GMA 7’s newest variety show promises to get you in a festive mood every Sunday.
IF you think that the battle of the networks relaxes and takes it easy on Sundays like the rest of us, you better think again. Sunday is actually a time when the fight for a bigger audience share is at its most critical since a lot of people actually stay at home and spend time with their family, friends and loved ones and yes, enjoy themselves watching TV.
When it comes to Sunday noontime variety shows, for years, ABS-CBN’s ASAP fought a duel for the ratings against GMA 7’s SOP, which ruled the time slot for a time until the ratings continued to dwindle soon after. After 13 years, SOP finally raised the white flag last Feb. 28.
"It’s really sad na it’s going to say goodbye already," Regine Velasquez, one of the hosts of SOP, tells Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) on the show’s farewell broadcast. "But just like everything else, it also has to end sometime. Ganun lang ‘yun."
Jaya, on the other hand, said that they were sad for the staff more than themselves. "Kami kahit papaano, carry. May mga trabaho kaming left and right. Sa staff, medyo mahirap ‘yan, kasi buhay na nila ‘yan. Pero sabi ko nga ‘pag may nagsasarang pinto, may susunod na magbubukas so ‘wag mawawalan ng pag-asa."
Now, with the grand launch of Party Pilipinas on March 28, GMA 7 is pulling out all the stops to ensure that it’s fit to contend with the juggernaut that is ASAP.
Party Pilipinas will be hosted by former SOP mainstays Regine, Jaya, Janno Gibbs and Ogie Alcasid, who also serves as the show’s creative consultant. The show will also feature the Kapuso network’s hottest talents such as Kyla, Jay-R, Rochelle Pangilinan, Mark Herras, Heart Evangelista, Marvin Agustin, Jolina Magdangal, Carla Abellana, Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Richard and Raymond Guttierrez and newest recruit Mark Bautista, among others. The dance numbers will be choreographed by international choreographer Ruben Monet a.k.a. Fusion who has toured with stellar artists such as Beyoncé, Akon, P. Diddy, Missy Elliot, Ludacris, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys and Will Smith. Fusion’s signature dance move is kung fu infused into hip hop, so viewers can expect to see a dance choreography which will really make it different from the choreo seen on the competing show.
Still, Ogie says he doesn’t want to think about the competition. He shares with PEP that he would rather focus on the new show rather than mull over the things which made it lose in the ratings game and prompted the network bigwigs to cancel the show.
"I’m positive for this new show," he says. "What went wrong, that’s not important anymore. What’s important are the things that we gained from the experience. What I gained is a new set of friends, a whole of experience as far as performing on television is concerned. I learned that GMA-7 is all out in supporting its artists. I learned that there are supporters who are there when you are up and when you’re down."
Regine feels the same, adding that the new show is set to put the concept of "concert TV" on another level.
"Yun ang gusto naming ibalik sa Party Pilipinas: it’s a concert TV," she says. "Dun naman kami pinapanood. Live yung kantahan, live band. So I hope that this new show, [we’ll] have fun and just do our thing." (AJPress)
( Published March 26, 2010 in RedCarpet Magazine p. 2 )
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
