Toni has more than proven herself

MANILA, Philippines - She is known as the Ultimate Multimedia Star. It’s quite an impressive title — one that means she is the absolute best in different forms of media (music, movies and television) — but Toni Gonzaga has more than proven herself, capable of living up to that intimidating moniker.

Since she joined showbiz, she has taken advantage of every opportunity to exercise her talents and skills. I’ve seen her grow and become more confident as a host on The Buzz, and on shows like Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy and before that, E-Live and Showbiz News Ngayon, and let’s not forget the most recent, The Voice of the Philippines.

Toni says that from every show that she does, she learns something. How she learns it is not always the same — sometimes, it comes in the form of criticism from the audience or people who think she could have done better (like some people think she tends to scream or shout through her spiels) — but she always comes away from the experience having learned how to be better. Most important of all, says Toni, is that, “You never stop learning and you have to be open to suggestions, criticism and opinions.”

She has also learned to distinguish what really matters. On the issue of shouting through her spiels, Toni reveals that sometimes, especially during grand finals nights or other “emotional” episodes, the noise inside the venue can be so loud that even she, as the host, can’t always hear herself, the performers, or judges/coaches, which is why she has to raise her voice, even with a microphone.

“When you’re hosting a live show and the intensity of the crowd tends to overpower you, you really can’t hear yourself onstage,” says Toni. “Emotions are really high. Different groups in the audience shout and cheer for their ‘manok.’ Sa PBB, ganoon din. At one point during the finale of The Voice, I said, ‘Konting katahimikan lang po’ kasi minsan, di mo na talaga marinig ang singer or ang opinions ng coaches.”

But when the criticism concerns something else, like her looks, or the way she wears her hair, she brushes it off as a matter of taste. Those things apparently don’t matter as much as being able to hear herself onstage. Like when her bangs trended on social media, Toni took it all in stride.

She recalls how she reacted to all the tweets and comments on Instagram. “Ang dami naming naka-bangs, kaya n’ung nag-trend, natawa kami. Pero n’ung nag-flood during the show, sabi ko, bakit pangit ba? Pero sandali lang ‘yon, after that, ni-let go ko na, and I was thinking to myself, at least, napag-usapan. Any publicity, even if it’s negative, is still publicity.”

And no, she wasn’t offended by anything that was said. “May mga comments sa Instagram ko, pero sabi ko OK lang, di ko naman inaayos ang sarili ko para i-please ang ibang tao,” says the bubbly TV host. “Kasi kung aayusin ko ang sarili ko para dun, wala na, di na ako makakapag-ayos. Kasi di mo naman mapi-please lahat ng tao, eh di might as well, gawin ko na, di ba?”

Toni has said ‘Yes’ also to a second season of the hit reality show franchise, which has already started auditioning. But Toni denies there were any hard feelings when The Buzz ended. She clarifies, “There were no hard or hurt feelings. I’ve come to love the Talk Unit family that I worked with for six or seven years, so they’re like a family to me. Besides, goodbyes are never really the end. They could also be the start of something new.”