Paolo the Talkman

If you find yourself at the mall and see a familiar face, Walkman on, oblivious to all around him, rapping to Changes by Tupac Shakur, don’t do a double take; you’re not seeing things. It is Paolo Bediones, today’s clean-cut host-with-the-most and devout rap and hip-hop fan.

"We were on a bus trip to the North one time, and with the headphones on, I went through the whole song by heart," he relates by way of explanation. "Naturally, I was doing this with my eyes shut and when the song ended and I opened my eyes, I saw all these faces looking at me in shock. The crew and my co-hosts had no idea I was into this kind of music. I guess for them it seemed out of character; but I’ve always loved this kind of music. In high school, I was even in a dance group that specialized in rap!"

Paolo quickly adds that while Changes is his favorite Tupac song, "It’s the only one with no profanities throughout the song; a real rarity. You know, this is the one that loops with the Bruce Hornsby song That’s Just the Way It Is; it’s got all these social consciousness themes."

A Penshoppe model in 1994, Paolo graduated from the Ateneo in 1996 with an Interdisciplinary Studies degree. Forced to face the fact that with his Filipino chinito looks he was no longer in demand as all these "Incredible Hulk-casians" (Paolo’s own coined description) were ruling the roster for ramp and commercial assignments, Paolo auditioned for Gameplan in 1996. Impressive enough to be tapped to host the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, Paolo has not looked back since.

"And it’s been anything and everything under the sun!" he reveals. "Bikini contests, game and quiz shows, music oriented programs, tele-magazines, pageants, news reportage and one-on-one interviews. I took the attitude that everything was part of the learning process; that while eventually I would specialize or find a niche within the hosting profession, it was always rewarding to expose myself to as many different permutations within the profession."

The GMA-7 network honchos were looking to create a Matt Lauer type of host (him of the Morning Show in the United States), one with looks yet capable of doing penetrating and informative interviews while retaining a personable aura. If one recalls, at that time (the mid ’90s) it was difficult to find someone who could be considered young and yet a professional host. Johnny Litton was around for an older set and while Edu Manzano and Martin Nievera were often tapped for hosting chores, they were primarily entertainers, actors and/or singers. Paolo rapidly filled the need for a host with charm and intelligence for a younger generation.

Adored by colegialas, he was pitched as the boy next door, the one you could bring home to meet the parents. It was lime-light time and Paolo loved every minute of it.

"I was truly kulang sa pansin in school, so the modeling and becoming flavor of the month for my hosting was heaven," he enthuses. "But even then, I realized that flavor of the month is exactly that–what’s important is to take those 30 days and make the most of it. You have to make an impression that goes beyond the looks or the event that placed you in the spotlight. You have to seize the opportunity and show you have what it takes for the long haul."

One sees the final result and one may be forgiven for thinking the job is dead easy; but ask anyone in the know, and you’ll soon realize just how much work and dedication is put into being a television host.

"It’s been a great ride, but believe me, I would not have come as far as I have and reached this level without the workaholic attitude I possess," he says. "The same effort I used to put into making the Dean’s List at college is what I apply to hosting."

To this day, while Paolo feels he’s reached an acceptable level of competence in his work, he realizes that the different types of hosting jobs are genres in themselves. In the United States, specialization is the name of the game. Bob Barker does pageants almost exclusively (and can someone confirm that his most appropriate of names is his real one?). Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien do talk shows with the occasional foray into Oscars hosting. And you have persona-lities like Marv Albert who specialize in sports format shows (boxing, basketball, etc.). That one does well in one type of hosting does not necessarily mean one would be great in others.

"I’m self-critical," he confesses. "I know that in interviewing people I’m at best a four out of ten. I still have some ways to go in making the subject comfortable. My body language, the attention I place on the subject’s answers... all these I have to improve on. But just the same, I relish the chances given me to dabble in all these types of hosting. I guess it parallels my interest in sports–the holistic approach. Some joke that it’s the old indulge-in-everything (but) master-of-none. But I do prefer it this way, as it allows me to try so many different things."

With the advent of his hosting the new Globe-sponsored game show Texters 5, Paolo runs the risk of being over-exposed on Sundays: aside from the quiz show with Regine Tolentino in the morning he has S-Files in the afternoon. During the week, we see him in the Extra Extra tele-magazine show every afternoon.

Asked what his biggest faux pas as a host has been, Paolo smiles and admits, "When I started off Morning Show with Mon Isberto, there was one time I had to introduce Ning Mejia; so I went ‘And this morning, along with Mon we have Miss Ning Mejia’ and the camera pans to these two men. God! I was so embarrassed, so sure they would fire me on the spot. Then there’s Gullermo "Bill" Luz, who each time he showed up for the show, I’d botch his name. First, it would be Bill Guillermo, then it would be Luz Guillermo. It became a standing joke between us on what new way I’d murder his name."

Asked who were the more interesting subjects he’s interviewed, Paolo says, "Interesting comes on different levels. If it was the one I was most starstruck by, that would have to be Tom Cruise. But if it’s interesting in the sense of who you really have to be on your toes for while interviewing, the prize goes to Annabelle Rama. I just love having her for a subject. It’s a talk show right? So you want guests who’ll talk, and not just give you the studio spiel on their latest movie or concert or CD. In that sense, Annabelle is great. Conversely, some of the sexy starlets are the worst for talk shows. More often than not, they’ll just give you monosyllabic answers and churn out the standard ‘It’s for Art’ patter."

While Paolo’s career may look like a steady rising trajectory, the reality of being Paolo is fraught with insecurities and doubts. "There was a time, a couple of years ago, when I felt I had reached a plateau. I wondered about the work and my image. While there were many layers to the decision to do it, at one level it was the frustration of being seen as a one-dimensional boy next door. Hey! I am warm-blooded and I can be naughty too. So that resulted in my posing for the Metro calendar, a decision I made with only Jakob (Fernandez, his manager) in consultation. I got a lot of flak for that photo. The important thing was I survived it. You don’t allow regrets to creep in–you take responsibility and turn things into learning experiences."

Beside his musical inclination for rap, I asked Paolo what other surprises he has up his sleeve. "Well, there’s my love for art. I love collecting and I lean towards young artists who are still establishing names for themselves. I even have a favorite gallery– the one on New York Street (in Cubao) ironically called the Boston Gallery.

"After years of living alone and eating out all the time, I’ve finally gone into cooking. Nothing sophisticated, but I do a mean scrambled eggs. I like them fluffy, not wet or runny and I have to admit I’ve perfected fluffy scrambled eggs! Makes a change from the nights I’d just dine on Fita and Coke; that was back when the modeling jobs dried up and I had too much pride to run back home. Also, I like to think I’m funny, have a sense of humor–that’s a side of me that most aren’t aware of."

For someone who was cut-up artist at school, Paolo has come a long way. "I was the one who would think I had something funny or witty to say and would blurt it out, only to elicit groans from my classmates. They considered me a geek or a nerd. They even had a nickname for me–PaoTawa BeJoker!"

The rich irony is that growing up, Paolo would watch Flor de Luna and dream of following in the footsteps of model and actor Richard Gomez. Now on S-Files, he finds himself alongside Janice de Belen and Goma himself. An extreme sports enthusiast, Paolo dreams of doing a free-fall skydive (he’s done several with a static line). And we joke what a contrast that would be with the free-rise path his career has taken.