chuvaness

A Great Moment Of Television
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 5:28AM
By Mo Twister

Today had one of those epic moments at work. The first hour of our program, Showbiz Central, was cruising along by when one of my co-hosts, Raymond Gutierrez, whispered to me that his sister Ruffa had just walked off of her show (and our rival program) The Buzz because she had enough of the stinkin' attitude that her co-host Kris Aquino gives her on a weekly basis (kind of like the same attitude I give Mojo, but on a serious level).

Now I don't think the exact line Kris told Ruffa today was out worldly offensive, but I just think Ruffa had stored up so much crap already that she wasn't having it anymore. According to most people that I know who watch The Buzz, and to an extent Ruffa herself, she is constantly cut-off and "one upped" by Kris at every opportune time. And you know what I'm talking about. It's the classic exchange of this unique cadence and speaking style of "oh my God you ha" that carries a snooty and sarcastic tone that could rub many people the wrong way.

So when Raymond told me about the incident and that his sister was sitting at an Italiannis restaurant sobbing in her Sunday TV gown, I felt terrible for Ruffa. Ruffa and I have had our differences before but in the 15 years that I've known her, she has always been quite patient and non-confrontational. Just a few days ago she told me personally that the working environment there is uncomfortable and at times a power struggle or a over display of "power" which almost makes it unbearable. So it's not a surprise to me that she is leaving.

While Kris can explain and defend that it was a joke, it's the testament of the person involved that trumps her excuse. If what Annabelle says in this interview (below) is true that Ruffa comes home on some days in tears because of Kris' crummy attitude, then perhaps Kris Aquino needs to reassess her comic timing. Annabelle Rama may have been a bit too aggressive to associate these incidents with Noynoy Aquino's presidential campaign but she was more mother than manager today so I understand the rage. If my kid came home crying on several occasions because of a classroom bully, then I too would look into my verbal arsenal, find all that I can and throw it back, harder.

It's Annabelle Rama's only daughter. And if I'm not mistaken, I could recall recently Kris taking some pro-active action to confront someone she felt stuck her nose into her family affairs.

Here is Annabelle's interview with Showbiz Central from this afternoon. Does she have a legitimate concern regarding Noynoy? That's up to you to decide. But what can't be mistaken is that she is upset at the throttling that Kris Aquino had given her daughter in the past and that removing her from the program was the right thing to do. If Ruffa Gutierrez were my daughter, this is exactly what I would have said too (likely with a few profanities thrown in there for good measure).

One of the more popular reactions people have to this interview is, 'bakit ba kailangan ni Annabelle Rama idamay si Noynoy?' That is a very good question. My opinion, which appears to be very clear in the interview, is this: I don't think Annabelle implies at all that Noynoy would be a bad leader for the country, this incident has nothing to do with him--but she is concerned that if Noy wins, it would make Kris even more ruthless in the showbiz circles. That's my interpretation of her reasoning. You are all free to have your own. I just didn't see Annabelle referring at all to Noynoy's ability to govern. Again, she was being a mother standing up for her kid.