why SOP trails ASAP in the ratings game - the thoughts of a supposed former fan

I used to enjoy SOP. And apparently so did many people, that is if you believed what the ratings had been saying for the longest time before the last decade drew to a close. But with the coming of 2010, the bright people behind the show decided, well, it's time for a change. And truly, it would have been a welcome move had they, the bright people, decided to change for the better. To cut to the chase, the Fully Charged concept was more like fullash*t.

Now, the trend shows a reversal of fortunes. SOP is now the underdog. I would normally go for the underdog any day of the week. But if the underdog looks and sounds like 'that' - pass me the remote or give me some drugs puleez!

But instead of abandoning the show in a huff with nary a word, I've spent some time meditating on what ails SOP and why they suck big time - for the most part anyway. And who knows, maybe the people behind  the show might stray here and find a light that could guide them out of the hellhole they are enmeshed in. Oh I'm sure they know they're in a quandary. Otherwise, La Primera Reina Regine wouldn't be rumored to be throwing tantrums here and there. And she has every right mind you. So here goes...

• Enough with the gaudy stage design. It is painful enought to see subpar rip offs of Madonna concert prods but to actually be blinded with fiesta-inspired lighting (read: busy) and gina-silk- looking costumes is death by That's Entertainment Saturday Edition all over again.
• It is obvious that rehearsals are not mandatory for the performers. If I am wrong, then there's no way I can explain the weekly assaults at my sensibilities. And unfortunately for SOP, ASAP's operative word seems to be either "tight" or "clean". Specially in the dance department.
• The cameramen should not be allowed to run amuck with their weapons. The tracking shots, the crane shots and all those nifty camera tricks that should wow the viewers end up as stimuli for eye sore if done nonstop. I know perfectly well that the aim is to make the energy on stage palpable, but most of the time it's feels like a roller coaster ride. And to make things worse, it's either I miss a highlight of a dance routine or I'm looking at a face that does not belong to the  voice singing in the background (hello? never in a million years will Janno Gibbs sound like Kyla). By the way, what's eating Janno's voice?
• Less and more. Less of actors who definitely should not host and less of performers whose star quality is equal to my own (and that's tragic). Cases in point. Dennis Trillo is better seen brandishing his acting chops and not reading spiels specially since he reads everything - grammatical errors and all. Oh right he can sing...make him stick to it then. And then there's Gian Magdangal whose all over the place. Yes he has talent but talent doesn't always cut it. The staff should know that by now, I mean how long has he been on the show? And? My point exactly. More of Frencheska Farr, Geoff Taylor, Chris Cayzer, Miguel Escueta and the other performers who should only benefit from more exposure. Like how can you build up the "next big stars" if these stars are not even allowed to shine? The smorgasbord prods only relegate them to a notch higher than the backup singers. And that's not a good thing.
• I've had it with the balloons. I know they're a peso aplenty and are oh so cute but they are blocking my view dammit!
• Edit edit edit. The spiels and the lyrics need double checking for they can make the hosts and the singers look, uh, bad.

As I'm writing this I heard that some major revamps are being planned for the show. If I may put my two cents in, start with whoever is calling the shots. It seems her/his creative tank has run dry and  her/his imagination is on a standstill.

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not the usual suspects: the hottest men who don't usually make the cut

I'll bet my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers that the men below will never make the Ang Pinaka list of the handsomest, most drop-dead gorgeous men eva-eva. Sure, they might pull up a surprise on People magazine's  most beautiful list but that list is always based on currency (read: who's hot now). 

Truth be told, I was having second thoughts about doing this entry as they (the men) might go from off the radar and into the pan after this - and then I'd have to deal with bigger competition. Sure I can stand my ground against a few, excuse my French, bitches but a whole school of them?! But then again, oh why the hell not? At least I'm spreading the good news - that ladies and gents' (of the pink mafia, that is) freedom of choice is not and should not be limited to the Brads and the Leonardos. Why go up against the world when I'm willing to share?

 I have this thing for older men. And French actor Jean Reno is the kind of older man I would prefer to have a May-December liaison with.  Oooh la-la!

Sensitive, intense but never flashy. I like men like that. And that's why the quintessential Englishman Colin Firth makes my list. And I'd take on that stiff upper lip of his any day just as long as the rest of him is not the far behind.

 

Okay, like do I have to get word from Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Jessica Simpson to convince you that this John Mayer dude is some hawt commodity? That settles it then. And John, honey, if you're reading this, my body is a wonderland...for two! Sorry, can't help myself! 

I hereby allow Jason Statham to violate me in any which way he can. I also give him my approval to transport me to anywhere in the world as long as he talks dirty all the time like he usually does in his movies. I also promise to get down and trashy if the, uh, scene calls for it.

 

 Not because Rafael Nadal's court is usually full that I'm settling for the next best thing. Hardly the case as you can very well see from the images above (and I can't even decide which is yummier!). Ahh Dmitry Tursunov, let's play a love game - your court, and balls, of course!   

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first time: it's kilig to the bones all over again with barbie forteza, joshua dionisio and jhake vargas!

 

The first scene didn't make me jump for joy in my frilly but oh-so flimsy pink nightgown. On the contrary, I felt something deflated inside me. No, I didn't pass gas if that's what you think. I thought, after getting all worked up by those cutesypatootsie teasers which had me daydreaming all the way back to high school (and it's a long journey - mind you) every time I catch one,  I'm actually being served another Florderluna-rehash yet again. Not that Flordeluna was no good, but how many times can one actually survive reboots of the same old formula? Are beautiful tween girls really thart cursed? I definitely was not! Ominously, I stayed on with the first episode after promising to myself I would bail out once I see Joshua Dionision and Jhake Vargas together in one scene so I could at least decide on who's better looking. As it turned out, it's a good thing Jhake didn't appear until the third episode because by then I have understood why the story had to go back to a month ago to start its run and what the rather dark drama in the first scene was all about.

In a nutshell, for those who missed the first week, Cindy (Barbie Forteza) met Lucas (Joshua) in a resort in Zambales and immediately became good friends. Cindy has problems with her mother while Lucas feels unloved by his father. Unbeknownst to everybody (with the exception of Cindy's father who 'stumbled upon' it), Cindy's uncle was having an affair with Lucas' mother. They were found out by Lucas' father one night and the mother was shot dead in the ensuing, though only implied, altercation. And the story begins again, one month after that fateful night. So, in the first two days of the show, the viewers were enlightened of what the primary conflict is or would be - an exciting, if not altogether more convoluted, twist to the Romeo and Juliet affair.

From the third to the fifth episodes, a myriad of characters that should play important roles in the lives of Cindy and Lucas were introduced. Foremost of course is Baste (Jhake). Cindy's best friend and the third wheel of what could be described as a young, romantic romp for the young. I mean, I sure hope nobody gets pregnant in the show at the age of katorse and undergoes mammoplasty on the side.  But let us not get sidetracked as that's another story. So anyway...there's this one particular scene that I thoroughly enjoyed. It opened the fourth episode and the viewers were treated to glimpses of the other bagets and some of the faculty in one fell swoop. That particular tracking shot meandered from the covered walks outside the school building all the way to the principal's office. And it was so fast - as if on a mission - that the blocking was totally obscured (no palpable sense of choreography whatsoever) and what stood out were the performances of (and the distinct characters played by) the actors. It was like seeing Oprah doing her "finger snaps in a circle" (snap snap snap tapos!). And oh, I think I'm already liking Natalie Dimaculangan's (Bea Binene) deliciously wicked tween queen-esque character.

As for the three leads, well, I could not ask for anything more. Barbie is a delight to watch. She is as pretty as she is talented and plays her part with realness and all heart. And talk about that telegenicness!  I must point out that I thank God that they made her sweet character not bordering on the old-school, vomit-inducing kind. Joshua can act and he proved it to one and all (this writer included) in his confrontation scenes with Eric Quizon who plays his father. He has depth and range and I'm so looking forward to more acting revelations from him. Not to be left in the lurch is Jhake. Although we have yet to see his character in any kind of  'serious' situation, he's effective in those relatively quiet scenes with Barbie. All eyes and nothing more - we get it, we feel it, we understand, and we approve.

I give kudos and props to director Andoy Ranay and the rest of the production team for giving us a fresh, exuberant and totally engrossing show. I hope there's never going to be a letup - not even a slowing down of the pace. Don't fix anything that don't need any. Oh wait, I think there's one little thingy that needs tweaking or considering - more music please! I truly like the Pers Lab cover by Julie Anne San Jose (originally by Hotdog) but think Bagets, or Dawson's Creek or Glee. Nothing beats a good coming-of-age story but a good coming-of-age story with a definitive soundtrack.

Before I end this, I thank whoever should be thanked for creating and developing this show as it offers not-so-young romantic fools like me a look back to how it was or is to be young and in love...for the first time.

Nasaan na kaya si Marti...Choz!
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starstruck v: my take and why it might be just another fluke waiting to happen

 

Before the rant, er, my assessment of the reality artista-search show's present and future, I want to make a confession - that I, the ever honest and fantabulous Menggay V has not been able to follow Starstruck V religiously and is highly influenced, in my views and opinions, by my yaya. That said, let's proceed.

From what I've seen and heard thus far. This had to be said. If Enzo Pineda wins the whole shebang, a fluke has happened - ala-Pinoy Idol. Now, I'm even kinder than my yaya who tongue-in-cheekly calls such an eventuality, ahem, a scam.

But let me explain. First, I agree with most people, specially the directors who have worked with him, that Enzo (left) is too to soft to fill in a virile, leading-man sort of mould. Second, while his dancing is passable, but never to be put side by side with the terpsichorean skills of either Mark Herras or the late Marky Cielo, his singing is...wait a minute, what singing?

So, if he wins, he wins because of the text votes. And paradoxically, there lies the fluke. I have yet to meet anyone in the showbiz-crazy place where I work who promises a peso for his win. So where do all those text votes come from? Your guess is as good as Rocco Nacino's. And yaya's of course. 

Now that I mentioned Rocco (right), let us talk about him. The boy's got talent, and if he was my yaya, he'd be an all-arounder (yes, I would surely include that in his job description!). He can slightly sing, he can definitely dance, and boy can he act! Now I don't have a problem with the first two but it's with the last one I'm a trifle bothered. with, ironically  In my opinion, his acting chops border on being predictably good. "Predictably good" is okay but I want raw, I want surprises, I want different. So much of "predictably good" is boring.

And so now we come to Steven Silva (left). Ah bless him for his good looks and irresistable charm that have made this author, time and again, forget about her resolve to despise men for all the heartaches they have caused her. But that's another story. Going back, Steven reached this late stage of the competition solely on the strength of his appeal. But how  long can an attraction based on tangible magic last? That's a question I hate to dwell on and will probably answer once I finally realized I have taken this off my bookmarks.

I like Sarah Lahbati (right). And if ever she gets crowned Ms Dream Believe Survive Season V, you'll hear no complaints coming from me. She's soshal looking but without that you-can't-touch-me aura. I also kind of fancy the timbre of her voice. She's not a good dancer but with that kind of personality and beauty, she needn't produce a dance album. And her acting is instinctual, the opposite of what Rocco does. I would just as well describe it as natural acting but that sounds like an oxymoron. Don't you think?

Diva Montelaba (left) is no doubt a star-material But unfortunately, not the sweetheart-type star like Sarah would probably become. She's a hardworker but hardwork does not change one's aura, it's inborn. And it doesn't help her case that her morena beauty is not of the Nora Aunor variety but of the Cherie Gil kind. But who knows what a win can do, right?

Among the three girls left, I find Nina Kodaka (right) the most endearing. Her honesty and candor, that still come across despite that oftenly pointed out state of lethargy, are her best qualities. And people like that in a celebrity. Although Sarah is the better singer and Diva is the better dancer, in the acting department, this Jappinay beauty is not to be considered second runner-up. The last acting challenge that I saw (the one with Soxy Topacio at the helm), I found an intense Nina who supringsingly has a depth afterall.

So what does my heart say now? I would be satisfied with any of the three girls winning. As for the boys, things could be easier if Piero Vergara (left) is around but since he's been given the boot, I'd go for anybody but Enzo.

What? A fearless forecast you say? Probably later - after doing the rounds, along with the pink mafia, in the salt mine I call my workplace. Or after hearing from you. And why not?

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