THE LAST GREAT PINOY CHRISTMAS SONG

There are only two kinds of Filipino Christmas songs. The first kind are the festive ones. This include the songs in the Handog Pamasko ng Mga Bituin album featuring OPM legends the Apo Hiking Society, Celeste Legazpi, Basil Valdez and Florante singing the now classics Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, Himig Pasko, Noche Buena, Sino si Santa Claus and many more. Also belonging in this category is the APO’s Christmas album, Ariel Rivera’s Silent Night na Naman and Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in Our Hearts.

The second kind are the senti ones. Senti is short for sentimental. These songs all share the story of losing a lover during the Christmas season. The best example is Gary V’s Pasko Na, Sinta Ko. Other senti holiday songs are Miss Kita Kung Christmas, Sana Ngayong Pasko and Parang Hindi Pasko.

Every year, a couple of Filipino artists release Christmas albums. Most of the songs in the album are covers of foreign and Filipino Christmas classics. That’s because it’s difficult to come out with a new Filipino Christmas song that everyone will love. The last time an original Filipino Christmas song became a hit was in 1990 with Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in Our Hearts. It was the carrier single of JMC’s album of the same title and it was a duet with Liza Chan. The album went multi-platinum and two decades later the song is still played every Christmas. It was considered the last great Pinoy Christmas song. Well, that is until….

It has become a tradition with ABS-CBN and GMA to put out Christmas station IDs. These IDs are music videos featuring the networks’ stars. In 2009, the ABS-CBN Christmas ID featured the song “Star ng Pasko”. It was aptly titled because that year’s biggest TV hit is May Bukas Pa featuring child wonder Zaijan Jaranilla as miracle boy Santino who calls Jesus “Bro”, a slang for brother or friend. It was also that year that most of Luzon was submerged in massive floods caused by typhoon Ondoy. People’s morale is in an all-time low. It also happens to be the “ber” months. With Christmas fast approaching what people need is something to uplift their spirits. The timing is just perfect for “Star ng Pasko”.

The new Christmas song became a hit. Scores of YouTube versions of the song went viral. Kids included the song in their caroling repertoire. Shopping malls are playing it along with Jackson 5’s I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. The recall for the song was just so great. A year later, a new Christmas song was introduced and was sung by Gary V and Toni Gonzaga. Even if it sampled from the previous song (the lyrics ‘dahil ikaw bro ang star ng Pasko was used at the song’s end), it wasn’t a hit. The people still want “Star ng Pasko”.

A week ago, ABS-CBN introduced the song "Da Best ang Pasko ng Pilipino" for their new Christmas ID. It hasn’t received much airplay so it’s early to tell if it’s going to be a hit. Well, good luck to that. As for Ikaw Bro ang Star ng Pasko, there’s no need to say that it is destined to be a Christmas classic. Because it already is.

WHAT THEY SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT

The last Ad Congress featured the top 3 TV heads - Lopez for 2, Gozon for 7 and Pangilinan for 5. The 3 Clowns of TV talked about how they are going to be the top TV station when it comes to advances in TV technology.

What they should talk about is how are they going to improve the quality of programming of their TV stations. On average, most of what we see in Filipino TV is crap. Every single TV drama suffers from repetitive storylines and poor writing. The sitcoms are not funny. News programs sound like talking garbage tabloids. The variety shows are time-wasters. And the unnecessary gossip shows pollute the mind.

You want to start a revolution? Start with your programs. Last night, Ikaw ang Pag-ibig debuted. With today’s top four child stars in the lead, you’d think it’s for kids. But the pilot episode featured pregnancy from premarital sex and after a few minutes, murder. You want your kids to see that?

SUBTITLES PLEASE

Ever since we watched our first DVD I never watched another movie without the subtitles.  Subtitles, for those living under a rock, are the dialogue of the actors written on the bottom of the screen appearing as the actors speak them.  It is an excellent feature of the DVD that I never bothered watching on VCDs (now dead) ever again.  Only recently that I discovered that many movies on VHS tapes are also available with subtitles, just find the closed captions symbol (see below).

I don’t watch movies on cable because they don’t have subtitles.  But this year the movie channel Star Movies now have subtitles on most of the movies they show.  And that’s a big advantage they have over HBO, MGM and other movie channels.  And I am pretty sure more people are now tuned in to them.  Want to know why more Filipinos prefer MYX to MTV and Channel V?  It’s the lyrics.  Not only do they enjoy the music video but they also get to understand the lyrics and sing along.  Same thing with movie subtitles.  You enjoy the movie and you also get to understand what those actors with such strong accents say.

There are those who don’t like subtitles on the screens.  Well for me they are morons.  They delight over the special effects and the sound of explosions but ask them what the movie is all about and I bet they cannot answer.  There is probably a lot of dialogue that they did not understood and never bothered to because it’s the pyros and the exploding cars that they are after.  For me watching movies like that is just a waste of time and money.

Same thing in watching movies in a foreign language, I prefer subtitles to dubbing.  Dubbing is find in Japanese cartoons but in live-action films I want to feel the actual words being spoken even if I don’t understand them.  With the exception of those classic kung fu films, of course.  The way they are dubbed always leave me in stitches.  I also am not a fan of Tagalog-dubbed Asianovelas because they all sound alike.  Give me the subtitled originals anytime.

DVDs of Filipino films do have subtitles but only in English.  They should also add Filipino subtitles as another option.  I also think there should be a law that requires taped Filipino programs (teleseryes, docus) be dubbed.  This is a great service to the hearing impaired.  And also to those who are annoyed with actors who speak like there are stones under their tongues.  Honestly, does anyone understand anything that comes out of the mouths of Mark Herras, Rosanna Roces and Coco Martin? 

MY FIRST TIME TO WATCH A MOVIE

If asked what was the first movie they ever saw, most people would answer something of the family fare type.  Your lolos and lolas would say The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music.  Your parents may say ET or The Lion King.  Today’s kids’ first movie will most probably be from Pixar (in 3D or IMAX).

My first movie is horror.  Not just a scary movie but a gruesome, gory horror movie.  It’s called Zuma.  Zuma is a tall, green, muscular bald monster with a two-headed snake resting on his shoulders that eats the hearts of virgin women.  I saw it with my mom, my younger brother (also his first) and a tita in the no longer existing Aliw Theater Nova.  I remember refusing to go inside the dark theatre, playing a tug-of-war with my mom.  Once seated, I managed to keep my eyes open to look at then what I thought was the biggest TV screen I’ve seen in my young life. I say “managed” because there were a couple of times that I’ll bury my face in my hands or on my mom’s arm everytime a scary scene was on.

But now my brother thinks that what we actually saw was not Zuma but its sequel Galema: Ang Anak ni Zuma.  Galema is a beautiful woman with snakes for hair much like Medusa or Valentina.  She is at odds with Zuma because unlike her dear old dad killing is not her thing.  I think we first saw this film on free TV.  Brother said he saw it again on cable.

I hope to see both films again.  Whatever is the real first movie we saw, we both agree that Zuma was a part of our childhood.  We’ll definitely be at arms if there are ever plans of reviving the Zuma character.

If you’re asking what’s the next movie we saw the answer is Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang starring Chichay in the title role.  I don’t know if watching Zuma damaged our young psyche in anyway but if it did I think Lola Basyang repaired it somehow.

MY FIRST TIME TO WATCH A MOVIE

If asked what was the first movie they ever saw, most people would answer something of the family fare type.  Your lolos and lolas would say The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music.  Your parents may say ET or The Lion King.  Today’s kids’ first movie will most probably be from Pixar (in 3D or IMAX).

My first movie is horror.  Not just a scary movie but a gruesome, gory horror movie.  It’s called Zuma.  Zuma is a tall, green, muscular bald monster with a two-headed snake resting on his shoulders that eats the hearts of virgin women.  I saw it with my mom, my younger brother (also his first) and a tita in the no longer existing Aliw Theater Nova.  I remember refusing to go inside the dark theatre, playing a tug-of-war with my mom.  Once seated, I managed to keep my eyes open to look at then what I thought was the biggest TV screen I’ve seen in my young life. I say “managed” because there were a couple of times that I’ll bury my face in my hands or on my mom’s arm everytime a scary scene was on.

But now my brother thinks that what we actually saw was not Zuma but its sequel Galema: Ang Anak ni Zuma.  Galema is a beautiful woman with snakes for hair much like Medusa or Valentina.  She is at odds with Zuma because unlike her dear old dad killing is not her thing.  I think we first saw this film on free TV.  Brother said he saw it again on cable.

I hope to see both films again.  Whatever is the real first movie we saw, we both agree that Zuma was a part of our childhood.  We’ll definitely be at arms if there are ever plans of reviving the Zuma character.

If you’re asking what’s the next movie we saw the answer is Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang starring Chichay in the title role.  I don’t know if watching Zuma damaged our young psyche in anyway but if it did I think Lola Basyang repaired it somehow.

THERE’S MORE TO ENTERTAINMENT THAN TSISMIS

Here’s what’s keeping the tsismis reporters busy these days.  The “Who-Texted-Who-First Brouhaha” starring Shaina and Ruffa.  The “Missing 5 Million Peso Bank Account Scandal” with Raymart and Claudine.  Andi and The Baby Daddy.  The KC-Piolo split.  The Revilla Siblings Murder Mystery.  The Killing of Charice’s Father with Hurtful Banter and Tweets Exchange.

None of which are of any help to the movie industry.  The first four are just laundryshop gossip and are of no importance to people with at least half a brain.  The last two are major news because it involved crime, but still has nothing to do with improving the Filipino people’s taste in their entertainment choices.

It’s a pity that the mainstream entertainment media is focusing too much on crime and tsismis.  How about giving some time and space to more important stuff that will help raise the bar of local entertainment and elevate the people’s taste in watching movies?  Like the Cinema One Originals AND Cinemalaya.

These are festivals of movies minus the formulas.  The stars are not as big as the usual faces that you see sing and dance like retarded zombies on the Sunday noontime shows but the stories promise to be of more substance than a Star Cinema movie.

But that is not what the people want?  Then teach them to want it.  Think of Steve Jobs.  He just happened to create something that people never thought they would want or need.  You know, the iPad?

TWEEN COMEDIES

Here are plots of some of the hit TV shows in the US made for the teen/tween audience.  A teenage girl living a double-life as a popstar.  Teen siblings from a wizard family.  Two teenage girls starring in a hit Internet show.  If you have cable, you know that I’m talking about Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and iCarly.   

               

Now let’s look at what Pinoy TV has for the teen/tween viewers.  All three networks are running what the Star (ugh!) Awards annual calls the “youth-oriented” programs.  There is Growing Up on 2, Tween Hearts on 7 and Bagets on 5. All three claim to “tackle issues concerning today’s youth”.  Yah, right.  Like it isn’t pretty obvious that they were just made to build the next big loveteam.  It’s been like that since the 80s and the 90s with shows like Gimik and TGIS.  Sus, it’s been like that since Guy and Pip, Vi and Bot, and Roger and Carmen (ask your lola)!

I think the “loveteam” will always be a part of Pinoy entertainment just as much as Indian movies will always have a musical number in every movie.  But sometimes I wonder if the networks could at least try to give the young viewers something else than the usual “kilig” that those loveteam shows has to offer.  What about comedy?

               

                Barbie Forteza, GMA’s reigning tween queen, would do great in something like what Selena Gomez did in Waverly and Miranda Cosgrove in iCarly.  I think she’s a natural in comedy.  The network is now trying her in heavy drama in the new soap Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin.  But I would rather see the 14-year old throwing funny lines than crying every afternoon.