Pokwang, Melai Go Dramatic on We Will Survive

Something different will take place on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida this Monday.

After taking a more sensual approach with ‘Pasion de Amor’, the Kapamilya network decided to switch their style for the 5:45 p.m. slot. The newest drama, ‘We Will Survive’, is comparatively lighter, yet it can still deliver some tearjerking moments to viewers.

In ‘We Will Survive’, two childhood friends from Bicol grew up with different personalities, but with similar heart-breaking circumstances. Wilma (Pokwang) is a beauty salon worker with a quiet demeanor, while Maricel (Melai Cantiveros) is a hotel manager with a more upbeat presence.

Both Wilma and Maricel failed in their relationships with other men, and this common low point led to them getting supportive of each other in order to overcome these personal heartbreaks. Together, with all the challenges they face, they will learn what it takes to be survivors in life.

Joining Pokwang and Melai on ‘We Will Survive’ are Josh De Guzman, Carlo Aquino, Jeric Raval, Bea Saw, Regine Angeles, Viveika Ravanes, Bing Davao, Alcris Galura, Maris Racal, Joshua Zamora, McCoy De Leon, and Vangie Labalan. Jeffrey Jeturian will direct this heart-warming drama.

‘We Will Survive’ is one of two new dramas set to premiere this Monday. The other is ‘The Story of Us’, which will take over the timeslot of ‘On the Wings of Love’ (more on that this Monday).

Following the footsteps of the ever-successful ‘Pasion de Amor’ will not be easy for ‘We Will Survive’. With ‘Wowowin’ already threatening in the ratings, this will be a huge challenge for the series to be as successful as its predecessor.

Still, with ‘We Will Survive’ following the same vein as other light-hearted dramas such as ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ (also directed by Jeturian), anything is possible. That said, the new challenge for comediennes Pokwang and Melai should be a good one, as they will show viewers their ability to shed tears in dramas such as this.

‘We Will Survive’ premieres this Monday before ‘TV Patrol’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

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OTWOL, Pasion de Amor Enter Final Week

‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ are down to their last five episodes.

The former, first premiered on June 1, 2015, was a remake of the original Colombian telenovela that once aired on ABS-CBN. While the original was a decent success, this localized version of ‘Pasion de Amor’ became an unexpected hit, and in the process blew out the competition (at least until ‘Wowowin’ entered the picture).

Throughout its run, viewers were constantly hooked to the sensually passionate, and at times unpredictable love story involving the Samonte brothers (Jake Cuenca, Ejay Falcon, Joseph Marco) and Elizondo sisters (Ellen Adarna, Coleen Garcia, Arci Muñoz). The presence of villains such as Gabriel (Wendell Ramos) and Gabriela (Teresa Loyzaga) only added fuel to the fire.

On the other hand, the latter, first premiered August 10, 2015, marked the first foray of the JaDine (James Reid, Nadine Lustre) love team into the small screen. Based on their success in films such as ‘Diary ng Panget’ and ‘My Hopeless Romantic’, a lot of expectations were raised for the duo.

These expectations were soon met and exceeded, as ‘On the Wings of Love’ became an immediate success in its timeslot. The series was not without controversy, however, as one stripping scene involving Clark (James) and Leah (Nadine) received negative remarks from the Philippine National Police.

With a final total of 194 and 145 episodes, respectively, there is no doubt that ‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ have become one of ABS-CBN’s most successful teleseryes in recent years. While GMA’s own programs tried hard to keep up with the two series, the gap in the ratings proved too much to overcome.

As ‘Pasion de Amor’ and ‘On the Wings of Love’ head to their final week, what fate awaits the former’s Samonte brothers and Elizondo sisters, and the latter’s Clark and Leah? Find out this week as the two series conclude.

In 100 Words: Mixed Results for Wowowin’s New 90-Minute Format

Not even an additional 30 minutes helped ‘Wowowin’ in the national ratings. (Photo credit: GMA Network)

An extended running time for ‘Wowowin’ did not result in improved ratings.

Kantar’s national ratings for February 15 showed that ‘Wowowin’ earned a 14.6% rating. The show managed to beat ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ (11.1%), but still fell short to its regular rival ‘Pasion de Amor’ (18.1%).

The pattern continued over the next two days, as ‘Wowowin’ (16% & 15.3% respectively) won over ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ (12% & 10.9%), but lost to ‘Pasion de Amor’ (18.2% & 17.4%). While AGB Nielsen’s Mega Manila ratings indicate a decisive victory for ‘Wowowin’, the national ratings speak otherwise.

With ‘Pasion de Amor’ down to its final week (more on that in next week’s article), there is still hope for ‘Wowowin’ to catch up. But as ABS-CBN prepares for its replacement, things don’t seem to look so good for Willie Revillame on primetime.

Heart of Asia, Astig Authority Reduced As Part of GMA’s New Programming Lineup

‘Wowowin”s new timeslot and extended running is part of another revamp of GMA’s lineup. (Logo courtesy of Wil Productions Inc., GMA Network)

Yesterday marked yet another change in GMA’s programming.

Once again, the Kapuso network brought back ‘Kapuso Movie Festival’ (airing weekdays at 9:00 a.m.) in hopes of competing with ABS-CBN’s ‘Kapamilya Blockbusters’. To accommodate the said movie block, the duration of the Astig Authority and Heart of Asia Mornings blocks were reduced to 90 and 60 minutes respectively.

The impressive ratings of ‘Wowowin’, though still not enough to beat ‘Pasion de Amor’ nationally, also led to a timeslot change. As a result, ‘Wowowin”s start time was pushed to 5:00 p.m., and its running time was extended for another 30 minutes; this enabled the show to compete against ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ as well.

Consequentially, the extension of ‘Wowowin’ likewise led to a timeslot change for the programs that once occupied the 5:00 p.m. slot. In what has become a ‘you lead and I follow’ scenario, GMA moved its News and Public Affairs block back to late nights, two months after ABS-CBN’s own News and Current Affairs block returned to the said timeslot.

Unlike ABS-CBN’s current affairs block, however, GMA’s so-called ‘Pampamulat sa Gabi’ block only airs from Mondays to Thursdays (thank you ‘Bubble Gang’), and will comprise of these programs. They are ‘Front Row’ (Mondays), ‘Alisto’ (Tuesdays), ‘Tunay na Buhay’ (Wednesdays), and ‘Reporters’ Notebook’ (Thursdays).

Speaking of Mondays to Thursdays, the Heart of Asia Mornings block (‘You’re the Best’, ‘Carmina’) was also reduced to make way for a pair of refugees from the 5:00 p.m. slot. Both ‘Dream Home’ (formerly ‘Power House’) and ‘Love Hotline’ were moved to Friday mornings, and will take over the timeslot of the former block on that day.

By all indications, this is another desperate attempt by GMA to keep up with rival ABS-CBN. Considering that the latter network continues to dominate virtually every timeslot in the ratings, GMA’s answers don’t seem to matter at this point.

Now they need to be patient with this new approach. Otherwise another revamp is in store for the Kapuso network.

Wowowin Now on Weekdays

Willie Revillame is returning to a familiar spot, sort of.

Starting February 1, ‘Wowowin’ will air every Monday to Friday on GMA’s Telebabad block. The move was announced nearly two weeks after the said game show aired its final Sunday episode last January 17.

Most loyal followers of Willie Revillame are no stranger to his presence on primetime during weekdays. From 2010 to 2013, Willie hosted ‘Willing Willie’ and ‘Wil Time Big Time’ on TV5 six times a week, an attempt which did not go well for the Kapatid network.

During his time on TV5, Willie became embroiled in numerous off-stage and on-stage controversies. The most infamous of those events took place in March 2011, when a six-year-old boy performed a ‘macho dance’ that did not sit well with the majority, and led to the show’s brief suspension.

Even though ‘Wowowin’ enjoyed a resurgence since moving to an earlier timeslot on Sunday afternoons, it was clear that Willie was not satisfied with its success. Thus, at the urging of GMA Network executives, both parties decided to move ‘Wowowin’ to weeknights, a move which seems risky for the network.

Although ‘Wowowin’ will air much earlier than Willie’s prior shows on TV5, it will still face intense competition on its timeslot. The final four weeks of ‘Pasion de Amor’, in particular, will be ‘Wowowin”s first opponent, and based on the ABS-CBN teleserye’s constant success, it will not be easy for ‘Wowowin’ to topple.

Also, like the Sunday episodes, ‘Wowowin’ will only air for an hour, and will be aired on tape-delay. GMA made it clear from the start that ‘Wowowin’ will be strictly supervised so as to prevent any untoward incident that have affected Willie’s shows in the past.

Risks aside, for Willie Revillame and his loyal followers, this is a win-win situation. Now that ‘Wowowin’ will be aired five times a week, viewers can enjoy the same old ‘bigyan ng jacket’ style every day of the week, much like the old days.

‘Wowowin’ airs weeknights at 5:30 p.m. on GMA Telebabad, starting February 1.

StarStruck Ends This Saturday

The Ultimate Male and Female Survivor will be crowned this Saturday, as ‘StarStruck’ presents ‘The Final Judgment’. (Photo credit: GMA Network/StarStruck Official Facebook)

The most forgettable season in ‘StarStruck’ history is finally coming to a close.

On Saturday, December 19, ‘StarStruck”s Final Four, consisting of Klea Pineda, Migo Adecer, Elyson de Dios, and Ayra Mariano, will vie for the Ultimate Male and Female Survivor crowns in front of a nationwide audience. As it has been the case in past seasons, ‘StarStruck”s season finale will be dubbed ‘The Final Judgment’.

The season finale of ‘StarStruck’ will also feature a special guest. Former ‘StarStruck’ reject-turned-rising star Alden Richards will make a special appearance on the show, joining hosts Dingdong Dantes and Megan Young alongside ‘StarStruck’ segment hosts and judges.

Saturday’s finale will mark the only time that the sixth season of ‘StarStruck’ aired an episode on a weekend. This is surprising for the reality show, considering that past seasons always featured a weekend edition (typically elimination nights that lead up to the coronation of that season’s male, female and sole survivors).

But not this year, as elimination nights took place on a Friday.

Overall, the sixth season of ‘StarStruck’ failed to recapture the aura of past seasons, thanks to a poor choice of timeslot and the lack of a weekend edition. Losing to ‘Pasion de Amor’ and avoiding ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ proved to be two sins that this season’s ‘StarStruck’ were not able to avoid.

With ‘StarStruck’ not performing up to expectations, an uncertain path awaits this season’s survivors and avengers. Staying with GMA may be a risky course for some, but moving over to ABS-CBN or other outfits may still help them enhance their skills.

It remains to be seen whether or not the ‘StarStruck’ finale will finish strong. But one thing’s for sure: it’s make or break for ‘StarStruck’ this Saturday.