Cristy Fermin is Out, Who’s Next?

The latest development about one of the most hated showbiz host, writer and reporter, Cristy Fermin, is welcome news to all local tsismosos and tsismosas. Ms. Fermin was suspended for two months as anchorperson of DZMM’s Showbiz Mismo and co-host of ABS CBN’s Sunday showbiz-oriented show, The Buzz.

If you have read my previous post, you will know that I am among the happy tsismosas these days because of what happened. Now I think that ABS CBN can focus its attention on giving The Buzz its needed boost by letting Kris Aquino (just a suggestion) grab the mic from the silenced Femin. It will also be of added value if someone who is funny will be included on the show. I wonder why John Lapuz was ever axed from it when he/she is more enjoyable to watch than Joebert Sucaldito. But who is deserving of the spot?

There are fans clamoring for Ogie Diaz’s TV comeback along with his Locomotion gimmick on The Buzz. Ogie has been recently axed on his morning show on ABS CBN, Umagang Kay Ganda, because he had conducted services as a member of the press which was in conflict to his role as a UKG co-host. Well I admit that Diaz is funny and the Locomotion is nakakaloka. But this guy has also gotten himself into trouble with fans because of his biased reporting about celebrities, including the Kapamilya stars. And this is how Cristy started to get herself into the mud. She is biased. She sticks to what she was paid to believe in and will even include innocent children to her expose just to make her statements sound true.

According to the official statement of ABS CBN that I read over Inquirer.net:

“It was deemed that Ms. Fermin did not conduct herself with due regard to social conventions and public morals. Her statements went beyond the bounds of decency as they involved innocent children who are not party to their personal dispute. Ms. Fermin's statements violated the highest standards of professionalism and journalistic integrity.”

This is a good move for ABS CBN to start cleaning up their acts and give people what they want and what they deserve. So who will be next to be voted out? I’d go for Willie Revillame and then Mariel Rodriguez. What a delight TV viewing will be if we will no longer see these kinds of people who fill the boob tubes despite the fact that people want them removed.

What happened to Cristy Fermin must also be an eye-opener for showbiz reporters and showbiz-oriented shows to be responsible with the power they were given as part of the media spectrum. You don’t know the gravity of the effects of the tsismis you bring out for all people to devour to the celebrities involved in those. Stars, despite the glitz and glamour, are also humans. They deserve to be respected and their private lives must stay private.

Mr. and Mrs. Brad Pitt - Too Good to be True?

It seems like Hollywood is all about Brangelina. What are they doing? What are they up to? They can sell their every family picture and people are actually going to buy them. It seems weird. Sometimes I envy Angelina for having hooked up with a guy like Brad Pitt (I mean in terms of looks). He is the perfect model for every brochure printing paper and other types of media as well.

But as I go about reading the entertainment pages online and read about their every step on this planet, I stop feeling envious. From my point of view, it seems like a surreal life. Big Brother is watching them and they are selling all the rights to be followed by the cameras for a price, of course. Oh well, it has been publicized that the money that they are getting from selling the photos of the beautiful members of their family goes to charities that they support.

They are beautiful. They are happy. They help save the world. And all these seem fake, well for me as a spectator of all these at least. Is this all fake or their PR people are the best in the industry?

This week, we all have read and heard about how Angelina loves Brad. She said that he is the reason why she was convinced to get pregnant. She talks about how he helps her in raising the children, how Brad loves all their children. And she has a movie that she is promoting and people cannot think of anything to ask her but about her most photographed family.

I’m sorry. I am really not a fan no matter how I try to convince myself that these are good people, if not the perfect couple. They are so perfect that they are becoming a bore. There will come a time when people would no longer care.

At least with Suri, daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, not everything is in perfect position. The child has parents who are being criticized every now and then. But despite all that, even with the issue of Scientology surrounding them, they appear more human than the family of Angelina and Brad.

In the case of Jennifer Lopez, she has finally become human in my eyes when I read the interview that she wanted to stop from getting on print. I hope that celebrities do share such facts to their fans. J-Lo revealed how she suffered from depression for a time and how she acted and resolved the problem. She shared how she was also affected of postpartum depression 10 days after she gave birth to her twins. The interview answered in a humane way why she opted to sell her babies’ pictures. Asked if she gave the $6 million that they got from it to charity, she said that they donated a little to a good cause and saved the rest for the twins.

I miss those days when Britney Spears was going all crazies and people were absorbed with all her antics. At least the news at the time was not splattered with Brangelina and all their children and how perfect they are.

It is ideal for celebrities and non-celebrities alike help out to raise awareness about good causes. But the public do not have to know every detail that goes into it. But that is just my take on this. I know that there is a clamor to see everything that is happening to this perfect family, hence the proliferation of their images may it be in print or the broadcast medium.

Jason Priestly Heads Back to His Former Home

Another original 90210-er is bound to head back home. It was announced that Jason Priestly is going to be involved in the production, but this time, he will no longer be the on-cam eye candy. Instead, he will try his hands directing an episode that is set to air this spring. Read the rest of the entry here.

Okay, I admit my mistake on my previous entry about this spin-off. So there are people who are excited about the show’s revival. But after the guest appearance of old stars like Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth, people want to see more of them and more of the old casts. They are proving that they are still worth to pose for billboards or even custom size brochures.

So will the younger and new 90210 batch supersede the fame of the original casts? All I’ve been hearing about the new babes of the show is that they look so thin that people have been clamoring for them to eat. What a way to be famous, eh?

What make the old casts special are the characters that they have given life to for the 10 years that the show aired. People want to see Brandon Walsh, Brenda Walsh, Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, Donna Martin and so on. If not for the show and the characters, I don’t think that people would like to see much of Jason Priestly, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, Tori Spelling and the rest of the grown up casts of this 90s hit show.

So am I smelling a complete reunion soon? That will be nice and something to look forward to.

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.

Borat Strikes Again!

I never was able to watch Borat, but it is something that never leaves my soon-to-watch list. But even before I can get myself a copy of that film, I have read about another antic that Borat, er, Sacha Baron Cohen, has done one more time.

What did Borat do? Well, first things first, call him Bruno, another of Sacha’s alter-ego that will soon be bound to fame. He crashed at the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada’s show on Friday held in Milan. He strutted out of nowhere on the catwalk wearing an oversized black cape with too many out of place accessories. The organizers were surprised by the appearance. The designer was upset. The show was halted for a bit until Bruno left the venue.

Such antics were intended for Sacha’s new mockumentary entitled Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male. Kewlness! =) I can already imagine the hilarious outcome of the movie posters printing that will be done for its promotions.

One thing that I realized out of all such fuss, oh well, Borat ain’t bad looking, eh? I was looking at the pictures of the said event and I was wondering all along, where the hell is Borat? I got stuck with this image of him on my mind.

That when I was browsing for the Bruno mess-up with the fashion event, I really thought that he was the man at the right side who was wearing brown.

Now, now this newest flick from Sacha Baron Cohen will definitely be on my must-watch films. I only hope that he gets to finish the film without getting into any real legal trouble.

Awww! The Coming Out of Clay Aiken

The headlines are saying it all. Now this news story is worth more than the technology of digital image printing. It feels good when you confirm what you’ve always believed is true. And here are the headlines that will definitely fill the gossip-landia for quite a time. Read the comments as well. They offer much insight and more gossips than the real news.

Finally!!!!!

Clay Aiken Coming Out

Clay Aiken: 'Yes, I'm Gay'

Clay Aiken to reveal he is gay

New dad Clay Aiken comes out of closet

Do I need say more? The title of this blog was influenced by the magazine picture. Isn’t that cute? I mean the baby, Parker Foster Aiken ?

And well, for Clay, bravo. It takes courage to do what you’ve done, especially because he isn’t doing this for himself alone. To quote him:

"I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things."

And cheers to that!

My Only Hope - Soon on ABS-CBN

Now, now, this seems to be exciting. I am already looking forward to this new Kim Chiu-Gerald Anderson starrer. What makes this exciting is the fact that this has an original story. This is not a 'nakakasawa' tele-fantasy like Diosa. This is not another remake of a canned show from other countries like Betty la Fea. And this is not a rehash of old Phillipine soap operas like Iisa Pa Lamang. I am reserving any comments for Kahit Isang Saglit because I still haven't caught a glimpse of it.

My Girl was good. In fact, the directors and writers made the show fit into each cast member. But it also alienated many of the Kimerald fans, my 3-year-old niece included. First, the show had too many kissing scenes. I guess that ABS-CBN really wants their young stars to grow up fast. This was okay for matured fans like me. But the Kimerald has a following of people ranging from newborns and up. And second, the network decided to place it on a very late timeslot. This could have been a better hit if it was given the former timeslot of Sana Maulit Muli.

Why not place My Only Hope on Primetime and re-run My Girl on Sundays after ASAP? That would be ideal. But that will remain a suggestion because My Only Hope will start on October 5, Sunday, after ASAP.

Here's the trailer of My Only Hope. Credits to jamatias18 on YouTube.

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...

One Big Group Hug for the Fab Four!

I know, I haven't been updating this, especially after all the drama that transpired on the much awaited Eraserheads' Reunion Concert. For now, I'm sure you already know how Ely had to rushed to the hospital during the band's 20 minute break because of chest pains. Then he had to go an angioplasty procedure. But he is okay now and latest reports say that he's resting at home (maybe gathering his strength for the second part of the reunion?) Ooh, what would it be named if that will push through? "The Continuation"? "Second Set"? Or the now infamous "Group Hug"?

It was touching to hear that after every song the band played that night, the crowd will chant "Group Hug." It was an evidence that people went there not merely to see them perform, they want to see them patch things up. But I guess that things are on clearer perspective now.

Many shows have aired different versions of what happened after that fateful concert. But here are the links to the most detailed interviews with the guys, except for Ely, after the event.

THE DRUMMER WILL DRUM: Raymund Marasigan

THE BASS MAN HOLDS THE LINE: Buddy Zabala

THE GUITARIST HANGS LOOSE: Marcus Adoro

THE SESSIONIST: The fifth e-head