Maturity becomes Martin

NIEVERA. Sets a laid-back mood on his new talk show.

Last Friday, March 1, we stayed up late to catch the first telecast of Martin Nievera’s new talk show on ABS-CBN. The late-late weekly chatfest’s initial guest was KC Concepcion, and she and Martin had an easy-breezy good time talking about her projects, past and present suitors, adventures abroad, etc.

The laid-back mood that Martin set was a welcome indication of his more mature outlook on life—and when he sang, it was like the icing and cherry on an already yummy cake.

After a while, however, the show began to feel too comfy for sustained entertainment. The host didn’t pry all that much, so KC didn’t share aspects of herself that viewers didn’t already know.

Now, we’re glad that the show isn’t one of those pesky ask-all, tell-all verbal striptease acts that leave a bad taste in the mouth and make viewers feel like they’ve been sniffing celebrity laundry (ugh).

But, the show’s initial telecast was too nice and equable, so it looks like a compromise is needed. Perhaps one guest for the entire hour is too slim—even gaunt—an offering, especially if the guest isn’t all that forthcoming?

It could also help if Martin doesn’t just ask one question after another, but is in fact in search of a central theme or mystery related to the guest to clarify. Or, perhaps Martin could go from talking to a sensible guest, to more feistily interacting with a less predictable celebrity?

Or, celebs could still be featured, but doing surprising or unexpected things that reveal new aspects to their already overexposed personas?

—Whatever. The key thing is to make the hour-long show less predictable and more eventful, so viewers don’t drift off to slumberland.