Showbiz talk shows to graveyard airtime?

Should showbiz-oriented talk shows be relegated to the graveyard hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.?

If MTRCB Chief Consoliza Laguardia would have her way, then they should be. That’s Laguardia’s reaction to recent calls by "concerned parties" to regulate showbiz talk shows "guilty" of showing alleged videos of actors and actresses in compromising sexual situations, including advertisers which have threatened to pull out commercials from those shows.

Already, a congressman (Francis Nepomuceno from Pampanga) is making himself heard, taking a dig at the MTRCB which, not so long ago, he praised for "sanitizing" those shows, ridding them of too sexy and deemed-"obscene" features.

Laguardia’s suggestion to regulate the shows’ airtime is subject to the decision of the board during an emergency meeting she’s planning to call anytime now.

"We respect freedom of expression and self-regulation as constitutional rights," said Laguardia. "However, due to public reaction, especially advertisers and industry members, we can resolve to have stricter classification of talk shows. All the shows that Rep. Nepomuceno mentioned will be reevaluated and submitted for discussion if necessary for stricter classification. One remedy, perhaps, is to push those talk shows to late night, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m."

The Long Season’s Successful Premiere

Several issues ago, Funfare wrote about The Long Season, a musical with an all-Filipino cast which opened in Alaska. Here’s a follow-up story from a friend of now New York-based Bernardo Bernardo who is a member of the cast:

No, Bernardo hasn’t purchased an igloo-condominium in the North Pole yet; but, yes, he’s still in Alaska.

The highly successful world premiere of The Long Season closed its limited run recently at the Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, the picturesque capital of Alaska. Bernardo admits that he might sound like a "tart for publicity," but he simply has to share the funny, ego-massaging thank-you-letter he received from New York Public Theatre’s Peter Dubois, the director of The Long Season after months of hard work.

Director Dubois wrote: "Oh Bernardo! Where to begin... you have brought such amazing joy to me and the entire company of The Long Season, and to the audiences coming through the door... Your virtuosity is astonishing. You interpret a song with such soul, such emotional intelligence and with the kind of command that directors dream of. You have been a key to helping us unlock the story of The Long Season and the character of Conrado (played by Bernardo). I feel that God was with us when we got your name and had our wonderful birthday audition where I blushed like a little school boy! Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart (and testicles). Very much love, Peter."

Bernardo is super-flattered, but raises some questions as to what motivated the generous praise: "Of course, the scrotal parentheses is a direct reference to the crotch-grabbing scene in the play, which I rehearsed endlessly with Paolo Montalban, where I threaten to castrate him for messing around with my wife. (Instead of me?!?--- one may ask). But being a professional actor, I constantly reminded myself that there are sensitive plays with sensitive scenes and sensitive, uh, parts that deserve special attention. The ego massage, I think, has more to do with the fact that all the leads in the musical had to use body mikes, except me. Because I was TOO LOUD!!! My voiced-out insecurities fell on deaf ears. Even Dubois’s. Apparently, I could be heard clearly over the other actors and over the band in that small theater. Bibot Amador would have been proud of this Rep-trained loudmouth!"

Perseverance Theatre is one of the top seven regional theaters in America, and the commissioned project (created over two years by playwright Chay Yew, composer Fabian Obispo and PT’s former Artistic Director Peter Dubois) marked the first mainstream production with a mostly Filipino cast that focused on the dreams, hardships and small triumphs of the "Alaskeros"– Filipino cannery workers of the early 1920s.

"The idea of an American musical about Filipinos staged in its actual setting captured the imagination of the local Pinoy community. It was our show, our story, our people," Bernie points out. "Word quickly got out to people in Sitka, Anchorage, Ketchikan and far-flung boroughs and cities where Pinoys worked. The show became a reason to gather and celebrate with pride. And some Filipinos who have never entered Perseverance Theatre came for the first time!"

After a packed house, a standing ovation and shouts of "Bravo!" greeted Paolo, Melody Butiu, Bernardo, and the entire cast as they made their final bow in The Long Season, Bernardo received an invitation from the PT Artistic Director, PJ Paparelli. They wanted him to appear as one of the leads in the companion piece of The Long Season – Voyage. The latter piece is based on research and actual interviews about the journey of four generations of Filipinos in Alaska, in search of the American Dream. Of course, Bernardo accepted.

PJ Paparelli is currently garnering raves as one of the best young directors in America and his controversial play Columbinus, based on the infamous high school shooting tragedy, is getting tremendous buzz and critical acclaim. Paparelli is directing Voyage. He also asked Bernardo to return in the fall to tour Voyage in key cities of Alaska and to appear in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Perseverance Theatre.

"So, you see, there’s more to Alaska than penguins, polar bears, Eskimos and seals," Bernardo said, "In so many ways, for me, ‘Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska!’ "

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