Yapster time!

Author: Edgar Cruz
Column: BuzzStation

“Young adult professionals!” This is what “yapsters” means, explains Studio 23 managing director Leo Katigbak, and it is the narrowcast channel’s target market, or what it calls as “kabarkada.” The strategy is working. Even pop icon Eat...Bulaga! had mishmashed it by calling its audience as “dabarkads”... After putting most of its local productions on the chopping board except Us Girls and Y Speak, Leo announces that S23 will go “50-50” on local productions and foreign shows in three years’ time. He adds, “We intend to do this although local shows are more expensive to produce”...Us Girls hosts Angel Aquino, Cheska Garcia and Iya Villania were present during the press conference to help out Leo, creative director Edson Aguiflor, marketing manager Ralph Menorca and production manager Lala Lazaro...Wazzup Wazzup will have a reformat, to air on Saturdays, with hosts Vhong Navarro, Toni Gonzaga and Archie Alemania...Mo Twister will premiere the daily game show Break the Bank this week. At stake: As much as P100,000...Us Girls will have a male counterpart show, We Guys, to feature three hot male cuties as hosts...Leo confirms that Bert de Leon and Bong Agustin’s Rush TV will have a 6 to 7:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday timeslot. He adds, “I will make sure that its content jives with our target market.” These changes will not be at the expense of foreign shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Smallville and Desperate Housewives, which will be narrowcast at the same time as the US airing...Kyle XY premiered last Wednesday and it boggles my mind how science fiction could blend so effortlessly in a drama. I watched the premiere last Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. and Leo can now count me in as a regular viewer...Other intros are International Flight League, Brothers & Sisters, Ghost Whisperers, Lost, Two & a Half Men and Rules of Engagement...Oprah is in danger. Leo dislikes the switch from star feature to life enhancement topics...Holy Friday and Black Saturday marathoners of 7th Heaven will have to find a sub as the well-loved show ends with its 12th season...As far as the Us Girls hosts are concerned, Cheska has made up her mind to tie the knot with boyfriend Doug Kramer in Baguio City on Oct. 9, 2008...No wedding plans yet for Angel and Iya. Angel volunteers, “My boyfriend (Lui Villaruz) is adjusting his life with the Magandang Umaga Pilipinas reformat.”

Breaking buzz:The show cancellations at S23 have nothing to do with S23’s competition with QTV11, as Leo pointed out. He shares, “We’re not direct competitors. We have different target markets — theirs are housewives; ours are Yapsters.”

‘A Love Story,’ a certified hit

A storm and the metro traffic inching through the flooded streets could not keep away viewers from trooping to the cinemas for the opening day of Star Cinemas’ A Love Story, a Maricel Soriano, Aga Muhlach and Angelica Panganiban starrer as directed by Maryo delos Reyes. Manay Ethel Ramos’ prayers must have opened heaven’s doors. After the star-studded premiere in two cinemas at SM Megamall, she went to Baclaran Church to petition the Lady for an auspicious opening day. It worked! By 3 p.m., the movie had raked in P2 million in the metro. When the ticket counters closed, it had grossed P15 million all over the country. And from opening day to Friday, schools were out and typhoon Dodong did not have the usual killer winds. The malls—and its cineplexes—were the haven to beat the monster traffic. The same on weekend including holiday Monday—three full days conducive to watching movies. And here’s the clincher. There was no big Hollywood movie competing for attention!

Breaking buzz: Do you know that A Love Story’s opening day gross is higher than Cute Ang Ina Mo and Kasal, Kasalo, Kasali? Is A Love Story out to break the record set by Sukob as the highest-grossing Pinoy movie?

Empoy misses Wilyonaryo’s P2 million jackpot

Gosh! Wowowee had a monster pinball machine custom-built for its new game Wilyonaryo, which inaugurated last Saturday, replacing Ultimate Pera o Bayong! It took 20 people to push and pull the behemoth to centerstage, taking five minutes to prepare the whole set! What a start! Fifty entertainers, the likes of Geoff Eigenmann, Roden Araneta, Dimples Sta. Romana, RJ Martinez, Yeng Constantino, JR Siaboc, Ronnie Liang, Mickey Perz, Bruce Quebral, Wendy Valdez and Empoy made up the contestants. An equal number make the “Pindoters,” the group of people in the audience which decides the answers to the question using hand-held computers. As game master Willie Revillame said, “There’s no correct answer to the question.”

Wilyonaryois a three-part game. The first part is the elimination where questions are asked and the Pindoters vote on the answer. Contestants choose the answer by going to the “Will,” “Yo” and “Naryo” part of the stage. The answer is announced and the one getting the highest percentage of votes win. The mass elimination system goes on until only one contestant remains, the game player. The winner plays part two by playing the pinball machine, winning the cash prizes hit by the ball. This ball goes out of the machine into a catch pocket that determines the secret prize at stake. He chooses in the final part whether he will take the total amount he won from playing the pinball machine or the secret prize he got. Major prizes are P2 million, P1 million or a house and lot.

After much cajoling, with the audience shouting for him to take the secret prize, the comedian Empoy as player decided to take the P160-plus pinball winning. Wrong decision! The secret prize turned out to be the P2 million! In hindsight, Wowowee regular viewers will not miss the Ultimate Pera O Bayong as Wilyonaryo is basically a rehash of the well-loved game complete with the eye candy ASF Dancers, but with a huge difference. It’s more thrilling, removing the human factor in winning except the player’s final choice. For sure, Wilyonaryo is the most exhilarating interactive game ever launched in the country! No doubt Eat...Bulaga! will find it hard to clone. Problem is, it will cause huge logistical problems if Wowowee goes on a road show or broadcasts from abroad!

‘Golden Compass,’ more superior than “Lord of the Rings’

Golden Compassmakes the grade! New Line Cinema International senior vice president Nestor Nieves and Pioneer Films president Wilson Yuloque showed 10 minutes of footage, which is New Line Cinema major release to celebrate its 40th year. My rating: Superior than Lord of the Rings movies! I never liked the dark look and overblown treatment of the movie version of Tolkien’s novels. From what I’ve viewed, these are Golden Compass’ pluses. Although a fantasy, its realistic approach suspends disbelief. The clear and sharp images are viewer-friendly. A girl riding a speeding polar bear is one of the most imaginative scenes in a full-length feature. The contrast is mind-boggling!

Golden Compass is based on Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Darkness Materials, as directed by Chris Weitz. The story tells of brave 12-year-old girl Lyra Belacqua’s adventures in an alternative world. There, people’s souls manifest themselves as animals. She is searching for a friend kidnapped by a mysterious organization. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig star with Dakota Blue Richards, who bested 10,000 hopefuls for the role of Lyra.

Eighty million dollars has been spent for special effects being undertaken by three production houses. Over-all budget has totaled $205 million so far and principal production is far from over. Golden Compass will screen globally on Dec. 7. World premiere will be held in London before this date.

Bing Lao to give scriptwriting workshop

Want to write world-class scripts? Multi-awarded scripwriter/ screenplay supervisor Armando “Bing” Lao, who supervised the internationally recognized Kubrador (The Bet Collector), will hold a scriptwriting workshop as sponsored by the Film Development Council of the Philippines and MLR Films. To be held in a venue in UP Diliman, it will be held every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 1 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 15 & 16, Sept. 22 & 23, Sept. 29 & 30, Oct. 6 & 7, Oct. 13 & 14, Oct. 21 & 22 and Oct. 27 & 28. The actual scriptwriting and consultation stage will be held in November and December this year. Writers who have scripts for television, stage plays, short films, full length feature films and similar materials are invited. To be part of the 30 participants, e-mail your filmography to jojialonso@mlrfilms.com, armando_lao@yahoo.com or contact workshop director Seymour “Meyor” Sanchez (0918-3384771). The workshop fee is at a discounted amount of P2,000.

Kamikazee sweeps 20th Awit Awards

“Salamat sa lahat ng may tainga. Salamat sa lahat ng Pilipino...at Pilipina,” half-joked Kamikazee frontman Jay Contreras, who delighted the crowd with his stage antics during the band’s live performance at the 20th Awit Awards. To be grateful was the best he could do. Kamikazee went home with the major awards Song of the Year honor for the huge hit “Narda” and Album of the Year for the rock album Maharot, for which Ito Rapadas received the trophy in their behalf. They were unable to receive the trophies since the members left early. Aside from the top trophies, the band scored other major citations for Best Performance by a Group Recording Artist and Best Rock for “Narda” and Music Video of the Year for “Martyr Nyebera.” Jay rolled himself down the stage in NBC Tent and showered beer taken from a member of Session Road while performing before a mixed crowd of artists and music fans.

Shorties

Great news! Tony Boy Cojuangco has largely recovered his voice!... Kubrador is a Best Film nominee in this year’s Catholic Mass Media Awards!...If KC Concepcion and Lino Cayetano are boyfriend/girlfriend, how come he did not fetch her from the international airport last Wednesday when she flew in to do a special show for ABS-CBN? Anyway, mom Sharon Cuneta, surrogate dad Francis Pangilinan and half-sister Frankie and Mayel were also no-shows...How come GMA publicists are not harping about Marimar’s 40-plus opening day rating? Nothing to say about the sliding ratings of its soap operas?...The Cinemanila winners are: Grand Prize—Edge of Heaven (Germany), Jury Prize—Persepolis (France), Ensemble Acting/Best Acting—Tribu (Philippines) and Best Asian Film—Mukshin (Malaysia)...Congrats to Jim Libiran, ABC public affairs manager, for his outstanding work in Tribu!...That incredible talent Roden Araneta is back with Star Magic as a premium talent!...Edu Manzano will host ABS-CBN’s most expensive game show from Endemol entitled 1 Vs. 100. He was a no-show in Friday’s Umagang KayGanda. He had the flu, worsened by the pirate raid he led at 1 a.m.!...Lily and Roselle Monteverde will blast a big bomb on Angel Locsin and Becky Aguila this week. It’s supposed to be proof that Angel is still under contract with them.

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Source: The Daily Tribune

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