hile most observers are prone to lament the dearth left open by outstanding talk show hosts like Ariel Ureta, Eddie Mercado (of the ‘olden' days) in local television history, there comes Boy Abunda to save the day.

Boy is considered to be the saving grace of today's breed of talk show hosts who know nothing but to patronize their audience and guests or say senseless (and at times tactless) observations on air.

This "private conversation" with him will show just how good this talk show host is at answering questions in an interview as he is at throwing them.

Read on and find out why Boy's name is being singled out whenever the question of who to emulate in the field of talk show hosting is asked from budding showbiz talents.

How does it feel to mark this milestone in your talk show hosting career, essaying the 300th episode of "Private Conversations?"

"I'm very happy and privilege that I was allowed by 300 people to listen to their stories. And I also say humbling because it is borne out of kindness that people allow you to peek into their lives, share their insights and points of view. I enjoyed each and every single dance."

If you look back, which interviews ould you consider the highlights of these years with "Private Conversations?"

"Deepak Chopra because the first is always unforgettable. Martin Nievera and Kris Aquino. It is at its most private, as private can be; Sis. Christine Tan, who didn't have an idea of who I was. It was difficult in the beginning and she would answer one liners, until I asked her about her love life and it became so much fun. Neale Donald Walsch, author of ‘Conversations with God'; Victor Hansen, of ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul'; Lea Salonga because she is fascinating and world-class both as a performer and as a personality; Rose Porteous; the tension was electric. She came to the show with a doctor and nurse and a spectacular story. Cherie Gil and Sharon Cuneta were both scintillating; Vicki Belo and Margie Holmes were risqué and unforgettable; Rustom Padilla was hurting like I've not seen pain before. There was always something different in each conversation. It may have something to do with the story or the time by which the story was being told or the difficulty of getting the conversation or the outcome of the conversation so the reasons are varied but each was interesting in a certain context. But no two conversations are the same. Of the 300 I have done each one was distinct. You may not always get an exciting conversation but there will always a story."

If Boy Abunda will be the subject of interview of a "Private Conversation", what questions would you (objectively) ask him?

"I can be asked any question because I asked them anyway. If I were to sit in PCBA, what would I ask myself? One is, do you think you would go to heaven or hell and the answer is I'm not sure. I would also ask myself, what would I be if I were a sexual position. The answer is 69. It's a lucky number. Another is, If you were to enter the Pearly Gates, what would you want God to tell you? " Tuloy ka at usap tayo ." There are certain things in my life that are constant. I want people to know that it was not easy to get to where I am today and to get to where I want to be. I'm still a big f....king dreamer and I will always be proud that I continue to draw strength from the struggles I went through and I'm proud to say I'm scarred and alive."

You are considered to be the best, most sensible and most competent host today, a rarity on contemporary television, what can you say about such observation?

"It's horrifying to say that you are the best because of the uncertain nature of my work. I don't just sit on my chair and wing an interview. I research, I read materials like there is no tomorrow. It's very flattering to be considered one of the best. It's good to be the best. But if you are the best, where do you go? I certainly look forward to the next 3,000 interviews. And thank God I'm not afraid anymore to do good, even excellent conversations peppered with a lot of laughter, straight forward questions, lapses, mispronounced words, grammatical crimes, intelligent insights and good and bad lighting. "

In your opinion, what makes for a good talk show host?

"You have to be fluid and fluent. You have to be able to talk well. Just as you know how to talk you should know how to listen well. You have to study, listen, watch; you have to be interested, enjoy the silence, the pauses and the words. You have to be a good dancer. You have to enjoy the verbal tango that is happening. It's a dance. You have to enjoy it. It's orgasmic."

Do you have a dream interview? With whom and why? What questions would you ask him/her?

"You always dream to interview people who are not often interviewed or are not interviewed at all. I dream to interview Barbra Walters, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton. Right now, more questions: I would like to know what makes them tick. So my questions would vary. I would love to do an interview with President Clinton. I would like to ask Hillary, how she managed to deal with Bill after Monica and all the women in his life. Bill Clinton, I would ask if he has, after the presidency, mellowed in terms of being a pathological womanizer; the Pope and I would ask how he feels being interviewed by someone gay like me. I would love to do an interview with Freddie Garcia and I would ask him why he thought PCBA was right for me."

Did you always see yourself like this? Was this somewhat of a childhood motivation?

"I didn't dream of becoming a talk show host. I didn't know there was a talk show host as a child. I wanted to be a lawyer because my father wanted me to be a lawyer. But there were indications…. I liked looking at fashionable movie stars. I somehow liked the spotlight. This was not a dream. With a lot of hardwork, tenacity, and determination, I connived with the divine Boss that all these things happened and he knows I'm ready for more. "

You have a keen interest in politics (as well as in entertainment), do you ever see yourself venturing into that arena in the future?

"My interest in both politics and showbiz stems from the fact that there is a very thin line between showbiz and politics. They have very strong similarities. Both have very strong sense of occasion, and a very ephemeral audience. The answer to that question is no. Ask me again, five years from now, I don't know."

How do you show your support to your mother in her job (a politician in Samar )? Do you sometimes have varying political convictions? If yes, how do you deal with it?

"My mother is very opinionated. We disagree often about political views and other views in life but my love will always be bigger than our disagreements and I will never doubt for a second that I will defer to what my nanay thinks and if I have to say she's always right I will say it even if she's not; even if I lose my identity as talk show host only to please nanay , I will say she's right in every thing she says. Afterall she's always been right anyway."

They say that love and career don't mix but you have been making a wonderful job at balancing both. How do you do this?

"By not knowing that I'm supposed to balance it. I don't know that we've been balancing. My partner Bong has done a better job than I. I pay tribute to his patience, to his humility. I pay tribute to his love and respect for me; not that I love him less but I think he worked harder than I in this relationship."

How do you manage to keep your feet on the ground despite the kind of immersion and involvement in show business that you have right now in your life?

"I have people who love me and who are not afraid to tell me the truth. I have people who are not affected by my celebrity. My mother, Bong are not affected by who I am on cam. That support system is important because they have constantly reminded me that everything is fleeting; that everything is temporary; that at the end of the day I am going to peacefully walk to where I belong and that's them. I will walk to my mother; walk to Bong's heart every single moment of my life. I have also, as a manager, learned that careers come and go and stars fade and to not learn the lesson that these are temporary is dangerous, if not stupid. I know that my feet are supposed to be on the ground and they should be there."

How important is your career to you? What would make you give up your show biz career?

"My career is very, very important because I worked so hard to be where I am. To be occupying a little space in the industry, I have put it a lot of work, passion, sweat, love into this career, even deadly mistakes. But it is not as important as certain things in life. My career will take a back-seat to my relationship with N anay and Bong because I would always say that in the middle of an interview with the Pope, the President or Barbra Walters that if my mother calls and she needs me to be with her, I will not be afraid to walk and say, I'm sorry, I have to go home.

Do you live by a certain credo?

"I do not. The first thing that come to mind is - you are who you respond to. This is important to me because there are certain things happening in my life. Another one, and this is Maya Angelo's - in your most difficult time there is always someone out there who stands to bridge the gap. Another one also by Maya – when you learn, teach, when you have, give."

Please rank in order of your priority: Love, career, family, friends, money. Why?

"Family and love should be very close. They should have no distinction. Family, love, career, money and friends. Why? This is the way I live. Friends at the last because I have very few friends. I choose my friends, and friends are family to me. Career and money - they have done good things to me and my family. Family and love because everything else can go and I will always be wealthy with family and love."

Do you consider yourself successful? Why?

"It would be hypocritical to say I am not. But I'm not overly successful that I don't have any more space to dream. Not too successful that I don't have the energy to be better than who I am today both as a person and as a professional. Not too successful that I wouldn't want to maximize my potential as a person and as a professional. I say, yes, I am successful because from where I come from everything else is New York ."

What else does a Boy Abunda dream of at this point in his life?

"The premise of the question is that I have everything. I don't. I dream of being able to do an international talk show. That's tough but panaginip lang naman . I dream to be able to go around the world with my nanay and Bong. I dream of being able to do the dream interviews I mentioned earlier and so many other dreams. I may have enough, and that makes me happy but I don't have everything."

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