MADAM ANNA NEEDS TO GO TO HEAVEN NOW

When a TV show gets high ratings, it is expected that the network will extend its run.  You’ll get to read that in the papers if there are plans for a new season and they would call it like Season 2 or Book 2 or Ang Ikalawang Aklat.  They’ll bring in new characters or place the story in a new setting.  Sometimes it work, most often it doesn’t.  While there are viewers who would be happy to see more of their favourite artistas on TV because of the extended run, there are those who may get frustrated of the show and leave.  When is it gonna end, they ask.

And that may happen with one of my favourite shows today, 100 Days to Heaven.  I know that I’m not alone when I say that I’m really getting tired of the guest of the week setup.  I guess my fatigue began when they had Albie Casiño on the show.  I figured that they are going to use 100 Days as a depository for the artistas of ABS-CBN who does not have a regular show or are involved in some scandalous issue, like getting someone pregnant.  If the little story within the story is finely written then good, I’ll watch it.  But the last few ”Blame Ana” episodes were so boring, the stories were thinly written and it just felt forced.

This last week, 100 Days showed how Bobby and Miranda met, got married, and planted the roots on their way to become a power couple.  We now know that Miranda is involved in the killing of Madam Anna out of sympathy for Bobby.  The Jessica-Bart-Sophia love triangle was also played, with Jessica slowly turning psycho.   This week, 100 Days returns to the guest of the week set-up with Melai Cantiveros.  I have written before that if it’s not integral to the story, they should just drop it and focus on Madam Anna finding out that Sophia is her daughter.  And I think that is the real reason why she was brought back to Earth.

I hope 100 Days to Heaven concludes in the next few weeks.  Not because it’s getting that bad but because it might frustrate its viewers and force them to leave it for a while and look for somewhere else.  GMA7’s new series Iglot might take advantage of that, though I’ve seen the trailers of the new Claudine Barretto drama and it doesn’t look promising.  It would be wise for ABS-CBN to end the show while it’s (hell) hot. 

MADAM ANNA NEEDS TO GO TO HEAVEN NOW

When a TV show gets high ratings, it is expected that the network will extend its run.  You’ll get to read that in the papers if there are plans for a new season and they would call it like Season 2 or Book 2 or Ang Ikalawang Aklat.  They’ll bring in new characters or place the story in a new setting.  Sometimes it work, most often it doesn’t.  While there are viewers who would be happy to see more of their favourite artistas on TV because of the extended run, there are those who may get frustrated of the show and leave.  When is it gonna end, they ask.

And that may happen with one of my favourite shows today, 100 Days to Heaven.  I know that I’m not alone when I say that I’m really getting tired of the guest of the week setup.  I guess my fatigue began when they had Albie Casiño on the show.  I figured that they are going to use 100 Days as a depository for the artistas of ABS-CBN who does not have a regular show or are involved in some scandalous issue, like getting someone pregnant.  If the little story within the story is finely written then good, I’ll watch it.  But the last few ”Blame Ana” episodes were so boring, the stories were thinly written and it just felt forced.

This last week, 100 Days showed how Bobby and Miranda met, got married, and planted the roots on their way to become a power couple.  We now know that Miranda is involved in the killing of Madam Anna out of sympathy for Bobby.  The Jessica-Bart-Sophia love triangle was also played, with Jessica slowly turning psycho.   This week, 100 Days returns to the guest of the week set-up with Melai Cantiveros.  I have written before that if it’s not integral to the story, they should just drop it and focus on Madam Anna finding out that Sophia is her daughter.  And I think that is the real reason why she was brought back to Earth.

I hope 100 Days to Heaven concludes in the next few weeks.  Not because it’s getting that bad but because it might frustrate its viewers and force them to leave it for a while and look for somewhere else.  GMA7’s new series Iglot might take advantage of that, though I’ve seen the trailers of the new Claudine Barretto drama and it doesn’t look promising.  It would be wise for ABS-CBN to end the show while it’s (hell) hot. 

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

Let me start this article with a thumbs up to President Noynoy Aquino’s decision for the Philippine government to NOT give an official apology to the victims of last year’s Manila Hostage Crisis. One man’s wrongdoing is not the fault of the whole country.

Now in local entertainment news, should Mario Bautista write an erratum for an article he wrote about Carla Abellana whom she claims is not true? My answer is a resounding YES!

What was in that article anyway that made Abellana write an email demanding an erratum? Bautista wrote on the August 21 issue of Journal an article entitled “Geoff Won’t Watch Carla’s Daring Movie”. There were stuff mentioned there that the actress claimed she never said as there was never an interview done in the first place.

The two finally met on the presscon for Abellana’s new movie My Neighbor’s Wife. Bautista revealed that what he wrote all came from a press release by Regal Films. As a veteran writer like Bautista, shouldn’t he have checked if the facts from that press release were true? People should never believe press releases as most often they are just made up. And believe me, people, when I say that the entertainment news you read, see and hear is just of two things: CHISMIS and PRESS RELEASES.

Another thing that bothers me is Bautista’s tirade that Abellana never thanked her if he wrote positive stories about her and now that he wrote something that she didn’t like she reacts quickly. Perhaps many showbiz writers agree with him. In fact, one tabloid showbiz writer wrote that many celebrities fail to thank them if they wrote good stories about them but are quick on the rebound on the bad ones.

Are showbiz writers that EGOTISTICAL that they always need a thank you for something that they get paid for doing? So what if they don’t get a thank you? Do they expect the celebs to read everything that they write like they have nothing else important to do? And of course, they’ll answer if something bad is written about them just like what politicians or even common people would do. I remember reading another showbiz article that attacks “artistas” that don’t give them gifts on Christmas? Is that really a requisite? How about another article I read that claim that they, the showbiz writers, are the ones that can create or destroy a celebrity’s career? Whoa! Who appointed you gods?

One more thing. How sure is Bautista that Avellana wrote that email and not another press release writer? Isn’t that another thing he should have checked first?

Mario Bautista is a veteran writer and double checking facts should already be second nature to him. A simple sorry to Abellana should be in his next article. And he is free to attack that stupid press release that placed him and the actress in this debacle in the first place.

ANO? HINDI KA PA NAKAKAPANOOD NG MUNTING HEREDERA?

Munting Heredera is the best drama series in Philippine television today. If you asked me a month ago I would have said that ABS-CBN’s 100 Days to Heaven is the show to watch. But Heredera slowly captured the attention of viewers thanks to its fast pacing, superb actors and an engaging storyline.

I still believe that come awards season Coney Reyes, Jodi Sta. Maria and Xyriel Manabat should get a triple-tie for best actress. But 100 Days current guest of the week set-up got the show kind of dragging. Since last night, the show had stopped with the guest stars and now returns to finding out who killed Madam Anna. We’ll see where it goes from here and I hope that the next time there’ll be another guest star is that it would be really, really integral to the story and not just another way to extend the teleserye.

On the other hand, the writers of Munting Heredera seem to be enjoying their work. Yes, we know that eventually they’ll all find out that Jennifer is the real heredera but by killing off one of the main villains, Lynette as played by Katrina Halili, they gave the viewers An unexpected jolt. With this show, you’ll never really know what will happen. It also worked for the program when they reveal the coming episodes in the end credits. It made the viewers want to see more.

It’s funny but when this program first aired it was placed in a latenight timeslot perhaps because it didn’t star any of GMA7’s top artistas. What the TV channels should understand that sometimes a good and compelling story is enough to pull in the audience.

THE YOUTUBE STAR SEARCH

Just as I expected, GMA7 signed up their own YouTube discovery weeks after ABS-CBN signed up Maria Aragon, the 11-year old Canadian resident who became popular after doing a Lady Gaga cover on the same website.

Admittedly, I never heard of Leana Tabunar not until she was featured in 24 Oras. I checked out her video, which is at that time with 50,000+ views, a small sum compared to Aragon’s million hits. The 8 year old can sing, but isn’t way too early to call her a YouTube “singing sensation”? Anyway, I still wish her good luck. Leana debuted on Party Pilipinas last Sunday.

Not to be outdone, ABS-CBN may soon sign up another web discovery Arjohn Gilbert. The Aeta boy gained a following because of his impressive singing of Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars songs. Looks like finding the next YouTube talent is the new phase of the network wars. So when is TV5 will follow suit?

Others who made the jump from viral videos to TV include Momoy Palaboy (now regulars in Bubble Gang), Robert (in Happy, Yipee, Yehey) and Bekimon.

MORE DANCE, LESS DRAMA PLEASE

GMA7’s new primetime drama Time of My Life offers nothing new, except for the dancing scenes of course. I don’t understand why our local writers can’t get that molding “missing kid” storyline out of their systems. This time it’s Jean Garcia who is searching for a daughter (Kris Bernal) who may or may not be alive. Are their paychecks not large enough for them to come out with better scripts?

Time of My Life would have been a better show if instead of the usual tearjerker they turned it to a dramedy. None of the usual “apihan” and “sampalan”, which is already so boring. Wouldn’t it be better if it became the dance version of Glee? There will still be drama but not too heavy. There should be a lot of light moments and comedy. And everyone should dance. I bet you guys would love to watch Rez Cortez do some footwork like he did years ago. The token gay guy provides the only comedy in the current setup.

The only lifeline this program has are the dance scenes. Other than that, there is nothing else.

HINDI NA LANG BASTA INDIE

I would have to applaud Star Cinema and Regal Films for picking up the rights to distribute two films from the recent Cinemalaya festival. Last August 3, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank starring Eugene Domingo was released to mainstream audiences by Star Cinema and made them a whole lot of money. Another festival hit Ligo na U, Lapit na Me was picked up by Regal Films and is to be shown on September 7. I hope the other film outfits (GMA films, Viva Films, Studio 5) will also gamble on the other films shown in the festival. Come on, GMA films. You’ve got billionaires as bosses, surely you can afford to buy the rights to distribute films like Busong or i-libings. We’ve had enough of Richard Gutierrez Valentine’s Day movies anyway.

MAULAN AT MADRAMA

If you are a teleserye addict, you might have noticed “rain scenes” in most recent episodes of whatever you are watching. It’s not fake rain. Almost two weeks of back to back to back typhoons are the reasons why your favorite teleserye characters are carrying an umbrella.

            I’ve seen rain scenes on Futbolilits, 100 Days to Heaven and Munting Heredera. Even on Amaya, though there was no actual showing of rain you can hear rainfall on the background.

PAANONG NAKALUSOT SI SIMEON?

Last night in Munting Heredera, Simeon (Neil Ryan Sese) was able to enter the Montereal mansion by pretending to be one of the bodyguards. Now that is just dumb.

In real life, that would never happen. The security agency should have treated the Jacob-Sandra wedding as a high-risk case, knowing that Simeon is on the loose. Those bodyguards should already know each other days before the wedding and surely they know who Simeon is and what he looks like (even if he shaved and wears those glasses!). Also, they should have known in advance where they are going to be positioned throughout the wedding. On the actual day of the wedding, a head count should have been made. Simeon coming in late and making traffic as an excuse should already signal red lights, right? So it should have been impossible for a high-profile escapee to be able to break into the security.

One should wonder if such an incompetent security agency exists. Just imagine if the Presidential Security Group is as idiotic as those guys, the President’s life will always be in danger! Michiko Yamamoto was credited as episode writer for that night. Lapse of judgment, perhaps?

NASAN KA INAY?

What does Futbolilits, Amaya, Munting Heredera, Time of My Life, Babaeng Hampaslupa, Mutya, Mara Clara, Mula sa Puso, 100 Days to Heaven and Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin have in common?

             The answer – they ALL deal with the same theme of “the missing kid” or in Filipino, “ang nawawalang anak”!

              Now here are two more questions. Have our local TV writers no fresh ideas (Wala na ba kayong maisip na iba)? And are the viewers not yet tired of the same old story (Hindi pa ba kayo sawa)?

DO PEOPLE STILL BUY CDs?

Reports claim that music labels now make more money from digital sales of albums and singles compared to buying an actual CD. And with music easily downloadable, thanks to the Internet, the question is – do people still buy CDs?

I say YES for three reasons:

One. The Artwork. There are some CDs out there with really cool covers The boring ones are those that just put the singer’s face on the cover.

Two. A quick gift. Can’t think of a gift for someone for his birthday or for Christmas? Buy a CD of his favorite artist or type of music. Wrap it up, put a nice ribbon and a card and you’re ready for the party.

Three. The fanatic. Even if the artist comes out with an album every month, the fanatic will buy them. No matter how bad the reviews are, the fanatic won’t care. If there are more of those kind of people, music labels will be very happy.