DE BELEN. Cohosts “Showbiz Inside Report.”
ON US TV, most of the hosts of show biz-oriented talk-variety shows aren’t entertainers, they’re media people who make it their business to cover the entertainment scene.
On local TV, this also used to be the case—Inday Badiday and Joe Quirino weren’t performers, were they? But things have radically changed of late, as producers look for “star value,” not only in the celebrities their shows feature, but also in their stars-turned-hosts.
The latest program to do this is “Showbiz Inside Report,” which is co-hosted by Janice de Belen, Joey Marquez, Carmina Villarroel and Ogie Diaz, celebrities one and all. Ogie may have started out as a movie scribe, but he’s done his share of comedy and teleserye roles, as well. As for his three cohosts, Janice and Carmina began their careers as child performers, while Joey was a basketball player before he became a comedian on “Palibhasa Lalake.”
Significant issue
While we understand why they’ve been tapped to do co-hosting chores on the new weekend show, we should point out that US TV doesn’t use stars as hosts due to the significant issue of conflict of interest involved.
Stars are stars and commentators are commentators, and never the twain should meet or morph, Push Me-Pull You style, because it isn’t cricket, and definitely not right.
It’s like a doctor taking out his own appendix, among other negative consternations and contradictions potentially involved.
Another relevant factor is the fact that, when stars host show-biz oriented programs, they lose their objectivity. Some of the stars they talk or tattle about are their friends, so they treat them with kid gloves—which is unfair to the other celebrities they tackle with greater objectivity—and negativity.
Star-hosts have too much power—both coming and going—and some of them misuse it. In addition, they turn out to be poor reporters, because they may hear a lot of rumors on the set or at parties, but mum’s the word on TV, because they don’t want to “hurt” the feelings of the personalities involved. —So, what are the viewers left with? Not much at all.
Star-hosts forget that their main obligation is to their show’s viewers, who deserve the objective and complete truth. Stars have friendships to protect and career connections to sustain? Then, they shouldn’t host show biz-oriented programs.
Colorful denizens
The situation is so weird and untenable that one wonders why TV producers allow it to fester. Is it because they regard gossip shows as mere “diversionary” entertainment, and not as sources of reliable information about the entertainment scene and its colorful denizens?
If that’s the facile and clueless mindset that’s operative here, it would help explain why local show biz reportage is so unreliable and self-serving.
The entertainment we get isn’t merely a fun way to pass the time, but is in fact influential in firming up our attitude toward life and living.
So, it should be reported on with greater insight and objectivity, so viewer-readers can form more valid impressions and opinions on why things are the way they are—and how they can be made better.