Showbiz banter & laughter on air

Ogie Diaz always had a thing for freewheeling talk. Whenever he opens his mouth, you not only get a sampling of his opinions – irreverent and sometimes shocking – you also get those patented punchlines that can make the most sedate roar with laughter

He hears comments like "My problems vanished when I heard you on radio," or "I was laughing to myself while driving the car as I listened to your show," and they make his day.

Fernan de Guzman is not only Ogie’s colleague in the printed word (both write for tabloids). Fernan happens to be Ogie’s friend since the time they were still struggling writers dreaming of that big scoop and hearing their names pronounced with a tone of endearment in showbiz circles.

Put them together and you not only have chemistry, but a riot of sparkling repartee, with Ogie as the source and Fernan as the receiver. Not to be outdone, Fernan has his own trademark punchlines, like "If you’re happy, I’m flattered."

No wonder RMN DZXL Manila 558 AM got them to host a talk show called Wow! Ang Showbiiiz!, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday to Friday starting tomorrow. The two are not only bosom friends, they have worked together in DZMM’s showbiz talk show Miss M … Miss O … MISMO!, with Ogie known as Miss O (Roselle Manahan is Miss M) and Fernan as Miss F.

The timing couldn’t have been more apt. Ogie has been out of MISMO for a year now and Fernan’s DZMM contract expired last July 31. Both are free to move to a radio station of their choice. DZXL happened to be on the lookout for a daily showbiz talk show to complement Mar de Guzman Cruz’s (Kuya Mar) weekend show. The idea was for a show to break the monotony and straight news programs that come one after another during radio primetime hours. Too much news and public affairs can be taxing to the ears and depressing to the heart. Listeners – no matter how politicized – can only take so much.

So station manager Ely Saludar called Ogie one day and invited him to join the station. Ogie’s wide influence in showbiz, Saludar figured, will yield juicy blind items and other interesting news tidbits that would keep the listener glued to the show.

Saludar showed his immense faith in Ogie by giving him a free hand in the choice of program segments, co-hosts, even how the show’s jingle will come out.

Ogie took Ricky Reyes in to say a few lines in the jingle, inspired by the celebrity hairstylist’s distinct way of gushing "Wow!" when raving about the effect a product has on clients (the show’s title even took inspiration from this).

The segments are:

• Wow! Ang Mga Latest Chika, Eto Na!, which has news culled from published items written by showbiz writers themselves;

• Wow! Eto Na Siya!, which features live interviews with celebrity guests and/or phone-patch interviews with them;

• Wow! Alam N’Yo Ba?, which centers around showbiz trivia;

• Wow! Seryoso Na ‘To, a discussion of showbiz issues;

• Wow! Imported, which gives updates on Hollywood stars;

• Wow! Let’s Hiriiiit!, where listeners can phone in questions and opinions to the hosts and their celebrity guests;

• Wow! Sino ’Yan?, which deals with intriguing blind items that will challenge the listeners’ guessing skills; and

• Wow! Isyu Ba ’Yan?, about gimmicks and topics that don’t deserve to be controversial because they are but non-issues.

Ogie promises listeners can still hear the show loud and clear via www.rmn.ph no matter what part of the world they’re in.

"We’re also looking for a female co-host to attract the machos over," adds Ogie.

Besides the usual requirements – a sexy, soothing voice and a knowledge of showbiz news – the still unnamed female co-host faces a big challenge: matching Ogie and Fernan, punchline for punchline, even blind item for blind item, one-and-a-half hours a day, five times a week, all year round. The challenge may be big, but the rewards – an hour and a half with irrepressible, unstoppable co-hosts, may be well worth the effort.