Sleepy Primetime Lineup from ABS-CBN

For someone who used to watch a lot of local shows from ABS-CBN, I find myself spending more time now watching GMA-7's morning block - the Ryzza Mae Show and Eat Bulaga.

My 4-year old niece used to enjoy Hawak Kamay because of Juan Karlos’ presence in the show. Lately, though, he had little to no exposure at all, so even the kid was no longer interested in peeking at the boring show.

What is happening with ABS-CBN? After they have made a lot of known stars, only Piolo Pascual is the only legit popular actor in their primetime block now. He is popular, but the story of his drama series does not fit his stature, and he was given a leading lady (Iza) who is better off doing support or even antagonist roles.

I have seen the teasers of their short Christmas seryes. They said that they are bringing those to us, the viewers, as their gifts or way of giving back during this time of the year. I am okay with the Eddie Garcia story or even the Paulo and KC tandem, but my golly, pairing Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson for a show meant to be enjoyed by the whole family during the Christmas season? What were they thinking? Sorry, I don’t hate them as they are (I have moved on haha!), but they are not the faces that I want to see during the holidays. I would rather watch old or tagalized movies than to be tortured, seeing them playing protagonists and goody-goody when their images in my mind as a chauvinist and playgirl, are still vivid and clear.

I am hoping for better shows with true-blue popular actors for the shows that are lined up for ABS-CBN next year. I have heard about Xian Lim being paired with Maja, such as disappointment for a fan who waited so long to see Xian on TV. Oh well, I don’t think that the network really cares so much about the sentiments of those who watch them. Their current lineup of primetime shows and the main leads are proof that they would do whatever they please and give projects to whoever they like.

I am just ranting, but I know that the network that its viewers brought to the top, wouldn’t care less about most people’s sentiments. Come on, GMA 7, it is your time to shine. This is the best time to push stars who look promising and deliver better stories, now that ABS-CBN seems to be slacking by giving us bland actors, rehashed stories, and the Maja-Gerald tandem (que horror!).

My Local Celebrity Pairing Bets for 2012

Obviously, I am a Kim Chiu-Whoever her partner is fan. It only goes that I favor Xian Lim at the moment because they haven’t done solo TV drama and movie yet. After Xian, I hope that Kim gets paired with someone who is older and more mature, like Piolo Pascual. I want to see the contrast and for a change, see a film that tackles age gap in relationships from a different light.

Xian will also look good when paired with older leading ladies, like Judy Ann Santos or Claudine Barretto, if the latter will decide to come back at ABS-CBN or if ABS-CBN would accept her still. If ever Sandara Park would do a movie with Star Cinema, I think that Xian will also create an on-screen stir as her partner.

As per Gerald Anderson, it is only now that I am realizing that it will be quite promising to see him on screen with Bea Alonzo, but I don’t think that this is the right time for this team-up. There are many fans who still haven’t moved on from the controversies that these two have created when they fell for each other at the wrong place and at the wrong time (sounds like a movie premise already). For the meantime, I hope that he gets paired with KC Concepcion. I think that the pairing has the ability to prove that KC is only waiting for the right material and right partner to prove her bankability.

Bea Alonzo, although she’s not visible on TV, is doing a film, but as months go by, it appears as if this film is doomed (hopefully not). I wonder how an artist feels every time they had to re-shoot scenes that they have already done just because their partner had chosen to pursue their Hollywood dream and the replacement had chosen to move to another network. They can break the curse by bringing John Lloyd Cruz in. He is Bea’s reliable partner and the pairing has a huge following.

This is not a new pairing, but the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla team-up should be given a movie while it is still hot. And oh please, don’t let Kathryn wear her hair with bangs, like how she looks at the soap, Princess and I. She’s more beautiful with how she looked during her Mara Clara days, but her beauty really shone when she played the young Gretchen in Magkaribal.

It is tricky to find the right pair for Julia Montes. I really thought that she would not be able to pull it off with Coco Martin, but she did, with flying colors. I think that she really is the next Bea Alonzo. For these women, great acting, plus good looks are enough even though they don’t have constant partners.

There are two big Kapamilya stars who badly need reinvention, Vice Ganda and Sarah Geronimo. Vice has already proven that he can create blockbuster movies even without the help of other big stars. I wonder how it would look if the idea of pairing Angel Locsin with the man version of Vice Ganda would push through. I don’t think so. A good gay film will do, but no more slapsticks comedy, please.

I want to see a different Sarah Geronimo. Sarah who is acting her age and is experiencing real life and love troubles of women in their mid 20s. Just for a change, I want to see her serious side, yung pang award. It does not matter who her leading man is. Her movies, for as long as these are of good taste and quality, will earn whether she has a big star or a newcomer as a partner.

What about the stars from the other network? I think that at the moment, while GMA-7 has not yet found the formula to develop “big” stars, big in the sense that the viewing public will pay to see them on the big screen and not be contented being part of the percentage of the TV ratings, GMA Films should go back to their old formula. They ought to bring back quality films to the mainstream market. They have specialized on the genre before, giving people the likes of Muro Ami, Deathrow, Jose Rizal and so on.

That’s it. Just sharing some musings while I am working on certain articles that are harder to finish than this kind =)

P.S.

I love the current ad (as of this writing) on my blog's upper banner, kilig!

Why Eat Bulaga is a Tough Show to Beat?

Willie Revillame may be rejoicing these days because after Wowowee was axed, ABS-CBN continues to juggle and haggle on its afternoon programming. For me as a viewer, I don’t think that this has something to do with Willie’s absence. He has gone overboard when he was at the top that most viewers wouldn’t want to see him at the same timeslot or on any Kapamilya shows ever again. There may those die hard fans and people whom he was able to help in the past, but who will ever forget the painful marks that so many hopeful lives were killed in the tragedy that happened on the first anniversary of Willie’s defunct show. Wowowee will always be remembered for that tragedy no matter how they try to cover it up.

Robin Padilla emerged as a star and brought the ratings of Wowowee to its peak when he was tapped as guest host. This may be because nobody expected him to be good or many people were interested to find out how he would fit in to this kind of show where he had to do things that he has never done on TV before. It was an added treat that as he continues to do his hosting stint, his off screen romance with co-host Mariel Rodriguez starts to develop on screen.

Wowowee should have ended after Robin bid farewell to his hosting stint that lasted for two weeks. Now the public knows that ABS-CBN tried to woo Willie to come back, and this is a major turn off to their loyal viewers because this is a strong sign that they don’t really care what most of their consumers think and feel. It is a good thing that fate had it that Willie and the network did not come into any kind of agreement, which paved the way for the instant creation of Pilipinas, Win na Win and for Willie to do the rounds of interviews to lambast the station that made him who he is today.

So what is wrong with PWNW that despite the team-up of Robin Padilla and Kris Aquino as main hosts, the show was not able to deliver as expected? First off, this is not Kris Aquino’s forte. She can stand on her own and do the whole show even without Robin and the other co-hosts. By placing her amidst talents who are not as good as her and as not as spontaneous as her, her co-hosts, including Robin, were left with nothing more to say but raise their hands to act the PWNW hand signal to cue in for commercials.

Eat Bulaga is tough to beat. The show has remained at the top even though they don’t have big stars as co-hosts, aside from the trio of Tito, Vic and Joey. Most TV viewers look at this show as family. I have grown up watching this show. The only thing that will make me stop watching Eat Bulaga is the retirement of its three main hosts because it would no longer be the same. There may be times that I’d try watching other shows, like what I’ve done when Robin Padilla was a guest host at Wowowee or during the opening of PWNW. But if I’m not satisfied with the other choices, I’d rather stick it out with Eat Bulaga.

Creating a show that would match Eat Bulaga is something that must be done, researched and evaluated for months or years, and not for some weeks after the negotiations with the original host of Wowowee has failed.

Kris Aquino is undergoing some marital blues, and this is not the perfect time to see her doing a very happy show for the family. The Robin-Mariel love angle is no longer interesting. So what if they are lovers now? They are no longer teenagers who can make gazillion of fans scream whenever one is holding the hands of the other, not even when Robin professes his love for Mariel on national TV. We have seen Robin act this way before. He should be given a new partner, so that people will tune in to find out if he’s going to fall anew or if he has indeed found his true love with Mariel.

Kris and Robin should have been given different shows. Everything that may remind people about Wowowee, from the stage, to games, look of the dancers and ways how the show is executed, should have been all scrapped. PWNW looked like a rehashed Wowowee without anything new but the two main hosts.

Now that Edu Manzano is set to do a comeback at the timeslot where he started to get endeared to many local viewers’ hearts at the other channel, ABS-CBN is scrambling its lineup as if this is an easy game of mix and match. They have promoted Showtime to fill in the noontime block, but I don’t think that this is a wise move because in reality, this is a weak show that gained great ratings in the past because GMA 7 cannot create a good show that would match such. They were able to tap into the goldmine when they placed movies to be pitted against Showtime. If Showtime couldn’t win the ratings game against the most crappy of GMA films or the oldest Michael V movie, how else can it fare when pitted against the longest running noontime show on TV?

As for now, I will continue watching Eat Bulaga whenever I have time, but peek into Showtime every once in a while because they got Ryan Bang as guest-judge. ABS-CBN needs all the luck in the world to be able to come up with a show that can really topple or just make the rival show a little nervous.

Gretchen and Claudine Barretto – Drama Queens

With so many brouhahas that have happened before the airing of the 8:30PM timeslot of last night’s local TV, I took the chance of finally being able to sleep way earlier than my usual bedtime. Even if you are not that fond of celebrities or local shows, especially dramas, you may have heard about Claudine Barretto’s agony and pains after finding out that her new show on GMA is going to be pitted against her sister’s MMK episode. Gretchen Barretto, on the other hand, immediately stole the spotlight by resorting to a walkout from her media interview. Both happenings were featured on primetime news, as if these were very important issues and as if these two are still very popular.

Well, they may be popular, but not for good reasons. People only care to listen about them if they are involved in nasty and unpopular situations that they are both so good in meddling with. What’s the whole drama all about? Claudine’s argument is that she pities her parents because they must feel very sad that their daughters are being pitted against each other. For Gretchen, she argues that any parent would be proud that their daughters are dominating a certain timeslot on local TV. For this argument, with or without the walkout, Gretchen clearly gave out the more intelligent response.

As per the teasers that I have watched, I don’t like both. Gretchen’s MMK appears to be too old and very complex. It may appeal to the much older viewers. Claudine’s drama, on the other hand, doesn’t have anything new to offer, except that it’s Claudine on the other channel.

GMA 7 seems to be sticking on a formula drama. If they want to make viewers cry, they will use the story of amnesia or Alzheimer’s, like what was utilized on Claudine’s story. Yeah, it may be heart tugging to see someone you love slowly forgetting about you and even about themselves, but after watching it for the first time and you have already cried, the next time you see the same storyline, you will definitely change channels.

My mother watched both. She said, para walang away (feeling naman nya sya yung nanay ng mga Barretto =). The MMK story started with what seems to be a simple plot. Gretchen’s husband died and so she fell in love with a priest. My mother switched channels to watch Claudine’s. The story basically stuck with what was seen on the teaser. It was not only simple, it was boring. When she tuned in again to MMK, she was surprised when the priest character began abusing Gretchen’s kids because she doesn’t have enough time for him. This is when the real conflict would begin and at this point, the remote control was completely forgotten. My mother said that she even cried while watching MMK. I asked her what she felt while watching Claudine. She said that the story may have been good, but the story telling is bad.

This is a very usual reaction to dramas that are done by GMA 7. Even at the time when they have gotten all good creative people from ABS CBN to create Susan Roces’ drama series during the Christmas season, the end result was not as good as compared with the same genres that are shown on ABS. This may be the reason why GMA sticks with re-hashed and recycled concepts and fantasy series. They still cannot create the kind of drama that can hook the viewers and make them cry.

Oh well, GMA 7 claims that they are still number one, but this must not make them feel secured. There are times when ABS CBN is leading the ratings in Mega and Metro Manila that were supposed to be avid to GMA shows. Or even if this is true, GMA should strive harder to make their stories and storytelling more compelling. They are lucky because it seems like ABS CBN will still be their only stiff competitor for a long time. TV-5 re-launched at the time when they still did not have any good materials for their shows. There are rumors that even Maricel Soriano cannot stand to shoot the crappy scripts being given to her. Maricel needs this to prove that she still is a star, and it won’t help if she’ll be given materials like the ones that Claudine is doing on GMA.

Enough has been said, but going back to the Claudine and Gretchen dominance on Saturday night’s drama block, Gretchen is the clear winner when it comes to the script, acting and overall production. I’m not sure about the ratings though. I am interested to find out who won on this aspect. If ever it would be Claudine, many couch people have surely wasted their time and missed out on their chance to get a good cry or a good night sleep like what I had.

-----

P.S.

It seems like the ratings have sided with Gretchen as well =)

TNS, March 10: National MMK 31.4/Claudine 14.7;
Mega MMK 23.6/Claudine 17.3;
Metro MMK 26.4/Claudine 14.7

GMA 7 on the Losing End According to the Latest AGB Ratings

Heads are surely rolling on Kamuning as GMA 7 continues to lose its grip over Mega Manila with the latest ratings according to AGB. They should consider looking into the quality of their shows this time than on doing the rounds of giving away groceries, like what they were alleged before. But seriously, something has to be done fast before ABC 5 could reign over the number two spot that would leave GMA on number 3.

Here's the March 4 AGB ratings for Mega Manila according to PEP.

Daytime:

Diz Iz It! (GMA-7) 7.6%; Showtime (ABS-CBN) 18%
Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 16.4%; Daisy Siete: Bebe & Me (GMA-7) 11.3%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 18.4%
Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak (GMA-7) 11.8%; Magkano ang Iyong Dangal? (ABS-CBN) 11.4%
Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita? (GMA-7) 13.7%; Maria de Jesus: Anghel Sa Lansangan (ABS-CBN) 9.1%; Banana Split Daily Servings (ABS-CBN) 7.7%
OC To The Max (GMA-7) 6.7%; Pilipinas Got More Talent (ABS-CBN) 8.1%
Family Feud (GMA-7) 7.6%; You're Mine, Only Mine (ABS-CBN) 10.8%

Primetime:

First Time (GMA-7) 15.3%; Tanging Yaman (ABS-CBN) 16.8%
24 Oras (GMA-7) 28.3%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 24.5%
Panday Kids (GMA-7) 30.4%; Agua Bendita (ABS-CBN) 31.6%
The Last Prince (GMA-7) 29.2%; Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo (ABS-CBN) 31.5%
Diva (GMA-7) 25.6%; Habang May Buhay (ABS-CBN) 28.5%
Queen Seon Deok (GMA-7) 21.7%; Rubi (ABS-CBN) 25.3%
SRO Cinemaserye Presents Meet the Fathers (GMA-7) 11.5%; SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon (ABS-CBN) 13.7%

GMA 7 should really think hard before getting artists from the other network. They should also look into their own artists and make sure that they won't ever let go again of someone like Toni Gonzaga and Angel Locsin. As for their current lineup of artists, the only looker who has what it takes to succeed is Jake Vargas. Forget about the regular lookers that won on the recently concluded Star Struck. They should be able to pull up something as good as Pilipinas Got Talent to draw in real talents to their ward. The formula actually lies on the judges. If ever they will do such, they must make sure that the judges are credible. As for the yet to be shown Party Pilipinas, they must start with something fresh and out of the box in order to shine, even if this would mean that they have to drop the four original has-been hosts of SOP.

Celebrity Tweets

So Twitter is the best source of inside stories about celebs and other network insiders. Here are some of the latest tsismis from the Tweet-landia.

Kris Aquino on Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo & the Kimerald:

Taping KTM- leaving to immigrate. Then time lapse. Then- baby James will be taping na. I'm so excited. 1st scene nya he'll be moonwalking like Michael Jackson- sana NO TOPAK that day. -@itsmekrisaquino, March 3

Sweet talaga si Kim and Gerald! Kim made libre my new favorite siomai and putopao. Then before midnight, Gerald naman treated all of us to Starbucks. I really have so much affection for the 2 of them. So easy to work with. So professional! -@itsmekrisaquino, March 1

(I can't wait to see Baby James on TV. Finally, excitement is on the air for KTM after 10,000 years of dragging back story.)

AGB Ratings Galore from PEP Scoopbox:

March 3 AGB Ratings: Diz 6.5/Showtime 19.3; Bulaga 16.4/Daisy 10.3/Wowowee 17.6; Lusak 10/Dangal 12.2; Ina 11.9/Maria 9.2/Banana 7.6 Ripley 7.1/Talent 8.9; Family 9.6/Only Mine 10.8; First 17.6/Yaman 17.1; Oras 24.5/Patrol 24.4 Panday 26.6/Agua 30.1/Kung 26.5; Prince 24.2/Habang 24.5; Diva 24.1/Rubi 24.8; Queen 22.1/SNN 14.3 -@scoopbox, March 4

March 2 AGB Ratings: Diz Iz It 7/Showtime 19; Bulaga 16.3/Daisy 11.6/Wowowee 20.4; Lusak 13.5/Dangal 12.3; Ina 15.6/Maria 8.7/Banana 7.2 Laf 7/Talent 7.5; Family 11.9/Only Mine 9.6; First 18.1/Yaman 16.5; Oras 28.5/Patrol 25.1; Panday 30.1/Agua 34.2 Prince 30.1/Kung 32.8/Habang 27.5; Diva 24.9/Rubi 24.1; Queen 20/SNN 13.3 -@scoopbox, March 3

(Hmmm, I wonder if GMA 7 is now singing to the tune of Gulong ng Palad)

Claudine Baretto on rumors about the Angelica Panganiban & Derek Ramsay breakup:

all couples go through problems artista man o hindi,dnt knw if nagtampuhan sila but they r together both derekn gel -@Dineybarretto, March 3

(Tuloy ang ligaya ni Rubi. Actually, they look good together, sana sila na =)

Matteo Guidicelli & Andi Eigenmann on their Agua Bendita stint:

malapit na po kami sa Agua.. :) :) -@MFG09, March 3

Not true :) malapit na po ako lumabas :P -@andieigenmann, Mar 1
Malapit na po ako lumabas sa Agua Bendita!! :D -@andieigenmann,Feb 26

(Sighs... why can't I be happy with this news? Give Xyriel Manabat a new show fast please after the transition. Here's a cute fanpic that I got from PEX. Xyriel deserves this because she is the reason why people tune in to the show.)

The Ezra Band Made an Impression on Pilipinas Got Talent Audition

Just when I thought that I could lessen the time that I spend watching TV, I caught this band's performance on their audition for Pilipinas Got Talent. I was already in awe when the pianist began playing, but the awe was even higher when the vocalist, who surprisingly is a girl, began singing. Aaw... These are the kinds of talents that GMA-7 must look for to revive SOP or whatever they wish to replace it with. They are called the Ezra Band, and I have high hopes that we'll see more of them or hear their songs soon.

Pinoy Rosalinda Looks More Like Fedra

The Pinoy version of Rosalinda is about to start so the local boob tube is filled with the faces of newcomer, Carla Abellana who is going to play the title role, with Geoff Eigenmann as the chubby version of Fernando Jose.

In fairness to the two, they look so much alike, especially their eyes. They can pass as siblings. Carla has the potential to make it big, but this kind of role could become more successful if GMA 7 had chosen Heart Evangelista to play the lead. This could be her reunion project with Geoff and that would be something to look forward to because they had good chemistry with the soap that they had done with ABS CBN ages ago (hence I can no longer remember the title).

As for Carla, the main reason why I don't want her for this project is because she reminds me so much of the original Fedra, the one who played as the main antagonist on the Mexican version of this soap opera. Fedra was played by Mexican actress, Nora Salinas.

Here they are, Mexican actress Nora Salinas and Pinoy Rosalinda, Carla Abellana. Do you see the similarities or is it just me?

Manny Pacquiao is a Big Business

Sadly, Manny Pacquiao himself doesn't know how to handle it on his own.

He shocked everybody last week when he appeared on ABS CBN to announce his decision to drop Solar Sports and GMA 7 and team up with the Kapamilya channel in airing his fights, including the one with Ricky Hatton on May 2.

Two of GMA 7's top executives as well as Solar Sports representatives immediately flew over to where the Pacman is training to see and talk things out with him. Maybe he saw it and he was talked to, because over the weekend, he is singing a different tune.

Now that Pacman has turned his back on ABS CBN, he has also made sure that he'd ruin the network's reputation by saying that what he said on TV was scripted and it was written by ABS CBN's lawyers. I am counting the days when he would retract such statement to say that it was also scripted and top executives of GMA 7 made him say those words.

He is a good boxer. I don't want to demean his intellectual capacity because I don't know the guy personally. What I see in him is someone who doesn't have pride, someone who doesn't know what integrity and loyalty mean.

He has gone up so high. He needs to be pulled back to remind him that he will not always be on top. He used to be hailed as someone who unites the Filipino people because of his intent to win on his fights. But now we're faced with the truth. For Manny, it's all about the money.

Annabelle Rama's Threats to GMA 7 that Most Kapamilyas are Dreading to Happen

I am not sure about what tactics GMA 7 has been implementing to develop and make their stars famous because obviously, most of their stars remain to be forgettable. This is aside from one, Richard Gutierrez, period. The fact is that GMA's lady exec, Wilma Galvante, is gaining juicier gossips that have been paving the way for people to remember her, but in a negative way. If only those gossips had been attributed to their nameless stars, they would get their chance to be put on a spotlight once and for all and be known to all those who watch TV, and not by a few who live in Mega Manila and happen to have the AGB meter installed on their antennas.

The Dingdong-Marian team-up is just hype. People love the shows that they've been featured on. But people would have same reaction no matter who were the actors playing the roles that these two had played. This can be proven by their flop movie. People won't bother to pay their hard earned money to see these two lousy acting on the big screen. And this is now a stronger claim due to the poor reception and low ratings that their current soap has been getting.

Before GMA 7 could work out what projects should they give these two in the future, they must first force Dingdong and Marian to undergo serious acting workshops. They are not getting any younger. And people have seen enough of their flesh, they are raring to see some serious acting from them (and well, from all GMA talents who were not previously managed by ABS CBN).

I really didn't care about the tirades being exchanged by Anabelle Rama and Wilma Galvante. That is until I heard in the news today that Rama is planning to pull out all her talents from GMA and move them all to ABS. Oh no, is this another Becky Aguila in the making? Until now, I can't force myself to watch Angel Locsin and Valerie Concepcion on TV. And with Rama's plans, and if ever ABS would agree with that, that will definitely be a disaster for most Kapamilya stars, especially those who are still waiting for projects. Most Kapamilya viewers wouldn't like it either. I don't know who this JC is and I don't have plans to know him either. Let him stay with GMA and soon enough, people will forget about him just like the other artists over at the Kapuso fence.

One important realization that came out during the peak of this Anabelle-Galvante word war is that Galvante said that Heart Evangelista was not the reason why Luna Mystica is getting good ratings (in Mega Manila). Galvante said that people love their fantasy series and they would watch it no matter who are included on the cast. In other words, people don't really care about their stars. Here is an excerpt from Ms. Rama's interview on PEP :::

"Parang nakakasakit na sinabi ni Wilma sa nanay ni Heart na kaya nag-number one
ang Luna Mystika dahil inaabangan ng masa ang fantaserye ng GMA. Sabi ng nanay,
'Ibig sabihin, yung pagod ni Heart na pagpapalit ng mukha dahil sa prosthetic,
na-hospital pa, hindi man lang nila na-appreciate? Wala man lang credits?' So,
matutuwa ka ba? Kaya ako nagwawala dahil sa mga alaga ko. Hindi ako nagwawala
dahil naiinis ako."

I don't really care about the people involved in this issue. I just want to express my concerns for ABS CBN who may later get the services of the stars that Ms. Rama is handling. That would be a very unwise move and for sure, most Kapamilyas are dreading for such event to transpire.

Prove Me Wrong, Marian and Dingdong

GMA network is confident about their newest gems, Marian and Dingdong, enough to produce a film for this love team. The two rose into fame when Angel Locsin decided to leave GMA to what she (or her pa-kontrobersiyal manager) thought would be a better choice (but is proving to be disastrous). The team-up was warmly accepted by the public via the TV show "Marimar," despite their lack of good acting abilities.

Through time, the two keep on proving that they really have captivated the hearts of the boob-tube fanatics. They have been trusted with product endorsements as well. Their latter venture hinted that they are not that picky with the projects that they get. Marian looked like a bold star with her last ad for a soap or something. I can't recall because I always change the channel whenever she's on. And they have done ads for liquors and alcoholic beverages. I will not be surprised if they will agree on endorsing condoms in the coming days. But this is just my take on this.

Personally, I don't like Marian. There is something about her that turns me off. I stopped buying the products that she endorses. As for Dingdong, I used to like him way back his TGIS days. But through time, I still haven't seen him grow as an actor. He seems to be following the career path of Piolo Pascual. But one thing that he has to improve on is the reality that Piolo can act while Dingdong still has to do a lot of catching up.

I hope that Dingdong will really take his profession seriously. He will not forever look like a hunk. He has to show some real tears and poignant emotions before he loses the body that he is becoming more known for.

I cannot blame Dingdong though, or Richard Gutierrez for this matter. These two are popular stars of these days that lack the ability to convince people about what real emotions are all about. They are not still being given the right roles to hone their craft. They are continuously pampered with the kind of roles that their network thinks they can handle. Richard's non-acting prowess isn't that much obvious with fantaseryes or action fantasy series. Dingdong can just flaunt his hot bod and no one would mind if he is carrying out a sloppy performance.

GMA still has a lot to learn from ABS CBN in handling talents (but do not follow their lead in freezing their careers), especially those who are on the rise. John Lloyd wouldn't be where he is now had ABS CBN did not plan his career right. This also goes for Lloydie's team-up with Bea.

Unlike the Marian and Dingdong love team, John Lloyd and Bea took calculated steps in order to become successful multimedia artists. ABS planned what roles they must play, when they would be allowed to kiss on TV, then on films, when they would be given more matured roles, etc. This way, the two are becoming prepared and honed for the next roles that come their way.

With the Marimar duo, people have already seen them do everything on TV. They kissed, made love, kissed, shown off some skin, kissed and well, this is where they are good at, kissing.

What more can people expect from their film that they still haven't seen them do on TV? The only thing that is left for them to do is frontal nudity that I don't think they would be willing to do just yet. And knowing GMA Films' track record when it comes to love stories, the soon-to-be-released Marian-Dingdong film will be a familiar one and something that will not prompt the non-fans to pay at the cinemas just so to catch the film.

The non-fans are the people behind the success of films like "A Very Special Love." These are the people who are only waiting for good movies and do not really care about the stars. Yeah, Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz already have a following of their own. But the non-fans helped the movie hit its blockbuster status.

And how is GMA going to promote the film of Marian and Dingdong – Kakaiba? Maraming halikan? May bed scene? GMA may appear to be the number one network in Mega Manila. But Mega Manila is not the whole Philippines. And the sources of ratings are only composed of few households. Are these people who brought the pair to stardom on the little screen will be willing to pay their hard-earned money to see the team-up on the big screen?

I doubt it. But I am very much open to be proven wrong.

GOOD SUNDAY TV UNTIL THERE WAS CRISTY FERMIN

Over the weekend, there were triumphant feats on local TV. There was the successful launch of Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson starrer, My Only Hope. The show proved to be a big threat with its attractive visuals, good story and talented leads. I wonder if this is the reason why a GMA 7 starlet who used to be a Kapamilya is hinting that Gerald is courting her and fetches her every day. And the news broke out at a time when the remarkable love team is out of the country for a series of shows. This starlet had already caused a former hit Kapamilya love team to part ways. Will she be able to do it again?

I haven’t heard this starlet say anything about the issue because I don’t watch her shows because I don’t like her. But I have read some write-ups of showbiz reporters under GMA 7’s payroll about the issue. Now, now, GMA 7, if you feel so threatened with the Kimerald team-up, you might as well work your butts out to create stars instead of demolishing the hard-earned careers of good people like Kim and Gerald. Give out groceries or what have you to make sure that people tune in from Unang Hirit to Walang Tulugan. But please, stop the demolition jobs to the Kapamilya stars.

There is really a reason why Judy Ann Santos did not leave ABS CBN despite all the efforts of GMA 7 to acquire her services. But there are still no demolition jobs being set up by GMA 7 to the young superstar. Not yet. They are still courting the actress and giving her what her home studio seems to neglect. Is GMA 7 secretly hoping to get the exclusive rights of Judy Ann’s wedding to Ryan, whenever that will finally happen? I think so. But having observed Juday's, or should I say her manager's love-hate relationship with the Kapamilya network, she might surprise us all by jumping over the bakod one of these days. A piece of advice to Juday, do that only if you want to semi retire from showbiz. See what happened to Jolina Magdangal, she is visible all right, but she fails to shine.

Back to the starlet, a little bird told me that she appeared on the late night comedy show of Joey de Leon at the Kapuso network, Nuts Entertainment, and said that only one guy is courting her at the moment. And that is none other than Deither Ocampo. So it will be better if GMA 7 will watch their own shows to set their facts straight before coming up with issues.
Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Another good thing that happened over the weekend was when Philip Nolasco bagged in the title of being the first champion of the PDA Little Dreamers. Now, now, this child has a lot more potential to be a star than the winner of the PDA adult division, Laarni something who still have to make her presence felt in the industry. But Philip, you must be warned. Once you become a star, GMA 7 might pay some tabloid reporters and create issues linking you with Kapuso starlet. Haha! Spare the child, please.

In between My Only Hope and PDA Little Dreamers, there was The Buzz. So I switched channels because I didn’t want to hear whatever Cristy Fermin would say. But oh well, it has become an item and a bigger issue than the root of all this which was… just to refresh the memories of those who have become lost with all the hullaballoo, the conflict between Gabby Concepcion and his foul-mouthed manager, ex-manager. Gosh, her existence makes Lolit Solis looks like an angel.

So Cristy, in order to get people’s attention, said something that even if it’s true or not, should not be made known to the tsismis-hungered public. My God, tsismosa ako but that is already a private matter that I don’t think people would still want to know, especially from a person who have long kissed her showbiz career goodbye.

I haven’t done the part two of my "Why Do ABS-CBN’s Ratings Keep On Plunging Down." But Cristy Fermin is definitely a big part of that. Why this liar still has a show on a good timeslot, I cannot understand. Does ABS CBN fear Ms. Fermin? That is the only conclusion that I can arrive at. Well, give her a Walang Tulugan rip off. People are talking. People are clamoring for her to be removed from The Buzz. Don’t you read her Pilipino Star Ngayon column? I don’t. But I read the comments’ section. And nobody seems to like her anymore. She has no credibility. And keeping her on the show that caused Ms. Kris Aquino to drop it off is a big mystery, since nobody likes her.

My Only Hope is for Kris to go back on The Buzz and remove Cristy on the face of local TV. And may Philip be given more projects that will make his star shine the brightest.

Pinoy Dream Academy Hailed Its Champ, the Network's Soon to Be Frozen Delight!

...Forgive me for the title. I just don't really like the winner.

Last Saturday, we were treated to the grand performance of the top six scholars of the Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2. The other ousted scholars also joined in the fun by having a production number.

This was how I felt that night. For the unlucky ones who weren't able to join the top 6, Chivas stood out. He could have been the one if he didn't get sick that caused him to voluntarily exit. Yeng Constantino, being the champ of the previous season, will be hard to replace. But this guy could have easily done that. Like Yeng, Chivas is cool but when he sings, he rocks. And besides, he seems to be a sweet partner to Bunny and a good father to their son. He can be packaged as the dad that rocks, hehe! But with the limited exposure he had on the show, I don't think that it is possible to achieve now.

For the top 6, this is how I felt about them and about how they performed. Chris is pretty and has improved a lot, but she doesn't have the x-factor to make it big in the industry. Van is cute but he really looked gay with his makeup, especially in the eye area. I don't know, I just feel that he'll easily be forgotten as well. Miguel is boring, period. Bugoy sounds good, but it will be hard to sell someone like him. Or maybe I am not just used to the idea. I don't like Laarni from the start, so I switched channels when she sang. Liezel was always amazing and she stood out that night. She sang like she was telling us that "I deserve the title and I am bound to be a star."

So you can just imagine how I felt come Sunday night when Liezel was announced as top 4. And what's worse? Laarni was announced as the winner. She couldn't believe it. And so do I! I don't know where her votes came from. I even jested my sister that maybe, GMA 7 has something to do with this. They voted for Laarni to make sure that the PDA champ is not going to be popular, just like the winner of Philippine Idol, whom until now, I don't have any idea what he/she looks and sounds like.

My hunch is that Laarni is going to be the next frozen delight of ABS-CBN. At least, she has the million and the house and the car and the business. She doesn't need the fame, especially if somebody else deserves that more than she does.

WHY DO ABS-CBN'S RATINGS KEEP ON PLUNGING DOWN?

I've long wanted to do this. I even wanted to e-mail this to ABS-CBN's bigwigs. Kapal no? =) But the fact is, I am a customer and I want to get what I want. And ABS-CBN is not giving it to me. But do not get me wrong, I happened to switch channels last Sunday because ABS was showing a boxing match of I-don't-really-care who. And God, SOP sucks! They've got no stars. And even the established singers like Ogie and Janno cannot get their notes right. I promise never to watch SOP ever again! And as much as I love to hate ABS-CBN, I cannot transform as a Kapuso either. They are lucky to have good show formats, except for SOP! But star-wise and quality-wise, they still cannot compete with ABS-CBN.

So without further ado, allow me to rant and rant and rant...

Kapamilya ako, but I'm no longer watching most of their shows. I don't know what's gotten on their bigwigs' heads but they are no longer fighting to win. Why do its ratings keep on plunging down when they literally have all the big stars? Here are my thoughts about it.

1. They keep on acquiring 'unwanted' stars. Not because Angel Locsin became the queen of GMA soaps means that the Kapamilya viewers will accept her with open arms. I'd rather see Roxanne Guinoo or Kristine Hermosa on Lobo than the ex-Kapuso star. And the same sentiment also goes to 'kairita' Valerie Concepcion and Cristine Reyes.

Valerie should have been loyal to GMA. The network didn't let her down when she became an unwed teenage mom. As for Cristine, she doesn't have the charisma to be a big star. If ABS wants a sexy star, pick someone from your frozen delight beauties and I'm sure that they'll perform even better than this one.

And oh, is Ara Mina still on ABS? She was on her way down. Gravity seems to keep on pulling her down because of her not-so-nice-to-look-at extremely big boobies. She should have stick with GMA. At least there, they provide work for those who are loyal to them, even though they no longer have the spotlight on them. Just look at the old That's Entertainment stars resurfacing on GMA shows. And other stars like Antonio Aquitania and Wendell Ramos are still active despite the fact that they are maturing and are not as hot as before.

I pity the child star, I think her name used to be Charming when she was on GMA. She was already getting enough exposure. If her manager really cares for her, she should have let the child stay with GMA. She's barely visible now at ABS.

Other stars who should repent and seek GMA's mercy are Long Mejia and Dennis Padilla. They had everything going well for them until they were tempted to jump fences and forgot about gratitude. They were funny. But ABS doesn't have shows to accommodate their talents. I didn't include Dagul here because he still has Going Bulilit. But he could have more had he opted to stay a Kapuso. And Brod Pete could thrive wherever he chooses to. He will shine as a comedian or as a writer whether he's with GMA, ABS, even TV5 or RPN 9 or NBN 4, simply because he is genuinely funny.

And I will not forget to mention Jake Cuenca. This 'yabang' looking guy even became 'Palos' when the then frozen star Jericho Rosales could have done better justice to the role.

The only welcome addition to this roster is Billy Crawford. He shined better when he transferred to ABS. He needed the exposure because he needs to be seen as much as possible by the viewers abroad. And this guy is indeed talented, makes me want to open the TV again whenever he's on.

2. Speaking of freezer, ABS does not care about their talents. If they are no longer bringing in the cash as they used to, the network will freeze their careers until the damage becomes irreparable. And what does this say about them? It is fair enough that they are not the one using the Kapuso tagline because they've got no heart. They don't deserve being called Kapamilya either. What suits them best is Kanegosyo. I pity the stars who have dreamt of becoming big only to be stuck on the rut.

Other worthwhile stars opted to find other gigs at other networks. Kapamilya should have given Charlene Gonzales a better show. People love her. ABS is nuts to let her go so easy.

Sandara Park was brought to stardom by ABS. But the network also brought her to star-doom. This girl was unique in many ways that she could have been given roles where she would excel. But nope, they let her star lose its glow until she decided to go back to her home country. Hopefully, she will become big there that ABS will realize what a gem they had easily let go. Just look at how they are trying to rush deals for the soon to be Hollywood-bound Charice? She was being groomed then by ABS to be frozen. But thanks to YouTube, this young girl's life was changed forever.

Where is Geoff Eigenman? This actor has a lot of potential other than hosting ASAP segments. He is not just given the right roles. No thanks to the surge of the ex-PBB hunky English-speaking stars. They are getting all the attention. John Avila became the dubbed Kapitan Boom. I wonder how they will remedy Will Devaugn's twisted tongue on the next Judy Ann soap. You already have Sam Milby. This guy is really talented so I have no objections with the attention that he is being given. But enough of his likes already. Masakit sa tenga. Sam just became an exception because he sings really well. And who will ever forget the lines, "I never… said… that I-lahv-you."

3. The horrors of Wowowee. This show should have been suspended from the time it caused a lot of deaths. Willie should have been made liable for all those lives. Whatever they say, it is a fact that the pre-taped shows of Wowowee before the incident happened showed Willie encouraging people to keep on coming to the venue. No one even cared to flash updates or caution that it will be safer for other people to stay at home because of the crowd buildup. ABS wanted good TV. And the hoards of people who flocked the venue may be it. They were not prepared that they would become the news itself. And as a sign of respect to all the deaths that was caused by the network's inefficiency, Wowowee should have been cancelled.

4. The horrors of Mariel Rodriguez. She exposed her real self on her PBB stint. She was far too different from what she's projecting on TV. She thinks that the masa and she referred to the Wowowee crowd as mabaho. She thinks that showbiz is baduy. And she curses so much, I don't think she's suitable to be watched by children. But she's still not being dumped by the network on the freezer. If only this is the 'Apprentice,' I'd tell Mariel, 'You're fired.' She will never recover from her blunders. No one will ever forget her real self. And as part of the masa crowd, if she doesn't like us, we don't like her either.

5. The news and current affairs. How do you expect us to keep up with the ever changing hosts and formats of the shows on this department? You started the early morning news/talk show format on Philippine TV. But you don't show any mercy for the likes of Tin-Tin Bersola among so many others being axed on the show without any replacement for the lost job. With these kinds of shows on TV, I think that viewers have to develop certain level of leaning and association with the programs that they choose to watch. It is better to trust old friends in this regard. You'll have better confidence in learning from the shows that have been around for a long time.

And this is what GMA is good at. They don't just cancel a show in this department just because it didn't get the desired rating for a month or so. Look at where "Imbestigador," "I-Witness," "Wish Ko Lang," just to name a few, are now. These shows are still being watched because like the real sense of "Kapamilya," hindi tayo basta iniwan na lang ng mga shows na to. I cannot cite same samples for ABS-CBN. Yeah, TV Patrol has been around for the longest time. But they were not sensitive to its original hosts. The show was transferred to Korina Sanchez, right? Then it was given to the then new-transferee from the other network. I cannot really understand if ABS even knows the meaning of compassion.

The same feeling goes for Magandang Gabi Bayan. It was a good show. It was better than the one with Kuya Kim now where he's really trying hard to be Steve Irwin. Had MGB been retained, it will still dominate the 6PM Saturday timeslot. Yeah, its ratings may fluctuate from time to time. Pero babalik-balikan pa rin yun ng mga tunay na kapamilya. But the damage has been done and it's getting too hard to repair.

(I'll have a part two on this. I still have much more to rant about. And the second part will focus on the drama block.)

to be continued...

GMA 7 AND ABS CBN, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

As time goes by, free TV in the Philippines has gone more toward giving the audience quality programming. But sadly there are only two stations that stand out and are actually being watched by most Filipinos, GMA 7 and ABS CBN.

The Filipinos are not divided by political parties. No one would ask you in the Philippines whether you are a Republican or Democratic. In this nation, the war is geared towards these two giant networks and the people must choose whether they are Kapuso if they root for GMA 7 or Kapamilya if they are all out for ABS CBN.

You can see this fact on Web forums, on street talks or even in the offices and sometimes, families are even divided as to what TV station they prefer. Oh, well, maybe that is one of the reasons why many households here have more than one TV set at their homes.

This is not a laughing matter, though. The ardent fans are becoming more and more personal with the way they hit at whatever stations they most like. They would even research with the ugliest details behind the people running the stations, uncover buried hatchets and even create intrigues just to spark more controversies.

If you think that the two stations would do something to pacify the fans or at least straighten out lies and lay out the facts, well, that's far from what's really happened and is still happening.

GMA 7, because they lack superstars at their fence, was said to propagate dirty write-ups, scandalous intrigues that are mostly not true and the last issue that they were said to be doing was sabotaging the ratings game, paying people to watch their shows, the people that they were able to locate as part of the AGB rating's system data gathering.

While ABS CBN, being the larger network that owns the largest electric company and various cable channels in the country, was rumored to be sabotaging GMA 7's reception in certain cable channels and cutting down on the electricity when a new and exciting program of the other network is about to be aired.

So which is the lesser evil?

As a televiewer, I still watch free TV whenever I want to. But these past few days, the networks' feud over the "tainted" ratings results fill both the stations' gaps, both saying that it is for our own sake that they want to show the truth blah-blah-blah.

As someone who wants to watch their shows, I, for one, don't really care about the so-called "truth." I don't care about the stations per se, but rather, their programs and talents. I hate it when they do dirty tactics just to advance ahead the competition. Quality programming is all I care about them both and if they have issues to be resolved, I don't think that the public should be flooded about it because this would only cause the Kapusos and Kapamilyas to argue and argue more, benefiting the two stations.

Something should be done about this. Someone should act on it. And for GMA 7 and ABS CBN, be responsible enough to stop the ads pertaining to the "search for truth." Both of you should just actually learn from the spidey guy that with great power comes great responsibility.

Come on, giant networks, enough is enough!

MARIMAR, OUCH!

Its full-blown promo didn’t fail its mother network, Marimar was well-accepted by Filipino viewers (or at least, the Mega-Manila viewing public). And alas, despite all the Angel Locsin brouhaha, a star has evolved in the persona of Marian Rivera.

But it is too soon for the local Marimar. The show is all about hype, hype and more hype. Watch it and you’ll soon find yourself saying “Marimar, ouch!” The acting of all the contemporary leads is all bad. They are acting, yes, to the extent that they can, yes, but I cannot feel their characters. Marian is still Marian, Dingdong Dantes is still Inaki (he has never outgrown his TGIS character), and Katrina Halili is just a sexy star wannabe, but still very young to be one.

If only this is not a remake. If only so many people didn’t know how Thalia gave life to the role. How she became Marimar on screen that those who were watching it thought that she really was her character. Watching the local version makes one feel like Marian is so trying hard to imitate Thalia’s performance, but as a new star, failed to do so that everything becomes crap.

All the actors need more workshops. Or else, just call it a reality show where all the actors are playing themselves.

Marian has a lot of potential to become a big star. This may be the right vehicle, but she was just not prepared. This was also the perfect project for Dingdong to do away with his wholesome image, to become disassociated from Inaki. But sadly, he has achieved the right “Sergio” body, but when it comes to acting, it still is raw, it still is “muntik na pero hindi pa rin.” As for Katrina Halili, the role isn’t right for her. It needs someone so attractive, more seductive than the female lead, as to make one believe that the Sergio character is still so much into her while the latter’s father is a fool to believe that she’s also into him. And Katrina, for me, doesn’t fit the role. Despite the “pa-sexy” image, she still has the innocence that couldn’t justify a “kontrabida” role like what she’s playing in this soap.

But what makes it click? The freshness of Marian is the main factor, then Dingdong’s well-appreciated transformation from being the always chubby one to this leading man material and, of course, the story itself. Marimar is something that many Filipinos had loved when it first aired in the country. And this is the sort of story that most Filipinos crave for, the Cinderella, rags to riches type.

It still ain’t over. The actors can still improve on their performance. Forget the hype. Work hard on your craft. Make the viewers sing to the tune, “Marimar, aw!”