Tony Calvento: The Original ‘Imbestigador’

Tony Calvento, best known as a columnist and host of the ABS-CBN crime series ‘Calvento Files’, passed away yesterday. (Photo credit: Tony Calvento Facebook Page)

Gus Abelgas, the Tulfo brothers and Mike Enriquez were not the first Filipino hosts to showcase gruesome murder cases on television.

Before they came into the viewers’ consciousness, there was Tony Calvento and his ‘Calvento Files’. The program aired on ABS-CBN from 1995-98, during which it popularized the crime docudrama genre on Philippine television.

On Monday, October 9, Calvento passed away from multiple organ failure, his family announced. Funeral services will take place from October 10-13, after which his remains will be cremated on October 14.

Calvento enjoyed a distinguished journalism career. He rose to fame as a columnist for the People’s Journal, before gaining even greater recognition as the host of ‘Calvento Files’ in the mid-1990s.

Most of the stories on ‘Calvento Files’ were adopted from his column on People’s Journal titled ‘Hotline’. Although its run on ABS-CBN was short, it managed to earn a number of accolades, most notably the 1999 New York Film Festival for best docudrama.

‘Calvento Files’ was also adopted into a film produced by Star Cinema in 1997. The film, which was directed by Michael de Mesa and Laurenti Dyogi, featured a screenplay by Ricky Lee with some input from Calvento himself.

After the show ended, Calvento moved over to Pilipino Star Ngayon, naming his column after the aforementioned ABS-CBN program. He remained with the Star Group until his passing.

Individually, Calvento won numerous awards for his journalistic work and his role in crime investigation. And his influence as host of ‘Calvento Files’ was then passed on to other shows that were based on his docudrama style.

Today, the Calvento legacy was passed on to his son Sonny Calvento. The younger Calvento made his presence felt as director of ‘Nabubulok’, which entered the Cinemalaya film festival in August of this year and whose story was influenced by the elder Calvento’s crime stories in his columns.

Tony Calvento may be gone physically, but spiritually his legacy will live on. May his soul rest in peace.

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When UAAP Courtside Reporting Is Not a Safe Bet

It is not easy to be a courtside reporter.

After all, it is considered one of the most highly scrutinized positions in the world of sports broadcasting. The best people on the job are those who can relate well to the audience, speak clearly and articulately, and exude confidence whenever possible.

Araneta, what's good?! 😆 Wednesday squad: @martie_bautista for ADMU, @MigsGomez for UE, @jeanagatha_ for UP, & yours truly for FEU! #UAAP80 pic.twitter.com/fKwDInT4YF

— Sydney Crespo (@SydneyCrespo) September 13, 2017

In ABS-CBN Sports’ coverage of the UAAP men’s basketball and women’s volleyball, a courtside reporter is hired not because he/she is pretty or handsome, but because the network wants them to represent the school with both enthusiasm and pride. Unfortunately, there are those who were simply not up to the task.

lights, camera, sports + action! 💡🎥🏀 #UAAPSeason80 pic.twitter.com/COaMlNovXA

— stef monce (@StefMonce) October 7, 2017

Last Saturday, ABS-CBN quietly replaced Nicole Sumagui with Stef Monce as Adamson University’s courtside reporter. No explanation was made regarding the change, but observant viewers saw that Sumagui stuttered at times, was tentative and lacked confidence in her abilities.

Sumagui was not the first courtside reporter to get the pink slip early in the season. There have been two such cases in which a UAAP courtside reporter was replaced before the season concluded.

Prior to UAAP Season 73 (2010-11), ABS-CBN assigned Karen Rozul to be the courtside reporter of National University. But the network replaced her with the late Maan Panganiban when they realized that Rozul was not confident enough for the job.

Two seasons later, NU endured some deja vu when the ineffective Muriel Orais was dismissed in favor of Steph Sy. Sy, like Stef Monce later on, had already exhausted her two-year eligibility, but ABS-CBN reinstated her for a third year due to this untimely circumstance.

For all the talk about the next Pia Arcangel, Lia Cruz, Riki Flores, Aaron Atayde, Nikko Ramos and Laura Lehmann, there are those like Karen Rozul, Muriel Orais and Nicole Sumagui who do not deserve to be in the same room. They may have survived the auditions, yet they failed to translate that into at least one year’s worth of on-the-job training for a future broadcasting career.

UAAP courtside reporting is not an easy task, but if one can survive and fulfill a dream, then it should bode well for their future career paths.  With the second round of men’s basketball plus a full slate of women’s volleyball still to come, all eyes are on the seven rookies and one returnee to see if they have what it takes to be a great UAAP courtside reporter.

Note: Aside from Stef Monce, this season’s roster of UAAP courtside reporters consist of Martie Bautista (Ateneo de Manila University), Eileen Shi (De La Salle University), Sydney Crespo (Far Eastern University), Miguel Dypiangco (National University), Migs Gomez (University of the East), Agatha Uvero (University of the Philippines) and Tonie Moreno (University of Sto. Tomas).

In 100 Words: With All Due Respect, Joey

Joey de Leon is actually trending, but for the wrong reason.

Last Thursday’s episode of ‘Eat Bulaga’ saw a ‘Juan for All, All for Juan’ winner discuss about her mother’s long battle with depression. What happens next proved to be sensitive for even the most concerned of viewers.

Within minutes, people started talking about this segment. Many praised Maine Mendoza for taking the issue seriously while at the same time criticized Joey de Leon for mocking said condition.

‘Eat Bulaga”s ‘Juan for All, All for Juan’ segment is no stranger to tackling real-life issues among its winners. And while some portions of the segment feature the usual sense of humor among its hosts, reality continues to be the focal point, something that the show should always take seriously.

Billboard Hot 100: October 14, 2017

Here are the Top 10 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of October 14, 2017.

1. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow (Money Moves). No. 1 last week.

2. Post Malone feat. 21 Savage – Rockstar. No. 2 last week.

3. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do. No. 3 last week.

4. Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255. No. 4 last week.

5. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber – Despacito. No. 5 last week.

6. French Montana feat. Swae Lee – Unforgettable. No. 6 last week.

7. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still. No. 10 last week.

8. Imagine Dragons – Believer. No. 7 last week.

9. Yo Gotti feat. Nicki Minaj – Rake It Up. No. 8 last week.

10. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry. No. 15 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.

Billboard Philippines Hot 100: October 2, 2017

Here are the Top 10 songs from the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 for the week of October 2, 2017. The list will also feature the top local performer of the week, highlighting the best performing single from a Filipino artist or band.

1. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber – Despacito. No. 1 last week.

2. Khalid – Young Dumb & Broke. No. 7 last week.

3. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do. No. 2 last week.

4. DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – I’m the One. No. 3 last week.

5. Macklemore feat. Lil Yachty – Marmalade. No. 11 last week.

6. Sam Smith – Too Good at Goodbyes. No. 49 last week.

7. Ed Sheeran – Shape of You. No. 4 last week.

8. Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like. No. 6 last week.

9. Bruno Mars – Versace on the Floor. No. 13 last week.

10. The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey – Closer. No. 9 last week.

Top Local Performer

11. Iñigo Pascual – Dahil Sa’Yo. No. 10 last week.

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

Relegated to the Sidelines: PVL in Tough Position Due to UAAP

The maiden season of the Premier Volleyball League saw its coverage relegated to live stream on most of its games, severely affecting its ability to gain a wider audience. (Logo courtesy of Sports Vision)

Talk about a rough first season.

The debut season of the Premier Volleyball League (formerly the Shakey’s V-League) will officially conclude this month following the season-ending Collegiate Conference. Unfortunately for organizer Sports Vision and broadcast partner ABS-CBN Sports, it was a frustrating introduction for the rebranded league.

When the then-SVL and ABS-CBN joined forces last year, it was hailed as a promise in the right direction. During that first year, ABS-CBN (through UHF channel S+A) was able to bring a majority of the league’s games live, and in doing so, gave the SVL some much-needed recognition after years of TV coverage issues from previous partners.

After Sports Vision renamed the Shakey’s V-League into the Premier Volleyball League earlier this year, ABS-CBN stepped up its game as well. The network announced that the league’s games would air live on S+A and also online through the ABS-CBN Sports website, using a separate set of announcers for the two media.

So far, however, the coverage of the PVL has been a rocky one. Most of its games were relegated to live streaming online, mainly due to ABS-CBN Sports’ priority with UAAP women’s volleyball and men’s basketball.

And even when the UAAP took an offseason break from late May to August, the PVL remain buried behind the pecking order as ABS-CBN chose to re-air UAAP women’s volleyball games instead of giving the PVL a chance. That said, even with main attraction Alyssa Valdez carrying the PVL on her shoulders, the league still lacked the exposure it deserves.

What ABS-CBN did is similar to Sports5’s approach with the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL) in which some games are aired only on livestream. If this is the treatment they wanted for the PVL, then they’re not helping its cause.

While this is only Year 1 of the PVL’s TV/live stream experiment, the warning signs were evident. ABS-CBN Sports failed to account the fact that many people still depend on television for their viewing needs, and although mobile devices are becoming plentiful by the day, nothing can beat the easy convenience of television.

Come the 2018 season, expect wholesale changes from both the PVL and its broadcast partner. Still, it remains to be seen if next year will bring a much-improved scope and exposure into the Premier Volleyball League.