Timow's Art & Random Stuff

"The Global Calvary" (2017)

April Fool's Day is over.

The Best President We Ever Had Meets Its Match We Never Had

My first drawing on Tumblr.

Fitting enough to celebrate International Women's Day, I decided to draw a scene of what would be my novel: Tenebrae et Lumine.

Description: 

Lindsay (blonde) snatched Jewel's iPhone when she was distracted and distraught on an all-women forum. The councilor called the broke party pooper for being immature and unprofessional and advised her to stop being egoistic and apathetic. Jewel cares nothing than take selfies with Snapchat and tweet petty things.

Is AksyonTV becoming TV5’s News TV and S+A?

AksyonTV turns 6 years old today but it quickly erodes its initial purpose. SIX YEARS ago today, while viewers are awaiting for GMA News TV’s launch, TV5 jumped in unannounced over Channel 41; AksyonTV, the first news channel on free TV, was born. They used to air round the clock as a slap of Channel 11’s broken promises to live their mantra, “Oras-oras, alam ko” but karma struck back in 2013 due…

Countdown to Coronation (Part II): The Current Arrangements

This Timow’s Turf special report will be dedicated on the 65th Miss Universe where the Philippines will host the grand coronation this Monday, January 30. The views and opinions expressed in this second and concluding installment of two-part special do not reflect those of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO). President Rodrigo Duterte posed with Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and the…

To: Ryan Ortega From: Timow

IN A BLINK of an eye, the year’s 2017. If you’re reading this right now, you probably read it on the trinity of mobile technology that you own at least one — laptop, smart phone and/or tablet. Whenever you watch your favorite shows, just turn on the WI-Fi and you’re good to go. However, not all shows are provided to suit your needs, especially when you visit the wayback (or throwback) machine.…

This Timow’s Turf special report will be dedicated on the 65th Miss Universe pageant where the Philippines is the host and its grand coronation on January 30. The views and opinions expressed in this two-part special do not reflect those on the Miss Universe Organization (MUO).

FINALLY, the Beauty Pageant Powerhouse of Asia is hosting once again for Miss Universe. This is the third time the nation is hosting the most popular Big 4 beauty pageant and the second time that it skipped its respective corresponding year. (Again, as the Turf published in 2015, the press should follow the ordinal form — i.e. 65th — to end the confusion.)

So far, in the past four consecutive years (2013-16), our country produced more beauty queens in all Big 4 pageants (together with World, International and Earth); thus, such credentials enhanced the nation’s reputation to host one of them.

Nevertheless, the euphoria goes over the top for all Filipinos — especially, most of the LGBTQ community — as they look forward that happen once in a generation. In the media landscape, almost all entities are devoting the Miss Universe mania with specials and allocated newshole on this rare moment.

All these things are leading up to the coronation night on January 29 in the East Coast (where the organization’s HQ is stationed) — or the morning of January 30 here — in SM Mall of Asia Arena where 85 entrants are racing for the crown from Pia Wurtzbach.

But before we enter to this edition, let’s strut down the catwalk on memory lane where we previously hosted two editions of this red-letter prestigious event.

The two Miss U’s in PH

23rd Miss Universe

Date: July 21, 1974

Venue: Folk Arts Theater (Teatrong Francisco Balagtas)

International broadcaster: CBS

Local broadcaster: RPN 9

Hosts: Bob Barker & Ms. Helen O’Connell

Entrants: 65

Crowned: Amparo Muñoz (Spain)

Held in the midst of Martial Law, this edition is the first to be held in Asia. Although Japan wanted to bid for that edition, then-First Lady Imelda Marcos’ insistent pleading gave in. The venue — in the CCP Complex — was built in a whopping 77 days, just in time for the pageant.

DisMissed Universe. Amparo Muñoz of Spain was crowned in Manila in 1974 but was dethroned for non-compliance. She passed away at 56 in 2011.

Prior to the pageant proper, a biggest parade called “Kasaysayan ng Lahi” welcomed the contenders; it took 4 hours to complete the 120-float ensemble. The coronation capped with the presence of the honor guards cadets Philippine Military Academy and the hosts and judges wear their Barongs and Filipiniana — the obvious clues of the country’s zeitgeist. The outgoing Miss Universe, Margarita Moran, passed the crown and sash on her native country to the former colony.

In the aftermath of the pageant, our politics was not the primary reason why Muñoz’s usufruct of the crown didn’t last throughout until the next edition. It was her non-compliance with the organization’s rules when she revealed as an unwed mother. Hence, she was forced to resign but no one else took her place as the runner-up, Helen Morgan of Wales, ran for Miss World that year. Muñoz passed away in 2011 at 56.

Our very own — Guadalupe Sanchez — only made it to the semi-finals.

43rd Miss Universe

Date: May 20, 1994

Venue: Philippine International Convention Center

International broadcaster: CBS

Local broadcaster: ABS-CBN

Hosts: Bob Goen, Arthen Neville & Angela Visser (Miss Universe 1989)

Entrants: 77

Crowned: Sushmita Sen (India)

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Unlike Muñoz, Sushmita — the first Indian to be crowned — continued to her reign until the next edition. In addition, two beauties became lasting star sensations in the country after the pageant proper.

Dayanara Torres, the outgoing Miss Universe, became a leading lady with 10 films and performed as one of the pioneer mainstays of ABS-CBN’s Sunday variety program, ASAP, earning the informal title “Dancing Queen.” She starred first with Aga Muhlach in Basta’t Kasama Kita and then, Gary Valenciano in the 1995 dance film, Hataw Na. She earned Best New Female Personality by the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) on the same year. Recently, Torres signed back to her second home in Manila in Valenciano’s Manila Genesis family.

Miss Australia Michelle van Eimeren — though she didn’t finished any placements or earned special awards — became a leading lady of Ogie Alcasid with four films after the pageant stint. She was married to him in 1996 and had two children but the marriage was annulled in 2007.

Other sensations include Christelle Roelandts (Belgium) as the crowd favorite and Minorka Mercado (Venezuela) for earning few special awards.

Our very own bet, Charlene Gonzales, landed on the Top 6 and won the National Costume; though she lost the question-and-answer portion, she won later the heart to Aga as they tied the knot in 2001.

Fun facts and more to come…

Now that we strutted on the catwalk of history, we are now ready to look on to the main event. But that will be discussed on Part II but before we wrap the first part, here are some fun facts:

All three Miss Universe editions hosted here (including this edition) and three Filipinas who are crowned Miss Universe are not under the hands of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Individually, Gloria Diaz (1969, 18th) was crowned as the Apollo 11 was in journey to the Moon, Margarita Moran (1973, 22nd) was crowned while the country’s on Martial Law and Pia Wurtzbach (2015, 64th) was crowned as the first beauty queen after Trump’s relinquishment of the control of the pageant.

What are the recent happenings and impending things that will occur on this edition of Miss Universe? Stay tuned to Timow’s Turf and find out.

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Photo credits:

Three Filipina Miss Universe: Rappler

Amparo Muñoz: Tinypic

Sushmita Sen: Wikimedia Commons

Dayanara Torres: Latino Post

Michelle van Eimeren: Twitter

Christelle Roelandts: Photobucket

Minorka Mercado: Beauty Pageant blogspot

Charlene Gonzales-Muhlach: BDJ Box

Philippine Television in the World of “Posts”

Mocha Uson’s membership on MTRCB incited cringe and disgrace over social media. (Requested by Bryan Calvin. If you’re him, please read the italics after the context.) POST-TRUTH. That was the Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year last year and we’re just getting started to live with it. In post-truth, evidences, grievances, merits and morals no longer matter in shaping up policies and/or…

By Popular Request: Teleseryes Angering Anime Fans?

This Monday, January 9, will be the relaunch of TV5 AniMEGA. I know some of you are looking forward to the third generation of TV5’s AniMEGA on Monday. Since last Tuesday, I have set up the new request policy in order to keep this blog alive. With that imposed, the first popular request comes from Albert Brian Gimao and he asked me, “Why teleseryes anger anime fans?” To me, this question…

Time is not just simply marking the ending and the beginning but also the continuity. We closed the book of 2016 and we just opened and wrote the first two pages of the New Year as we wrote our constantly-improving strokes in the critical (post-truth) era.

General happenings in January by recurrence

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Every year, we are looking on the first month of the year towards the festivities and traditions:

Traslacion on the Feast of Black Nazrene every 9th in Manila

Sinulog on the 15th in Cebu,

The President’s Vin D’Honneur or a simple Toast for the New Year, somewhere whether in Malacanang or in Panacanang in Davao, and

for this year, the Lunar New Year (the Year of the Fire Rooster) will fall on the 28th

Once in every four years, we, as globally concerned citizens, will witness history from across the Pacific as Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, D.C. on the 20th.

Once in a generation, we will once again host a prestigious pageant on the 30th with the 65th Miss Universe — which we will discuss it in a sneak.

The network outlook

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Last month, the Big 3 and CNN Philippines held their respective trade launches — intentionally to woo advertisers — to promote their shows expected to be aired throughout the year.

Their offering for this New Year will still be myopic with teleseryes on weekdays. Keep in mind that not all of the shows enlisted will be materialized throughout the 12-month period.

Specifically, two articles from PEP found out why some local shows — whether original yet in repetitive tried-and-tested model or a remade from a K-Drama they air — are shelved, even from the pre-production stage. Four common reasons why they don’t promise as they market include:

Extension of popular shows (e.g. FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano),

Concentration on bankable love teams (for the young) and on workable tandems (for the mid-age),

Slated stars reject their roles due to better opportunities or their inherent limits, and

Giving too much commitment and concentration for other genres, especially sports.

Inasmuch as teleseryes are detestable in the eyes and taste of millennials, neither ABS nor GMA will even budge to reduce their airing from every weekday to twice a week and go back to their diverse programming grid like in the ’90s.

But let’s see what’s in store for ’17 for each group?

The Big 3

ABS-CBN will have no worries with being an absolute advantage of everything — despite their questionable business ethics and breaking their guiding principles based on their slogan for profiteering — but what fears them will be their writing on the wall, i.e. their franchise expiration in 2020. Focusing on this year, their flagship newscast, TV Patrol, will turn 30. In their entertainment side, PBB Lucky 7 will wrap up with the Big Night this month and Ogie Alcasid, the new Kapamilya, will be one of the judges for Your Face Sounds Familiar — both the first Kids edition (confirmed) and the third regular edition.

After the smashing success of the Encantadia requel, GMA’s reviving their greatest fantaserye in early 2000s, Mulawin. Aside from the speculated revival, three teleseryes are now officialy announced:

After the long wait, Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza (AlDub) will finally take the lead on their first primetime project with Destined To Be Yours.

Barbie Forteza will not meet just one leading lad but four — PBB alumnus Ivan Dorschner, Jak Roberto, Ken Chan & newcomer Addy Raj — for Meant to Be. (premiering this Monday)

Finally, the localized remake of Koreanovela My Love from the Star will still apply the “old guns first” policy with Jennylyn Mercado but the leading man will be his first time as a thespian, Filipino-Spanish model Gil Cuerva.

In the corporate aspect, Atty. Felipe Gozon and associates are open to sell their controlling shares this year. The question is: When will these myopic and arrogant honchos ever materialize?

TV5 will see both the fresh and the revival but critics are bothered with the materiality, due to new management yet held and influenced by the same magnate, and thus, they’re given the benefit of the doubt. On the fresh side — though they no longer produce their own entertainment program — they announced two locally produced programs: the new Philippines Next Top Model and Brillante Mendoza Presents. On the other hand, they announce the revival of AniMEGA after the full year hiatus. So far, their titles in the roster include:

KanColle: Kantai Collection

Uta no Prince-Sama Maji Love 2000%

Knights of Sidonia

Myriad Colors Phantom World, and

Attack on Titan Junior High

New US shows — to be dubbed in Filipino — include Quantico and Supergirl. In their movie library, they’ll include animated flicks from Dreamworks.

However, as a warning, TV5 might go back to its usual ways and might be too helpless if they’re giving in too many to sports like their master, MVP. So far, they’re the official broadcaster for this year’s SEA Games in Malaysia. If the warning’s right, Chot Reyes’ resolution to increase revenue and to diversify the programming grid on the network will be a daunting task.

Aside from TV, Radyo5 management’s getting their head replaced;  According to Ben Tulfo, The Philippine Star president and CEO Miguel Belmonte will succeed Gladys Lana-Lucas. The wishlist for the new chief’s obvious: Give a better news coverage on the breaking issues the day.

Minor players

If there are major players, we should also not forget the minor ones.

CNN Philippines proved in 2016 to be an improvement; it will be proven once again in 2017. Some programs announced on their trade launch include:

The Insider (weekly political program) with Gilbert Remulla,

Trippies, hosted by columnist and book author Jessica Zafra and filmmaker Pepe Diokno,

Harvest (food program) featuring international chef and restaurateur Margarita Forés,

My Philippines (a half-hour local travel program), and

an untitled daily entertainment program and a business newscast.

A mini-documentary by American sports journalist Rafe Bartholomew will be dedicated about the fascination of basketball with Hoop Nation.

PTV will be People’s Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) very soon but in the meantime, their big event they’ll look forward is the ASEAN Golden Jubilee and what more to commemorate it is the hosting of the ASEAN Summit — held twice a year — and a separate East Asia Summit (EAS). However, Duterte’s own RTVM show, Mula sa Masa, Para sa Masa, has yet to be materialized.

As of press time, after 10-11 years, PTV Sports dissolved their stand-alone program following the changes in leadership of the said government media.

IBC 13 — the VHF network that’s still lying under the rock — is awaiting so long who will be the lucky bidder. Last week, Chavit Singson joined the bidding game with Ramon Ang and Eric Canoy. If they haven’t been privatized or no bid was legally qualified, PCO Sec. Martin Andanar and his team will use this channel for dedicated to Muslims and Lumads as promised by his boss in the first State of the Nation Address. However, the Turf believed that the pledged Muslim/Lumad channel should be a digital sub-channel to PTV — as we are about to enter the digital TV age — and give the old frequency to new players.

Euphoria post-revelry

Now that we set the outlook on the VHF, it’s time to delve in what we’re euphoric about even the New Year revelry just ended.

After 22 editions, Miss Universe is coming back to the Philippines. Initially exclusive for Solar Entertainment (specifically ETC) on January 30 in the early morning, it will be a partnership with the Big 3 since the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. This will be the second edition that goes off the recently concluding calendar year (first being held 2015 for 2014); thus, the press should use the ordinal form instead of the year — in this case, this will be the 65th Miss Universe.

Regardless of who the successor will be, we will witness the final walk of Pia Wurtzbach to wrap up her tenure in her native country, symbolizing the peaceful transfer of the crown. The Turf will delve more in deep detail on its special edition a few days before coronation night (day).

Final thing

One final thing before the last statement, for DBS 35: Well, their regular test broadcasts in 2016 they received were worsening time after time but the question remains: WHEN WILL THEY EVER FORMALLY RELAUNCH? They say, it’s this month but the Turf remains skeptical: “Do you think it’s just too late to launch or will they break their promises like a usual politician?”

What comes in this 2017 is what our strokes direct us as we contact them in the mysterious blank pages.

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Photo credits:

Black Nazarene: International Business Times

Sinulog: Philippine Star

Archbishop Pinto & President Duterte: Veritas 846

Donald Trump: Washington Star News

Lunar New Year in Binondo: GMA Network

65th Miss Universe entrants: Starmometer

Ogie Alcasid: Philippine Music Registry

Jennylyn Mercado & Gil Cuerva: Manila Bulletin

Brillante Mendoza: Rappler

Jessica Zafra: Philippine Daily Inquirer