Willing Willie: Is there life after Jan-jan?

Thursday, 14 April 2011 03:07

Written by Resti Reyes. Jr.

It was exactly four weeks after that by now infamous March 12 episode where Jan-jan did his macho dance routine on primetime television that the controversial TV show and its equally controversial host made it to the front page of the Inquirer – as the banner headline, no less (and again a couple of days later). By now practically everybody and his cousin has weighed in on the issue, including one of the most respected figures in the advertising industry, Emily Abrera, former chair of McCann-Erickson. And amidst all the condemnations, the advertisers consequently had no choice but to withdraw their ads, lest they become the targets of the public’s ire. Both sides had threatened boycotts, but obviously, the side that had the moral high ground carried more weight.

And so one by one they made their polite excuses in their announcements that they would pull out their ads while the issue was waiting for a resolution. Needless to say, their decision to pull out was THE resolution. Understandably, there were few, if any condemnations from the advertisers themselves. Their own organization, PANA (Philippine Association of National Advertisers), had carefully crafted a fairly neutral statement, saying it would leave the matter to the individual members – they should decide for themselves whether or not they would pull out from the show.

Advertisers and media entities are in bed with each other not by choice but by force of their circumstances, whether they like it or not, they need each other, hence the reluctance to burn any bridges. There is always the possibility that Willie will in fact come out of this eventually, and that he will resurface with renewed strength, and mount yet another reincarnation of Wowowee. And if he can still pull in the ratings, which he probably still can, then the advertisers will have to deal with him all over again. So let’s stay friends, right?

Willie the man has already said his goodbyes on the show last week. But he made it clear that he was going on leave, and that No, he was not suspended. He was leaving of his own volition. He is taking a break, a two-week vacation, saying he simply couldn’t take it anymore. It was a good move as it shows he is not totally insensitive to public opinion. And it was also a smart move. It would have allowed the management of the network to test how well the show can hold on to the audience without Willie. That is doubtful, of course, as previous experience with Wowowee on ABS-CBN had shown that it could not go on without Willie. But at the very least, it should have bought them time – time to figure out the next move. It should be easy enough to rehash the show’s format, maybe even give it a new title, or a different timeslot… ultimately, the decision will be based on what is best for the network, not necessarily what is best for Willie. As Willie’s former employer Gabby Lopez once said, star talents come and go, but the network remains.
Willie had insisted that the show would go on, even without him. But we now know that the show is already off the air. Whether or not it will come back after two weeks is anybody’s guess.

All this has happened before of course, and we know that history repeats itself, so it should not be any surprise later on if the words here prove to be prophetic and we do find Willie strutting his stuff again in another show, another timeslot, maybe even another channel. While saying his goodbyes, he talked a bit about Manny Pangilinan, big boss at TV5. He announced that MVP had given his commitment that even if the show has no advertisers anymore, it would continue to air, and that MVP would use his own money for the giveaways routinely handed out to the hordes of contestants who line up for hours to be part of the show. It is not an empty promise, knowing how deep MVP’s pockets go, but it does raise the question, For how long?

More to the point, would Willie be willing to keep on with the show if it wasn’t making any money anymore? It is no secret that his motivations aren’t exactly the most noble. Sure, we see him getting heartwarming big hugs from poor, shabbily dressed, and toothless old lolas who see him as their savior from poverty – that’s the show business version of humility and sincerity and he suffers them for the ratings they bring. As one Hollywood executive once said, “In show business, sincerity is the key to success. If you can fake that, then you’ve got it made.” We’ve also seen him rubbing his elbows on other, softer body parts of more attractive contestants – there are quite a few uploaded videos of Willie showing him pressing his arm or his elbow against the breasts of the more attractive guests and contestants on his shows, or his hands finding their way to their hips and other sensitive areas – just search for them in YouTube. In fact, he is quite notorious for these things. One showbiz talk show host, Cristy Fermin, has gone as far as to suggest that some women would find it an honor or a privilege if they ever find themselves on the receiving end of Willie’s famous “sexually disrespectful” actions.

But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what his real motivation for doing the show is – it’s not the figures of the sexy, gyrating, scantily-clad dancers that surround him on and off the stage, or the helpless pretty guests and contestants who find certain body parts getting undue attention from the wily host’s hands, arms and elbows, but figures of the more monetary kind… pesos, pesos, and more pesos – by the millions. The show was an enriching experience and financially rewarding exercise for him, putting a few millions more into his pockets every single day.

In that light, more questions come up… is there life for Willing Willie after the advertisers’ pull-out? (No.) Is there life for Willie Revillame after Willing Willie? (Maybe.) Is there life for him without the megabucks of the advertisers? (Good question there…) And is it possible that the real reason he went on leave is because the money from the advertisers is now gone? (Smile.)

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites