New Season of Pilipinas Got Talent Premieres This Weekend

Another season of ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ awaits.

Now on its sixth season, ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ will once again welcome some of the Philippines’ most unique and breathtaking talents. Whether they can sing, dance or perform spectacular and unusual feats of strength and skill, ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ has them all covered.

Joining in the fun are hosts Billy Crawford and Toni Gonzaga, along with judges Freddie Garcia, Angel Locsin, Robin Padilla and Vice Ganda. Also making its return will be the coveted Golden Buzzer, which will now be used by the hosts as well as the judges to determine which acts will make it straight to the semifinals.

Live auditions for ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ are currently underway, with the Visayas and Mindanao auditions already finished last month. For its opening salvo this weekend, the Metro Manila auditions will be showcased where the judges evaluate the area’s aspirants.

Last season’s ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ saw Power Duo emerge as champion, marking the first time in the show’s history that a non-singer won the competition. It also proved that ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ is more than just a typical sing and dance show, but rather a series in which all unique talents of various fields are given a chance to shine.

If last season was of any indication, then the upcoming sixth season of ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ should expect more of the same, if not better. That said, it will be interesting to see how this year’s cast will hold their own in front of both the judges and viewers.

Of course, if anyone performs exceptionally well, then the Golden Buzzer will serve as their ultimate ticket to the highest level of competition. With that, good luck to all the up-and-coming acts who will grace the ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ stage.

‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ season 6 airs every Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ABS-CBN.

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Love: GMA and ABS-CBN’s Common Theme for the 2017 Christmas Station ID

‘Just Love Ngayong Christmas’ or ‘Buong Pusong MaGMAhalan’.

ABS-CBN and GMA officially released their 2017 Christmas station IDs earlier this month. GMA unveiled theirs last November 6, while ABS-CBN premiered their version the following week.

This year’s central theme is ‘love’, and based on the titles of the two networks’ Christmas station IDs, one can think that they stole each other’s ideas. Looking at the two videos closely, there are some similarities between them, from the gathering of the artists and news personalities to the ordinary people being visited (or accompanied) by some of the stars.

But that is where the commonalities end. In ABS-CBN’s case, they incorporated the use of social media to convey their message, adding videos and photos shared by netizens of strangers who helped one another in times of distress and hopelessness.

ABS-CBN also spread some joy to the victims of the Marawi crisis through letters and donations sent by the network’s artists. That said, based on the context alone, it is clear that ABS-CBN has the more compelling approach to their Christmas station ID.

As of November 15, GMA’s Christmas station ID racked up nearly 450,000 views on YouTube. Meanwhile, ABS-CBN’s Christmas station ID earned over 690,000 views.

Considering that ABS-CBN’s version only made its debut two days ago, the overwhelmingly quick collection of views in such a short amount of time must have made Kapuso fans jealous. And who can blame them for producing a  Christmas station ID that failed to convey a meaningful message.

Last year, only ABS-CBN was able to produce a Christmas station ID as GMA opted for a series of animated shorts for their Christmas campaign. This year, GMA made a comeback by producing a Christmas station ID of their own, but after they were beaten to the punch anew by ABS-CBN, what chances will they have of making another one?

The following personalities listed here are the performers and writers behind the ABS-CBN and GMA Christmas station IDs.

Buong Pusong MaGMAhalan (a.k.a. MaGMAhalan ng Buong Puso)

Lyricists – BJ Camaya, Rexy Jolly Conopio, Jann Lopez

Composer – Len Calvo

Performers – Alden Richards, Mikee Quintos, Nar Cabico, Maricris Garcia, Aicelle Santos, Julie Anne San Jose

Just Love Ngayong Christmas

Lyricists – Lloyd Oliver Corpuz, Christian Faustino, Robert Labayen

Composer – Jimmy Antiporda

Performers – Sarah Geronimo, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Piolo Pascual, Toni Gonzaga, Ogie Alcasid, Erik Santos, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Billy Crawford, Yeng Constantino et al

Little Big Shots: A Kids’ Version of Pilipinas Got Talent

How about giving the kids a shot?

That is exactly what ABS-CBN will do starting this weekend when they premiere its newest franchise program. Enter ‘Little Big Shots’, the Kapamilya network’s up-and-coming reality talent show.

The ‘Little Big Shots’ franchise was created by Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey and has since been adapted in 20 countries. The program is essentially a kid’s version of the ‘Got Talent’ franchise in which kids of various talents converge to show their abilities in front of a national audience.

The Philippine version will be hosted by Billy Crawford, with comedian Eric Nicolas hosting the online show. For Billy, ‘Little Big Shots’ is a relatively new experience for him. According to him,

“It’s my first time to host a talent show where I am the only person from showbiz, because I usually work with people who are already big shots. But here, you’d be surprised by how the kids carry the show, and I’m here to let their personalities shine. All I can say is the kids featured on the show are very exceptional and they really deserve to be called little big shots”.

“I grew up performing, and I know how rewarding it is to entertain people. But in ‘Little Big Shots, you wouldn’t expect what the kids can do, their wit, and they are all very charming”.

Kids aged two to twelve will be front and center on ‘Little Big Shots’. Each of these kids has some innate skill and ability waiting to be unleashed, not to mention their big personalities that will endear with the national audience.

Fresh off a successful season of ‘The Voice Teens’, the big question surrounding ‘Little Big Shots’ is whether or not they can follow up its predecessor’s popularity. Then again, considering ABS-CBN’s rich history of adapting successful franchised programs, putting ‘Little Big Shots’ on the map should not be a problem.

Expect plenty of thrills from these kids as they put their talents to the test on ‘Little Big Shots’. After all, viewers of all ages can’t help but be excited with the kids’ hidden abilities and personalities.

‘Little Big Shots’ airs every Saturday after ‘Home Sweetie Home’ and Sunday after ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ on ABS-CBN.

Overexposed Luis Manzano Finally Gets a Break

Luis Manzano had a three-year stretch of near non-stop hosting commitments which made him overexposed on TV for a long period. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

Thank goodness it’s over.

For much of the last three years, Luis Manzano became a part of every household thanks to a multitude of hosting commitments he accepted during that span. Whether it’s a game show or a talent show, it seems like viewers can’t get enough of this popular Kapamilya host.

Luis’ lengthy run began on October 26, 2014, when he joined Toni Gonzaga to host ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ season 2. The season ran for 36 episodes, concluding on March 1, 2015.

At the tail end of ‘The Voice of the Philippines” run, Luis accepted the job as host of the new season of ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’. Running from February 9, 2015 until March 4, 2016, the fifth season of ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ aired a total of 278 episodes.

Next up for Luis was ‘The Voice Kids’ season 2, which ran from June 6 to August 30, 2015. A total of 26 episodes were aired during that season.

On November 14, 2015, Luis replaced Billy Crawford as host of ‘Celebrity Playtime’, and was present for the game show’s final 41 episodes. Then on January 23, 2016, Luis and Billy joined forces to host the fifth season of ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’, which ran for 35 episodes until May 22, 2016.

By that point, signs of overexposure become more evident for Luis. Unfortunately for the viewers, ABS-CBN is not yet finished with him.

April 9, 2016 saw Luis take over as host of the newly-acquired ‘Family Feud’ franchise, and he presided on all of its 111 episodes. A few months later, on July 18, 2016, Luis returned to host the second season of ‘Minute to Win It’, adding another 208 episodes to his resume.

And if that is not enough, another run as host of ‘The Voice Kids’ awaited Luis. From May 28 to August 28, 2016, Luis was the presenter on all 28 episodes of ‘The Voice Kids” third season.

Finally on April 16, 2017, Luis accepted another hosting stint within ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ franchise. This time, he became the host of ‘The Voice Teens’, which has now aired seven episodes and counting.

This does not include his additional responsibility as one of the hosts of ‘ASAP’. That said, for all intents and purposes, ‘ASAP’ will not be added in this count.

It was clear that ABS-CBN is paying the price for their overreliance on Luis Manzano. Overall, the host accumulated a total of 770 episodes within nine shows (as of May 7, 2017) in a span of 925 days, which speaks of how ABS-CBN became too dependent on this star hosting-wise.

While ratings for Luis’ nine shows were not a problem, it is ABS-CBN’s utilization that became a dilemma. Let’s face it, they have a deep plethora of talent who can be just as proficient in hosting, yet they stuck with Luis for some reason because, he’s the only guy they can depend on to deliver a good show.

Now that Luis is freed of the burden of hosting too many shows on a daily basis, the time is definitely now for ABS-CBN to develop more hosts. After all, there are plenty in the pipeline so why not breed at least one or two of them to relieve some pressure on the veterans.

For now, Luis Manzano can breathe easily. A period of less strenuous activity is all he needs at this point.

Celebrity Kids to Take Over New Season of Your Face Sounds Familiar

The kids are coming to ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ this weekend.

Season 3 of the ABS-CBN reality talent show will have a new twist, as the child stars of the Kapamilya network take center stage in one of the cutest and most entertaining seasons yet. The eight kids who will be part of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids’ are:

• AC Bonifacio – the ‘Dance Sweetheart’
• Alonzo Muhlach – the ‘Bibong Child Wonder’
• Awra Briguela – the ‘Breakout Child Star’
• Elha Nympha – the ‘Big Shot Belter’
• Justin Alva – the ‘Musikerong Charmer’
• Lyca Gairanod – the ‘Young Diva ng Masa’
• Sam Shoaf – the ‘Talented Cutie’
• Xia Vigor – the ‘Daytime Princess’

Each of these young stars will undergo serious vocal, acting and dance training, as well as a makeup transformation, in order to perform like the idol that they will imitate. Every episode will see a winner crowned via a point tally, and he/she will earn a specific cash prize, half of which goes to the charity of their choosing.

By the end of this season, the grand winner will join Melai Cantiveros and Denise Laurel in the winner’s circle. Overall, the format of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ remains the same, save for the ages of the contestants.

The new season of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ will also have a new face in the panel of judges. Enter Ogie Alcasid, the recently-acquired Kapamilya talent who has long been renowned for his musical prowess.

Ogie will join holdovers Sharon Cuneta and Gary Valenciano in the judges’ table. As for the presenter of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’, it will still be Billy Crawford.

The first two seasons of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ proved to be runaway hits thanks to the unique approach that the show took. As the kids take center stage this weekend, one can only hope that the third season will be just as exciting and entertaining as the first two.

‘Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids’ airs every Saturday after ‘Home Sweetie Home’, and every Sunday after ‘Goin’ Bulilit’.

Pinoy Boyband Superstar Premieres Tomorrow

ABS-CBN’s own search for an up-and-coming Filipino boyband gets underway tomorrow.

Boys aged 14 or older, with a knack for good looks, charm and excellent singing and dancing talent, will have the opportunity to become one of the five members of a soon-to-be named boyband. Their journey begins this weekend on ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’, the Filipino adaptation of ‘La Banda’.

The original ‘La Banda’ was created by Simon Cowell and former Menudo member Ricky Martin. In order to avoid claims that the show is actually creating a ‘band’ consisting of a vocalist and instrumentalists, ABS-CBN renamed the show as ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ in order to make it clear that they are looking to form a boyband.

The premise of ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ is simple. The boyband aspirants must impress the girls with their looks and talent in order to make it to the next round, after which they face the judges who will evaluate their singing prowess as well as their image.

If one of the aspirants failed to pass the first round, they may be given another chance, provided they show enough potential to convince judges. Eventually, some of the aspirants will be eliminated until there are five left standing.

‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will be hosted by Billy Crawford. The show’s judges will be Yeng Constantino, Vice Ganda, Aga Muhlach, and Sandara Park.

Even before its premiere, comparisons between ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ and rival GMA’s ‘To the Top’ were very evident from the beginning. Both had a similar premise of forming a boyband, not to mention the journey of selecting the members.

The difference, however, lies on the production. Though ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ is more of a franchise than the originally created ‘To the Top’, ABS-CBN did not seek help from its news and current affairs department to produce the former, unlike GMA whose Public Affairs team was responsible for the latter.

And considering that ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will be aired at a more convenient timeslot (unlike ‘To the Top’ which aired on late nights), the former could become even more successful. Still, it will be up to the audience to see how it all happens.

The journey of the next great Pinoy boyband begins this weekend. Good luck.

‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ airs Saturdays after ‘Home Sweetie Home’, and Sundays after ‘Goin’ Bulilit’.