Long Overdue: JoshLia Stars in Ngayon at Kailanman

Call it an ‘I wish they should have done this a long time ago’ moment.

The love team of Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto have been in the headlines for as long as fans can remember. But while they made some noise in films like ‘Unexpectedly Yours’, ‘Vince and Kath and James’ and ‘Love You to the Stars and Back’, their chemistry has yet to be tested on television.

To their credit, Joshua and Julia already starred in a few teleseryes individually (most recently Julia was included in ‘A Love to Last’ while Joshua last appeared in ‘The Good Son’). However, the incoming teleserye ‘Ngayon at Kailanman’ will mark the first series in which the two are on the same script.

Via ABS-CBN PR:

“Ngayon at Kailanman” is an ode to classic Filipino teleseryes about star-crossed lovers, who must fight the odds to be together. It stars Joshua as Inno, an heir of the powerful Cortes clan, and Julia as Eva, a streetwise girl who grew up in the slums.

Though they are from different worlds, destiny will bring them together but also tear them apart. While their love will be tested by the Cortes family and the mystery surrounding the identity of Eva, it is up to them to decide what they are willing to risk for their love.

‘Ngayon at Kailanman’ will also mark the return of legendary actress Rosemarie Gil on the small screen as the matriarch to the Cortes clan. Completing the entire cast are Rio Locsin, Iza Calzado, Christian Vasquez, Alice Dixon, Ina Raymundo, Dominic Ocha, TJ Trinidad, Jameson Blake and Joao Constancia.

For all their success in film, Joshua and Julia will have their hands full connecting with the ever-demanding world of primetime television. After all, ‘Ngayon at Kailanman”s predecessor ‘Bagani’ failed to make an impact in spite of its impressive ratings, which only puts great pressure on JoshLia to succeed.

That said, the expectations to excel will be of huge importance to ‘Ngayon at Kailanman’. The series should be more than satisfied in reaching 30% ratings or better during its run, but if it goes below that on a regular basis, then it will be trouble for ABS-CBN.

Directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar and Elfren Vibar, ‘Ngayon at Kailanman’ airs after ‘Ang Probinsyano’ on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.

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Pinoy Boyband Superstar to End This Weekend

It all comes down to the final weekend.

This Saturday and Sunday night, ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will reveal the five aspirants who will compose the next great Pinoy boyband. The seven remaining heartthrobs will have a chance to impress the judges and viewers one last time, with the opportunity to either take the first spot on Saturday, or earn the other four spots on Sunday.

The seven singing heartthrobs of ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ are as follows:

• Ford Valencia, 21, the Hunky Haratista of Valenzuela City
• Joao Constancia, 19, the Party Prince of Macau
• Mark Oblea, 21, the Kwelang Bad Boy of Bacoor
• Niel Murillo, 17, the Kanto Boy Next Door of Cebu
• Russell Reyes, 18, the Fil-Am-azing Boy of Illinois
• Tony Labrusca, 21, the Bad Boy of Vancouver
• Tristan Ramirez, 23, the Buff Balladeer of Bulacan

The five winners of ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will earn exclusive Star Magic contracts, One Music recording contracts, Yamaha motorcycles, and P5 million in cash. Not only that, the name of the boyband will be revealed, along with their first single.

Since its premiere on September 10, ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ has constantly ranked among ABS-CBN’s most-watched weekend shows. The reality/talent show averaged better than 30% (according to Kantar) during its four-month run, easily outperforming GMA’s counterpart shows.

The ratings performance of ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ is also miles better than GMA’s own boyband search show ‘To the Top’, But considering that the latter aired on a different timeslot than the former, it could be unfair to judge ‘To the Top’ just by comparing it to ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’.

Still, it remains to be seen if the new boyband from ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will outperform ‘To the Top”s Top One Project. This up-and-coming boyband from ABS-CBN’s star-making factory should have high expectations on their shoulders, and for good reason, since Star Magic has had a reputation for churning successful talent.

Come this weekend, five will be left standing. Find out who among the seven singing heartthrobs will take their place as the Philippines’ next great boyband.

‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar: The Grand Reveal’ airs this Saturday after ‘Home Sweetie Home’, and this Sunday after ‘Goin’ Bulilit’, on ABS-CBN.