ARE we looking at the next Ellen Degeneres of Malaysia? Perhaps! Bubbly television host Sarimah Ibrahim, known for her sense of humour and wit, has landed her own talk show, and she is at the edge of her seat about it.
“After 20 years in this industry, I’m really honoured and surprised that I still have people’s support to further my career.
“I’m nervous, but excited as well. It’s not easy to land a show with your name in the title,” said the 38-year-old, who recently co-hosted Anugerah Juara Lagu 31 (AJL31) with Awal Ashaari, Fara Fauzana and Fizi HotFM.
Aptly titled Sarimah Show, fans of the Kini Kau Tiada singer will get to watch her engage with local and regional celebrities, as well as non-celebs.
“This is a feel-good kind of late-night talk show.
“It’s not one of those gossip shows, where you talk about people caught in rumour mills.
“We approach interviews from a different, more positive angle.
“For example, I will talk to celebrities to discover a different side to them and find out what they’re like as individuals, rather than just celebrities.
“It’s a similar vibe to what Degeneres brings to her show.
“There will be plenty of audience interaction in the hour-long show.”
Due to hit the studio on Monday for pre-recording of segments with the audience, the show is set to premiere on March 5 at 11pm on TV3.
“I miss hosting! Admittedly, I’ve kept on the down low for a bit in the Malay segment of the entertainment industry as I ventured into becoming an announcer for English-language radio stations, like Red FM and Mix FM,” said Sarimah.
“Doing morning radio shows meant waking up at 4.30am.
“You do the show until 11am and then prepare for the next day until 2pm. Then, you have to be in bed by 9pm.
“That was my life for about 3½ years.”
“Then, I got a hosting gig on ntv7’s women lifestyle talkshow, Bella, from 2015 to the middle of last year.
“So, it was a good five years of doing things in English.
“I’m glad to be back and hosting my talk show in Malay.
“We sort of warmed up the idea to fans about my ‘comeback’ when they saw me host Anugerah Skrin last year, followed by AJL31.”
On AJL’s high viewership ratings — the awards show has garnered six million viewers — Sarimah said she hoped that her talk show would get just as many viewers, if not more.
Was it easy to get back into the groove?
“Well, I’ve been doing this for a long time, so it’s like riding a bike.
“You will never forget it.”