Sweet @ 18 was a riot! Its main man John Lapus successfully filled the venue, Music Museum, on May 14, 2011, with people who were guffawing nonstop and almost falling off their seats. He emerged on stage in a debutante's ball gown, feeling like a "ganap na babae" and "hubog na at hindi na nene." To the tune of Rihanna's "Only Girl," Universal Sweet danced and reminisced his "journey that began in 1993." A portion of his spiels went: "Thank you for being here. Isa lang ang gusto ko. In the past 18 years, I know I did what was best and what was right. Collected along the way fame, fortune, fans, awards, experiences—good and bad—[which] I know, I deserved." And as a way of giving back, the host-comedian treated the huge crowd to a night of fun and entertainment.
HIGHLIGHTS. His first guest was the talented Julie Ann San Jose, who dished out two songs, Evanescence's "My Immortal" and Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold." Next, Kris Anino—John's impersonation of his good friend Kris Aquino—showed up in a bright yellow Veejay Floresca dress. This segment was hilarious. From the tone and sound of voice to the facial expression to the hirit, Sweet was "so Kris." One portion which had the audience in stitches was when Kris Anino revealed her desire to become the Darna on one condition: "Dapat si Bimby ang Ding." Showing that she's very much capable of taking on the Pinay Superhero's role, she said, "Bimby, ang stone." Before swallowing it, she exclaimed, "Ay! Parang dirty," before screaming "Darna!!!" She then proceeded to attacking the enemies while reciting the lines, "Bad ka...Isa ka pa, naughty ka, hmpft [with matching sipa]...Ikaw, you're so pangit talaga, nasa-sad ako sa 'yo [with tadyak]... "Ayan, patay na yung mga bad guys, happy na ako! Hahaha. Di ba, nice naman pag ako sa Darna?" The viewers responded with chuckles. Just like the usual debut, there were also 18 candles, which showed video greetings of Kapuso female stars, and 18 roses. The latter segued into the live appearance of the handsome Dennis Trillo, who serenaded Sweet with Elvis Costelo's "She." The stand-up comedian also introduced the new character Hermana Moreno, whose hairdo could rival that of former First Lady Imelda Marcos's. But the most applauded was his repartee with Vice Ganda. It was a side-splitting Kapuso versus Kapamilya debate. Here's a sampler: Vice Ganda: In fairness the, ang ganda ng building ng ABS. Ang taas! Sweet: Pero beh, di naman sa pagmamayabang, di nga masyadong mataas ang building ng GMA pero meron naman kaming sariling MRT station.. Pagbukas ng MRT, opisina na! Vice Ganda: Pero the, yung building namin, ang soyal! Kasi pagbaba mo, andun na lahat ng mga resto—Dencio's, Gerry's Grill, Cibo saka Starbucks. Balita ko nga yung mga taga-GMA, dun pa sa amin, nagpupunta para magkape at tumambay. Sweet: Beh! Modesty aside, may mga resto rin naman sa paligid ng GMA. Andiyan ang Lydia's Lechon, 7-Eleven...O eto ka, kumapit ka, sunud-sunod na 'to...Adonis, Maginoo, Mankind at Gigolo. At balita ko, yung mga bakla ng ABS, dun nagpupunta para tumambay. For the finale, the
Showbiz Central host did his much-awaited "buwis-buhay" dance with Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" as the background music. The show ended with a lot of thank you's from the night's performer, and applause from his supporters. In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), he said, "I feel so blessed. Like a real woman, I think my career is now an adult ready for a new adventure. I'll be bolder, spicier, and stronger as I face this next journey. Thank God for the talent, thank you my audience for the appreciation of that talent, and congrats to myself for a job well done." At the beginning of the show, he promised, "I will do my best to entertain you tonight." And he did...actually, he's been doing it for 18 years! -
Karen A. Pagsolingan, PEP 
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