JERRY OLEA
Tinanong minsan ni Boy Abunda ang sarili kung nasaan ang puwesto niya sa local showbiz.
Nasaan siya ngayon?
“Hindi ko alam,” mabilis na tugon ng King of Talk sa mediacon noong Disyembre 15, Huwebes sa Astoria Plaza, Pasig City.
“I swear that’s a word na kinakapitan ko. Right now I’m searching. Right now I’m finding my place again. At hindi ako natatakot. Familiar territory ito sa akin.
“I came from nowhere. I’m not afraid to start again. I’m not afraid to get into this chaotic world of social media. Hindi ako takot. Lalo na ngayon, andami-dami kong kaibigan.
“Ahhh, nasaan ako ngayon sa industriya? Deretsahan tayo. It also occurs in your mind once in a while, ‘Laos na ba ako? May relevance na ba ako?’ Ganun!
“I have this young friend, he writes for a magazine. And one time he sent me a text message to say, ‘Tito Boy, how did you do it? You’ve become so successful. You crossed over into the world of memes.’
“Oh?! Ha! Ha! Ha! Crossed over?! Hindi ko nga alam. Parang I’m one of the most parodied personalities I think in this country. Mula sa GomBurZa hanggang sa basketball player, et cetera.
“But I also ask myself that. I am an artist manager. Relevance is important in this business. Premium is important in this business. And you have to constantly work on it.
“Pero for as long as you know your worth, for as long as you take good care of that worth, at for as long as you are REALISTIC in your assessment of that worth… and for as long as you do not allow anyone to diminish your worth, you’re still in the game.
“So nasaan ako? Tara na!”
GORGY RULA
Gaano kaimportante sa kanya ang taguring King of Talk, lalo na sa panahon ngayon na hindi na uso ang talk show.
Pahayag ni Tito Boy, “Hindi ko alam, una, kung sino ang nagbigay sa akin ng title na iyan. Would you have an idea? Hindi ko talaga alam kung saan nag-umpisa yun.
“It just came about many, many years ago. Hindi ko naman masyadong sineseryoso yun, you know. It’s a title.
“Pero it’s a strong brand, admittedly. It’s a strong brand. So ine-embrace ko yun. Pero hindi ko hinahayaang pumasok iyan sa ulo ko.
“Ahh, ako naman ang hari na walang reyna. Ahh, you know what I’m saying. But it’s a title that has been attached to your name.
“And you somehow work at it. You somehow work at it kaya hindi ako humihinto.
“Alam niyo during Covid, ang ginawa ko? Pinanood ko na yata lahat ang mga talk shows. You know, I become familiar with Dick Cavett and all his interviews, from Jon Stewart to Zach Galifianakis.
“Mag-aaral ka, e. Mag-aaral ka para hindi makasabay, ako yung makasabay sa agos? Not necessarily.
“Mag-aaral ka dahil kailangang malaman mo kung saan ka pupuwesto. So now if you ask me, do I find myself relevant and even looking forward to how I’m going to play on this talk show that I’m going to do for GMA-7? Oo.
“Pero ang sagot ko doon, alam mo, sa mga panahon na nagdududa ako kung ano ang halaga… there was an interview of Bette Davis and Dick Cavett years, years, years ago.
“Kasi di ba, yung ibang mga artista na parang, ‘I don’t give interviews. Why should I do it? You know I’m a professional actor, trabaho ko is to act. My work is to be an actor, to be an artist. I’m not supposed to sit down with anybody and tell you my private story.’
“Imagine this issue has been answered in the '50s, in the '60s. In that particular interview between Dick Cavett and Bette Davis, sabi ni Bette Davis who was one of the most revered names in the industry, dun ako nagkalakas ng loob being a writer, bilang talk show host.
“Sabi ni Bette Davis, ‘You know, Dick, you know why I come to show for interviews? Because my movies can only tell my public half of who I am as a professional artist. Half of which, you do for me.’
“That’s the role of entertainment writers. That’s the role of interviewers like me. Because the story of stars and movie actors, whether they agree or not, cannot be completed by their work alone.”
NOEL FERRER
All the best, Tito Boy. Ang maganda kay Tito Boy, he never stopped learning!
Nag-aral siya sa eskwela. Inaral niya ang kanyang disiplina. At kaakibat niyon, maayos ang network niya. Nakisama siya nang maayos kaya marami siyang pagkakaibigang nabuo.
Naging bukas sa kanya ang mga tao. Kaya napapasalita niya ang mga iniinterbyu niya. Kumportable sila sa kanya. Kasi, may tiwala at pagpapahalaga.
Excited na akong mapanood ulit si Tito Boy sa telebisyon.