer to that “why should you care” thingy? Love ya, babe. Um, hey, gotta go …

-- Christie D’Zurilla