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In terms of taking the same path as his celebrity family members, Raymond looks to be determined to take a slightly different course.
For people in the know, show business can be considered a highly dynamic industry where change is the only thing that's permanent. But, save for a select few in the industry, such as the young Raymond Gutierrez, the paths they take are clearly laid out, completely in control of where they are leading. Text by Erick Mataverde. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Of course, it may seem but natural that if you come from a family of showbiz luminaries, you are no doubt set to follow the oft-tread path and never expected to veer far from it. And by right, this is how Raymond, who is steadily becoming one of the Philippines' most recognizable hosts, just wants it to be. However, in terms of taking the same path, Raymond looks to be determined to take a slightly different course. The Pinoy Idol experience He considers his hosting stint in Pinoy Idol as a milestone in his hosting career. "You know what? I realized, sometimes I reflect upon my job here in Pinoy Idol, talagang it was such a good break for me," he says. "It taught me so much as a host, about spontaneity, about connecting with people from different walks of life. It really opened my eyes, and at the same time, [and in spite of] the pressure of handling your own show. At least ngayon alam ko na kaya ko na pala, you know, that's a big discovery for me kasi I had self-doubt din in the beginning, I mean I was open to that na 'Will I be able to do this?' "And ngayon I can say that I handled it pretty well and I'm happy that Fremantle from London is happy with my performance, the GMA executives are happy and dun proud [na] ako." Being able to host solo really helped him get a handle of the goings-on of the program, that Raymond now has a firm grasp of what a show requires to make it tick. "Each week naman sa Pinoy Idol nakikita nila na talagang shocking yung results night. Minsan hindi mo alam na 'yung magaling yun pala ang nakakuha ng lowest amount of votes, kasi 100% text votes 'to," Raymond says. "You’ve got to do things like that to, you know, shock people. It's a program and it's got to be entertaning. Syempre the grand finale, there's 5.7 million pesos at stake, dun pa lang you know people are really whooping for their favorites. Talagang kailangan masipag sila mag-vote." Asked if he was able to deliver what was expected of him in his Pinoy Idol hosting journey, this was his reply: "I don’t wanna say that I lived up to any expectations kasi, even I didn’t know what to expect, even yung sarili ko hindi hindi ko alam yung ine-expect eh, so kasi it was the first network here in the Philippines, siyempre maraming pressure, maraming trabaho. But, you know, I think I did fairly well, basing it on the comments on the people who hired me, [which are] GMA and Fremantle." Taking it in stride And, of course the inevitable question is almost always never avoided about him taking on acting projects. "I've been pretty clear on this that na at this point of my life, I really just want to focus on hosting," he explains. "Acting hasn't even entered my mind yet. Because I feel like in the short span of time that I've been given projects as a host, I've kinda created my own niche in this industry already and sa totoo lang I can't handle the hours of acting. I like my job because I enjoy it, it's fun, I get to be myself, and 'yun nga--parang nasanay na ako, alam ko na 'yung ins and outs of hosting." As far as his current projects go, after Pinoy Idol, we would be expecting him back on his regular shows. "Well, I'm still doing SOP, I’m still doing Showbiz Central, and we just entered a new season of Living it Up! on QTV with our new timeslot, new day, Wednesdays at 7:30[pm]. So those three shows I really love, so I’m just happy working on those right now and I’m happy to go back to Showbiz Central, kasi ever since Pinoy Idol started hindi na ako nagla-live sa kanila. I’m happy to go back there because its really fun," he says. However, Raymond is not really just concentrating on just hosting. Do expect him to be in the helm of new and fresh projects that may find him not only in front of the camera but maybe even behind it. As he hints, "With other future projects, I’m kind of toying with creative ideas na I can suggest or I can conceptualize and present to the executives and hopefully those would be successful." Raymond is back for his second Live Chat only here in iGMA! Make sure to log on and chat with Raymond himself on August 13, 2008, Wednesday, 2:00pm to 4:00pm (Philippine Time, GMT+8). Click here for more details! This edition of Raymond’s Live Chat is powered by Fanatxt. Get to know more about the latest on showbiz and Pinoy Idol straight from Raymond himself! Text RAYMOND [Your Message] and send to 4627 for all networks. Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for Globe, TM, Smart, and Talk 'N Text, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. (This service is only available in the Philippines) Discuss what's up with the latest on Raymond by logging in to the iGMAForums! Not yet a member? Register here!