Life not all fun and games for TV host Sonny

Life not all fun and games for TV host Sonny

By Bruce Emond

JAKARTA (JP): Game show host Sonny Tulung is quick to admit
that he is not always the life and soul of the party.

Known for his quick wit and playful use of double entendres in
dealing with contestants on Famili 100, Sonny said the demands of
being a public figure can be a trial.

"Some of my former colleagues were quite surprised when they
saw me on television because the Sonny they knew was a bit of an
introvert," he said recently at a South Jakarta restaurant.

"I would say that I am not 100 percent an extrovert nor 100
percent an introvert. There are times when I don't feel quite at
ease outside of my comfort zone. I am being forced to conquer
that."

Born of Manadonese parents in Jakarta, the boyish 32 year old
said his first inklings to pursue a career in entertainment began
in adolescence.

"Maybe in high school I felt I had some sort of talent but
didn't know how to maximize it. I was extroverted in the sense
that I would like to get to know people, to find out more about
who they were."

He became a deejay and worked in marketing for several radio
stations in Jakarta until 1995, when a "host wanted" message
arrived through the office fax machine.

It was for Indonesia's version of Family Feud, the U.S.
television series now seen in a host of countries around the
world.

"I sent in my CV and everything, and there were about 30 other
people as well, some of them quite famous. Finally they picked
me."

He prepared for his new job by watching hours of tapes of the
shows from the United States, Britain, Australia and even
Germany.

"I especially watched a lot of the shows from Australia
because the set, the format are exactly the same. In Australia
and here it is four against four, while in the U.S. it's five
versus five."

Sonny acknowledged it was difficult at first as he was
stumbling through unknown territory.

"The first year was the most difficult, the first 50 episodes.
I didn't know what to do. I was establishing my own character.
The good thing was that the producers gave me the freedom to
develop, to enjoy the game show with my own style.

"They would just remind me that the most important thing is to
enjoy yourself."

His perseverance paid off; Famili 100 was broadcast on ANteve
for four years and has been part of Indosiar's late-afternoon
lineup since 1999. Including a weekly celebrity version, where
teams of public figures or their families square off, the shows
are taped every Tuesday and Thursday.

Boredom

Still, after five years and about 1,600 episodes of finding
out what the survey says, is the boredom factor becoming a
problem for Sonny?

"Yes, I get bored, I get bored a lot," he admitted. "If I'm
not in a good mood, then it's definitely yes, I have to conquer
that boredom. But I have to be responsible myself for the show."

He said he fought boredom by engaging in good-natured banter
with contestants.

"I make some fun with them, get to know them. If they give a
funny answer, I grab it, I maximize it. But the battle is inside,
that is the key."

He will pick apart a contestant's answer, deftly skewering it
with a dose of sarcasm.

Yet there is always the risk that a little well-intended
needling can rub the wrong way, especially when nervous
contestants are before millions of watchful eyes.

Sonny said he knew when to draw the line.

"The most important thing is not what I say but how I say it.
Yes, I do make a fool of some people, but the difficult thing is
how to do it without them feeling hurt. I think people know my
character, so they can accept it.

"That is on television, but I would never do that in daily
life. I am very sensitive, even to small things."

Married with a daughter nearly two years old, Sonny listed his
hobbies as reading ("books on psychology, developing leadership
skills") and chess. He emphasized he was not caught up in the
glamorous world of entertainers.

"I don't have this star syndrome. Right now I'm building a
business in marketing and distribution and I'm focused on that."

There are some drawbacks to being a star that even the
retiring Sonny cannot escape. He said he had been burned by the
media more than once, with articles playing up his marital
difficulties.

"I admit there were problems in my marriage, and half of what
was written was true, half of it was not. The press smells
something and they dramatize it.

"The thing is that anyone can have this kind of problem. We
managed to work it out."

He was also the subject of a media letter-writing campaign by
a man after they were involved in a car accident. The other
driver accused Sonny of assaulting him.

Sonny bristles when mention of the incident is made but does
not try to duck the issue with a pat "no comment".

"What really happened was that he hit my car, but he got angry
at me. We both got out of our cars, but I thought he would attack
me and I tried to defend myself.

"If he was unhappy, he could have gone through formal
channels, like the police, but because he knew who I was he tried
to give me a bad name."

He said the loss of anonymity as a public figure made him
guarded.

"I don't feel comfortable saying I'm famous, but if people
know you, then you have to pay attention to everybody. Sometimes
I feel as though I don't own myself. If I do something, I have to
think what people will say, how people will react. Because if you
do something wrong, the press will exaggerate it."

Even with the gripes and his interest in a new business
outside of entertainment, Sonny is not looking to turn his back
on the spotlight anytime soon. He said that his "obsession" was
to eventually host his own talk show.

So when will it be time to say goodbye to the big board and
hand over the reins to a new host?

"I have set myself a target of five years from now, when I
must be gone from Famili 100. I think that will be the perfect
time for me to sign off."