Unforgettable guests on Showbiz Stripped

(First of two parts)

Although Showbiz Stripped has been on the air for only less than a year, this Saturday night program on GMA 7 is already doing extremely well in the ratings game. The show’s success may be traced to the hard work turned in by its hosts (Ricky Lo and Melanie Marquez) and a very efficient and conscientious staff, led by its executive producer, Reylei Manalo. However, there is also one factor why Showbiz Stripped is doing very well this early in the game: Its ability to get the cooperation of its celebrity and interviewees.

Below, I asked the Showbiz Stripped staff members to make a list of the show’s past celebrity interviewees who made an impact on them. Here’s their list:

Susan Roces – The eternal movie queen, who came out in Showbiz Stripped’s pilot telecast tops their list. This was before Ms. Roces’ angry "Hindi ko matatanggap ang iyong sorry" and "Ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng magnanakaw" tirade against you-know-who. "Oh we didn’t know she’s didn’t have movie queen airs about her. She was nice to us till the very end."

Lily Monteverde – Mother Lily was also in the program’s first episode – and the Regal matriarch showed a lot of firsts in that TV appearance. First of all, Ms. Monteverde rarely accepts invitations to appear before the camera. But she gladly cooperated with the staff of Showbiz Stripped. According to associate producer Agnes Suriaga, that was the first time Mother Lily showed a side not often seen by the public. And Agnes is right. That was the first time the powerful and respected film producer allowed herself to be seen playing with her grandchildren, rolling on the grass and singing with a karaoke machine. All that she did for Showbiz Stripped – and the show’s staff really couldn’t thank her enough.

Dolphy – The King of Comedy appeared in the highest-rated episode of Showbiz Stripped. Dolphy actually came out along with the other "machos of Philippines show business." Like in the case of Susan Roces, the show’s staff was also star-struck by his presence. What surprised most of them was how this legend of local entertainment remembered all the names of his children (even chronologically) – unlike one of the interviewees who also sired quite a number of kids. "But really, we were already thankful that even if he is from ABS-CBN, he still granted an interview for a GMA 7 program," they say.

Sexbomb – Even if the members of this very popular group have different personalities, they all have one common denominator: fun-loving. They all love to play and sing – according to the staff membes of Showbiz Stripped. But when it was time for work (or in this case, the interview), they all dropped whatever they were doing and turned serious. This is only an indication that the Sexbomb girls are a professional lot.

Teri Onor – Admittedly, Teri Onor doesn’t belong to the same league as Susan Roces, Dolphy and Mother Lily. (But with his immense talent, who knows – he could be bigger than all three combined in the future?) Teri, however, makes it to this list because he impressed the Showbiz Stripped people with his honesty, openness and his good heart. Disdained for being gay, his late father didn’t acknowledge him as an offspring. But Teri, forever forgiving, never held a grudge against his Dad. And now, he focuses all his attention on his mother. One statement from Teri struck a chord in the hearts of the Showbiz Stripped staff members: "Sa sobrang pagmamahal ko sa nanay ko. Mas gugustuhin ko pang maunang mamatay sa kanya."

Jenny Roa – This former nymphet (she with the really lovely face and once promising talent) gets included in the list for another reason: Unforgettable. I was there when the Showbiz Stripped people were doing the interview and I know exactly what they mean. Ms. Roa was clearly not herself that time. She was incoherent and was always looking behind her – like she was afraid somebody would attack her from behind. Although she has a relatively good command of the King’s language, she was talking nonsense. Whatever she did hardly made sense either. Your heart bleeds just watching her in such wasted state.

(To be concluded)