Only in Wowowie

For decades, Eat Bulaga has reigned the noon time show in Philippine television. When Eat Bulaga transferred to GMA 7, ABS-CBN fumbled for a substitute. Among the substitute shows, they tried Magandang Tanghali Bayan. When it failed, ABS tried changing the hosts, etc...but it has never captured the Filipino audience the way Wowowee does with its Willie of Fortune segment.

Willie of Fortune is a game in Wowowee where six contestants, in three pairs, vie for a chance to win the jackpot involving large sums of money. A melody plays and the contestants name the title of the song. The first one to correctly identify the song title twice, or the contestant who can tell not only the title of the melody but can also sing the song with the correct lyrics moves on to the final round.

Before each pair starts to play, Willie "Poppie" Revillame, the host, introduce the contestants by letting them answer questions mostly about personal and professional life.

Like this afternoon, the second to the last male contestant was asked by Willie what he was doing for a living and who he was with. Red said he was a call center agent and he was with a male friend. When the "friend" was shown on TV and was asked to say something about the contestant, he bid Red good luck, and reminded him to do his best for "their" future without batting an eyelash.

Now the studio audience were all giggling and screaming and mocking them. But Red's friend was not a bit disturbed, embarrassed or ashamed. He seemed deaf to the audience reaction. When he was told to go on with what he was saying, Red's friend who turned out to be his lover for four years now, expressed his love and devotion to Red.

As to Red, he thanked his lover for all the love and support he received. Red also narrated that before he met his man, he was someone who had no direction in life. But now that he has found him, he finally understood the meaning of life and how it is to live.

Red also addressed his mother. He thanked her for loving and accepting Red and hoped, now that his mother knows the real "he" her mother's love for him will continue and even grow more deeply.

There was also this episode where the contestants where people who were married for forty years and more. There was a man who abandoned his wife for another woman, then abandoned that woman to come back to his wife. And the wife was still there waiting for him after all those years of heartbreak and despair.

There was also this old man who refused to admit an affair. Despite the many slips he made and the obvious but unconscious admission on his part during the interview with Willie, he still insisted that he loved only and only his wife.

Now, after the interview, each contestant is required to perform. He/she may sing, dance, or whatever talent he/she possesses. Since during the interview, the host and the contestants have established the fun, the sweet, the bittersweet and the weirdness of life, no body expects them to have a stunning performance. So, no matter how out of tune is the singing (which is usually the talent), people still love to see the performance.

Of course, there are bland interviews but great talent. There are also days of bland interviews and bland talent, or days that Willie's comments, especially when he insists that women should tolerate the infidelity of their man, take the luster out of the show. But the "bad" days are over compensated by the good ones.

That Filipinos love to sing is a given. That hundreds endure the long line and the hours of waiting to be auditioned to qualify as a contest for a shot at the money most can only dream of, is another given. But neither the singing nor the money involved make the audience around the world love to watch the show, especially the Willie of Fortune segment. Rather it is the wonder an audience derive from witnessing the unfolding of the persona of a true Filipino, the nobility and boldness of the human spirit and the universality of emotions of love, regret and longing.

The stories the Willie of Fortune contestants tell remind me to look at and examine if I had been too hard or too critical about myself.

I see in those contestants my reflection, my brothers', my sisters', my community of imperfect individuals', the soul and the face of my wounded Country. I see my cultural identity flashed before my eyes on prime time tv.

Only in Wowowee.

Carmina Villaroel is a hero

One of the most popular names in the Philippines now is Bebe Gandanghari.

Bebe is a female name, and Gandanghari is the combination of two Filipino words "ganda" meaning beautiful and "hari" meaning king. Loosely, the surname means king of beauty.

There is nothing so special about the name since Bebe is a very common nickname in the Philippines, and Gandanghari is a family name that is very long and has a tendency to call attention upon it's bearer. But Bebe Gandanghari caught the attention of the Philippines because this female name is used by 1. a once hunk actor; 2. who used to be married; 3. and who belongs to a clan known for being macho.

Bebe Gandanghari is now the name of Rustom Padilla, the brother of Robin Padilla, one of the most popular action star in the Philippines.

How this change came about, Endemol, the franchise owner of the reality "Big Brother" show has a role.

Rustom Padilla was one of Big Brother's house guests in Pinoy Big Brother celebrity edition, where Rustom revealed that he belongs to the third sex.

The revelation did not shock the country since the rumor that Rustom is gay had been circulating in tabloids and showbiz gossips for so long a time. His revalation only served to confirm the rumor and elevate it into a fact. But the revelation attracted sympathy for Robin Padilla who never missed an opportunity to defend his brother, Rustom, from being called a gay.

Bebe Gandanghari declares Rustom Padilla is dead. So, let us bury him, she said. When asked for her reaction, Rustom's ex-wife actress and talkshow host Carmina Villaroel said, since it is Bebe who says Rustom is dead, so he is.

Filipinos find Rustom amusing. He was not contended with revealing he is gay on national tv in a show with very high ratings, he also changed his name and appearance from a macho male to a sexy Bebe Gandanghari.

But with all this national amusement about Rustom Padilla=Bebe Gandanghari, one person does not get the publicity she deserves. Her name is Carmina Villaroel, actress, talkshow host and ex wife of Rustom Padilla.

My aunt who used to have a store where she read the newspapers and tabloid she sold, is a fan of Carmina. She noticed Carmina's silence at the height of her controversial split with Rustom long time ago. My aunt said, she never read a word about Carmina revealing Rustom's sexual preference as the reason behind the separation, nor did she read Carmina saying a word against Rustom. She gave Rustom the respect that he deserved.

Her conclusion was, Carmina is a decent and an admirable woman. She embodies the values of a true Filipina who is temparate and modest. One word best describes her. And that word is: hero.

Carmina Villaroel is a hero.

She has since married Zoren Legaspi, also an actor, with whom she has two children. Her family appears on TV endorsing Nido, and other products. Carmina is also one of the hosts of "Sis" a daily talk show in GMA 7, the second largest TV station in the Philippines.

Do you want to have fun and can tolerate a little ego tripping? Read my comedy skits.

Beautiful Pokwang

One of my most favorite comedians is Pokwang. Strangely, I find her beautiful.

The movie Shallow Hal comes to mind, where Hal was hypnotized by an Indian while they were stocked in an elevator. When Hal went out of that elevator, the world was never the same again. He thought he saw people just as he saw them before the hypnotism. He never knew what he was seeing was no longer the physical attributes of people but their character. He fell in love with a very large and fat woman. But because he was hypnotized, he "saw" the woman had a body of a commercial model. He could not believe the lady could take a large shake in one gulp. When they went to bed, he was so surprised by the size of the pantie of his mate.

Indeed, I might have been hypnotized by Pokwang that I find her beautiful. But isn't a woman who is not afraid to look ridiculous to make her fans laugh beautiful?

I could see that Pokwang loves her job so much that I also love seeing her. The different costumes she wears every day in Wowoweee are outrageous. Where can you find a talent such as Pokwang?

I also like the jokes of Pokwang. She is witty, poker faced, and effective. Most of all, she does not laugh at her jokes before her audience do. When she tries to redeem a corny joke by making a funny face, I could not help but laugh at her.

Yesterday, Pokwang was in the news. She was launching her album. The news story of her opened with her rolling from a flat form to the floor. People were laughing at her. I laughed too. Towards the end of the news, Pokwang was singing. Then she pretended that her throat was dry and she was about to cough. Of course, it was her ploy so that her audience would discover that she was lip syncing.

If asked to choose between Pokwang and Ai-Ai, I would choose Pokwang, with all due respect to Ai-Ai and her fans. Ai-Ai is not very effective to me in delivering jokes. She has a broad and wide smile that kills the suspense in a joke. Her smile gives the impression that she laughs at her jokes before her audience do. Her facial expression is not so varied as Pokwang's so that Ai-Ai only has two facial expressions: when she is smiling and when she is not smiling.

People may disagree with me by saying Ai-Ai's movies are blockbusters, a testament to her talent as a comedian, while Pokwang have yet to star in her own movies.

Ai-Ai becomes funny in movies not because she is funny but because she is placed in a funny situation; so that the audience laugh not so much because of Ai-Ai but because of the funny situation she is in. If given the chance--perfect material, co-stars, right director and enough budget, Pokwang's movies will someday become a blockbuster too.

Ai-Ai was also in the news yesterday. She was given a bonus by her network because her new movie Ang tanging ina ninyong lahat is the top grosser, second only to Kris Aquino and Claudine Barreto's Sukob.

I hope the people who developed the concept of the movie and the screen writer/s are also given the bonus. Writers, actors and actresses including the directors could not live without each other. They must also share the gift.

Do you want to have fun and can tolerate a little ego tripping? Read my comedy skits.