Amy Perez takes it to the limit

Just another talk show?

In the studio, Mystica, the "splitting" performer, thrusts her feet in all its aerobic strength, at a young man–her ex-boyfriend. Close by, Madame Auring and her 15-year old boyfriend are all dressed up for their segment. Other couples with "real" equally controversial relationships–lesbians, gays, etc. wait at the anteroom for their chance to be at the spotlight. Everybody’s coming out in the open, on national TV!

It’s Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones coming to Philippine TV in the person of Amy Perez in her most radical talk show yet: Diretsahan, to premiere on ABC tonight at 9:30. The controversial, the taboo, the forbidden relationships–these are the topics. Celebrities, your next-door neighbor, community gossip-items are the interviewers. Conflicting parties face each other weekly for a sizzling, unscripted confrontation. Will it work in our conservative culture? Let’s ask Amy.

Tell us about Diretsahan

"Diretsahan is a different talk show because it talks about issues Filipinos don’t usually talk about in the open. We have topics on lesbianism, gay relationships and couples who have used their partners for personal gain.

Topics are very controversial, patterned after foreign counterparts like Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones. But Americans have a more liberal culture. Do you think it will work in the Philippine context?

"I hope. Because things we discuss in the show are real. They do happen in real life, but people, Filipinos basically, shy away from them when discussed. The show will serve as an eye opener for us to face reality and have these issues tackled and dealt with."

Does your personality as a host fit the show’s format?

"In the show, I do two characters. Either I provoke them to spar, or I reconcile them. It’s not all cruel because in the end, there is resolution where I say my piece or what I feel about the situation."

How do you draw the line between provocation and appeasement?

"When the discussion is already hot and when you see it rolling a bit, of course I need not stoke it up."

How far will you go in your provocation, probing and prodding?

"I can’t really say as to how far because the show is very open to anything. That’s the beauty of it. You can do anything – curse and just have it bleeped after, even kick the person you are disputing with–it doesn’t matter. Everything will be shown."

Doesn’t it exhaust you emotionally?

"Sometimes I get stunned by my guests. I turn speechless for a while. But that’s what producers want: topics that will stun. Does it exhaust me? No. I don’t bring my work at home."