‘Comic relief’ gambits on TV nixed

Our recent notes on “comic relief” gambits that  don’t work on some TV shows have elicited these additional reactions:

Randy R. Avecilla lays the “blame” on local TV’s tendency to mistake loud and colorful opinions and arguments for humor: “If people disagree in a loud and abrasive way, it’s supposed to be funny.”

He goes on to observe that the gimmick of pitting one opinionated person against another has been “institutionalized” in local comedy shows and sitcoms, where the jokes themselves may not be all that funny, even if “punched” by professional comedians. But, that’s OK, because the volume and the colorful antics keep viewers entertained, anyway.

For his part, Francis Vargas reacts to the current film, “Breaking Dawn, Part 1”: “The ‘forbidden’ allure of vampires and werewolves is the essence of their hold on young viewers, because they encourage rebellion, not following rules, getting into trouble, and discovering new feelings and temptations.”

Issues

He also comments on TV news and public affairs people who are made to work too long: “Even if they’re good, they can’t deliver their best, because they’re simply tired. So, they should slow down and devote more time to studying the issues they tackle, so they can serve the viewing public better.”

Other viewers weigh in on how they want local radio and TV to improve. Brenda Solipe notes that many radio commentators are too abrasive and insulting. They do this to become more popular with the masa, but it also promotes lack of respect for people in positions of authority. Unless they toe the line or are shouted down into submission, officials are on the receiving end of sarcastic commentators’ insults.

Another viewer wonders why so many stars are tapped to judge talent competitions on TV. The irony, he points out, is that some of them aren’t even good performers in their own right—“So, what is their right or ‘K’ to criticize the contestants’ performances?”

He says that the practice is made even more questionable, because it creates the impression that, as long as you’re a star, or even a former star, you’re an expert on many things. It gives celebrities more power than they deserve.

We also got many reactions to our “Beast of Broadway” article: A number of readers said that Filipino performing artists were being deprived of the income and other forms of support they need to develop their talents.

On the other hand, other reactors believed that foreign “imports” shouldn’t be discouraged, because they are needed to “lift” local viewers up to “global” levels in terms of artistic appreciation.

Negative effects

For our part, however, we believe that the negative effects of our “colonial mentality” are more corrosive than perceived by some, because they uphold foreign standards and diminish the validity and worth of our own stories and songs.

The debate continues, of course, but we urge Filipinos who love and patronize the arts to realize that, in supporting foreign plays and musicals, they’re part of the long-festering problem, not the solution we need to come into our own as a people.

Truth to tell, in our own artistic work, we have stopped thinking “global” and are in fact happiest when we’re presenting shows in far-flung places, in Filipino, and the members of the audience are responding with full hearts and understanding. Artists should experience the joy and pertinence of performing for our very own – and let the “globe” take care of itself!