The Return of Juan Direction, Plus Wattpad Stories Premiere on TV5

The Fil-foreign quintet known as ‘Juan Direction’ is back.

Michael McConnell, Daniel Marsh, Brian Wilson, Henry Edwards and Charlie Sutcliffe return for a two-week special starting tonight. They will be joined by a new set of hunky Fil-foreigners: male supermodel and 2014 Mr. World Philippines winner John Spainhour, American Ninja Warrior finalist Shane Daniels, and Cosmopolitan centerfold hunk Wil Dasovich.

The ‘Juan Direction’ special will be known as ‘Islanders’. As the title suggests, the original ‘Juan Direction’ and their Fil-foreign visitors will be stranded on the islands of Masbate and experience their fair share of adventures and misadventures in an isolated setting.

Since debuting in October 2013, ‘Juan Direction’ has become one of TV5’s top programs. This led to bigger opportunities for the quintet on other Kapatid programs; their most recent project, ‘One of the Boys’, aired from May to July of this year.

The upcoming ‘Juan Direction’ special is not the only new offering on TV5, however.

As part of TV5’s deal with the Canadian-based company Wattpad, the Kapatid network will air a drama special called ‘Wattpad Presents’. The first offering from the series, ‘My Tag Boyfriend’, premieres tonight and will run throughout the week.

Starring real-life couple Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Sam Concepcion, ‘My Tag Boyfriend’ tells the story of a Facebook addict whose accidental tag of a campus hearthrob on her status post went viral. A series of funny encounters eventually led to a relationship between the two.

In addition to ‘My Tag Boyfriend’, three other stories from Wattpad are in production and will be aired over the next few weeks: ‘Mr. Popular Meets Ms. Nobody’, starring Mark Neumann, Shaira Mae dela Cruz, and Diego Loyzaga; ‘Poser’, starring Akihiro Blanco, Chanel Morales and Sam Rodriguez; and ‘Almost a Cinderella Story’, starring Eula Caballero and Carl Guevara.

The entry of ‘Wattpad Presents’ should bring good vibes to Filipino Wattpad writers and romance enthusiasts. Having penetrated the big screen via the likes of ‘Diary ng Panget’, ‘She’s Dating the Gangster’ and ‘Talk Back and You’re Dead’, Wattpad now hopes to enjoy a similar level of success on the small screen, something TV5 is more than willing to provide.

‘Wattpad Presents’ and ‘Juan Direction: Islanders’ will air back-to-back starting at 7:00 p.m. later tonight on TV5.

Trenderas Pilot Special Tomorrow

Starring (from L-R) Katrina Velarde, Lara Maigue and Isabelle de Leon, ‘Trenderas’ will make its debut on TV5 tomorrow night. (Photo credit: Trenderas Official Facebook Page)

It’s a thumbs-up for TV5’s ‘Trenderas’.

A story about three trinket vendors aspiring to become singing superstars, ‘Trenderas’ will have its pilot episode aired tomorrow night. The one-hour special will focus on the three vendors’ humble beginnings as they embark on a quest towards fame and stardom.

It can be recalled that teasers for ‘Trenderas’ began to air as early as July. But for some unexplained reason, TV5 pulled out the teasers due to the lack of any programming space at the time, thus shelving the project for the time being.

Then ‘It Takes Gutz to Be a Gutierrez’ ended its first season in August, and new teasers for ‘Trenderas’ began to air on the Kapatid network. This time, TV5 made sure that ‘Trenderas’ will finally have the go-signal it deserves.

The upcoming musical comedy drama series will star Isabelle de Leon (as Isabelle), Katrina Velarde (as Diva), and Lara Maigue (as Lara). Joining the trio in their rags-to-riches journey are Dingdong Avanzado (as Julio), Ara Mina (as Diane), Tina Paner (as Veronica), Carl Guevarra (as EJ), and Edward Mendez (as Benjo).

‘Trenderas’ will not be complete without the three villains who will try to thwart the dreams of Isabelle, Diva and Lara. The ‘Tres Malditas’, as they are called, will star K Brosas (as Katy), Cacai Bautista (as Miley), and Kitkat (as Lady). Completing the cast are veteran talents Francine Prieto (as Viveka) and Rez Cortez (as Mother Pearl).

Also joining the series is a special guest star that needs no introduction. The one and only ‘Superstar’ Nora Aunor (as Celestina Cruz) will play the role of a famous singer-turned-mentor and guiding light to Isabelle, Diva and Lara.

Overall, ‘Trenderas’ is a series that is worth watching. With a mix of song and dance numbers, confrontations between the ‘Tres Malditas’ and the ‘Trenderas’ girls, and some comedic, romantic and dramatic scenes in between, ‘Trenderas’ will definitely capture the sensibilities of both music lovers and viewers alike.

‘Trenderas’ premieres tomorrow night after ‘Tropa Mo Ko Nice Di Ba’ on TV5.