Marco & Nonoy: The fun doesn't stop at mid-life

MANILA, Philippines - Who says only the young and the nubile can host TV shows for hours on end? Who says only they can capture the televiewers’ attention, six days a week (except Sunday)?

Marco Sison and Nonoy Zuñiga of the Hitmakers (which include Rico J. Puno and Rey Valera) say even those in their uh, — mid-life can match the young uns, talent for talent, drawing power for drawing power. Yes Virginia, golden boys can host, crack jokes, keep televiewers glued to their seats. In fact, they’ve been at it as hosts of ABS-CBN’s noontime show Pilipinas Win na Win.

Their newfound role amuses Marco and Nonoy no end.

“People call me Win na Win, not Marco anymore,” the balladeer relates. “Then, the fans wonder aloud, `Si Marco ba yan?’”

At first, some showbiz insiders doubted their hosting style.

It hurt when Marco overheard comments like, “Why they? Aren’t they too old? Why didn’t the network get this or that instead for the job?”

Nonoy also admits facing strong resistance from ABS insiders at first.

“They got used to seeing people in their 20s and 30s hosting shows,” he explains.

The pressure is great, and Marco and Nonoy feel it now, more than ever. They relate how Freddie M. Garcia or FMG, former ABS-CBN president and the one who fought for them as hosts, would summon them every day to plot strategies and assess the show.

“He told us that we should get ready to pack our bags and go abroad if the show flops,” Nonoy reveals.

That’s not necessary — for now. The show’s ratings has improved since Rico J, Marco, Nonoy and Rey came in.

After all, it’s not every day that you see a big song number from four hitmakers the minute the show opens.

“The opening number is very critical,” notes Marco. “We choose the songs and who will arrange them. It calls for serious discussion.”

Somewhere along the way, the quartet joins forces again to sing more songs, not just their old reliables but new ones young people drool over.

“Ours is a game show where we show our singing talent,” Nonoy observes. Marco adds, “You rarely see that these days. What you usually see are TV shows with a lot of games but no singing.”

And that, they think, is the secret behind the improved ratings.

The benefits are not one way, though. Marco and Nonoy grow as performers the same way the show makes lunchtime more engaging for televiewers.

“I’m not the talkative type,” he admits, “but I learned to talk more because of the show. I’m learning every day.”

He knows more new songs — some of them the type he won’t get caught learning when he was not yet a TV host.

“I now have to learn these songs because we sing them on TV,” explains Marco. “I used to ignore a song even if it was very popular. Now, I have to learn that song because people want to hear it.”

The audience will see just how far Marco and Nonoy have evolved, not only as singers but as show hosts when the two stage their concert, Hitmen on Nov. 13 at Music Museum in Greenhills. It marks the first time Marco and Nonoy are performing together, one on one.

They won’t run out of songs to sing. Marco’s string of hits are the stuff of which memories are made of: Make Believe, My Love Will See You Through, Always, Si Aida, Si Lorna at Si Fe and Ikaw Lamang.

Nonoy won’t be outdone with Never Ever Say Goodbye, Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka, Love Without Time and Live for Love.

Just to show that this is a show between equals, Marco and Nonoy will sing My Love Will Never Ever Say Goodbye, which combines two of their hit songs. The duo will also throw in a medley of hits by female singers.

“Rico J will drop by and Willie Nepomuceno is our special guest,” Nonoy crows.

It will be back to the `80s again, when no singer worth his salt would get caught wearing a T-shirt and a pair of maong pants onstage, when the music was more raw (synthesizes were unheard of, and singers were singers, period. They didn’t juggle their time between hosting, endorsing, etc. They had all the time to polish their craft and render timeless hits.

“R&B was not yet in,” recalls Nonoy. “Ballads were the call of the day.”

Back in those days before YouTube, Pinoy singers rendered pure Original Pilipino Music. Foreign sounds remained foreign.   It was Pinoy music was at its most untainted.

The 30 percent amusement tax on shows had yet to cripple local producers. And foreign shows had yet to rule the scene.

Before Lea Salonga, Charice and Arnel Pineda came along, OPM was up to its neck with hits. And this, Marco, Nonoy and their peers are proud of the way today’s generation rightfully crow about Lea, Charice and Arnel.

Back then, when piracy had yet to rear its ugly head, Marco, Nonoy, Rico and Rey can churn out hit after hit.

We don’t know when this golden age of OPM will return. For now, it’s fun to relive an age when hits were easier to make, and when original songs far outnumbered the cover versions we love to play and replay.