The Greatest Musical Variety Show Ever!

In the 1980’s, Nora Aunor’s Superstar show was losing viewership and her box-office appeal was also in question. Suddenly, the 70’s superstar was being eclipsed by a non-singer but an excellent dancer and versatile actress Vilma Santos. She has just scored her first of four grand slams for the movie Relasyon and continued to reign as the Longest Box-office Queen of Philippine Cinema. And slowly but surely, her VIP (Vilma In Person) TV show was gaining patronage/high ratings too from the precious class ABC households nationwide, TV advertisers’ prime target audience for their products.

Smart Move — There was no stopping Vilma Santos. She was about to conquer the TV musical-variety genre where Nora Aunor ruled for years. Early on, Vilma Santos had rough sailings with her musical variety show. VIP was being broadcast from Channel 2 which had a bad reception among TV homes nationwide, and was no match to the more modern RPN Channel 9 where Nora’s Superstar show was simultaneously shown from Luzon to Mindanao in vivid, crisp color. When VIP moved to GMA Channel 7, it was the best move that Vilma’s think tank ever did. With better satellites, shrewd marketing, state of the art facilities, and more ambitious production numbers and with the Dancing Queen Vilma at the center of it all, and with the genius of Maribeth Bichara’s choreography and musical concepts written all over the show – “Vilma!” became the most watched and the most awarded TV show in the musical/variety category.

52 — Every Friday, 52 weeks a year, there was Vilma Santos’ most awaited opening number that never failed to surprised, amused and elicited ooohhhs and aaahhhs as the TV Musical Variety Queen won the hearts of music and dance aficionados here and abroad. Who would ever forget these outstanding, well-rehearsed, high performance level and unforgettable numbers?

Madonna — The Madonna Material Girl number, which would make Madonna proud. She sashays, gyrates and pirouettes ala Tina Turner for Vilma’s version of Private Dancer.? (“I’m your private dancer, a dancer for money, do what you want me to do?” Talbog ang Burlesk Queen! My most memorable Maribeth B. and Vilma Santos sexy number was when they showed their legs and swing those hips as the Swing Out Sisters belt out their number one hit Breakout… The “A Chorus Line” ensemble, “On Broadway” with Queen Vilma leading the group with a hat, gloves, a cane and a glossy costume. Who would ever forget her swing number with then sweetheart Ralph Recto? Or a dance number with the late Nida Blanca? Or a naughty, haughty dance number La Conga, sung by Gloria Stefan? And many, many more production numbers that were shot from Luzon to Mindanao, and even in the U.S., like The Raging Waters in California.

Here are some of the awards the Queen Star and her famous Vilma! show had won:
• 1987 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show Host
• 1987 CMMA Best Musical Variety Show
• 1988 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show Host
• 1988 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1988 CMMA Best Musical Variety Show
• 1989 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1989 CMMA Best Musical Variety Show
• 1990 CMMA Hall of Fame in Musical Variety Show
• 1990 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1990 New York International Awards for TV Finalist
• 1991 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1991 Dove Awards Best Musical Variety Show
• 1992 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1994 STAR Award Best Musical Variety Show
• 1998 STAR Award Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award

My wish: please bring back Vilma!, the dancer and entertainer par excellence, even if it’s just one show. Sayaw, Vilma, sayaw! The whole world awaits. Who cares if you’re 51? Tina Tuner is almost 70. Vilma, you are the Eternal Youth and the Dancing Queen Forever! Written by Mar Garces, umbra et penumbra, Volume1, Issue 2 V Magazine 2006

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That Was Only The Beginning, Folks!

Vilma loyalists Maribeth Bichara, the choreographer, and Super Morales, the writer, reminisce on the dekada that followed the ‘70s – the decade of Vilma In Person. Vilma’s best point is her dedication to work. Example? Me sakit nuon si Lucky (Luis Manzano, her son by Edu Manzano, But we had a show in New York. When she assured that he’s well na, immediately she packed her things and we all proceeded to New York to attend to her commitment.

Minsan while performing nasabit ‘yong damit niya. But nobody noticed it at hindi naman nakita sa camera. Would you believe na ipinaulit pa ‘yong number niyang ‘yon despite our persistence na hindi naman nahalta sa screen ang nangyari? But she said, “I want it to do it again. I want a 100 percent performance na walang sabit-sabit kahit damit o anuman.” She insisted. That’s how concerned she is with her performance. Siya nga naman ang nakikita ng audience at hindi kami.

You don’t do things halfway with her. Ibang klase ‘yan. She is a perfectionist. In Vilma In Person, she got fitted every Monday. Thursday pag-isinuot na niya ‘yon, dapat walang kulubot, walang pin sa strap. Anything she noticed that she thinks wouldn’t be perfect in the eyes of the audience, hindi uubra sa kanya. If something happens, ayan tatakbo kami ng Rustans para ikuha ng eksaktong fitted na damit para sa kanya. She’ll never go onstage unprepared. She used to tell us, “Those people go out their way to see me. Some of them have traveled a long way so they could come.” She wanted to give her audience what they deserve to see.

She can be extremely conscious of her looks. When something worried her, she would tell us, “Huwag ilapit ang camera sa akin.” And we do that. But the moment she sees people, the audience, nag-iiba ang glow ng mukha niya. She forgets completely about whatever is troubling her and you can see how alive she is. The moment she is out of the lights, ayan uupo ‘yan, na parang rag doll sa isang silya and again nandidiyan na naman yong problema sa mukha niya.

She’ll never remove her bangs. Kahit na kapiraso dapat may nakalawit sa kanyang noo. During a shooting, ibina-brush ‘yung hair niya. Of course, makikita ‘yong kanyang forehead. We did it several times pero hindi talaga siya pumayag until somebody told me na it’s useless. She’ll never do that. There is not one person who can convince her to remove her bangs completely.

She loves telling stories. She is an insomniac so 12:00 midnight na buhay na buhay pa rin ‘yan. One time we listened to her kawento for five hours. May patayu-tayo pa ‘yan sa ibabaw ng bed, kuntodo with gestures pa. Just being with people make her happy. I think when you remove people around her, she’ll just die.

What’s the most memorable gift she has given you?

Maribeth Bichara: Her starting me off as a choreographer. Alam mo bang na noong mga panahon yaon sina Mel Feliciano, si Geleen Eugenio at si Al Quinn lamang ang mga kilala. I was practically a nobody. But a Vilma Santos trusted me.

What’s similar between you and Vi?

MB: We are both perfectionists. There are times when she has her tamtrums and when I also have mine. Minsan while singing she wouldn’t want to do some dance steps kasi mahirap nga naman, but I usually insists that she has to do it. She gets irritated, she leaves but after sometime back na naman siya and we set a compromise. Kaya naman hanggang ngayon ang laki-laki ng respeto namin sa isa’t isa.

What the one thing people don’t know about Ate Vi?

MB: Do you know that she can be very funny? Alam ninyo bang may pagkatsismosa din yan? Aah, always, curious ‘yan about what’s going on. Walang kaplastikan agn babaing ‘yan!

How is Ate Vi as a person?

MB: And I have never seen such a person rolled into one: She is a very good sister, a good daughter and as a mother, she’s also tops.

The best advice she has given me?

MB: That I should be happy and to look for somebody…

How did you handle her moods?

MB: If she’s in a bad mood, I get challenged. I say to myself, O, sige maypai-star ka nga sa akin. What I like is she listens to me as much as I listen to her.

How did you react when VIP has to fold?

MB: VIP has to axed when Vilma got pregnant with Ryan. O, how we cried together. Ang dami-dami pa sana naming plano nuon!

How is she as a friend?

MB: She can be a very good friend. But you have to be very truthful and honest with her. We keep the friendship because of this. She tells me that I don’t look good on TV. - Super Morales, Len Llanes, Starstudio Magazine, December 2002