The Greatest Love’s Last Week, Plus D’Originals’ Premiere Week

For one week only, it will be ‘The Greatest Love’ versus ‘D’Originals’.

This week will mark the last for ‘The Greatest Love’, the top-rating afternoon drama that starred Sylvia Sanchez as a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The series first premiered on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold block on September 5, 2016, and will finish its 163-episode run this Friday afternoon.

‘The Greatest Love’, which also starred Dimples Romana, Andi Eigenmann, Matt Evans, Arron Villaflor, Ellen Adarna and Nonie Buencamino among others, was also a constant trending topic on social media. Its inspiring and tear-jerking storyline gripped the nation and the world, giving them greater awareness to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

On the other side of the spectrum, GMA’s Public Affairs team will once again try to salvage whatever shortcomings the Entertainment team has had of late. Their latest project is a sexy comedy drama series, ‘D’Originals’, which will premiere today.

‘D’Originals’ (click its synopsis here) will be the network’s replacement to the short-lived ‘Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa’, whose brief 53-episode run concluded last Holy Wednesday. ‘D’Originals’ will also be LJ Reyes’ second project in a row on the afternoon slot after starring as Angeli in ‘Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa’.

Also part of ‘D’Originals’ cast are Ms. Jaclyn Jose, Kim Domingo, Katrina Halili, Jestoni Alarcon, Mark Herras, Meg Imperial, Archie Alemania, Lovely Abella, Mikoy Morales, Arny Ross, Elyson De Dios, and Chlaui Malayao. The director of the series is Adolf Alix Jr.

If ‘The Greatest Love”s impressive ratings are of any indication, then ‘D’Originals’ is in for a rude awakening. Recent GMAPA-produced entertainment shows (see ‘Dangwa’, ‘To the Top’, ‘#Like’) have failed to make a desirable impact, thus putting tremendous pressure on ‘D’Originals’ to defy all expectations.

With the dominance of ABS-CBN in the afternoon slot (save for the surprisingly popular ‘Ika-6 na Utos’), this is one battle that ‘D’Originals’ must win. Saving the reputation of both GMA Entertainment and GMA Public Affairs is a must for the series, otherwise the blame game should continue for both departments.

It’s either win or give up for ‘D’Originals’ and GMA Public Affairs. Good luck.

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Star Circle Quest Returns as Segment of It’s Showtime

‘Star Circle Quest’ returns soon as a segment of ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime’. (Screenshot and logos courtesy of ABS-CBN)

Remember ‘Star Circle Quest’?

Before ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ became the so-called ‘instant ticket’ to stardom for some of ABS-CBN’s top stars, there was the reality talent search show called ‘Star Circle Quest’. Between 2004 and 2011, two teen and three kids editions of SCQ were produced, and several of its alumni made their mark in the business.

While ‘Star Circle Quest’ proved to be no match for ‘StarStruck’ in terms of popularity and star factor, it was nevertheless credited for discovering stars that soon became mainstays on ABS-CBN programming. Here is a look at some of the network’s most memorable personalities whose careers began as Questors on the show:

• Sandara Park
• Joross Gamboa
• Roxanne Guinoo
• Melissa Ricks
• Michelle Madrigal
• Nash Aguas
• Sharlene San Pedro
• Erich Gonzales
• Jason Abalos
• Arron Villaflor
• Bugoy Carino
• Izzy Canillo
• Xyriel Manabat

Six years after its last edition aired, ABS-CBN announced that ‘Star Circle Quest’ will be revived as a segment of ‘It’s Showtime’. Auditions for the segment commenced last month, with teenagers aged 13 to 19 years old trying to impress the judges with their dancing, singing and acting skills.

As SCQ will now be relegated into a segment of ‘It’s Showtime’, reality show elements will be minimized due to the live nature of the program. Nevertheless, for the many people who became fans of SCQ from the beginning, the prospect of its revival is an exciting one to say the least.

ABS-CBN has yet to announce the start date of the competition, so stay tuned for further updates.

In a related development, a kids’ edition of ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ will take the place of the just-concluded adult edition starting today. Auditions for the competition were well underway, and will follow the same format as the original.

And finally, a second installment of ‘Funny One’ will also begin soon. Auditions for ‘Funny One’ began last month alongside SCQ, with the aim of discovering the country’s next great comedian.

The resurgence of ‘It’s Showtime’ following the Pastillas Girl-Kalyeserye debacle is a breath of fresh air for ABS-CBN. And following the success of ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’, expect a lot more from the show once it unveils ‘Star Circle Quest’, ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids’ and ‘Funny One’ to its menu.

New Teleserye Alert: The Greatest Love and Someone to Watch Over Me

Two new teleseryes premiere today on ABS-CBN and GMA respectively.

On the former’s Kapamilya Gold, ‘The Greatest Love’ will finally make its long-awaited debut. The series will star veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez in what is perhaps her most definitive starring role yet.

In ‘The Greatest Love’, Sylvia will play the role of Gloria, a mother of four who is determined to have a happy and lovely family. But a terrible secret soon broke the bond between Gloria and her children, and what remained of her are memories of her problematic past.

As the story goes on, Gloria begins to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a crippling disorder that could erase her memories. As a result, she must find a way to reunite with her children before her condition proves too much to overcome.

Gloria’s children will be portrayed by Dimples Romana (as Amanda), Matt Evans (as Andrei), Arron Villaflor (as Paeng), and Andi Eigenmann (as Lizelle). The supporting cast of ‘The Greatest Love’ will consist of Joshua Garcia, Nonie Buencamino, Rommel Padilla, Tonton Gutierrez, Ejay Falcon, Ellen Adarna, Junjun Quintana, Aleck Bovick, Luis Alandy, Bobby Andrews, Alex Medina, Mercedes Cabral, and Guji Lorenzana.

It will be interesting to see how ‘The Greatest Love’ fares on its first week. But as far as ABS-CBN is concerned, the recent streak of good fortune on Kapamilya Gold should be more than enough to ease the pressure on the newcomer.

Directed by Jeffrey Jeturian, Mervyn Brondial, and Dado Lomibao, ‘The Greatest Love’ airs weekdays after ‘Doble Kara’ on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.

Over on GMA’s Telebabad block, ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ will mark the full return of more serious dramas on primetime. The series will be headlined by Lovi Poe, Tom Rodriguez and Max Collins.

Like ‘The Greatest Love’, ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ will explore the harsh effects of Alzheimer’s disease. In the upcoming series, TJ (Tom) is an office worker who is married to his wife Joanna (Lovi), but after TJ begins to suffer from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, Joanna decides to take care of her ailing husband.

Soon after, Irene (Max), TJ’s ex-girlfriend, is allowed by Joanna to enter their home. After that, things begin to change as TJ loses memory of Joanna and instead recognizes Irene as his true love.

‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ will also include Edu Manzano, Jackie Lou Blanco, Isay Alvarez, Ronnie Lazaro, Boy 2 Quizon, Ralph Noriega, and Frances Makil. The series will be directed by Maryo J. delos Reyes.

It will be interesting to see how this upcoming GMA drama will fare against ‘Born for You’. With the latter series on a roll, and with GMA’s talent problems already well-documented, this is going to be a difficult journey for Lovi, Tom, Max and company.

‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ airs weeknights after ‘Descendants of the Sun’.

 

PBB: 737 Gold Cancelled; All of Me Replaces Flordeliza

Turns out there won’t be any congestion on Kapamilya Gold after all.

‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737 Gold’ was cancelled following last Friday’s episode. The cancellation gave way to the premiere of ‘Doble Kara’, starring Julia Montes.

The afternoon edition of the ongoing ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ has been under hot water from the beginning, receiving an SPG warning from the MTRCB after the infamous ‘bromance’ issue between Bailey May and Kenzo Gutierrez. Though it was later removed, ABS-CBN eventually decided to cancel PBB: 737 Gold out of respect to younger viewers.

Thus, for the first time in the reality series’ history, only one edition of PBB will be seen on free TV on a daily basis. Past seasons of ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ had an afternoon and evening (sometimes late night) edition on weekdays, and in the early years of the franchise, sister station Studio 23 even aired a supplementary broadcast of the series.

Meanwhile, ‘Flordeliza’ is down to its final week. The comeback series of Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin has been on the air for eight months now, but despite its surprisingly long run, it failed to dampen the success of afternoon’s top drama, GMA’s ‘The Half-Sisters’.

Now it’s up to another comebacking Kapamilya, JM de Guzman, to give ‘The Half-Sisters’ a much-needed challenge. After returning to the limelight with the movie ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’, JM returns to the small screen via ‘All of Me’.

In ‘All of Me’, JM and veteran actor Albert Martinez will share the role of Manuel, whose near-death experience led to his transformation back to his younger self. Older Manuel, a widowed doctor, settled with his new love interest Lena (Yen Santos), and after transforming into his younger self and traveling into the future, was faced with seeking revenge on Lena’s husband Dr. Henry Nieves (Arron Villaflor), or moving on to a new life.

The upcoming series will also star Angel Aquino, Ina Raymundo, Neri Naig, Ana Capri, Micah Munoz, Jordan Herrera, Sue Ann Ramirez, and Akira Morishita. Dondon Santos will be the director.

One can only hope that JM will rekindle the success that he had on ‘Angelito: Batang Ama’. It won’t be easy though, given that ‘The Half-Sisters’ has been on fire in the afternoon for months now.

Still, it’s worth a challenge, and an opportunity to revive his showbiz career further. Good luck.

‘All of Me’ premieres this Monday, August 31, after ‘It’s Showtime’ on Kapamilya Gold.

Two Asianovelas Debut on TV5; Pure Love Premieres on ABS-CBN

The season premieres of ‘Face the People’ and ‘Let’s Ask Pilipinas’ begin today, but these are not the only shows that Kapatid fans look forward to.

TV5 has announced that ‘Bride of the Century’ and ‘Two Guys, Hot Ramen’ will also premiere today. The two Asianovelas were slated to air at 9:00 p.m., but due to the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals being extended to another game, they will be aired at 7:00 p.m.

‘Bride of the Century’ and ‘Two Guys, Hot Ramen’ will be the first Asianovelas aired on TV5 since ‘Likeable or Not’ early this year. The two shows’ premieres are part of the Kapatid network’s ‘Signal No. 5: Umuulan ng Saya’ campaign for the third quarter of 2014, which included both upcoming and returning shows.

Pure Love Premieres Today

Former Kapatid star Alex Gonzaga makes her debut as a leading protagonist on an ABS-CBN teleserye with ‘Pure Love’. The Filipino adaptation of the Koreanovela ’49 Days’ will replace ‘Mirabella’ starting today.

The original Koreanovela series first aired on the Kapamilya network in 2011, and received decently high ratings throughout its run.

Also starring in the remake are Arjo Atayde, Yam Concepcion, Yen Santos, Arron Villaflor, Joseph Marco, Matt Evans, and Anna Luna. Providing supporting roles in the series are Sunshine Cruz, John Arcilla, Anna Capri, Bart Guingona, Dante Ponce and Shey Bustamante.

The younger sister of Toni Gonzaga recently left ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ to concentrate on her role in ‘Pure Love’, as well as one of the co-hosts of ‘The Voice Kids’. Prior to ‘Pure Love’, her previous acting experience on the Kapamilya network were on ‘Gokada Go’, ‘Pangarap ng Bituin’ and ‘My Girl’.

‘Pure Love’ premieres tonight before ‘TV Patrol’. The teaser to the upcoming series can be viewed below.

GMA, ABS-CBN Tied for Best TV Station at the 2013 PMPC Star Awards

Marian Rivera and Coco Martin (tied with Richard Yap) won the top acting awards for drama in the 2013 PMPC Star Awards for TV.

In the recently concluded PMPC Star Awards for TV, both ABS-CBN and GMA shared honors for best TV station this year. And even though both stations were tied for the top television award, it was ABS-CBN who grabbed a lion’s share of awards thanks to some of their highly-rated programs and impressive performances from its stars.

ABS-CBN earned 31 of the 56 awards in the recent event. Among the winners were Kapamilya stars Coco Martin and Richard Yap (Best Drama Actor), KC Concepcion (Best Drama Supporting Actress), Arjo Atayde and Arron Villaflor (Best Drama Supporting Actor), and Nikki Gil (Best Single Performance for an Actress). Programs such as Juan dela Cruz (Best Primetime Drama Series), Be Careful with My Heart (Best Daytime Drama Series), Showtime (Best Variety Show), ASAP (Best Musical Variety Show), Umagang Kay Ganda (Best Morning Show) and Kris TV (Best Celebrity Talk Show) were also cited.

Not to be outdone, GMA stars such as Marian Rivera (Best Drama Actress), Rufa Mae Quinto (Best Comedy Actress) and Michael V (Best Comedy Actor) were also honored. In addition, GMA programs such as Pepito Manaloto (Best Comedy Show), Bubble Gang (T-Best Gag Show), Celebrity Bluff (Best Game Show), Startalk (Best Showbiz Oriented Talk Show), Magpakailanman (Best Drama Anthology), and the now-defunct Extra Challenge (Best Reality Competition Program) also won their respective awards. Sister network GMA News TV also left victorious thanks to wins by State of the Nation (Best News Program), Biyahe ni Drew (Best Travel Show), I Juander (Best Magazine Show), and Fashbook host Solenn Heussaff (Best Lifestyle Show Host).

While ABS-CBN and GMA dominated the proceedings, some of the minor TV networks were also cited. TV5 walked away with three awards, winning Best Children’s Show for Batibot, Best Talent Search Program for Talentadong Pinoy, and Best Female Showbiz Oriented Talk Show Host for Ang Latest host Cristy Fermin. And the lone award won by a UHF television station came from Net 25, whose program Convergence won Best Lifestyle Show.

The PMPC Star Awards were held last November 24 at the AFP Theater in Camp Aguinaldo, and were hosted by the Gutierrez twins (Richard and Raymond) and the Gonzaga sisters (Toni and Alex). The entire awards ceremony will be seen this Sunday on ABS-CBN’s ‘Sunday’s Best‘. And for the entire list of awardees, click here.