Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Yes, Vice, It's Truly a Good Night


Grabe, tuwing gabi na akong humahalakhak sa bawat pagsubaybay ko sa bagong late night talk show ng dos, ang "Gandang Gabi Vice." Hindi katulad ng predecessor nitong Sharon na puro OA at wala sa hulmang pagtawa lang ni Mega ang pambenta, aba, ibang putahe ang handog ng pambansang kabayong si Vice Ganda: Perfect combination of singing, talk, jokes and lively audience participation. Para kang nasa comedy at music bar combined! Talagang nakakade-stress.

The show starts with Vice singing. In all fairness, may talent yung komedyante. He can shift from full voice to falsetto with ease. Then, true to his character as a "host", he greets the audience, and the latter greets back by cheering "Gandang Gabi Vice" as they stand on their feet. Pagkatapos, makikipaghuntahan ng kaunti si Vice sa audience sa pamamagitan ng pagtatanong ng kung anik anik, pero ang topic ay hindi naman masyadong lumalayo sa theme ng programa o sa mga guests nito sa gabing iyon. Dito lumalabas ang natural na talento ni Vice sa komedya. Last week, for example, he asked an 82 year old lady how old she was. The lady of course said she's 82 and, expectedly and unexpectedly, Vice cracked an effective punchline by saying "so ilan na lang po ang natitira?" I was laughing all the way.

There's one thing I've noticed with Vice's hosting: He was asking intelligent questions on the show. His comments and jokes were no non-sense. Hindi mababaw. I can't cite specific examples right now, but the way Vice asks the question, or expresses his views during the "advice" portion towards the latter portion of the show, surprisingly showed some depth. It was well thought-of. Hindi yung basta na lang binitawan para lang may masabi at bunuin ung airtime. Perhaps, the (gay) man is simply living up to his creed which he previously expressed in one of the episodes of "Showtime", another ABS CBN show where he stars: "Hindi sapat na bakla ka lang. Dapat may pinag-aralan ka rin." True to his words, on this show, he's showing how well schooled he is by the way he pulls the show off every Sunday night.

Over-all, the station's new formula to entertain people at night is effective. It's not just comedy, it's sensible comedy. I wouldn't really be surprised if the others would replicate the same in the near future. Andt thanks to Vice's talent and the staff's brilliant production format. The show's not just ma-Ganda, but as the name "Vice" itself literally means, nakaka-adik pa.

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