A History of Vic Sotto Sitcoms (Part 1)

The cast of ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’ nearly 30 years after it first aired. Tweetie de Leon was the second actress to play the role of Faye. (Photo credit: Allan K Official Instagram)

It has been nearly 30 years since Vic Sotto left the shadows of TVJ and became a star himself.

On Sunday, June 19, his newest sitcom ‘Hay, Bahay!’ will officially premiere on GMA. This will mark Vic Sotto’s eighth sitcom as a solo artist, and ninth overall.

While he was better known as 1/3 of the fabled trio TVJ alongside Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon, and the host of ‘Eat Bulaga’, it was his individual comedic brilliance on television and film that cemented his legacy. Without further ado, let’s look back at his solo sitcoms over the years (in chronological order), starting with the first four on the list.

1. Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (1987-97)

Aired on: IBC-13 (1987-89), ABS-CBN (1989-95), GMA (1995-97)

Notable co-stars: Aiza Seguerra, Alice Dixson, Tweetie de Leon, Dawn Zulueta, Charito Solis, Jinky Oda, Ruby Rodriguez, Larry Silva

The sitcom that started it all, ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’ introduced viewers to Enteng Kabisote, the mechanic-turned-husband of the fairy Faye. The character then went on to star in nine box-office hit movies based on the sitcom.

2. 1 For 3 (1997-2001)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Ai-ai delas Alas, Charlene Gonzales, Rosanna Roces, Nanette Inventor, Imee Marcos, Allan K, Mickey Ferriols

Believe it or not, ‘Hay, Bahay’ is not the first sitcom to star both Vic Sotto and Ai-ai delas Alas. When Charlene Gonzales left ‘1 For 3’ to host ABS-CBN’s ‘Keep on Dancing’, Ai-ai was introduced in the sitcom as one of Gene’s (Vic) housemates.

3. Daddy Di Do Du (2001-07)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Danica Sotto, Maxene Magalona, Isabelle de Leon, Cindy Kurleto, Redford White, Ruby Rodriguez, Joonee Gamboa, Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros, Nida Blanca

The first sitcom to feature Vic and daughter Danica, ‘Daddy Di Do Du’ was the second in Vic’s sitcom filmography to feature a mystical theme. Unfortunately, just a few months into the sitcom’s run, Nida Blanca was murdered, and her character was written off afterwards.

4. Ful Haus (2007-09)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Pia Guanio, Jose Manalo, BJ Forbes, Joonee Gamboa, Marissa Delgado, Mitoy Yonting, Sugar Mercado

Based on the Koreanovela ‘Full House’, ‘Ful Haus’ marked the debut of child star BJ Forbes, whose claim to fame was via the Tide detergent commercials as ‘Tolits’. This was also the first project for Mitoy Yonting prior to winning season 1 of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ several years later.

For Part 2 of A History of Vic Sotto sitcoms, click here.

Note: ‘Hay, Bahay!’ will air every Sunday after ’24 Oras Weekend’ on GMA. All of his sitcoms are property of M-Zet Productions.

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The Voice PH II Finale, Plus Heart-Chiz Wedding This Weekend

‘The Voice of the Philippines’ season 2 is down to the last four standing, with the winner to be declared this Sunday. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

Four worthy singers, two days, one champion.

The second season of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ concludes with one of the most highly-anticipated finales to date. On February 28 and March 1, the last singers standing on Team Bamboo, Team Lea, Team Apl and Team Sarah will go head-to-head in hopes of joining Season 1 winner Mitoy Yonting on the winners’ circle.

TVPH’s ‘Final Four’ consists of Rence Rapanot (Team Bamboo), Alisah Bonaobra (Team Apl), Jason James Dy (Team Sarah), and Leah Patricio (Team Lea). These four finalists not only survived pressure-packed decisions from their judges, but also testy votes from viewers, in order to make it to the finale.

Since the new season debuted in October, ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ has remained a consistent top-rater and a major trending presence on Twitter. Expect the finale to do the same.

‘The Voice of the Philippines’ season 2 final performance show will air live this Saturday after ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’, while the final results show will also air live this Sunday after ‘Rated K’.

And for those who still feel ‘The Voice Fever’, don’t worry. A new season of ‘The Voice Kids’ is coming soon, as auditions for the kids’ edition are already underway.

Meanwhile, a different kind of special will be aired on GMA this and next Sunday.

The wedding of Heart Evangelista (real-life name Love Marie Ongpauco) and Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero will have a two-part special on March 1 and 8. The first part, to be aired this Sunday, will have highlights of the despedida de soltera, followed by the wedding that was held at the Balesin Island Club in Quezon.

The second part, to be aired next Sunday, will focus on the reception that was held at the Blue Leaf Filipinas in Paranaque City. It was hosted by Tim Yap and Christian Bautista, with performances from the Kapuso network’s resident artists.

Fresh from the decently positive reception of the Marian Rivera-Dingdong Dantes wedding special last month, GMA now hopes to keep the good times rolling with the Heart-Chiz wedding special. Then again, they have tough competition in the ratings department, so good luck with that.

The Heart-Chiz wedding special will be seen as part of ‘Sunday Night Box Office’.

 

 

The Voice PH Returns, Poses Huge Challenge to Bet ng Bayan

A new challenger awaits ‘Bet ng Bayan’ this Sunday.

The second season of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ will air starting October 26 and every weekend thereafter on ABS-CBN. The popular reality singing show will replace ‘I Do’, whose finale is set tomorrow night.

The first season of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’, which ran from June 15 to September 29, 2013, was won by Team Lea’s Mitoy Yonting. A spinoff, ‘The Voice Kids’, ran from May 24 to July 27, 2014, and was won by Team Sarah’s Lyca Gairanod.

Returning as judges for season 2 will be Sarah Geronimo, apl.de.ap, Bamboo Manalac and Lea Salonga. Toni Gonzaga and Luis Manzano will reprise their roles as hosts, while Robi Domingo and Alex Gonzaga will join as its ‘V-reporters’.

Since it premiered in June of last year, ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ became one of ABS-CBN’s highest-rated programs. TVPH season 1 finished in the top five in both Kantar and AGB Nielsen, with ratings usually hovering over 20% or better.

The success of the show (and its spinoff ‘The Voice Kids’) was so tremendous that GMA’s attempts to tweak their programming on weekends always backfire. Not even the entry of ‘Marian’ helped GMA’s dire weekend situation.

Perhaps due to apparent jealousy over ABS-CBN’s reality show success, GMA finally decided to create their own talent show, which became ‘Bet ng Bayan’.

Nevertheless, GMA’s weekend problems continued even with their latest creation on board. ‘Bet ng Bayan’ was pitted against ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’, easily GMA’s biggest weekend threat, and as expected, the former struggled in the ratings.

Without a Saturday show to begin with (‘Bet ng Bayan’ has a 15-minute recap show on weeknights instead), it is clear that ‘Bet ng Bayan”s chances against ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ won’t be any better. Considering TVPH’s overwhelming ratings success in Season 1, it will be a very daunting task for GMA to overcome this juggernaut.

The season premiere of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ should give GMA every reason to fear. Better act now, or else.

The Launch of 107.5 Wish FM

107.5 Wish FM was officially launched on August 10, 2014, in a live concert at the World Trade Center in Pasay. (Logo courtesy of the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation)

It’s a wish come true for DWNU 107.5.

On August 10, Daniel Razon’s Breakthrough & Milestone Productions International, Inc. officially launched 107.5 Wish FM, in a live concert at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The concert featured bands such as Rivermaya, 6Cyclemind, Sandwich, Imago and Spongecola, as well as artists like Richard Poon, Mitoy Yonting, Jonalyn Viray, Gerald Santos and Jeffrey Hidalgo.

In addition, the management of the station granted ‘wishes’ to various individuals. One such wish involved progeria-stricken Rochelle Pondare, whose wish was to be a recording artist despite suffering from premature aging at 17.

Wish FM also introduced the first-ever mobile FM bus. The said vehicle will travel to different places within Metro Manila, with the intent of promoting the station to its listeners.

The launch of Wish FM was not complete without its staff of DJs. The new station introduced industry veterans Hill Billy Willy and Uncle Harry, as well as DJs Princess, Alice, Jelly Kisses, Flynn Rider, and Russell.

Wish FM is now the third iteration of the 107.5 frequency currently occupied by the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation. The station was previously known as NU 107 (hard rock/alternative format) from 1987-2010, and 107.5 Win Radio (hot adult contemporary format) from 2010-14.

The transition from Win Radio to Wish FM began on June 26, when BMPI took over management of 107.5. This led to the resignation of Manny Luzon as executive vice president of PBC and subsequent relocation of Win Radio to erstwhile sister station 91.5 Big Radio two days later.

Soon after, the unnamed station adopted a broader adult contemporary format, and was initially broadcast as P.S. FM before BMPI decided to launch under the more catchy Wish FM brand.

The rebranded station also relocated from their old booth at AIC Gold Tower in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, to the temporary UNTV Center in Philam Homes, Quezon City. Win Radio, however, will continue to occupy the AIC booth next door.

With that, let’s wish the new station good luck on its first week of broadcast.

Last Sunday Night on Philippine TV, and Upcoming Teleseryes

It was an eventful Sunday night on Philippine TV. ABS-CBN’s ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ finally crowned a winner, as Mitoy Yonting won the final showdown over Klarisse de Guzman. The final showdown of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ proved to be a ratings and social media hit. Over at TV5, ‘The Mega and the Songwriter’ also trended on Twitter, in large part to the performance of the Singing Elevator Girl Cheridel Alejandrino. And both GMA networks experienced an abrupt on-air interruption after a fire broke out at the basement of its headquarters in Quezon City, which was later put under control without any reported injuries.

Meanwhile, contrary to my prediction in a previous article, the new ABS-CBN teleserye ‘Galema: Anak ni Zuma’ will actually have its series debut on the Kapamilya Gold afternoon slot, replacing ‘Dugong Buhay’. The series will make its debut today, and will star Andi Eigenmann in her afternoon soap debut.

Over at primetime, the Kapamilya network’s highly rated teleserye ‘Muling Buksan ang Puso’ will finish its run this week, with its series finale scheduled for Friday, October 4. The remake of ‘Maria Mercedes’ will replace the former beginning October 7, and will mark the return of Jessy Mendiola to the primetime slot. ‘Maria Mercedes’ will be the fourth local adaptation of a Thalia-starred series, after GMA’s ‘MariMar‘, ‘Rosalinda’, and ABS-CBN’s ‘Maria la del Barrio‘.

Switching over to the Kapuso side, GMA will likewise debut a new afternoon series entitled ‘Magkano Ba ang Pag-Ibig’, which will mark the acting return of Heart Evangelista. The new series will replace the Bianca King-starred ‘Maghihintay Pa Rin’ beginning today, September 30.

And finally the Kapuso network also announced that the highly rated and controversial teleserye ‘My Husband’s Lover’ will conclude on October 11, as seen on the network teasers. The teasers also announce a new replacement for MHL, entitled ‘Genesis’, and will officially mark the return of Dingdong Dantes to primetime. However, Dantes will not be paired with his usual off-screen partner Marian Rivera; instead he will be paired by another returning Kapuso star in Rhian Ramos. Barring any hitches, the series debut of ‘Genesis’ will be on October 14.