Like Watching TV. But Not Really.

Everyone was pretty much annoyed at the short notice. The "Sharon" taping we were required to attend for the GE course Pan Pil 12 was announced two days prior to it, but being the obedient *cough* students that we were, we all attended anyway.

On the way there, a friend and I almost got lost. Then we chanced upon a traffic aid who directed us to the nearest entrance, with the side comment, "Walang Wowowee ngayon ah." Okaaaaaaaaaay.

Call time was at 6 p.m., in front of Studio 10 of the ABS-CBN complex. I applaud ABS for their security: every corner had a guard, and every entrance had ID card... machines (you know, like the ones you see in MRT and LRT stations). I almost had the urge to shout "bomb!" just to see how they'd take it.

While we were on standby, my classmates were on celebrity lookout. I wasn't. The celebrities I wanted to see were not likely to be in those studios, since TV Patrol shoots in an entirely different part of the complex. Some familiar "artistas" passed, but I somehow couldn't remember their names.

At around 7, they let us in to the studio itself, which was the first surprise. I didn't know that studios were small like that. TV magic makes them seem so large. Sharon's set was bedecked with jewel curtains, which I thought was rather pretty. Then again, I was under extreme stress (I had a test first thing the next morning) so my idea of pretty may have been a bit altered. Retrospectively, I seem to remember the heavy studio lights more, since I envisioned a short story about them. (Hint: they succumb to gravity and make someone a paraplegic.)

The Megastar herself arrived at around eight, surrounded by guards, make-up artists, writers, you name it. After that, the first part of the taping (for February 8) commenced with a song number by Sharon: "Pasaway." The segment guests were Nyoy Volante, Erik Santos (I think... is there an Eric Bautista?) Sheryn Regis and Bugoy. They sang Billie Jean, an R&B song whose title nor lyrics I cannot remember, Single Ladies, and When You Believe--respectively.

And here I should mention that when the cameras stopped rolling was when things got interesting. It was a talk show, and the "talk" continued even when it was off the air, and PAs swarmed the stars, dabbing here and there, carrying bags of make-up. I always thought that the portrayal of off-cam events in sitcoms is an exaggeration. Now I know better.

It didn't take that long, about an hour or so. Afterward, we went to the bathroom, and on the way back we ran into Bugoy. He was genuinely congenial, and we even had a picture taken with him. We caught a glimpse of the other guests in their dressing rooms. I wonder if anyone was being a diva.

The second segment (for February 15) was for, as you may have guessed, Valentine's Day. They gave us (the audience) little plastic hearts on sticks, which is as corny as it sounds. Worse, we had to wave them while Sharon sang... I can't remember which song.

The guests for that segment were Ara Mina, Kaye (the comedian), Chocolate (another comedian) and Smokey Manaloto (am I spelling this correctly?), whose name's provenance still prompts speculation.

Needless to say, as this was a Valentine's day "celebration," I was rolling my eyes a lot. The only good thing was that Chocolate was there to insert humor into the mush. He had "hirits" that were hilarious. I especially wanted to throw up when Ara Mina was talking about her lovelife. Please. I could have lived my entire life without listening to something so inexplicably shudder-inducing.

(Valentine's Day is not even a real holiday. And just who among the 8 Saint Valentines are you alluding to anyway? None of them celebrate their feast day on the 14th of February...)
Then Senator Kiko Pangilinan turned up bearing sacrifice, I mean, flowers and a teddy bear, and he and Sharon displayed... affection on national television. I gather people thought it was sweet. I thought it was, for lack of a better word, EW.

The whole thing finished before 11, and we were all pretty tired. I was extremely glad it was over. Most of us had tests the next day.

Some GEs really do require an amazing amount of effort. Imagine, I actually sat through an entire Valentine's Day special.

All in all, it was kind of fun. Not my preferred activity, but hey. First time for everything.
I guess it was like watching TV on a really big television set. Like it, but not really. There were life-sized people and for once I couldn't see the commercials.