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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FTT Year 2016 in Review: The 20 Stories That Define the Year in Media (Part IV)

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2017, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article looks back at the 20 moments that define the Philippine media this year.

If you missed out on Part I, Part II and Part III of this series, click on the highlighted link for more information.

Here is Part IV of the four-part series. These stories are arranged in no particular order.

The Death of German Moreno

On January 8, the whole Filipino entertainment industry was stunned with the passing of German Moreno. The veteran host, actor and entertainer was best known for his distinguished work with up-and-coming stars on ‘That’s Entertainment’, as well as a near two-decade run hosting the Saturday late night show ‘Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman’.

The death of Kuya Germs also ended an era for late-night variety shows on Philippine television, as ‘Walang Tulugan’ signed off for good on February 13. Despite that, the legacy of Kuya Germs lives on with the Eastwood City Walk of Fame, which inducted new members late this year.

Other notable showbiz personalities who died this year include directors Wenn Deramas and Francis Pasion, actors Lilia Cuntapay, Joy Viado and Dick Israel, and singer Blakdyak.

Encantadia Returns

On July 18, GMA brought back the popular fantaserye ‘Encantadia’, featuring a rehashed storyline of the original 2005 series. The new iteration stars Glaiza de Castro, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Kylie Padilla, who play the roles of Pirena, Alena, Danaya and Amihan respectively.

Unfortunately, despite the hefty expenses that GMA spent for this version of ‘Encantadia’, the series failed to make an impact. In the national Kantar ratings, ‘Encantadia’ regularly fell by double digits to ‘Ang Probinsyano’, and the high expectations that came with it dissipated.

‘Encantadia’ is not the only primetime problem that GMA faced this year, however, as this next entry shows.

The Alyas Robin Hood-Arrow Controversy

When posters and teasers for ‘Alyas Robin Hood’ were first released, many felt the series was a ripoff of ‘Arrow’, with lead star Stephen Amell even going as far as sharing the clip with a ‘flushed-face’ emoji. However, creative consultant Suzette Doctolero made it clear that ‘Alyas Robin Hood’ and ‘Arrow’ were both based on the Robin Hood folklore.

Despite the controversial issues, ‘Alyas Robin Hood’ was given the go-signal by GMA to air starting September 19. While the series came out flying in its first few weeks, rival series ‘Magpahanggang Wakas’ soon pulled away, with some disgruntled viewers choosing to watch either the Tagalized ‘Arrow’ on TV5, or the English dub on Jack TV.

‘Alyas Robin Hood’ did have a highly publicized scene with the bikini showdown involving Sarri (Megan Young) and Venus (Andrea Torres), which should soften the blow of its controversial start.

The 25th Anniversary of Maalaala Mo Kaya

The first episode of ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ was aired on May 15, 1991. Twenty-five years later, the program continues to touch the lives of others thanks to a letter read by Charo Santos-Concio, and scenes that can make people shed tears with each episode.

This year, as part of its silver anniversary celebration, ABS-CBN launched a commemorative website for ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’, a nationwide and worldwide tour, and an initiative for people to send in their life stories via a letter or a short-form video. As for the show’s ratings this year, it continues to thwart the challenges of its long-running rival, GMA’s ‘Magpakailanman’.

One can only hope that ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ will continue to air beyond this year, as its legacy and enduring success stands the test of time.

Ang Probinsyano and Doble Kara Celebrate Their First Anniversary

But perhaps the biggest headline of 2016 belongs to both Coco Martin and Julia Montes. Their respective shows, ‘Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘Doble Kara’, reached the one-year milestone within a month of each other.

Both ‘Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘Doble Kara’ continue to lead the way in their respective timeslots. The former is currently the most-watched primetime show in the country, while the latter is the most-watched post-noontime show.

How much longer will they stay on the air remains to be seen, but as they proceed into 2017, expect ‘Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘Doble Kara’ to remain a dominant force in the primetime and afternoon slots respectively.

Honorable Mentions

1. ‘The World Tonight’ celebrates its 50th year.
2. Power Duo wins ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ season 5.
3. Joshua Oliveros wins ‘The Voice Kids’ season 3.
4. ‘Naku Boss Ko’ mini-series and PiliPinas Debates leading up to the 2016 Philippine Presidential Elections.
5. ANC and DZMM’s respective 20th and 30th anniversaries.

It was indeed an eventful 2016 in the world of Philippine media. Expect bigger things to come this 2017 as From the Tube continues to document the latest events in television and radio in the Philippines.

Until then, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A Spectacular Ending for Pilipinas Got Talent

Season 5 of ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ ended on a great note.

For the first time in the talent show’s history, a non-singer won the grand prize of P2 million. Power Duo, a dancing act composed of real-life couple Anjanette and Gervin, was named the grand winner, following an impressive performance in the finale held during the weekend of May 21-22 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Dancing to the tune of the OPM classic ‘Ikaw Lamang’, Power Duo earned an average of 100% of votes from both the judges and the viewers to win the grand prize. Their awe-struck performance in the finale capped off an amazing run for the dance act, who began the season by receiving the Golden Buzzer and kept cruising all season.

Power Duo joins an elite list of winners in the ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ franchise, all of which were singers. They are Jovit Baldivino, Marcelito Pomoy, Maasinhon Trio, and Roel Manlangit.

Aside from Power Duo, the season’s other finalists include:

Dancers

• Crossover Family
• Mastermind
• Sto. Tomas Bulilit Generation
• Power Impact Dancers

Singers

• Next Option
• The Chosen Ones
• Kurt Philip Espiritu

Variety Acts

• UA Mindanao (motocross stunts)
• Amazing Pyra (fire dancing)
• Ody Sto. Domingo (magic)
• Dino Splendid Acrobats (acrobatic stunts)

While the finale went along smoothly, not all performers left the venue standing. UA Mindanao member Bornok Mangosong performed a risky back-flip that ultimately crashed, leaving him in a wheelchair afterwards.

Despite the mishap, the judges still praised UA Mindanao for courageously finishing the performance. Angel Locsin, one of the season’s judges, even gave the group a perfect score.

Overall, Season 5 of ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ was a runaway winner, averaging around 35% and consistently topping the list of the 20 most-watched shows every Saturday and Sunday. To cap it all off, the two-part finale garnered ratings of 33.8% (Saturday) and 36.7% (Sunday), beating the competition on both occasions.

It was indeed a spectacular ending for ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’. While its future is once again up in the air, there is glimmer of hope, since the just-concluded season gave all acts a fair share of the spotlight, capped off by a non-singer in Power Duo winning the grand prize.

Hopefully ABS-CBN can bring back the ever-successful franchise sooner rather than later. For now though, another talent show franchise in ‘The Voice Kids’ is on the spotlight starting this weekend.