Jose Manalo
When it was announced that Jose Manalo would be part of the “StarStruck” council, not a few people doubted his credentials, wondering whether or not he was up to the task of finding the network’s next stars.
As it turned out, Jose is actually more experienced screening prospective talents than his fellow mentor-judges, Cherie Gil and Heart Evangelista.
Unknown to many, the comedian worked behind the scenes, as a production assistant for “Eat Bulaga” before becoming a host. And one of his duties back then was assessing hopefuls trying out for the noontime variety show’s various contests, as well as slots for its resident performing groups.
Some of the notable names Jose once auditioned or trained included Jericho Rosales (“Mr. Pogi”), Rachelle Ann Go (“Birit Baby”) and Rochelle Pangilinan and Jopay Paguia (SexBomb Girls).
“I used to guide Echo and demoed how to read his spiels,” Jose related with reporters at a recent press conference for “StarStruck” Season 7, which airs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
He continued: “I remember Rochelle had to undergo a number of auditions. Her dancing wasn’t as polished the first time I saw her. But she registered well on camera and had great expression. I knew she had it in her and just needed more training to really bring out her talent.”
In “Eat Bulaga!,” he would ask an aspirant to return on another day for additional tests, if he wasn’t entirely convinced. He doesn’t have that luxury in “StarStruck,” he pointed out, and that’s the challenge.
“It’s tough because you have to make a decision right then and there—you can’t make them go back for further screenings. This time, it’s live and you can’t mess up … You have to be sure of your choice,” pointed out Jose, who admitted that another weakness of his is that there were times when he couldn’t help but feel for a contestant.
“You wonder why they want to become actors. And then you hear their stories, coupled with their VTRs … I couldn’t help but get affected. And that sometimes makes the decision process hard,” he related.
At the end of the day, Jose stressed “it’s the talent” that should count.
Jose, Cherie and Heart do different kinds of work, but he feels that it’s actually their contrasting backgrounds that create the nice onscreen rapport they have. “When the sosyal in them kicks in, they can look at me and be reminded that, ‘Ah, may poor nga pala tayong kasama. May jologs!’” he jested.
“And of course they chat in English. I just butt in on their conversations when I can understand what they’re talking about,” he said, drawing laughter.
Meanwhile, he related that he has already stopped doing live comedy shows at night to make sure he has enough energy for “Eat Bulaga!’s” grueling “Juan for All, All for Juan” outdoor segment.
“I exercise as much as I can. I wake up at 6 a.m. to play basketball,” Jose related. “I need to build my resistance and stay fit, because the segment we do is no joke.”