TWO CONSECUTIVE Saturday editions of Startalk TX will make history.
Last October 13 was the birthday celebration of one of its hosts, si Joey de Leon. But unlike the previous years mula nang maging bahagi si Tito Joey ng weekly entertainment show na ito, one for the books ang surprise visit sa studio ni Willie Revillame. The Wil Time Big Time host made true his promise: ang regaluhan si Tito Joey ng gold-plated Rolex watch that God-knows-how-much.
As Kuya Willie breezed into the Startalk TX studio, kabuntot niya ang mga cameramen from a dozen GMA shows patungo sa kinaroroonan ni JDL. When he made a stop, kinuyog ang dalawang host ng media, even the program staff who smilingly posed with them with every click after click of the cellphone camera and flip after flip of the iPod.
Isa nga naman kasing once-in-a-blue moon occurrence ‘yon like any scientific phenomenon known to man, where a virtual stranger dared to cross boundaries in offering peace—not war. Totoong minsan isang panahon ay nagbanggaan sina Tito Joey at Kuya Willie during the aftermath ng Wowowee stampede, but lest the public forget, friendship between the two came ahead of hostility.
Kuya Willie could not think of a more fitting occasion than Tito Joey’s birthday celebration on Startalk TX para itawid ang kanyang panalangin for a senior TV host. Sana raw ay humaba pa ang buhay ni JDL as enduring as Eat Bulaga.
Resbak naman ni JDL, harinawa’y mahigitan pa raw ni WR ang kanyang life span, “Mas bata naman kasi ito sa akin, eh. Saka sa tipo ni Pareng Willie na nagse-share ng kanyang mga biyaya sa maraming tao, siya ang mas dapat tumagal sa mundo.”
SO, WHAT comes after that na sinasabi naming magtatala ng kasaysayan sa TV? Bukas, Sabado, ang ika-17 taon ng Startalk TX. By process of regression, 1995 nang magsimulang umere ang noo’y alternative showbiz-oriented talk show lang that dared to rival Cristy Fermin and Butch Francisco’s Showbiz Lingo.
Bilang fast rewind, its original hosts were Boy Abunda, Kris Aquino and Lolit Solis. Nawala si Kris, pumalit si Dawn Zulueta. Nag-disappear si Dawn, umeksena naman si Rosanna Roces. Lumipat si Kuya Boy sa ABS-CBN, kinuhang replacement si Butch Francisco. Nadagdag bilang host later on si Joey de Leon. Natsugi si Osang, enter frame si Ms. Lorna Tolentino. Nang pumanaw si Rudy Fernandez noong 2007, namahinga si LT with the program taking in Ricky Lo.
Now at 17, ang binansagang “showbiz authority” returns to the basics of entertainment broadcast journalism. Bilang manunulat ng programa since Day One, we bear witness to how the show has evolved into what it is now: ang pagyakap sa makatotohanang paraan ng paghahatid ng balitang showbiz. Hence, the anniversary episode is titled Truth @ 17.
Sa naturang episode bukas, “truth” assumes various forms and norms: that it can hurt, set you free, confuse and shock. A one helluva show, huwag n’yo pong palampasin ang ika-17 anibersaryo ng tinaguriang Showbiz Authority.
MARK ON your calendar as well ang gabi ng mga gabi as Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break reaches its most intense culmination night with the announcement of one male and one female proteges this Sunday.
Sino kaya kina Mikoy, Ruru at Jeric sa hanay ng mga boys will emerge as winner? And who among Thea, Elle and Zandra sa hanay ng mga babae will hold the other key to stardom?
Up for grabs is a total of P12 million prize package that includes P1 million and a two-bedroom unit for each of the two grand winners, and a lot more.
Base sa mga ipinamalas na production number in last Sunday’s first part of the grand finale, Elle earned the most number of votes from the celebrity judges while Jeric and Mikoy got two votes each. However, hindi pa ito ang basis in determining the winners as there are also text votes mula sa mga tagasuporta ng Final Six.
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
