The Kids’ Choice on ABS-CBN This Weekend

What if the kids are the judges of a reality talent show?

In a role reversal of sorts, ABS-CBN will give its young child stars an opportunity to play the part of judges on ‘The Kids’ Choice’. The five kid judges (dubbed the Just Kids League) are as follows:

• Jayden Villegas
• Carlo Mendoza
• Onyok Pineda
• Xia Vigor
• Chunsa Jung

Every week, the Just Kids League will discuss and evaluate the performance of four “Fambatos” or non-celebrity families brimming with talent. Being the youngest of the bunch, expect these kids to be more spontaneous with their comments.

In a deviation from the norm, ‘The Kids’ Choice’ will be an original concept created by ABS-CBN. In addition, the show will feature ordinary families instead of merely celebrity contestants.

Anyone who has criticized ABS-CBN’s tendency to use celebrities and foreign talent show franchises on a regular basis would be baffled to see them produce a more unique show like ‘The Kids’ Choice’. That said, with this creation, ABS-CBN should prove doubters wrong and if this show rates well, their hard work will be justified.

‘The Kids’ Choice’ will be hosted by Robi Domingo with Erik Nicolas as his sidekick. It will air every Saturday after ‘Home Sweetie Home’ and every Sunday after ‘Wansapanatym’ on ABS-CBN.

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In 100 Words: Sirkus Ends Quietly

The circus ends here.

GMA’s ‘Sirkus’ officially wrapped up its run Sunday night with its 13th and final episode (see climax scene below). The series, which first aired January 21, failed to make a noticeable impact in the ratings, constantly losing to ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ in its timeslot.

‘Sirkus’ marked a rare attempt by GMA to bring high-budget fantasy series to weekends. Unfortunately, its poor performance may force GMA to abandon this strategy and shift its focus back to weekend sitcoms.

To their credit, GMA at least tried to give ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ (and ‘Wansapanatym’ to a lesser extent) a run for their money. Too bad there are still many areas with which the network must improve upon to become more competitive.

As for the replacement, wait for further announcements.

Thoughts on Sirkus

GMA’s new weekly fantaserye ‘Sirkus’ premiered last January 21 and has had a mixed performance since. (Logo courtesy of GMA Network)

A fantaserye on a Sunday night?

This is exactly what GMA delivered when it premiered ‘Sirkus’ last January 21. But in contrast to the network’s other fantaseryes, ‘Sirkus’ is a production of the GMA Public Affairs group (notorious for bringing non-news programs to the network) and it only airs once a week.

The premise of ‘Sirkus’ is that of two fraternal twins Mia (Mikee Quintos) and Miko (Mikoy Morales) finding themselves in the company of a traveling circus in order to escape from the clutches of an evil villainess. Throughout their quest, the motive behind the villainess’ obsession to catch them will be revealed and their true identities will also be discovered.

Also part of the cast of ‘Sirkus’ are Andre Paras, Chariz Solomon, Sef Cadayona, Klea Pineda, Gardo Versoza, Ms. Cherie Gil, Divine Tetay, Gerald Acao, Zoren Legaspi and Angelu de Leon. The director is Zig Dulay.

When the series was first introduced to the public in late December, many thought that ‘Sirkus’ would replace ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’ as the opponent of the long-running fantasy anthology ‘Wansapanatym’. However, GMA had other plans in mind.

Not only did the network keep ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’, it also made significant changes to the late afternoon-early evening Sunday timeslots. As a result, ‘Sirkus’, which replaced the travel series ‘Road Trip’, was assigned to the 6:30 p.m. timeslot and ’24 Oras Weekend’ was bumped to an earlier time.

Through two episodes, ‘Sirkus’ has had mixed results in the ratings. Its debut episode barely defeated ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ by 0.4%, but the following week saw ‘Sirkus’ slump by 4% to its opponent.

Given the often volatile financial situation of GMA, it was a better idea for them to just produce a weekly fantaserye instead of one that airs on weeknights. But to be produced by GMA Public Affairs instead of GMA Entertainment is once again a desperate act altogether.

Whatever the case, one can only hope that ‘Sirkus’ will be the start of many elaborate once-a-week projects that GMA embarks. Such series is for the better of the network at this point because they need all the money in the world to focus on technological improvements that will make them more viable in the age of digitization.

Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko Brings Fantasy Back to GMA

GMA will once again go the fantasy route this Sunday night.

After fusing comedy and adventure with ‘Tsuperhero’, the network decided to take a more magical approach. This led to a new program called ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’, starring Ms. Gloria Romero, Jillian Ward, David Remo, Julius Miguel and Chlaui Malayao.

In ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’, Lola Goreng (Ms. Gloria) acts as the narrator alongside her grandchildren Alice (Jillian) and Elvis (David), an orphan named Moira (Chlaui) and another child named Jorrel (Julius). Each episode will feature value-filled and playful stories that people of all ages will enjoy.

‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’ will also feature special celebrity guests during each episode. For the pilot, Marian Rivera will appear as a guest for the week.

GMA is no stranger to the world of primetime fantasy programs, with shows such as ‘Okay Ka Fairy Ko’, ‘Mga Mahiwagang Baul’ and ‘One Day Isang Araw’ among the most notable examples. If ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’ seems familiar to the average viewer, it is that they are once again using the power of an elderly woman to tell a story.

But while GMA has produced some memorable fantasy programs, the network has not been able to replicate the success of ABS-CBN’s long-running fantasy anthology ‘Wansapanatym’. After all, this show has long dominated Sunday nights for over a decade.

Even worse for GMA is the fact that they have not figured out a way to win during Sunday primetime. In the case of ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’, their potential opponents ‘The Voice Teens’ and ‘Wansapanatym’ are considered top-raters every Sunday night, thus adding to the endless expectations that the show is about to experience.

That said, GMA can only hope that ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’ will give their viewers something more relevant and enthusiastic to offer. The onus is now on this show to make an impact.

‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’ airs every Sunday starting April 30 on GMA.

ABS-CBN, GMA to Air Christmas Specials This Weekend

‘Isang Pamilya Tayo Ngayong Pasko’ or ‘Maniwala sa Magic ng Pasko’?

In the past month, ABS-CBN and GMA have been one-upping each other when it comes to creating the perfect Christmas theme this year. For the former, they reached their message through a long-form music video, while for the latter, they used a series of 3D animated shorts to make a statement.

This weekend, the two arch-rivals in the world of Philippine television will once again take their Christmas themes to the next level, this time in the form of a televised concert. It will be ‘Isang Pamilya Tayo Ngayong Pasko: The ABS-CBN Christmas Special’, against ‘The Magic of Christmas: A GMA Christmas Special’.

Both Christmas specials will feature song and dance numbers from each network’s top stars. And while GMA will use this special to unveil upcoming shows for next year, ABS-CBN’s special will focus on stories of ordinary people who inspired others to succeed in their lives.

A lot is expected on the two specials this weekend, particularly with the star power the two networks possess. However, there is special emphasis on the love teams, as ABS-CBN’s ‘Big 3′ of KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla), JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre) and LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil), and GMA’s AlDub (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza) will try to gain the viewers’ attention.

ABS-CBN’s Christmas special will air as a two-part series. The first part will air this Saturday after ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’, while the second part will air this Sunday after ‘Wansapanatym’.

As for GMA’s own Christmas special, it will be shown this Sunday as part of ‘Sunday Night Box Office’. Thus, this Sunday will mark the only time that the two networks’ Christmas specials will cross paths, and considering GMA’s overall deficiencies in their programming, it could pose a disadvantage on their part.

Either way, this promises to be a special ‘week before Christmas’ to remember. Both ABS-CBN and GMA have done their share in impressing their viewers this Christmas season, and now it’s up to their fans to give back.

Ismol Family Gives Way to Tsuperhero on GMA’s Sunday Grande

‘Ismol Family’ is officially done.

After a run that began on June 22, 2014, the GMA-produced sitcom aired its final episode last Sunday, November 6. ‘Ismol Family’, which starred Ryan Agoncillo, Carla Abellana, Carmi Martin, Mike ‘Pekto’ Nacua, Bianca Umali, Miguel Tanfelix and Marc Justine Alvarez among others, aired a total of 125 episodes that spanned over two years.

When ‘Ismol Family’ premiered over two years ago, it was supposed to replace the game show ‘Picture Picture’ and go up against another family-oriented sitcom in ABS-CBN’s ‘Home Sweetie Home’. Instead, the sitcom was placed on Sunday nights, while ‘Pepito Manaloto’ was moved to Saturday nights to counter ‘Home Sweetie Home”s move.

The unexpected timeslot change proved to be a hindrance to ‘Ismol Family’ once it began its run. Pitted against shows such as ‘Wansapanatym’, ‘The Voice Kids’ and more recently ‘Goin’ Bulilit’, the sitcom failed to find its footing in a crowded Sunday night field.

While ‘Ismol Family’ was not bad, it was clear that GMA made a mistake by placing the show on Sundays. Had it aired against ‘Home Sweetie Home’, it would have given the latter a run for its money.

Still, a run of over two years was a good accomplishment for ‘Ismol Family’. For the viewers who have tuned in for all 125 episodes, let that sink in.

Moving on, a new show is slated to replace ‘Ismol Family’. The newest entry, ‘Tsuperhero’, is a superhero comedy-adventure series that stars Derrick Monasterio and Bea Binene.

In ‘Tsuperhero’, Nonoy (Derrick) is a jeepney driver who transforms into a superhero thanks to a mysterious object from a distant planet. Along the way, he developed feelings for Eva (Bea), a barker who found his kalye attitude both irritating and enduring.

The upcoming weekly series will also star Gabby Concepcion, Alma Moreno, Betong Sumaya, Philip Lazaro, Miggs Cuaderno, Valentin, Annalyn Barro, Jemwell Ventenilla, and Kuhol. ‘Tsuperhero’ is an original concept by Michael V, and will be directed by LA Madridejos.

It remains to be seen if ‘Tsuperhero’ can give the long-running ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ a tough challenge. Hopefully the series can stick just as long as its predecessor did.

‘Tsuperhero’ premieres this Sunday after ’24 Oras Weekend’ on GMA’s Sunday Grande sa Gabi.