It’s children’s hour in Studio 5

Curtain-raisers:

• Many, many years ago when they were young and fresh and, well, not-so-innocent, the actor and the actress played games. It’s bruited about that it was the girl who turned the boy into a man. It was an early “education” for the boy who turned feverish for three days…must be from hangover excitement? That “past” was so beautiful no wonder they feel comfortable in their “present.”

Bulilit Vito is the son of Vandolph

• If a comebacking actor doesn’t watch out, he might risk falling back to a habit that has derailed his flourishing career. He seems to be ignoring the reminder of his “caretakers” to avoid taking girls seriously because he is said to be emotionally weak. Wasn’t it his rudely interrupted romance with a pretty actress (now a not-so-young actor’s squeeze?) that led to a critical chapter in his life? It was the actor who taught the actress about the birds and the bees — and whatnots! Yes, when she was only 17!

• From reader Alan Adkins ([email protected]), reacting to a recent Funfare item about Paolo Ballesteros: The column title is “Paolo on playing a man and kissing a girl like Yam.” Then, the first question to him was, “Since you have been typecast in gay roles, how did it feel to play a man role for a change?” Frankly, I find those statements offensive. You’re basically saying that gay men are not men. They’re just as much a “man” as a heterosexual man is. Who a person has sex with doesn’t make him a man or a woman. Gay men do everything heterosexual men do except have sex with women. And even some do that. lol! Gay men serve admirably in the military, are members of every sports team and individual sport, are business leaders, government leaders, workers in various industries. And, yes, they can be just as bad as heterosexual men. But they are still men.

***

It’s Saturday afternoon. Studio 5 of ABS-CBN is a-bustle with kids. The boys are clad in khaki, swinging fake machineguns, like soldiers set for battle. Some of the girls are in nurse’s immaculate-white uniform. As their parents watch, the kids move around the set made up like barracks. They are the stars of Goin’ Bulilit, the kiddie show that has been going strong for 13 years now, aired Sunday nights after TV Patrol Weekend.

Three or four new kids on the block are waiting for their turn to audition. Meanwhile, they blithely mix with the little actors as if they have known one another for years when actually they are meeting for the first time. Bless the children! The atmosphere at Studio 5 is positive, so unlike some sets where older actors and actresses are wrapped in silence, as if they don’t see or don’t know one another.

It’s taping day.

“The children look at it as play,” says Lunomy Merana, Bulilit executive producer since the beginning of the show. “They look forward to Saturdays kasi parang naglalaro-laro lang sila. We have to schedule the taping on Saturdays when the kids don’t have classes. It starts at 1 o’clock and ends before 7 p.m.”

Today, the show is shooting the Araw ng Kagitingan episode in advance because work at ABS-CBN screeches to a halt during the Holy Week. That explains the kids’ costumes. Dagul is not a kid but he has been with Bulilit for years. Today, he’s seated in one corner of the set and has to be aided when asked to pose with the kids for a “family picture.” He has difficulty moving.

Bulilit has been the launching pad of today’s bright Kapamilya, including Julia Montes, Kathryn Bernardo, Hopia (Trina Legaspi), Alexa Ilacad, Nash Aguas, Harvey Bautista and Bugoy Cariño. One graduate, Carl Barrameda, is now the show’s assistant director (to Frasco Mortiz). The son of ABS-CBN executive Cory Vidanes belonged to the first batch. So far, the show has served as training ground for more than 130 budding actors.

Age requirement for Bulilit auditionees is five years old. As soon as a cast member turns 13, he/she is marked for ‘graduation’ and, some of them, turn into bright youngadult stars

“As soon as a member turns 13, ‘graduate’ na siya,” adds Lunomy. “Minimum age requirement for applicants is 5.”

Frasco’s dad, Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz, is at the helm this afternoon. Before the shoot starts, direk Bobot monitors (from a booth at the mezzanine) the audition of three wide-eyed kids, with Bobot’s staff behind the cameras, cajoling the auditionees to crack a joke (a staple of the show), sing a bit, dance a bit and act a bit. Those with “promise” will be called back to attend an acting workshop.

Okay…Lights! Camera!! Action!!!

Automatically, the kiddie soldiers and nurses act out their parts like pros in a tribute to the Araw ng Kagitingan.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare. or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)