All the way to a comeback

By Carlomar Arcangel Daoana, Staff Writer

10/21/2007

When soap operas are making strides in terms of content and production value — taking the shape of a teleserye, fanta-serye and what-have-you — talk shows have remained static, or worse, turned into a mishmash of chat, lifestyle features, with little or no commentary.

We don’t have a true-blue talk show, and by talk show we don’t mean the before-lunch fares that feature artistas talking about their heartbreaks, ghost stories or their latest discoveries about life, as if they have sheer monopoly to these experiences. What I refer is to is that smart platform where issues — personal or otherwise — are raised and discussed with either humor or seriousness and the viewer feels like he wants to participate in the discussion and is not treated as a mere receiver of whatever the speakers spew.

Jojo A All The Way, that success story of RJ TV, which is now airing at QTV 11 every 11 p.m., week nights, may very well fill that gaping hole in TV-dom and bring the attention of the audience feeding on the foreign late night talk shows of Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brian back to homeland.

Host Jojo Alejar (yes, the That’s Entertainment regular who barely escaped the name-that-has-been trivia) says the show “is all about what I feel and what and people feel and tell me.” At 41, he is confident with where he is and with the store of knowledge he has accumulated through the years: “I know my politics already, my business, my issues…Mas marami na akong napagdaanan.”

His preparedness to successfully pilot a show all by himself was honed — apart from the wisdom of years — by the three years he was on air at RJ TV. I was once an accidental studio audience in one of his show’s episodes, drawn to his earnestness as Jojo listened and exchanged repartees with a musician he was interviewing at that time. Though I sensed a tinge of self-conscious levity on his part, the talk seemed easy flowing, unforced. He may not share the same wattage of wit as his idols (the three American hosts mentioned), but Jojo can cleverly navigate the discussion and pull some memorable one-liners here and there.

This proud father of a boy admits that he wants his show to buffer all the negative news we soak in as we reach late-night TV viewership. “Pagdating sa gabi, i-fe-feed pa sa ‘yo patayan, pagtaas ng presyo, ni-rape ‘yung anak,” he says. “Sa show, kahit isyu ‘yung pinag-usapan, light pa rin. Magaan bago ka matulog.”

Unlike most talk shows, Jojo A All The Way will feature a wide spectrum of personalities. “I want to guest as many interesting personalities as I can: celebrities, businessmen, balut vendor, taxi driver.” He’s looking forward to interviewing GMA, Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby and Manny Pacquiao. The first question he will throw at the famous boxer: “Is it true the success of every man is a woman? Ergo, the more women, the more success?”

What is missing from the QTV version is the segment at RJ TV where people could text and call him and vent out their feelings and concerns which Jojo — the man about town — claims to represent. It’s because every episode is taped. Expect him to continue, however, raising issues and holding no punches as what he has done at RJ TV. “I’ve never been wanting of issues to talk about,” he says. “If ever I offend somebody, magalit na kung magalit. Ang magalit guilty.”

Though he has now the benefits of a bigger studio and wider reach of audience — with a live band to boot — Jojo maintains that he will still retain the show’s flavor — simple, smart, funny — what has made it successful in the first place. “It’s a gift we want to give our audience,” he says. “We want to make them to be happy. It’s no longer our problem if they don’t appreciate it. ‘Pag hindi nag-work, tambay muna ako ulit sa bahay.”

Not to mistake as smugness, Jojo’s self-assurance is borne out of accepting whatever that comes his way with open arms. “Everything is just coming up roses for me. I’ll just enjoy the moment. I always think that when it stays, well and good. And if it doesn’t, you learn to accept it,” he concludes.

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