‘Wowowillie’ bows out with 4-hour farewell show; Willie Revillame vows to return soon

Almost five months after Willie Revillame announced that his noontime show on TV5, “Wowowillie”, will have its last show on October 12, the popular but ofent-controversial comedian and TV host made good on his promise with a grand four-hour “farewell party” at the Delta Theater.

Despite the heavy rains, the place was packed with a standing room only audience, many of whom came from places like Bataan, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, the United States, Kuwait and Japan. Upon acknowledging the crowd, Willie immediately hollered that each one be given P5,000 each.

Yes, lots of money were given away throughout the show as Willie and co-hosts Mariel Rodriguez, Rufa Mae Quinto, Grace Lee, Ava Jugueta, Joy Viado and Cacai Bautista conducted the usual contest portions.

Randy Santiago, who had filled in for Willie for several days leading up to the final show, was also on hand to help out in the hosting chores and even performed a song number with rapper and Saturday mainstay Abra.

Other musical numbers were provided by soul siren Nina as well as by Mariel, Ava, Joy, Cacai and former co-host Camille Villar, who departed last February to pursue masteral studies in Spain.

Former co-hosts Arci Muñoz and Lovely Abella were also around to join the celebration while Camille’s parents and long-time Willie allies, former Senator Manny Villar and wife Senator Cynthia Villar, were among those Willie acknowledged in the audience.

Reflecting not only on the 10-month run of “Wowowillie” on the air but also on his three years with the Kapatid network as host of previous shows “Willing Willie” and “Wil Time Bigtime”, Willie asserted how his shows were able to connect with the masses though the countless prizes they were able to give away.

“Dito po ang pinapansin ang mga hindi pinapansin. Ang importante po dito binibigyan ng halaga kahit sino ka lalo na ang mga taong kapuspalad,” Willie intoned during his final speech to close the show. “Yung mga tao pong akala nila wala nang pangarap pero merong pag-asang binibigay ang mga programang katulad nito. Nandito kami hindi lamang po maging masaya kami, nagiging masaya kami kapag nakapagbibigay kami ng kasiyahan sa inyo sa araw-araw.”

In thanking the Villars in particular, Willie noted that his shows were able to give away a total of 28 houses and lots from Camella Land and Vista Land. “Sina Senators Manny at Cynthia Villar, parang 911 yan. Isang tawag lang namin, bigay agad ng bahay yan,” he stressed.

Like his previous shows, the 10-month run of “Wowowillie” was not without its share of controversies.

Co-host Ethel Booba had a falling out with Willie that she said had started as early as the show’s initial broadcast last January 26 when he jokingly blamed her for the two power failures that marred the show. Ethel said the last straw came when he berated her and fellow co-host Ate Gay on the air the following month after allegedly complaining on the result of a costume contest won by choreographer Anna Feliciano.

Ate Gay himself left the show in April after he felt slighted when then newly hired co-hosts Cacai Bautista and Joy Viado took his usual place as the finale act of the show’s mini-concierto segment.

Another former co-host, Lovely Abella, was reportedly dismissed after she accepted an out-of-town engagement without the show’s consent.  Unlike Lovely, Ethel and Ate Gay were not present during the final show on Saturday. Still, Willie acknowledged their contributions while stressing that he harbors no hatred and bitterness towards anybody.

Then there was the show’s run-in with the Movie Television Review and Classification Board who conducted a gender sensitivity seminar for the show’s cast and crew after the bountiful cleavage of dancer Charm went on full display during the show’s “Tutok to Win” segment, which also took place last April.

But after Willie’s announcement last May that the show’s days are numbered and will formally say goodbye this October, “Wowowillie” was devoid of controversy and ran smoothly, if uneventful, in its final months.

In his final speech, Willie thanked everyone who helped him in his career, from ABS-CBN executives Charo Santos-Concio, Cory Vidanes and Gabby Lopez who gave him his first break on “MTB” and “Wowowee” to TV5 COO Bobby Barreiro, former president CEO Atty. Ray Espinosa, president and current CEO Noel C. Lorenzana and Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.

“Ngayon lang po ako umalis ng network na binigyan pa ako ng handa,” he quipped as he also revealed that MVP hosted a farewell dinner for him the night before his last show.

Reserving his most heartfelt gratitude to the masses who helped who brought him to where he is now, Willie promised that he and his team will soon return on the air.

“Pag natapos po ang mga usapan,” he assured without giving away any details. “Dito na po magsasara ang aming pinto, sa pagbukas po muli nito, sana ay tayo-tayo pa rin ang magkikita.”

source: interaksyon.com

Ethel Booba rules out return to ‘Wowowillie’, reconciliation with Willie Revillame

Out of “Wowowillie” but certainly not off the air for long, controversial comedienne Ethel Booba leads the cast of TV5’s new reality competition series, “Boracay Bodies”.

The show will premiere on Saturday, April 6, at 9PM and takes over the reality show timeslot that once belonged to “Artista Academy”, “The Amazing Race Philippines” and, most recently, “Kanta Pilipinas”.

To be hosted by Phoemela Baranda, “Boracay Bodies” also features Wendy Valdez, Victor Silayan, Helga Krapf, Joross Gamboa, Luke Jickain, Brent Javier and the equally controversial Krista Miller as Ethel’s fellow competitors.

Not surprisingly, Ethel fielded the most number of questions from the media during the press conference on Tuesday night.

Dubbed in the show as “The Diva”, Ethel said she’s more than happy to be cast in “Boracay Bodies” where she will get a chance to be more herself and show more of her competitive spirit.

The questions, however, immediately shifted to her controversial departure from “Wowowillie” as Ethel was once again asked if she was willing to reconcile with Willie Revillame and come back to the noontime show.

“Kahit anong mangyari, mahal na mahal ko ‘yun,” she said in reference to Willie. “Sobra lang sigurong lalim ng friendship namin kaya siguro naging kampante kami sa isa’t isa. Pero wala na, hindi na. Malabo na kaming magkabati nun.”

Ethel confessed that she really wanted to quit pronto when Willie jokingly blamed her on the air for the two power failures that marred the premiere broadcast of “Wowowillie” last January 26.

“Sabi niya, ‘Malas ka talaga’. Nasaktan ako dun. Gusto ko siyang sapakin nun. Alam naman niya na madali akong mapikon at totoo, madalas akong na-o-offend sa mga biro niya,” she admitted. “Halos everyday, umiiyak ako.”

Ethel said she also got hurt when Willie said that he helped get her career back on track considering that it was she who also helped Willie when he was down. “Sabi niya, tinulungan niya akong makabalik. Look who’s talking. Para namang hindi ko din siya natulungan noon,” she said.





Be that as it may, Ethel said she was able to take all of that and reported to the show like a good soldier. “Sa lahat ng mga naging shows ko, sa kanya lang ako hindi na-late. Never na nangyari ‘yun nung nandun ako sa show niya,” she noted.

The last straw, however, came during that fateful day of February 28 when Willie publicly berated both Ethel and Ate Gay shortly after the two lost in a costume contest won by choreographer Anna Feliciano.

“Nagalit sila dahil hindi sila nanalo sa costume… Ang lalaki na ng ulo n’yo!.. If you want to resign right now, go! Hindi ko kayo pipigilan,” Willie said.

According to Ethel, that’s not what really happened. Contrary to what was earlier reported, she did not storm into Willie’s dressing room and raised her voice to vehemently complain about the contest.

“Hindi ko siya sinugod sa dressing room niya. Siya ‘yung nagpunta sa dressing room namin, wala pa nga siyang shirt nung pumasok siya. Ang sinabi ko lang sa kanya tungkol sa contest na ‘yun, eh kausapin niya si Ate Gay at umiiyak, nagtatampo sa result,” she recalled.

Ethel did complain to Willie about something else: a joke he earlier made about the skimpy costume she wore for the contest in which he was trying to bait her into saying something against Anne Curtis, one of the hosts of rival noontime show, “Showtime”.

“Sabi nya, ‘gusto mong gayahin si Anne Curtis, gusto mo ring magpakita ng singit’ so nasabi ko, ‘We’re talking about talent, not singit’. Tapos nun, pinutakte na ko sa text at Twitter ng mga fans ni Anne, nagagalit na sa kin,” she revealed.

“Nung sinabi ko sa kanya ‘yun, sabi niya sa ‘kin, ‘Sige wag kang mag-alala, akong bahala, ipagtatanggol kita’. Akala ko, totoong kaibigan ko siya.”

To her surprise, Willie said something else on the air going as far as questioning their sense of gratitude and reminding them who’s the boss: “Mag-isip kayo dahil ako ang nagpapasuweldo sa inyo!” he blurted out.

“Nung sinabi niya yung salitang ‘kayo’, pati ako nadamay na so nasaktan ako dun. Nakita at alam ni Ate Gay at ng mga PA (production assistants) ang totoong nangyari dun,” Ethel further pointed out.

The bottom line, according to the outspoken comedienne, is this: “Babae ako, lalaki siya,” suggesting that he should have treated her with more respect than what she had to endure during the short time she was on “Wowowillie”.

Even though the jokes were made in the spirit of fun, Ethel apparently was not very pleased that it often came at her expense.

As for Ate Gay telling a different story in his own interviews and eventually coming back to the show, Ethel said she understood where the gay comedian is coming from.

“Sabi ni Ate Gay, ‘Ikaw naman kahit hindi magtrabaho okay lang, ako kailangan ko ito’. Naintindihan ko yun, kung may Allan K ang ‘Eat Bulaga’ at may Vice Ganda naman sa ‘Showtime’, gusto din naman niyang magkaroon ng ganoong following, so siya naman sa show ni Willie,” she said.

Since she left the show, Ethel admitted that she continues to receive feelers from Willie’s camp about reconciling their differences and even possibly returning to the show.

“Mga mga text from people na malalapit sa kanya. Hindi naman ite-text ‘yun kung walang approval niya so I think alam kong alam niya ‘yun,” she surmised.

Still, she had already made up her mind about not returning and, at least for now, not reconciling with Willie. But after all is said and done, Ethel said she continues to consider Willie a dear friend.

“Kaya ko lang naman nasasabi ang mga bagay na ito ngayon at sa mga tweets ko kasi nga, may pinaghuhugutan. Masyadong malalim ang friendship namin. Siguro, masyado lang siyang na-spoiled kaya naging ganun siya,” she concluded.

source: interaksyon.com

After only a month, Ethel Booba out as ‘Wowowillie’ co-host?

Ethel Booba and Ate Gay were conspicuously absent on “Wowowillie” on Friday, prompting speculation that the two had been axed from the one-month-old show following a row with main host and co-producer Willie Revillame.

During Thursday’s program, Willie reported that he had castigated Ethel and Ate Gay in the dressing room for being “unprofessional”. He said the two comedians had vehemently complained to him after they lost to choreographer Anna Feliciano in the show’s “Mini-Concierto” segment.

“Nagalit sila dahil hindi sila nanalo sa costume… Ang lalaki na ng ulo n’yo!.. If you want to resign right now, go! Hindi ko kayo pipigilan,” Willie said.

He questioned their sense of gratitude and reminded them that he was their boss: “Mag-isip kayo dahil ako ang nagpapasuweldo sa inyo!”

He was particularly angry at Ethel whom, he said, he had hired despite the misgivings of many.

On Friday Ethel’s Twiter account was bombarded with questions about her fate as a co-host on “Wowowillie”.

She poked fun at a couple of queries, which mistakenly referred to the show with  the names of Willie’s defunct programs, “Wowowee” and “Wiltime Big Time”.

source: interaksyon.com

Willie Revillame says new show has blessings of Joey de Leon, Sharon Cuneta

A mellow and relaxed Willie Revillame told media on Wednesday that “Wowowillie” has the blessings of Joey de Leon and Sharon Cuneta — two colleagues who might have something to say about his new variety show on TV5, set to debut on Saturday.

Joey, of course, is one of the pillars of “Eat Bulaga”, Philippine television’s noontime champ for over three decades, with whom Willie famously feuded in 2007 when he was still hosting “Wowowee” on ABS-CBN.


The two have since mended and enriched their friendship, so Joey’s sentiment was one of Willie’s first concerns when TV5 president and CEO Atty. Ray Espinosa first broached the idea of a return to the noontime slot (11:30AM to 2:30PM).

“Nasabi ko naman ‘yun kina Atty. Ray. Ayoko kasi na may masabi rin sa akin sina Joey. Yes, there was a time, nabanggit ko nga, hangga’t maaari hindi kami magsasalubong sa same time slot,” Willie told media at a press conference on Wednesday at his nightclub Wil’s Events Place.

Willie decided he needed to reach out to Joey. He spoke to him two weeks ago shortly after “Wil Time Bigtime” — his second TV5 show in the early evening slot — went off the air.

“I called him up. Out of respeto. Sabi ko sa kanya, I have to tell you, magkakaroon ako ng noontime show. And you know naman Joey, he’s very gentlemanly in every way. Okay naman sa kanya,” he related.

Willie said Joey — who is also a Kapatid because he co-hosts TV5′s Sunday noontime variety show “Game ‘N Go” — even quipped that they’re too old for petty rivalries and, who knows, they might even end up together in one show someday.

Willie had also been exchanging text messages with Sharon, whose talk show “Sharon: Kasama Mo, Kapatid” was terminated recently, paving the way for “Wowowillie” to take over its venue — TV5′s Delta Theater studio on Quezon Avenue.

“Magka-text kami ni Shawie. Wala pa siya ngayon dito, nasa Amerika pa ‘ata pero dapat kasama siya sa almost a hundred stars na guests sa Saturday. Kami, walang sama ng loob sa isa’t isa,” he said.

Willie noted that Sharon’s current negotiations for her own new program are a private matter between her and the TV5 bosses: “Sila ng TV5 ang nag-uusap. Kaya, hindi ko sila puwede panghimasukan.”

Ever since he transferred to TV5 in 2010 and hosted “Willing Willie”, he always found the remote location of its studio in Novaliches to be a liability.

“Ang mga matatanda o senior citizens nagbi-biyahe pa ng malayo para lang makapanood ng programa. Jeep-jeep, truck-truck nandiyan sila sa gilid ng studio, dun pa sa TV5. Nagpa-park sila sa SM Novaliches. Nakikita namin ang efforts nila,” he shared.

Needless to say, he is very excited about planting his roots on fresh ground. Willie said TV5 spent over P100 million and his own production company chipped in P35 million to expand and refurbish the theater. The result, he believes, should give the “Wowowillie” studio audience the illusion of being in a Las Vegas theater.

Willie said it was not his but TV5′s idea to return to noontime and go up against “Eat Bulaga” and “It’s Showtime”.

“Wala naman sa isip ko ang noontime. Kasi by October tapos na dapat ang kontrata ko. And now, they are asking me kung gusto ko pa itong ituloy ng three to five years. Saka ko na muna iisipin ‘yun dahil ang focus ko eh, nandito ngayon sa big day namin sa Sabado.”

That big day also happens to be his 52nd birthday. As he turns a year older and begins another chapter in his career, he does not feel the pressure of competition this time around.

“Kung sasabihin na pressured ako, wala. Sa akin, there is no competition right now. More on nakatutok ako sa content ng show. Hindi sa numbers game. Kailangan ko munang palakihin ang show, pagandahin at pasayahin ang mga taong manonood nito,” he said.

Willie vowed to give away more meaningful prizes to contestants, the kind that would have a lasting impact on their livelihoods. He also revealed his plan to provide houses to his own staff, many of whom placed their fortunes on his hands when they joined him when he left ABS-CBN for TV5.

And finally, he expressed his hope that “Wowowillie” would further boost TV5′s ascendant status in the ratings game, if only to make the network bosses, especially TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, happy.

“Siyempre, gusto nating matulungan din ang istasyon. Kasi dito naramdaman ko ‘yung pagmamahal. Imagine, big boss tine-text ka, kinukumusta ka, tinatapik ka sa balikat for a job well done. Very inspiring na amo. At sasabihan ka ni MVP ng ‘Your pain is our pain, your fight is our fight.’”

source: interaksyon.com