Best TV show of the month
Anne Curtis in “F Word Out Loud”
After more than a decade in Philippine show biz, Anne Curtis is also trying to make it on regional Asian TV, by way of her lifestyle show, “F Word Out Loud.” Some of Anne’s attention-calling initiatives have been too messily flashy, sassy and florid to delight—but this one does.
In fact, it’s the best TV show of the month. It all mostly works instead of running this way and that at all sorts of cross-purposes, because Anne’s unique combination of tisay looks, lips, chutzpah, gift of gab, love for life, love and adventure is appealing to a wider viewership.
Unlike Piolo Pascual’s own regional TV outing, which is supposed to be fun and venturesome and spontaneous, but is actually quite careful, Anne’s natural exuberance, chattiness and eagerness to share twinkling discoveries about Manila are generally delightful.
Let’s hope that her occasional tendency to unnecessarily gawk and mawk it up to please the mawkish masses will be strictly slapped down and edited off—so that the good first impression her show made will be for its viewing course.
For that to happen, the obviously many people offcam surrounding the program host should keep reminding her that this is a completely different TV ball game from “It’s Showtime,” where Anne was finally accepted and even embraced by the viewing masses.
She pulled this off by poking fun at herself, “singing” stridently and off-tune and making so many gaffes and goofs that people finally “forgot” how intimidatingly glamorous she was.
On her new Asian TV showcase, Anne doesn’t and shouldn’t have to do any of that. She can be as exceptionally lovely, confident, articulate and dazzling as she is, and her new audience won’t take it against her.
In fact, they should find her a bracing and exciting change from some other TV Asian stars who focus too much on their predictable beauty, glamour, fashion, performing and related output, with few surprises to offer along the way.
Anne’s natural ebullience, curiosity and delight in different experiences should serve her well in her new endeavor—if she doesn’t lose focus and discipline.
Who are some other Filipino stars we can see also doing well on Asian TV? Jericho Rosales has made some inroads in TV dramas that have helped him develop a regional following, but he should also give TV hosting a go.
He’s also a looker, but he’s more naturally articulately spontaneous, dynamic and exciting than Piolo, so a well-conceptualized showcase specifically for him could turn out to be a winner.
A combination of musical, sports, travel, adventure, pop-cultural and roadie-foodie adventures perkily chatted up by him could make its own kind of regional TV magic.
