Marian, Dennis in Lenten drama

Author: Isah V. Red
Column: Life & Entertainment

Fans of Dennis Trillo who secretly wish their idol would be paired with hot TV star Marian Rivera who seemed to have been fastened with Dingdong Dantes will finally get what they want. The two is paired in Sugat ng Kahapon, a Lenten presentation of APT Entertainment Inc., its 10th actually.

The drama will unfold on April 11 on the Black Saturday of the Holy Week next month.

The Lenten drama is, for APT Entertainment Inc., a vow (panata in local parlance) to produce a quality offering every year on the observance of the Holy Week.

The drama has Marian Rivera playing Hilda, a housewife quietly taking her abusive husband Aldo (Gardo Versoza).

Having just moved into a new community, Hilda slowly finds solace in the company of her kind neigHBOrs: Lola Salve (Perla Bautista), an ailing old woman, and her grandson, Sonny (Dennis Trillo), a man whose intellectual faculty has not developed with his age.

While dealing with her daily woes as an abused wife, Hilda’s maternal instinct is kindled by her friendship with Sonny. She volunteers to take care of him whenever Lola Salve has to attend to her own personal errands.

But Hilda’s bond with Sonny is soon questioned by their morally uptight neigHBOrs. Lola Salve becomes seriously ill and later dies. Sonny is now left with no one to take care of him. The neigHBOrhood council decides to send Sonny to a local psychiatric facility, and his friendship with Hilda abruptly ends.

Sonny manages to escape the psychiatric facility and runs to Hilda. Torn between her duty to an abusive husband and her selfless devotion to a mentally retarded friend, she hesitantly allows Sonny to stay in her home. Aldo arrives accidentally and accuses Hilda of having an illicit affair with Sonny. Aldo relentlessly beats Hilda. The violence triggers Sonny’s memory of his own traumatic childhood, prompting him to stab and kill Aldo.

The tragedy, however, brings new hope for Hilda and Sonny. Now free from the clutches of her abusive husband, Hilda is given a new lease in life and renews her bond with Sonny who is ordered by the court to stay in a psychiatric facility. Hilda has learned to appreciate her friendship with Sonny who, despite being a mental retardate, made her realize her self-worth and her capacity to love.

A heart-wrenching story about friendship from Jun Lana, Mac Alejandre directed the project.

This is the fourth Lenten presentation APT has produced starring Dennis Trillo, although it is the company’s first Lenten project with Marian Rivera who has had a long record of working with APT Entertainment Inc.’s sister company Tape Inc., having started in the afternoon soaps it produced a few years ago.

Watch for it on April 11 (Black Saturday) at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on GMA-7.

Will Dennis and Marian ever be in a primetime series? That’s one wish many fans of both stars are secretly praying for.

News, public affairs keep Kapuso ahead

GMA Network’s primetime programs continued to dominate competition in Mega Manila TV ratings based on data from AGB Nielsen Philippines during the period March 2 to 8.

Nineteen (19) out of the top 30 programs in Mega Manila belong to GMA with the top six spots occupied by Kapuso shows.

Consistent weekend primetime leader Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho led all programs with an average household rating of 35.4 percent. Luna Mystika was second with 33.6 percent, followed by Totoy Bato with 32.4 percent, and Bitoy’s Funniest Videos with 32.2 percent.

Mike Enriquez’s Imbestigador and Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang rounded up the fifth and sixth spots with average ratings of 30.2 percent and 29.9 percent, respectively.

Primetime newscast 24 Oras, Fated to Love You, Mel & Joey, and Kakasa Ka Ba Sa Grade 5? likewise occupied slots in the list of top programs.

Other GMA programs that made it to the top 30 list include Kap’s Amazing Stories, Bubble Gang, All Star K!, My Dad is Better Than Your Dad, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Outrageous and Courageous, Masquerade, Fulhaus, and Bb. Pilipinas 2009 Coronation Night.

GMA remained ahead in total day TV ratings in Mega Manila with an average of 17.7 percent against ABS-CBN’s 13.3 percent. GMA’s average audience share was at 41.6 percent while ABS-CBN had 31.4 percent.

Summer burns with love for country

Summer always sizzles with energy. This season, ABS-CBN’s Station ID shows how such vigor can be used to help make the country a better place.

In the colorful music video, entertainment stars and news personalities will be seen building homes for the poor, cleaning a river and the sea, sweeping streets, feeding children, among many other community activities.

They will also be dancing to a lively song performed by the “Kanto Boys” Billy Crawford, John Lloyd Cruz, Luis Manzano, and Vhong Navarro. The song, written by Robert Labayen and Peewee Gonzales, is about “spreading love and care every day and everywhere.” The music was composed by Star Records’ Christian Martinez.

ABS-CBN chose the socially relevant theme recognizing the hard times brought about by the global recession. The creators of the summer station ID believe that the scarcity of material wealth can be overcome by an abundance of generosity and concern for one another. That is also why the company’s TV channel is using the battle cry “Kayang-Kaya Natin, Kapamilya” for the whole year.

Guided by the unchanging motto “In the Service of the Filipino Worldwide,” ABS-CBN has always been engaged in a lot of public service programs. Last year, ABS-CBN launched Bayanijuan as the banner tying together all of the company’s work in protecting the rights and welfare of children, saving the environment, providing educational tools, rebuilding disaster-hit communities, and empowering the poor through sustainable livelihood programs. The media company also recently launched Kapit-Bisig sa Ilog Pasig. All of these projects are done with the help of donors, partners, and volunteers from both the government and private sectors.

The summer station ID was created by ABS-CBN’s Creative Communications Management Team. The project was led by Johnny de los Santos, Danie Sedilla-Cruz, Edsel Misenas, Kathrina Sanchez, and Dang Baldonado. It is directed by Paolo Ramos and Peewee Gonzales. Other members are Jimmy Porca, project coordinator; Wowie Hao, cinematographer; Sam Esquillon, production designer; Rap dela Rea, editor; Maribeth Bichara, choreographer; Rosalie David, caster; and Marvin Bragas, location manager.

Source: Manila Standard Today

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