Constant state of flux

We’re glad that PR maven Philip Abadicio has launched his new TV show, “Philip—The Lifestyle Guy” (11 a.m. Sundays on TV5). We caught the magazine show’s first telecast, and can encouragingly report that the new TV host brings something different and fresh to the small screen.

Most lifestyle hosts are glib and slick, stressing style and form over substance. Since Abadicio doesn’t hew to that soporifically shallow mode, he’s more his own person, and the entire show benefits more from his more personal and less “scripted” approach to hosting.

On his debut telecast, Abadicio made sure that his first-time viewers got a lot of different gambits to react to—and, hopefully, like. The Lifestyle Guy started with a visit to a sosi tea shop, but didn’t linger there for more than a soothing sip or two.

In a radical change of gears and venues, the show leapfrogged over to Project 4, of all places, to sample the delicious pancit palabok of a tiny mom-run establishment that charged only P35 for a substantial serving of its signature dish.

From sosi to masa in one quick cutaway—now, this is a magazine show that’s right up our “unprincipled,” egregiously eclectic alley!

Later, Abadicio took viewers to another, more upscale resto for some shabu-shabu (loved its amazing repertoire of mushrooms), then slipped into a posh clothing store for quick makeover of two TV5 staffers.

To cap the late-morning adventure, Abadicio and his young wards rewarded themselves with giant ice-cream treats and exceptional cheeses and hams! Perhaps they each had a spare stomach in tow?

That’s the ticket

So far, so divertingly varied—something for (most) everyone, that’s the ticket. In time, however, we hope that the show will include the arts in its repertoire of delectable treats, since viewers can add a lot to their quality of life with those additional inputs.

Nothing abstract and hoity-toity, you understand, more like art as a part of life, the he(art) we need to heighten our appreciation for our gift of felt existence.

In addition, while we like Abadicio’s being his own person when it comes to TV hosting, we should point out that he sometimes comes across as rather too arch and “styled,” and his speaking voice and cadence may be too soigné, even “bored,” and thus boring for some viewers. The antidote for this could be a conscious decision to make Abadicio interact with more idiosyncratic people than the respectful and even awed acolytes he hobnobbed with on his debut telecast? But, these are details. Abadicio’s main strength is his great interest and vast experience in the topics that his show tackles, and that personal involvement and expertise shouldn’t be watered down.

However, since even idiosyncratic people lose some of their edgy appeal after weeks or months on the tube, Abadicio’s show should be in a constant state of flux, open to unpredictable experiences that would surprise and excite even the peripatetic “lifestyle adventurer”/host himself!