Moments before the live telecast of Showbiz Central, Pia Guanio led the hosts and staff in prayer. "Please give them presence of mind...please don't let them forget their lines," she prayed. John "Sweet" Lapus (leftmost) used to work with Pia in S-Files. Raymond Gutierrez is a newbie in entertainment-news hosting but is a veteran host of music programs and beauty contests.

Showbiz Central is shown live from Broadway Centrum in New Manila. With the venue large enough (Eat Bulaga also uses this studio), an audience is able to watch and interact with celebrity guests. This photo shows, on the left, host Pia Guanio interviewing celebrity guest Wilma Doesnt; and on the right, John Lapus standing behind the Central Jury of three.

The Central Jury for the month of May is composed of (from left) performer Arnell Ignacio, talent manager Shirley Kuan, and radio host DJ Mo Twister. When PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) interviewed Mo Twister backstage, the controversial radio host said he was happy to be part of Showbiz Central.

"It was fun! Siyempre, like with any show [since] it's new, everybody has really high energy kasi they really want to make things work. I think when you're doing a show for a long time, nasasanay ka sa sistema or sa rhythm. And when you're doing a first show, you really have to establish that rhythm. It's not there yet but it looks very promising and I had a good time."

Pia Guanio is one of the TV hosts from S-Files who was made to stay on for Showbiz Central. Here she is seen talking with Rustom Padilla about his medical condition called Bell's Palsy. www.pep.ph carried a news item on Rustom's condition days before his appearance on Showbiz Central.

John "Sweet" Lapus is the other holdover host from S-Files. He explained that Showbiz Central will be aired live every Sunday, except for the opening segment which needs several takes to perfect the timing of the lights. True enough, it took them around three takes to finalize the opening segment. But give it to the new show—it experiments with new things, which is what the audience expects from a new show.

Raymond Gutierrez tries to conquer his doubts about his skills as a showbiz host by practicing his spiel moments before he goes on air. Since Showbiz Central is broadcast live, it leaves little room for mistakes. Raymond is brave to take this assignment on. He also goes up against his sister, Ruffa, who will host The Buzz for all the Sundays of May. (Read all about the sibling rivalry/revelry in Ruffa's blog, Ruffa's Mindspeak, here in PEP.)

Angel Locsin guested on the show to talk about her P6 million sports utility vehicle, the Hummer. As she was being interviewed by Raymond Gutierrez (heartthrob Richard's twin brother), she was distracted by his resemblance to Richard. She exclaimed: "Kamukha mo talaga si 'Chard!" She has the right to say it; she's been paired with Richard in movies and fantaseryes countless times.

When Wilma Doesnt sat on the sofa set of the studio, she told the hosts and Central Jury members: "'Wag naman masyadong bulgar ang tanong." (A rough way of saying it, but showbiz talk shows do tend to forget decorum in the name of ratings sometimes.) She learned last April 10 that she was 13 weeks pregnant. Wilma did not disclose the name of the father of her second child.

The main cast of Sinasamba Kita guested on Showbiz Central to promote the first offering of GMA-7's Sine Novela. (From left) Valerie Concepcion, Carlo Aquino, Sheryl Cruz, and Wendell Ramos talk with Raymond Gutierrez about their latest project. Incidentally, Valerie plays the role essayed in the original film by Lorna Tolentino; Carlo, the role of Phillip Salvador; Sheryl, the role of Vilma Santos; and Wendell Ramos, the role of Christopher de Leon.

Patrick Garcia and Jennylyn Mercado talked on the air about their relationship. The talk show displayed a VTR showing Patrick's mom talking highly of the StarStruck Ultimate Female Survivor. Patrick also told PEP backstage that Jennylyn is the only girl he has brought home to his family.

Rustom Padilla sits comfortably on the red sofa, which is dubbed as the "Hot Seat." He deftly evades rumors linking him to the basketball coach who taught him the sport when he was preparing for his role in the movie Happy Hearts.

Janno Gibbs reveals to Showbiz Central that he is now sleeping in the same room as Bing Loyzaga, his wife. He used to sleep in the townhouse next door, which the couple also own. The singer-comedian says that he is trying his best to fix his marriage now, for the sake of his kids, his wife, and himself.