HE'S tall, on the moreno side and ruggedly handsome. And, oh yes, he has curly hair and a beach-worthy physique. He surfs relatively well, as though he was created to seduce the water, and has pearly white teeth to match his lovely tan.
Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, 28, might not be a good food story, but girls just lap him up like, well, nevermind; I might get the ire of the guardians of good conduct.
I heard of him from my show biz watcher niece Ellen. One day this week she said, “Uncle, I’m wondering why you have not yet written about Baste, the hunk and soft-spoken son of incoming President Duterte. His nickname alone results in 429,000 search results.”
“Haven’t heard of him,” I replied.
“You should watch his viral vdeo with his sister Sarah. She cajoled him into singing a song for her. I like the rapport they have; nothing rehearsed.”
After watching the video, I concluded the guy’s divergent and has charisma. While I can’t yet appreciate his singing as some girls have been raving about, I must say he can carry a tune. His comic side is endearing to girls and his rasta choice of dressing doesn’t put off the men.
“There’s a video of him with actress Ellen Adarna preparing food,” my niece said. Because Baste is shirtless and Ellen is skimpily clad, the video looks steamy but not trashy. Baste is slicing some onions. Beside him is Ellen doing the garlic. All in all, it’s just a film of one day in the life of two good-looking people having a good time in a wholesome way.
“Are they an item?” I asked Ellen.
She replied, “The video is probably not even recent, uncle, but owing to his rising popularity, many videos and photos of him or his siblings are popping up all over social media.
“I think they are just long-time friends, though, because Baste is into his second relationship, uncle. He’s got a two-year-old son by his second live-in partner, according to pinaythink, and is saving for a wedding. His first alliance bore him a daughter, now five years old.”
Ellen added that another website, coconutsmanila, suggested a cooking show for Baste and this is where I got the idea for this week.
I bit into this concept because we need fresh faces in show biz. Baste is of the mestizo mold, easily a deadringer for Jon Snow of Game of Thrones at a glance, and has a theatric presence. Although he has expressed no desire for politics and show biz, he might take after his father who changed his mind many times about being president of the Philippines, and finally running for and winning the highest position in the land.
With a good talent manager, Baste can carry off a segment on TV to raise the network ratings and the heartbeasts of his fans. He seems to have talent for comedy, a skill that can be used in a cooking show.
It doesn’t have to be an hour-long show like Idol Sa Kusina but something like Dishkarte, a 10-minute cooking show. Baste’s show doesn’t have to pretend he’s a chef or that he cooks at all.
He’s the host who shows people kitchen tips and tricks. He can have “cooking errors” and make a joke out of it, then show how it can be corrected. He can teach viewers maybe the quick way to slice melon cubes, or the right way to boil rice, scramble eggs, slice onions and roast meat.
The food show should highlight his personality. He can sing or crack a joke as he cooks with guests, mostly girls, helping him. He can be his wacky, charming, articulate and casual self. Any takers?