Conan, My Beautician Premieres Sunday

Meet Mark Herras in drag.

Beginning this Sunday, Mark will topbill GMA’s newest comedy series ‘Conan, My Beautician’. This series will feature Mark in a role that he has never played before: that of a gay man.

In ‘Conan, My Beautician’, Mark will play Conan, a straight man who is the most talented yet desperate beautician at Salon Paz. But in order to accept the job, he has to pretend that he is gay; after all, he needs the money for the sake of his sick mother and family, who were banished from their hometown by Chika La Chaka (Cacai Bautista).

Along the way, he met and fell in love with Ava (Megan Young), whom he worked along in a make-up gig. But as the story goes on, his fellow beauticians seem to notice that Conan may not be gay at all.

‘Conan, My Beautician’ will also star Jerald Napoles, Betong Sumaya, Boobsie, Tetay, Lotlot de Leon, Jay Manalo, Balang, Chlaui Malayao, Vangie Labalan and Antonette Garcia. It will be co-directed by Adolf Alix and Rember Gelera.

Continuing the recent trend of Sunday afternoon comedy series that was first seen on ‘Juan Tamad’, a lot is expected on ‘Conan, My Beautician’. Still, winning its timeslot will be a daunting task, considering that ABS-CBN’s ‘Family Feud’ remains the most-watched show nationally every late Sunday afternoon.

Nevertheless, expect the series to pull all the stops. Playing a man dressed in drag is a great challenge for Mark Herras, and if the viewers find it awesome and funny, that should help spike ‘Conan, My Beautician”s performance.

‘Conan, My Beautician’ airs every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on GMA.

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.

Struggling and Controversial Celebrities on ‘Face the People’

The appearance of Freddie Aguilar on ‘Face the People’ set the table for more embattled celebrities to appear on the program in order to explain their issues. (Courtesy of TV5)

Several weeks ago, the appearance of embattled singer Freddie Aguilar on ‘Face the People’ caught the attention of many netizens. And while the program’s focus is on normal citizens settling their differences with the help of the audience, Aguilar’s appearance led to several other celebrities sitting down on ‘Face the People”s infamous ‘silya de konsensya’ (chair of conscience) to explain their issues.

Two weeks after Aguilar made his highly-anticipated appearance on ‘Face the People’, controversial lawyer Atty. Lorna Kapunan sat down to explain the reason behind her withdrawal of legal support from Pork Barrel whistleblower Janet Lim-Napoles. Throughout the episode NBN-ZTE scam whistleblower Jun Lozada and activist Krissy Conti provided explanation on why Kapunan should have not left Napoles, while Atty. Ferdinand Topacio defended Kapunan’s decision to withdraw. The audience eventually agreed on Kapunan’s decision to withdraw.

And last Friday, diminutive actress Mahal sat down to explain her thoughts on quitting showbiz. The rumors stemmed from an argument between her and Kissybabes members Kisses Castillano and Em-Em Basa, saying that Mahal is ‘too old and obsolescent’ to be an artist and that her face is only good for Halloween. During the episode both Kissybabes members and talent manager Jethro Carrey tried to explain why Mahal was not given a chance to shine, while Mahal’s best friend Julie Ann defended her attempt to come back. In the end, the audience convinced Mahal to give showbiz another shot.

Today’s episode of ‘Face the People’ will have Tiya Pusit sitting on the ‘silya de konsensya’. Like Freddie Aguilar’s appearance a few weeks ago, Tiya Pusit will try to explain her relationship with a younger person. This time her beau would be a 27-year-old man named Nathan Villa. Throughout the episode fellow actress and friend Vangie Labalan will appear to oppose her friend’s relationship, while gay comedian Inday Garutay come in to defend.

The celebrity appearances on ‘Face the People’ gave the program a new wrinkle. While it is primarily used to settle issues between ordinary people, the program now encourages celebrity appearances in order to provide a deeper and more contentious insight on the issues surrounding them. It may be a harsher route, but ‘Face the People”s concept really helps in building drama behind these issues.

Expect more celebrities to appear on ‘Face the People’, even if they only come once a week. Unlike ‘Startalk‘ and ‘Buzz ng Bayan’, this program is always willing to push the boundaries, regardless of how harsh it can be. And its tabloid-based approach always helps.