Pappy don’t preach
By José Javier Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Close this MANILA, Philippinesâ€â€ÂMaybe the dust has settled; maybe not. There is really no telling where this latest episode in the dramatic life of Willie “Pappy†Revillame will go. But even the controversial host will agree: The show must go on.
After receiving the brunt of a massive castigation, including an online petition to hack his head and be banished for allegedly committing the ultimate act of arrogance and recklessness on national television, Willie has decided to go on an indefinite leave from his daily noontime program.
He hopes this momentary self-exile allows him a) room for self-examination and contemplation, cool.gif time to lick his wounds and make a head count of his true friends and latent adversaries, and c) a more logical perspective of what exactly transpired on that unique and fateful Monday afternoon.
Actually, the conflict point is clear: The country was lamenting Cory’s passing and “Wowowee†was in full swing. While multitudes braved the heat to catch a glimpse of the beloved former President’s flag-clad coffin, the noontime fiesta was showing a platoon of barely clad women wiggling their booties and behaving in a fashion rather anomalous to what normal people should be doing at 1 p.m. any day of the week.
But such a public display of flash and flesh has long been accepted as the norm in Willie’s world. A good part of Revillame’s tele-evangelism is sensory overload music is way too loud, energy way over-the-top. And the bevy of female co-hosts never merely enunciate their spiels; they scream.
Since ABS-CBN chose not to preempt “Wowowee†to give way to the coverage of the transfer of Cory’s remains from La Salle Green Hills to the Manila Cathedral, Willie was right in saying that he had to do what he had to do. Yes, Pappy, the show must go on because it was given the imprimatur to air.
Regardless of what one personally felt about what Willie said at that precise moment of irritation and frustration, he was right to be pissed off. His reaction was quite logical and, to some extent, even reasonable.
His demand was valid. From any angle, it was somewhat sacrilegious to have a video window showing the Aquino cortege vis-à-vis a throng of people clapping and thumping their feet, and women simultaneously having choreographed seizures. It was surreal: a studio exploding with color, noise and merriment on split screen with a coffin inching its way through crowded streets full of citizens bewailing the loss of their saintly hero.
Pappy was indignant about this insensitivity. He did not realize that his momentary explosion berating his network would be held against him like a sword aimed at his throat.
Bluntly put, Willie was misunderstood. But blatantly stated, he had come across really bad. It was a wrong choice of words, wrong timingâ€â€Âand very wrong signals. We all tend to get tongue-tied and literally trip all over our words when overcome by great emotion. Few are those who can handle that such a moment. After all, not everyone is as loquacious as, uh, Kris Aquino.
Media persona
And there’s the rub. Pappy’s anger did not come across as moral indignation; in the eyes of many, it simply looked like an unbridled display of arrogance and bullying... or egomania. The buzz word struck again: perception. Everything boiled down to what people chose to see and hear.
Here, the media persona comes into play: Willie’s is in-your-face, an assurance (if you will) for his fans that he is not afraid of anyone and can say what he wants the way he wants to, because nagpapakatotoo lang siya. He’s just keeping it real.
Also, Willie has long been known for berating his staff on-cam. Some say he is only being a perfectionist or that the strain of doing a show six times a week can create all manner of emotional short circuits. But that is beside the point, really.
The audience could not care less if you are having a nervous breakdown, collapsing from fatigue or inching your way out of another scandal. The show must go on. And on and on. This is why show biz honchos can have entire magazine editions dedicated to their acquisitionsâ€â€Âreal estate, cars, yachts, jewelry. The flip-side of this adulation is cruelty.
Here is another ugly truth: Regardless of power and popularity, no one can please everybody. There will always be people who will make a vocation of hating you. They will see your downfall as divine justice at work.
Willie has been very, very lucky. His career path resembles an obstacle course where he always emerges as winner. His television career has been a series of deaths and startling resurrections. This is why many feel a little bit of hubris is necessaryâ€â€Âno one deserves so much good luck in a single lifetime!
Willie’s success came from feeding television with what his audiences so badly needs. The monster has turned around again and taken another bite off him
