WHEN we first watched the original American version of the “Minute to Win It” game show, we found it much too difficult and demanding for us to enjoy its challenges. For that reason, we viewed the program only occasionally. Interestingly, it was a different story when the show was “localized” for weekday viewing on [...]
Women make up half of the movie audience, so logic has it that many female directors should be discovered and trained to “represent” their sisters’ stories on the silver screen. In reality, however, filmmaking remains very much a man’s world, and some women have a hard time imposing their will on a recalcitrant movie crew not used to getting orders from a “lady.”
For the first time, the “Minute to Win It” game show franchise is fielding a “junior” edition—and it’s being done right here on Philippine TV, with the new show for juvenile players making its auspicious debut last April 29 at 11 a.m.
Poor Gwyneth Paltrow. There she was, minding her own business, occasionally starring in films like “Iron Man 3” while living the good life with her husband and children. Then, all of a sudden, People magazine chose her as its most beautiful woman of the world for 2013—and a flurry of dissenting opinions hit the fan!
Amazingly apt and believable portrayals like Meryl Streep’s spot-on screen personifications of Margaret Thatcher and Julia Child should convince other actors that, when they play famous people, they should try really hard to at least look the part.
The new cooking challenge, “The Taste,” is particularly interesting and instructive: Not only does it top-bill big culinary icons like Anthony Bourdain and the lovely Nigella Lawson but it also takes its cue from another TV show, “The Voice,” but smartly adjusts its musical format to fit a new cooking challenge context. Like “The [...]
TV-film producers’ casting choices are often the height and depth of predictability, with studios pairing contract stars with one another in an automatic, serial manner, hoping that one such combination will click with the viewing public. When that happens, several movies starring the love team are made until its popularity wanes due to over-exposure. [...]
Marvin Agustin’s new reality challenge show, “Karinderya Wars,” has just completed its third week of telecasts on TV5. How well is it faring, and who are the front-runners in its search for the best masa cook in the land?
Dramatic shows on local TV are notorious for their penchant for trying to keep viewers watching by coming up with stories that throw in everything— including the baby and the bath water. A glaring example that should be cited for all the wrong reasons is “Perpetua,” shown last Holy Saturday on GMA 7.
The big, brash entry of Ryzza Mae Dizon has shaken up the ferociously competitive world of local TV-film child stardom. Just one season ago, the lay of the land was much more predictable and secure: At ABS-CBN, Zaijian Jaranilla was preparing to temporarily fade away due to the inexorable deadline imposed by “galloping adolescence”—but, not [...]
On the BBC channel last month, we caught an instructive and cautionary documentary about the formation and training of a new “K-Pop” singing group. The docu informed viewers that Korean musical performances have become big business, grossing almost $200 billion a year!
Literally hundreds of young talents do their darnedest to become show biz stars, but only a handful succeed. What do they have that the others don’t? A major factor appears to be connections.
