JADINE. Hot-to-trot love team is among the entertainment company’s fave talents.
Don’t look now, but Viva Communications Inc. has become one of the most dynamic show biz conglomerates this season. Among other major creative gambits, Viva has hit the headlines with its move to turn its hit movie, “Bituing Walang Ningning,” into a stage musical to be mounted at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater later this year.
Hundreds of gifted young singers are auditioning for the plum lead role of Dorina, which was played by no less than Sharon Cuneta in the original film.
Another recent move of Viva’s “Boss” Vic del Rosario that should be celebrated is the company’s decision to team up with SM Cinemas and put up the SineAsia “dedicated” theater circuit in some SM theaters across the land.
These moviehouses will screen Asian films dubbed in Filipino, for local viewers to enjoy and empathize with.
This is an important move, because it will open up local screens to Asian movies, which don’t get shown here all that much due to the language problem, and because theater circuits here favor American productions.
With their “Tagalized” dialogue, SineAsia’s offerings will enable our viewers to enjoy and learn from the films produced by our neighbors—Japan, Korean, China, Taiwan—etc.! This could go a long way in making us develop a pan-Asia point of view. That’s been a long time in coming, but it’s all to the good!
Korean blockbuster
SineAsia is starting off with the Korean blockbuster, “Gangnam Blues,” starring the popular Lee Min Ho as gangster Ragman Jong-dae. Yoo Ha directs.
GERONIMO. Viva’s prized property.
Viva Artists Agency is also making big waves with its major discoveries and contract stars, including Sarah Geronimo, Anne Curtis, KC Concepcion, Heart Evangelista, Basil Valdez, Mark Bautista, James Reid and Nadine Lustre.
In addition, Viva is a distributor of foreign films, with recent titles like “The Expendables,” “Chef,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Dragon Blade.” As music publisher, it holds the music catalogues of Willy Cruz, Louie Ocampo, Wency Cornejo and Moy Ortiz.
As record and music video producer, Viva owns Viva Records and Vicor Music, which include recordings by Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, Basil Valdez, Sarah Geronimo, Pilita Corrales, Freestyle and Lani Misalucha.
Viva has also kept up with the times: Oomph TV is the Viva Digital Media channel that presents reality programming, featuring music, sports and lifestyle shows.
As TV channel owner and manger, Viva owns the pay-TV Viva Channel, Philippine Box Office (PBO), Tagalized Movie Channel (TMC) and, in partnership with Viacom, produces MTV Pinoy.
It’s also the distributor and advertising agent for foreign channels like RTL-CBS, History, Crime Investigator, FYI, Lifetime and Comedy Central.
Viva also owns three radio stations, in Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga. Its vast library of films and TV shows is available on digital outlets like HOOQ, a video-on-demand service from Globe. And it has even gone into publishing, with popular books like “Diary ng Panget” and “Talk Back and You’re Dead,” which were subsequently filmed.