KimXi Tandem Returns in The Story of Us

The love team of Kim Chiu and Xian Lim are back on the small screen.

Nearly two years after their previous series ‘Ina, Kapatid, Anak’ (with a few box-office hit movies in between), the duo returns to television via the upcoming ABS-CBN drama ‘The Story of Us’. The series debuts tonight as a replacement to the just-concluded hit series ‘On the Wings of Love’.

Kim and Xian play the roles of Tin and Macoy respectively. They were childhood friends turned lovers growing up in El Nido, Palawan with hopes of a better life for themselves and their family.

Their relationship took a huge turn when Tin decided to meet her estranged mother in the United States. Living separately from one another, their relationship grew sour, until five years later, Macoy met Tin in New York in hopes of starting over as a couple.

Still, it will not be easy for them to resume their relationship after a long time apart. It is up to them to find a second chance in love and survive amid these changes in their individual lives.

‘The Story of Us’ will also star Aiko Melendez, Gardo Versoza, Susan Africa, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Bryan Santos, Mara Lopez, Alyanna Angeles (as the young Tin), and Zaijan Jaranilla (as the young Macoy). Richard Somes will be the director of the series.

Following the footsteps of the ever-successful ‘On the Wings of Love’ will not be easy for ‘The Story of Us’. But then again, based on the KimXi tandem’s previous teleserye success, they should do just fine on this newest series.

That said, expect ‘The Story of Us’ to make a quick impression early on. And that should also cause concern to its upcoming rival in GMA’s ‘Because of You’, who failed to make an impact against ‘On the Wings of Love’ for a majority of its run.

‘The Story of Us’ airs weeknights after ‘Dolce Amore’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

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Billboard Hot 100 – March 5, 2016

Here are the Top 10 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of March 5, 2016.

1. Rihanna feat. Drake – Work. No. 4 last week.

2. Justin Bieber – Love Yourself. No. 1 last week.

3. Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out. No. 2 last week.

4. Justin Bieber – Sorry. No. 3 last week.

5. Flo Rida – My House. No. 5 last week.

6. Zayn – Pillowtalk. No. 7 last week.

7. Adele – Hello. No. 6 last week.

8. G-Eazy x Bebe Rexha – Me, Myself & I. No. 8 last week.

9. The Chainsmokers feat. ROZES – Roses. No. 9 last week.

10. DNCE – Cake by the Ocean. No. 11 last week.

All videos of the Top 10 songs can be viewed above. Our thanks to Billboard for this week’s Hot 100 Top 10.

Pokwang, Melai Go Dramatic on We Will Survive

Something different will take place on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida this Monday.

After taking a more sensual approach with ‘Pasion de Amor’, the Kapamilya network decided to switch their style for the 5:45 p.m. slot. The newest drama, ‘We Will Survive’, is comparatively lighter, yet it can still deliver some tearjerking moments to viewers.

In ‘We Will Survive’, two childhood friends from Bicol grew up with different personalities, but with similar heart-breaking circumstances. Wilma (Pokwang) is a beauty salon worker with a quiet demeanor, while Maricel (Melai Cantiveros) is a hotel manager with a more upbeat presence.

Both Wilma and Maricel failed in their relationships with other men, and this common low point led to them getting supportive of each other in order to overcome these personal heartbreaks. Together, with all the challenges they face, they will learn what it takes to be survivors in life.

Joining Pokwang and Melai on ‘We Will Survive’ are Josh De Guzman, Carlo Aquino, Jeric Raval, Bea Saw, Regine Angeles, Viveika Ravanes, Bing Davao, Alcris Galura, Maris Racal, Joshua Zamora, McCoy De Leon, and Vangie Labalan. Jeffrey Jeturian will direct this heart-warming drama.

‘We Will Survive’ is one of two new dramas set to premiere this Monday. The other is ‘The Story of Us’, which will take over the timeslot of ‘On the Wings of Love’ (more on that this Monday).

Following the footsteps of the ever-successful ‘Pasion de Amor’ will not be easy for ‘We Will Survive’. With ‘Wowowin’ already threatening in the ratings, this will be a huge challenge for the series to be as successful as its predecessor.

Still, with ‘We Will Survive’ following the same vein as other light-hearted dramas such as ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ (also directed by Jeturian), anything is possible. That said, the new challenge for comediennes Pokwang and Melai should be a good one, as they will show viewers their ability to shed tears in dramas such as this.

‘We Will Survive’ premieres this Monday before ‘TV Patrol’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

In 100 Words: Bubble Gang Preempted for Master Showman Special

‘The Master Showman’s Final Bow’ will air this Friday, preempting ‘Bubble Gang’. (Photo credit: GMA Network)

During its 20-year run, ‘Bubble Gang’ has never been preempted. Until now.

On Friday, February 26, ‘Bubble Gang’ will not be aired to make way for a special televised event. Titled ‘The Master Showman’s Final Bow’, this special will pay tribute to one of the country’s entertainment icons, the late German ‘Kuya Germs’ Moreno.

Kuya Germs’ former proteges and friends will be present to provide production numbers and give their final thoughts on the life and career of the Master Showman. ‘The Master Showman’s Final Bow’ will be aired after ‘Because of You’ on GMA.

As for ‘Bubble Gang’, this will mark the first time that the gag show will not air on a regular Friday schedule (it does not air on Good Friday for obvious religious reasons). So for long-time viewers of the show, better wait till next Friday.

GMA Brings Lip-Sync Battle to the Philippines

One of America’s surprise viral hits is coming to the Philippines.

‘Lip-Sync Battle’, the popular American reality TV program, will have a Filipino franchise that will air on GMA starting this Saturday. Titled ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’, the show will be hosted by Michael V and Iya Villania, and will pit GMA’s top celebrities against each other in hopes of impressing the audience with their lip-synching skills.

The upcoming show will mark the first time since ‘Don’t Lose the Money’ that GMA has a franchised program on their lineup. It will also be Iya’s first full-time program on Channel 7 since ‘Sunday All-Stars’ (not including her role as Chika Minute reporter on ’24 Oras’).

‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ will have two rounds of competition: Strip Down and Full-Blown Concert. Celebrities can lip-sync any song of their choosing, and after two rounds, the crowd will determine the winner, who will receive a championship belt.

While GMA is usually reluctant to acquire foreign media franchises, they decided to take a risk on ‘Lip-Sync Battle’. Realizing how much of a hit the American version was, they now hope that the show’s success in America will carry over to the Philippines.

However, in the weeks leading up to its premiere, the timeslot of ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ became a big issue for the network. Initially, the show was slated to air after ‘Magpakailanman’, but in the end, GMA decided to place ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ after ‘Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay na Kwento’.

One possible reason for the last-minute change is that GMA wanted to see how can ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ match up with ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’. The latter show had been a high-rating show on ABS-CBN, and if the former can overcome PGT, it should boost GMA’s morale.

The problem with this change, however, is that Michael V is also a regular cast member on ‘Pepito Manaloto’, and giving him back-to-back shows is a bad case of overexposure. Just ask Billy Crawford, who had to give up hosting duties on ‘Celebrity Playtime’ (during its short-lived late-evening stint) in favor of the recently-concluded ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’.

That said, GMA needs to figure out a way to fit ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ into their scheme of things. The concept may be engaging, but unless it has a good timeslot to thrive on, things may turn ugly quick.

‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ premieres this Saturday on GMA.

OTWOL, Pasion de Amor Enter Final Week

‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ are down to their last five episodes.

The former, first premiered on June 1, 2015, was a remake of the original Colombian telenovela that once aired on ABS-CBN. While the original was a decent success, this localized version of ‘Pasion de Amor’ became an unexpected hit, and in the process blew out the competition (at least until ‘Wowowin’ entered the picture).

Throughout its run, viewers were constantly hooked to the sensually passionate, and at times unpredictable love story involving the Samonte brothers (Jake Cuenca, Ejay Falcon, Joseph Marco) and Elizondo sisters (Ellen Adarna, Coleen Garcia, Arci Muñoz). The presence of villains such as Gabriel (Wendell Ramos) and Gabriela (Teresa Loyzaga) only added fuel to the fire.

On the other hand, the latter, first premiered August 10, 2015, marked the first foray of the JaDine (James Reid, Nadine Lustre) love team into the small screen. Based on their success in films such as ‘Diary ng Panget’ and ‘My Hopeless Romantic’, a lot of expectations were raised for the duo.

These expectations were soon met and exceeded, as ‘On the Wings of Love’ became an immediate success in its timeslot. The series was not without controversy, however, as one stripping scene involving Clark (James) and Leah (Nadine) received negative remarks from the Philippine National Police.

With a final total of 194 and 145 episodes, respectively, there is no doubt that ‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ have become one of ABS-CBN’s most successful teleseryes in recent years. While GMA’s own programs tried hard to keep up with the two series, the gap in the ratings proved too much to overcome.

As ‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ head to their final week, what fate awaits the former’s Samonte brothers and Elizondo sisters, and the latter’s Clark and Leah? Find out this week as the two series conclude.