Jose & Wally Sold Out

SOLD OUT!!!

Believe it or not but tickets to the duo’s A Party For Every Juan on Friday, March 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum are the hottest items these days. And Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, the field hosts (together with Paolo Ballesteros) of the Juan For All, All For Juan segment of Eat, Bulaga!, can’t believe it.

Vic Sotto, their Bulaga! “bossing,” regularly announces that so far, five (10 by this time) tickets to the Party are sold out, so they might be forced to print two more. But no kidding, as of this writing, the show is 95-percent sold out, beating some concerts topbilling “real” big stars in ticket sales. Having a ticket is like holding gold. Yes, that hot!

Jose and Wally are not claiming credit all to themselves. Their glittering array of guests helps a lot, including (at random now) Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Gary Valenciano, Dennis Trillo, Aljur Abrenica, Aiza Seguerra, Ciara Sotto, Solenn Heussaff and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid (as she’s billed in the poster). The show is directed by Phillip Lazaro, with music by Jimmy Antiporda.

Why are Jose and Wally so loved by the people, especially the masa with whom they touch base day in and day out as they go from one usually depressed area to another initially in Metro Manila and now in different parts of the country, giving cash prizes and other goodies to lucky viewers in the show’s unbeatable Juan For All, All For Juan segment?

First, they don’t act like stars at all. They are very ordinary so the masa can easily identify with them. You can pinch them, hug them, kiss them and, in some instances, conk them on the head and they don’t get peeved. They make people laugh by not trying hard at all. And they don’t take themselves seriously.

That is, until you let them trace how they go to where they are now.

Did you ever imagine that you would be doing the Big Dome?

Wally: Hindi po! Kahit sa imagination hindi po talaga.

Jose: Hanggang Zirkoh lang ang imagination namin. Ni Music Museum nga hindi namin naisip, eh.

Who thought of the show?

Jose: Si Mr. (Tony) Tuviera (Eat, Bulaga! producer) and Ma’am Malou (Choa-Fagar, Bulaga executive producer).

Wally: Silang dalawa ang may kagagawan nito.

Vic has been joking in Eat, Bulaga! that the five printed tickets are already sold out; only two are available.

Jose (Deadpan): Sana mabili rin ‘yung natitirang dalawa.

Give us an idea what you’re doing on the show.

Jose: In Eat, Bulaga!, you see us singing pero kalokohan lang. On the show, we will do serious singing.

Wally: We will do duets with our guest performers.

Jose: We never thought this would happen, na makaka-duet namin sila.

Do you realize that you are already stars in your own right?

Jose: No, I don’t believe it…I can’t believe it!

Wally: When they tell me that, I ask myself, “Ano ‘to, binobola ako? Etchos lang?”

Jose: We don’t put it in our heads.

Wally: When we are doing Juan For All, All For Juan, we mix with the people; parang isa lang kami sa kanila.

I love it when you take a bite of the food in the humble houses that you visit.

Jose: Masarap, eh! I’m used to that kind of food.

Wally: Juan For All shows televiewers na ganito pala ang lumalabas sa TV, kumakain din ng ganito.

Jose: Na hindi pala sila hard to reach.

You have been a tandem for eight years. Who are your role models?

Jose: Sina Dolphy and Panchito.

Wally: Ang TVJ (Tito, Vic & Joey). Si Babalu, Chiquito, Pugak, all of the old ones.

Jose: Wally and I have worked with Dolphy in one movie, Dobol Trobol, with Bossing (Vic).

When did you realize that you could make people laugh?

Jose: Palabiro na talaga ako since I was a child growing up in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. Lahat ng tao d’un buskador. Hilig kong mambuska ng tao. We are five siblings; I’m second to the eldest. I come from a happy family. Medyo kapus pero masaya, masayahin! I reached only up to second year in college at UE. Bulakbol kasi ako, sayaw lang ako nang sayaw.

Wally: I grew up in Bicol…in Malinao, Albay. Bata pa ako, laruan na ako ng mga tiyuhin at tiyahin ko. When I joined the church choir, I was also the favorite plaything of my friends. Inalagaan ako ng pari. When the priest died, I went back to stay with my lola in Naga City. To get a scholarship in Naga College, I joined the theater. I finished grade/elementary school at a Catholic school (CCS) in Tabaco (now a city), also in Albay. I am an only child. I have one sister here and four more who are abroad. I have a college degree, X-Ray Technician.

Wally, people think that you are gay. Come on, bading ka ba talaga o nagbabading-badingan ka lang?

Wally: Straight ako. Nagbabading-badingan lang.

Are you married? Do you have children?

Wally: Yes, married. I have four children, malalaki na.

Don’t they suspect that you might be a closet queen?

Wally: Hindi naman. Bading-ding lang ako sa TV. At home, when I’m myself and I start being serious, naiilang sila. Hindi nila ma-take na puwede ako maging serious.

What about you, Jose?

Jose: May asawa rin ako. I have five children, tatlo na ang tapos ng college. Dalawa na lang ang binubuno ko.

You are on Eat, Bulaga! Monday through Saturday. You have your Jose & Wally Show on TV5. Almost every other night you perform at Zirkoh (Tomas Morato, Quezon City; and Greenhills, San Juan City; owned by Allan K). Don’t you ever sleep? How do you budget your time?

Jose: Wally and I are together every day, kami parati ang magkasama.

Wally: Kaya ang Sunday talagang reserved namin sa aming pamilya, sa kanya at sa akin.

Isn’t there any professional jealousy between the two of you — you know, walang sapawan o nakawan ng eksena na nangyayari sa ibang comic team?

Jose: Wala kaming ganoon. Nagtutulungan kami.

Wally: Jose started ahead of me. Na-starstruck pa ako when we first worked together. Since mas matagal siya kaysa sa akin, siya ang nagtuturo sa akin.

How did you start in showbiz?

Jose: I started in Valiente (the GMA action-drama series now being revived by TV5). Ang role ko ‘d’un parang boy-boy. When the show ended, direk German Escueta got me as PA (production assistant) and audition master of Eat, Bulaga! My real name is Ariel Manalo; ‘yung Jose pangalan ng character ko sa Valiente. When I worked for Bulaga, ni-retain nila ‘yung name na Jose, ayaw nila ng Ariel. They always told those auditioning, ‘Look for Jose!’ Kaya naging Jose na ako. Then, ginawa akong floor director. As floor director, magulo na talaga ako, mando ako nang mando sa mga artista. Every now and then, they would show me on the screen na naka-headset. Hanggang ‘yon na nga, pinatanggal nila ‘yung headset ko at legal na akong napasok sa loob. I started as alalay in the Laban O Bawi segment and then kasali na ako sa Bulagaan segment. Pagkatapos, nagising na lang ako na tuluy-tuloy na ako sa Bulaga!

Wally: I started in The Library as a stand-up comedian, kasabay ko sina Pooh at Teri Aunor, hanggang sa napasok ako sa Bulaga. Sa Bulagaan din ako nagsimula. Wally is only my nickname. ‘Yung real name ko, hindi bagay sa akin — Walter James Bayola. Parang ang tangkad-tangkad kong tao.

You are now stars in your own right as I’ve said. Paano pa binago ng stardom ang buhay n’yo?

Wally: Nabibili na namin ‘yung dating pinapangarap lang namin. Our life has become comfortable.

Jose: Nakakain ko na ang gusto kong kainin. Hindi kami maluho sa gamit. Now we have more clothes in the cabinet. And we can help more relatives and more people.

What car do you drive?

Jose: A Montero, not yet fully paid.

Wally: ‘Yung lumang car ko pa rin.

(Note: Tickets to the Jose & Wally: A Party For Every Juan show are priced at P3,180 Patron, P2,650 Lower Box, P1,590 Upper Box A, P745 Upper Box B and P320 General Admission. There might be, as Vic Sotto has been announcing in jest, “two more tickets” left, so call Ticketnet at 911-5555 pronto!)

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