Edu Manzano at 60

MANZANO. Puckish, boyish and “playboyish” wit.

If life begins at 40, how do people feel and what do they want when they turn 60, like actor, TV host and occasional would-be public servant Edu Manzano (last Sept. 14)? Knowing him, he could smartly retort, “Sixty is the new 40, didn’t you know?”

For our part, we’d like to see Edu more often on the TV screen, since he’s one of the best (under-used) talk and game shows we have.

Watching him act on his recently concluded teleserye, “Bridges of Love,” was OK, too—but, we were miffed by the fact that the drama series similarly underutilized him, so the thespic impact he made on it was disappointing.

He should have been made its main villain because he can be ferociously threatening from a psychological point of view—but, that plum “nega” assignment inexplicably went instead to the relatively wimpy and shallow Carmina Villaroel.

But, Edu is at his best when he’s hosting a talk show, so we hope that a savvy producer will gift him with a new one to start the 2016 TV season with a rip-roaring bang!

Exceptional host

What makes Edu an exceptional talk-show host is his puckish, boyish and “playboyish” wit. It also helps that he’s still buff enough to not come across as a Dirty Old Man!

Another thing we like about Edu is his penchant for bouncing back even after a hard and painful fall that would make weaker people throw up their hands and give up the fight.

He’s had a lot of practice at this, because his very first big role in a movie (“Alaga,” 1980) was a cinematic dud that laid a big, fat egg.

If memory serves, it was awkwardly megged and failed to make much sense, and that key lapse brought down everyone involved in it, including Edu.

What was the film about? That’s gotten very fuzzy through the years, but we do recall that the Charito Solis was also in the ill-fated production, and Edu played her character’s, ah, boy toy.

Despite that initial debacle, Edu was determined enough to rise from its ashes, and went on to star in many other films, including Laurice Guillen’s “Tanging Yaman,” where he came up with his best performance to date.

So, another gift we wish for Edu on his 60th year, aside from a new talk show, is a similarly great role in an insightfully written and directed film, to remind everyone (himself included) what a standout thespian he can be!