ZOREN LEGASPI and Carmina Villarroel?s new talk-variety show, ?Love ko si Mister, Love ko si Misis,? debuted on GMA 7 last Monday, Aug. 9, and we made it a point to tune in because, as morning shows go, it tries to do something significantly different?namely, appeal not just to women, but to male viewers as well.

This is an unusual development, and also a bit risky, since the midmorning televiewing hours have heretofore been presumed to be a largely feminine preserve, because the male breadwinners are supposed to be in the office. But, more women are working out of the home now, and some men have become househusbands?so, who knows what the daytime TV demographic has really become?

Anyway, the new Zoren-Carmina show is betting that there are enough men at home on weekday mornings to add a substantial number of guys to its viewership?and, we?ve always been supportive of gambits that challenge conventional wisdom, so we wish the show well.

Predictable sequence

However, last Monday, we were initially rubbed the wrong way by the show?s much too long and predictable title sequence, showing Zoren and Carmina waking up, going to the bathroom, getting ready to do the show, etc. Oh, please, this predictable opener has been around since the early days of morning TV.

Anyway, we got over that slow and knee-jerk start soon enough?but, we were again distracted, this time by Carmina?s high, sharp and tinny speaking voice. Can?t she lower and warm up its register? It may irritate some people enough for them not to watch the show.

That would be a pity, since Carmina?s perky chattiness is good for a morning talk show, and she does prattle along quite divertingly. She simply shouldn?t confuse ?perky? with ?tinny and shrill,? that?s all.

Zoren did better in the speaking department, but he was occasionally too slow and dour to be all that entertaining. All told, however, Zoren and Carmina passed muster as morning show hosts, and their first telecast?s features did prove the point that female and male points of view can and should coexist on daytime TV.

In addition, their ?couple? guests for the day, Joey de Leon and his wife Eileen, and Ariel Rivera and Gelli de Belen, kept the proceedings peppy by enthusiastically participating in quizzes and other features that sought to clarify husband-wife relationships for couples belonging to different age groups.

In the process, viewers learned that, to resolve irritants and other problems, marital partners should ?discuss instead of confront?; accept their loved ones for what they are; avoid behaving in a siga-sigahan way at home because their kids may get the wrong ideas; not get into a lazy rut, and generally trust each other with love and respect. Not bad for a morning?s televiewing, not bad at all.

And, the appearance of the hosts? lovely kids was a pleasant surprise, as well.

Now, if only the show could fix its initial problems or distractions, it should be on TV to stay.