My favorite interviewees

Thanks to my column here in The Philippine STAR and the two talk shows (Showbiz Lingo and Startalk) I’ve handled in my career as a TV host, I’ve had several opportunities to interview some of the biggest and most interesting people in local show business. Below are just some of my favorite interviewees:

• Nora Aunor – I know of a lot of movie journalists who have horror stories about how Nora made them wait for hours on end – only to end up a no-show sometimes. Fortunately, I’ve never had that experience with her. Sure, she’d be late sometimes for the interview – 30 minutes to about an hour. But a full hour of tardiness is still very much acceptable in the culture of show business so I don’t take that against her. Besides, even if she makes you wait, she always sees to it that you and your crew are properly fed and entertained by her solicitous staff. In one of my interviews with her at her Balete Drive home, we were served generous amounts of really delicious pancit bijon.

And when she finally sits down to talk to you, she gives you very honest and straightforward answers that you know come from the heart. After your interview, she’ll even cuddle up to you to show her appreciation for having taken the time to visit her and, yes, having the patience to wait for her. Each one of my interviews with Nora is truly memorable.

• Vilma Santos – She is a joy to interview. Basically a warm person, you’ll easily get drawn to her because of her warmth and sincerity. There’s absolutely no put-on with her.

With Vilma, you can ask even sensitive questions which she would answer very delicately. She’ll never get you into trouble because she’s very responsible with her statements. She’s really the type who would think first before saying anything.

When she became the mayor of Lipa City a few years ago, I also noticed a distinctive change in the way she conducts herself during interviews. No, she doesn’t have this I am-now-a-mayor type of air in her. Not at all. In fact, she has become even more humble when she became Lipa City’s mayor. You just see it in her bearing. It’s her confidence, which is a result perhaps of the fact that she is, indeed, a lot more knowledgeable now in a lot of matters – both in politics and in the serious side of show business (piracy, taxation and censorship). And she’s not only bluffing. For you can really tell that she knows what she’s talking about. Obviously, she does her homework because when she starts talking about something, she knows it like the back of her hand.

• Maricel Soriano – I never really had that many interviews with Maricel Soriano. But even if these interviews with her were few and far-between, I have to say that each one of those on-camera chats with her were quite enjoyable. Maricel, to begin with, is quite engaging as an interviewee – usually peppering her statements with the latest and most colorful movie lingo.

If she doesn’t like your line of questioning, she’ll tell it to you in her trademark taray (but still lovable) fashion. But she gets over that as soon as you drop the offensive question and expect her to be back to her lively self. One thing with Maricel, you’ll never have an interview with her without you laughing your head off because she is genuinely funny.

• Sharon Cuneta – The megastar is the perfect interviewee for television. She is always alive, bubbly and full of energy. We cannot deny either the fact that she is the most articulate (being conversant in English and Pilipino) among our major stars.

When the topic, however, gets to be serious, then she also turns serious and is oftentimes driven to tears – which, callous as we may sound, is good for the ratings of any TV show.

But what makes Sharon teary-eyed? One is a VTR of friends, especially from the past (in particular, friends she and husband, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, made in Boston). And then, there’s her father, the late Pasay City Mayor Pablo Cuneta. (But I try not to include this anymore in my interviews with her – except for one time when the interview coincided with her father’s death anniversary.)

Usually, Sharon, like Vilma, is very careful with her statements. But unlike Vilma, who still tries to be very diplomatic with her statements, Sharon minces no words when she doesn’t like a person or a topic being discussed. When she’s happy, she’ll infect you with her laughter. When she’s sad, you’ll get carried away with her emotions. But when she’s angry, she’s mad as hell.

• Rosanna Roces – Even during the time I was still doing Showbiz Lingo with Cristy Fermin, Osang was already noted (notorious? – just kidding, Osang!) for her crispy one-liners. Still fresh in my mind (maybe in the public mind’s, too) were her verbal battles with Sabrina M. that kept us all in stitches (of course, at Sabrina M.’s expense).

Although she started as a bold star, she quickly gained respectability because of her acting ability – plus intelligence and sharpness of mind, which is quite evident in the way she handles her segments in Startalk. In fact, you can call her anything you like: lewd, obscene (it’s really just an image – in private, she’s really quite decent) and even quarrelsome (she never starts a fight, but once she gets mad and decides to get even, boy, she’s Pinatubo and Vesuvius combined). However, you cannot deny the fact that the girl is bright.

In Startalk, even if she is my co-host, I still get to interview her a lot, especially during those times she figures in controversies – starting with that much-discussed dress she wore in the Star Awards for TV almost three years ago.

Lately, she has been in the news again for her tiff with Ara Mina and Boy Abunda. But last Saturday on Startalk – as most of you have witnessed – she humbly smoked the peace pipe with Ara, Boy, Jobert Sucaldito and even Cristy (after six years of not talking to each other).

So, do we now expect a tamer and more subdued Rosanna Roces in the coming weeks, months or even years? Unpredictable as she is – maybe yes, maybe no. But there’s one thing I’m sure of – the wit and intelligence would still be there.

(To be concluded)