Wider audience needed for youth-oriented advocacies

WORTHINGTON. Reprises stellar role.

TV producer Joseph Mabilog agrees that more people with advocacies to promote should use television to reach a wider audience and thus influence more viewers.

To this end, he’s producing the youth-oriented show, “Young Minds Inspired” every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on the GMA News Channel. We caught the show recently, as per Joseph’s request.

Meanwhile, we trust that other people will follow Joseph’s enlightened and proactive example and produce, not just the usual TV fluff and stuff, but shows that bring out the best in our viewers, especially the youth. People like Joseph prove that it can be done.

‘Avatar’ sequels

Vernon Suarez exults: “Fantastic news that, after too many years, “Avatar” will have follow-up sequels. As the most popular film ever made, it’s only logical. More details, please.”

As requested: James Cameron shares that the first sequel will focus on the ocean of Pandora. The storyline will continue the environmental theme of the original film. Still holding center stage are the characters of Jake and Neytiri, and the humans will return as antagonists.

Yes, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington will play their original stellar roles, and other returning actors include Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine and Stephen Lang (despite the demise of his character, Col. Miles Quaritch).

It’s also intimated that there could be as many as three sequels, or two sequels plus one “prequel,” all of which will be shot simultaneously. “Avatar 2” could be shown in 2015. (In other words, don’t hold your breath!)

More: Most of the “Avatar” movies’ scenes will be shot in New Zealand. Interestingly, the “Lord of the Rings” sequels were shot there, also simultaneously.

It looks like the economical production scheme is becoming a popular template for bringing in the most profits at the least expense—without sacrificing quality and production values. That economical attitude is perfectly understandable, because the “Avatar” sequels are estimated to cost a whopping $420 million!

In our view, however, all that money is very well spent, because the first “Avatar” movie grossed many hundreds of millions, while the new films as a group could bring in more than $2 billion!

Nostalgic article

For its part, our piece on famous comedians of the silent film period has elicited this “informed” reaction from Pyke Ramiro: “Your nostalgic article on Chaplin and Keaton was most welcome, but its wasn’t comprehensive enough. Film buffs should also be reminded of the major contributions of other artists like Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon and even more overlooked comedians like Larry Semon, Lupino Lane and Lloyd Hamilton, who in Keaton’s opinion was “one of the funniest men in films.”