All in a day’s work on Startalk

Since I always arrive a mere 10 minutes before the show, the Startalk staff is forever worried that I won’t make it to the opening. Ironically enough, it’s them who worry – not me. You see, from my end, I’ve already worked out a system that I enforce with clockwork precision.

As soon as I’ve said my hellos, I rush to the bathroom sink to wash my face. From there, I sit down with the makeup artist, Ernal Forte, who puts gel on my hair and slaps powder on my face in less than five minutes. Incredible as it may sound, that still leaves me enough time to eat lunch. Lunch is nothing fancy – rice, fish or a pork dish and vegetables (always with coconut milk). Usually, I don’t finish my lunch. In fact, I only eat before the show to stave off my hunger pangs – which is just as well because Archie, our floor director, is already panicking at this time because I am not yet on the set. But somehow, I always make it there, on time – with a few more minutes to spare for briefing on what I am supposed to do in the show.

This may come as a surprise to you, but the truth is, I really don’t have any idea on what is going to happen in the show until I get there on the floor – and even that is subject to change.

A lot of times, people ask me – usually a day before the show – what’s going to happen in Startalk. They don’t believe me if I say I don’t know. But that is the truth. Everything is really put together just right before the show – or even as the show progresses. This assures the freshness of every bit of information dished out during the program. And this is what amazes me. The writers, researchers and video editors are always able to come up with a well-put together segment even at the last minute. Of course, some of them don’t even know anymore how it is to sleep on Friday nights. Yes, they stay awake from Friday evening up to the time the show concludes on Saturday afternoon. That’s every week – except for Good Friday, that is.

Once we are told what we are supposed to do, we stay in our little corners in the studio – chatting and laughing, activities that are not supposed to be done during a live broadcast.

Unlike S-Files, Startalk doesn’t have a live studio audience. You see, Startalk doesn’t need this. The noise we hosts (and staff) make is already equivalent to that of a live – and jampacked – studio audience.

It’s the only studio where everyone talks at the same time (and this is during the live broadcast). In one section, I would be with Rosanna talking about all sorts of topics – from real estate to detoxification. Lolit would be in one corner surrounded by giveaways given to her by generous sponsors (her sponsors – not the show’s). Of course, the piece de resistance is the now-famous bibi – actually a whole Peking duck (with a really tasty plum sauce) courtesy of 88 Teahouses.

Lolit doesn’t really bring home the Peking duck every week. She gives it to us on a rotation basis. So far, I’ve only had the chance to take it home twice and my next turn won’t probably by until 2004 – hopefully before the presidential elections.

Aside from people involved in the show, there are others who come to the studio during the live telecast of Startalk to conduct other businesses. Vivian Velez – shapely as ever – drops by to talk to Lolit. Lately, I’ve been seeing Annabelle Rama on the Startalk set and I think she comes there to negotiate with Rosanna regarding a show (with Rico J. Puno) that will be held late this month at the Country Waffles.

In the talent room next to the studio, Aling Nitz (a studio fixture known to everyone involved in showbiz including Vilma Santos) sometimes sells pastillas de leche and peanuts baked in garlic.

Last summer, there was former bold star Cherry Madrigal selling mangoes from Zambales. But two weeks ago, there was this real estate agent selling , no, not mangoes by the basket, but shares in a mango orchard. Sosi! I’m telling you, they sell everything there.

With all these distractions and, yes, obstructions, I’m really quite amazed that Startalk still runs efficiently on the screen.

After the show, we all retire to the talent room – me to finish what is left of my lunch, the others to attend to other businesses and, well, to talk more … all at the same time.

When everything goes well in the show, everyone goes home happy. But when there are kinks in the program, some get reprimanded, but – basically – everyone still goes home happy.

Of course, the happiest is the one who takes home the bibi.