WE keep missing Toni Gonzaga. Her early afternoon sked has gone haywire, thanks to a delay in the taping of Kris Aquino’s Game KNB, in which she appears. Then, she has to scurry for a little face time on Little Big Star, before scooting to the adjacent studio for double-duty on Wazzup Wazzup, a comedy news show she hosts with Vhong Navarro and Drew Arellano. In addition to the evening’s live telecast, she’s taping another episode which will air the following day. Her road manager, Roxanne Alcantara thinks Toni can be off by 11 pm, but she begs a re-schedule anyway because you never know with these things.

Neither it seems does Toni. These days her life sounds like it’s full to bursting, even if she claims it’s not as jampacked as it was a few months ago when she’d juggle a press conference, a pictorial, an interview, a guest spot, a hosting job and perhaps three other activities in a day that would last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. And yet, she now hosts a show five days a week, appears as a regular on ETK and does ASAP every Sunday. In addition, she’s shooting a movie with Pinoy Big Brother’s Sam Milby tentatively titled You Are The One. and does promo work for her first album, You Complete Me. In July, she’s shooting a movie in Europe with Vilma Santos’ and Edu Manzano’s son, Luis Manzano, and then flies home in August to host the second season of Pinoy Big Brother.

And that’s not hectic?

She shrugs. “Right now I don’t know how busy I am, (only that) I just have work everyday.”

An hour and a half before goes on cam, the 22-year-old host-slash-actress-slash-singer chills in the dressing room she shares with Vhong Navarro, sucking on the coffee jelly swirling on the bottom of a Starbucks cup. Then, fiddling with a wide belt that flops loosely on her hips, she asks no one in particular, “Can I have another hole punched here?”
In person, Toni is more laid back than her strong, smart television persona, defined by the full timbre of her voice and the snappy way she goes about her hosting chores. She’s also a lot skinnier up close. Still, there is nothing pa-tweetums about her demeanor. Though she spills a few showbiz platitudes, hard-wired into the DNA of every artista we suppose, she is refreshingly unfawning, and greets us with a polite but not cloying beso.

Plus, she’s a lot cuter up close, even without that megawatt smile. Once called quirky-looking by a movie writer, Toni doesn’t have the bland mestisahin looks beloved of artista makers. But pshaw to that, eh? After all, if showbiz tales are to be believed, bright young hotties like Luis “Lucky” Manzano, to recent PBB heartthrob Sam Milby have gone ape over her. Unless they’re all just doing a movie, which in fact they are. But, hey, that’s entertainment.

So you’ve been linked to Luis Manzano…

Uh-hmm. Ever since. (Grins)

How do you handle showbiz intrigues?

Siguro it just came in when I switched networks. Before naman when I was still in the other channel (GMA 7), I was never involved in any issue na malaki or talagang nakakagulat. It just so happened that at the time I transferred, mainit pa yung network wars.

Siguro it helps a lot that you have the support of your parents, your family kasi if you have people like them who really believe in you and trust you and who know the truth, I think hindi mo na maiisip yung sasabihin ng ibang tao sa yo. For as long as you know that there are these people who love you.

Does it work?

It works for me…. Pag meron akong desisyon or move na gagawin with regards to my career, I’ve always been prepared. You just try to deal with it na parang you should have grace under pressure.

So what chismis has affected you the most?

Uhm, dami. Sasabihin sa yo mukha kang pera. Pinaka-latest na issue sa kin kasi wala akong boyfriend is I’m a lesbian and maraming nagpapatotoo na I was seen with someone. Na may kiniss daw akong babae. That was very shocking lang, the lesbian thing. That shocked me.

What did you do?

Nothing. I was asked about it sa mga interviews, I just shrugged my shoulders. I don’t explain myself because I don’t owe anyone an explanation, I think ha. Kasi if you know the truth and you know na it’s not true and you’re confident of your sexuality there’s (no reason) for you to be affected. Parang ganun tingin ko.

You were said to be caught sitting on the lap of Sam Milby.

Feeling ko na someone na nagsulat noon was really trying to get into my nerves kasi ang dami na niyang sinulat sa akin: lumalaki na ulo ko, tinatanggalan na ako ng show sa ABS dahil mayabang ako, I was very unprofessional. And I wasn’t really answering any of his write-ups on me na masasama. So I think that was his way of getting my attention…. Hindi ko na lang sinagot. I never really answer any issues unless it is necessary for me to talk.

The only issue na sinagot ko was the PBB issue with me and Mariel (Rodriguez, who took over hosting the teen edition of Pinoy Big Brother) and that was because the heads of PBB, Ms. Linggit (Tan) and Direk Loren Dyogi, asked me to clear all the issues even before the teen edition started. They wanted me to speak sa The Buzz just to clear all of the issues na I was replaced, I was unprofessional, I left the show to go to the States.

And Ms. Linggit already knew I wasn’t gonna be doing the finals night for the celebrity edition (because of a show in the US that would conflict with the finals but which Toni got permission to join from her PBB bosses).

When your bosses offer you something, do you have a chance to say yes or no?

If I’m given an offer by the network I work for, siyempre I’m very, very thankful kasi yung point or thought lang na na-consider ka at napagkatiwalaan ng ganitong project, it’s very flattering to think na maraming artista ang gustong magkaroon ng magandang trabaho these days. Ako, as long as it’s something I can do, and it’s not against my principles, yun tinatanggap ko siya.

What is against your principles?

Siguro…shed…off…clothes in television and on screen?

But you had an FHM pictorial, how is that?

I think the reason why I accepted that was not just to show my skin but to tell everybody that even if you wear clothes like that ( a relatively tame belly-baring top and shorts), it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can be disrespected by men.

How do you see yourself in five years? What is it you want to achieve?

Right now lagi kong sinasabi na I’m really contented of what I have…. I can’t really say kung anong mangyayari sa akin in five years kasi I always believe in the verse na I read, that I live by: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it’s always God’s purpose that prevails.” So I just leave it up to Him.

Why don’t you have a love life? I think it’s the question most people would want to ask.

Yes! I think that’s the same question I ask myself sometimes!

There’s no shortage naman of good-looking guys… or admirers.

I don’t know. Kasi in this business, it’s really hard to concentrate on your work and at the same time isasama mo pa sa schedule mo yung boyfriend mo, or yung love life mo. Parang since right now I’m only 22 and I feel like I’m still young and my career is doing okay naman, I feel like I’ll concentrate on improving my skills and developing myself and achieving whatever it is that I would want to achieve in the future. Kasi right now I feel like I’m still building a foundation for myself. Kung ano man yung magiging ako in the future, sinisimulan ko na ngayon and I’m really concentrating on that.

And there are so many things that I’m doing right now, like I’m concentrating also on my ministry. My Dad and I put up this ministry na bumili ako ng projector so we can do film showings in depressed areas and after that, invite pastors to do evangelism. Yes, I’m a Methodist. Wala naman kaming foundation or anything, it’s just something my dad and I want to do.

Let’s get back to your lovelife. So what is it about these guys you’ve been linked with?

There’s no doubt naman na mga guwapo naman sila. Papa-ble lahat. I like them all. I think that’s the problem eh! You can’t choose if you’re given such good-looking men!

I think Luis is a very unique individual. He’s a great guy and his name speaks for himself and to all of his friends na meron siya. I think talagang “Lucky” yung mga kaibigan niya at nakikilala siya.. Kasi he’s very spontaneous, he’s very generous. He’s a perfect gentleman, very smart, very intelligent. And very practical. He is everything a woman would want to love and would want to have. He is the one.
Sam is a sweet guy. I don’t know (if he’s actually courting me). I don’t think I’m in the position to answer that. Mahirap sa babae mag-conclude na nililigawan sila, baka hindi naman. Right now we’re doing a movie so I think the relationship between us is really going so well. We’re getting more comfortable with each other unlike before where we don’t usually talk to each other because he’s really shy. Mahiyain talaga siya and I think it takes time for him to open up to people. Especially na lumaki siya sa ibang bansa…. I admire his pagiging inosente when it comes to our culture, Parang you always have to teach him, this is how it’s done here. It’s cute. Para siyang baby.

How do you de-stress?

I’m very into Friends. Friends marathon ako palagi. It’s like my therapy. Yun ang one thing that people don’t know about me. I have seasons 1 to 10 and I watch it every day, every day! It’s like a therapy for me. When I’m sad I just watch an episode. I’ve even memorized all of the lines na. Ako, I love the final season. And Ross! David Schwimmer is my favorite!

So what makes you happy?

Simple things make me happy. Like if I see my family na in good health When I see my parents na proud of me, that makes me happy. When I see that I did a good job in something na binigay sa kin, that makes me happy. And when people around me are happy with what I did, that makes me happy.

How do people get in touch with you?

I have an email address. It’s mostly for business but napakadali niyang i-memorize: tonigonzaga@gmail.com