Willie in secret talks with GMA?

Curtain-raisers:

• Could it be true that Willie Revillame is in secret negotiation with GMA? If ever, would Willie host a game show, and on what timeslot? Noontime is ruled by Eat, Bulaga! and early-evening by the newscast. Would Willie occupy the Kapuso Network’s Sunday noontime slot as pre-programming for Sunday All Stars which now starts airing at almost 2 p.m.?

Billy not suspended

• Has Billy Crawford (photo) been suspended after that incident at the Taguig police station? This is the Kapamilya Network’s official statement, sent to Funfare by the network spokesman Bong Osorio: There is no truth to reports that Billy Crawford has been suspended from It’s Showtime. Billy is taking a short break from his hosting duty following the incident last weekend. Showtime will be mounted in Canada (Sept. 20 in Toronto and Sept. 21 in Edmonton) and Billy’s name is included in the list of hosts who are going.

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Gloc 9 new addition to the PPL Stable of Stars

When A-list talent manager Perry Lansigan celebrated his 40th birthday last Tuesday, Sept. 9, he wore an orange T-shirt and so did his talents who showed up (pictured with Perry on this page), including Gloc 9 who is the newest addition to Perry’s fast-growing Stable of Stars.

“Why orange?” asked Perry. “Well, orange happens to be my favorite color and,” touching the blue tablecloth, “also blue. They are bright colors, masayang tingnan, maginhawa. They are the colors of optimism, my lucky colors.” 

The birthday lunch was held at Perry’s home at the Scout Area in Quezon City which also serves as the office of PPL (Perry P. Lansigan), Perry’s eponymous talent agency formally put up five years ago. “PPL is read as ‘people’ and it can also mean People Parties Location,” said Perry. “Aside from management, PPL is an events company. We do artist bookings as well.”

Perry’s talents are mostly actors: Dingdong Dantes (the original), Janno Gibbs, Geoff Eigenmann, Carl Guevarra, Carlo Gonzales, Angelika dela Cruz, Arthur Solinap, Rochelle Pangilinan, Wendell Ramos, Gabby Eigenmann, LJ Reyes, Jolina Mandangal, Max Collins and Jaclyn Jose, with Gloc 9 (real name: Aristotle Pollisco, named after Aristotle Onassis and not the philosopher,  born on Oct. 18, 1977) the only singer and the 15th member of the PPL family.

Does Perry practice favoritism?

“Yes,” smiled Perry who is among the very few lovable talent managers hereabouts, easy to deal with, who makes his talents accessible to the press (unlike some talent managers who let you pass through the eye of the needle before you can interview their alaga). “My favorites are those who are pasaway. Luckily, wala namang masyadong pasaway sa kanila.”

Unless his talents ask him to, Perry doesn’t meddle in their private lives.

“Hangga’t walang conflict between their personal lives and their work, hindi ako nakiki-alam. But when their personal issues get in the way of their careers,” he added firmly, “I don’t hesitate to step in. You know, aral ako kina Douglas (Quijano) at Wyngard (Tracy),” both deceased, who were well-loved and incredibly generous, concerned more with their alaga’s welfare (both as persons and as professionals) than with whatever commission they were getting. “I learned a lot from Douglas and Wyngard, and I’m forever grateful to them.”

It was easy to Gloc 9 to gravitate towards Perry because Gloc 9’s wife, Thea Pollisco (a scriptwriter for GMA 7), is Perry’s good friend starting when he was still behind the defunct GMA noontime show S.O.P. (which has metamorphosed into Sunday All Stars).

As his fans know, Gloc 9 looks up to the King of Rap, the late Francis Magalona, as his idol. Francis described Gloc 9 as “The blacksmith of words and letters and a true Filipino poet.”

 When he was in school, recalled Gloc 9 (who used to be a member of the rap group Death Threat), “Francis would include me in his concerts so that I would have pocket money. He advised me to perform in venues (like Klownz) where the audience would appreciate my music.”

He’s a hip-hop artist/rapper who has caught the attention and affection, especially of the masa with Sirena (which he wrote on his way home to Fairview), one of his hit songs. Others include collaborations: Lando (with Francis), Upuan (with Jaezelle), Bagsakan (with Parokya ni Edgar and Francis) and Sari-Saring Kwento (with Noel Cabangon and Champ Lui Pio).

He has won the heart of the Filipinos (both here and abroad) with the issues tackled in his songs such as social injustice, poverty and patriotism.

On Nov. 21, Gloc 9 will star with Yeng Constantino and Rico Blanco in a concert at the Araneta Coliseum, titled Icon: Rico Gloc Yeng The Concert produced by Cornerstone.

“At first, I thought na parang ang yabang ng dating ng word na ‘icon,’” said Gloc 9 who has remained level-headed in spite of his success, until the producer explained it. The letters “IC” come from Rico, “O” from Gloc 9 and “N” from Yeng. 

Early on, Gloc 9 said that his mother discouraged him from pursuing a career in music, warning him that he had no future in it. That was when Gloc 9 was helping his mom tend their sari-sari store. “Na-challenged ako,” confessed Gloc 9. “Pero naintindihan ko ang Nanay ko.”

Of course, Gloc 9’s mom had spoken too soon. Today, she’s Gloc 9’s No. 1 fan.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)