KUNG HINDI kami nagkakamali, Walang Hanggang Pasasalamat at the Big Dome last Sunday was the first biggest thanksgiving show ever mounted on Philippine TV.
Kung gaano kalaki ang cast na bumubuo ng Walang Hanggan, which bids goodbye this Friday after 10 months of staying on air, ganoon din kagrandiyoso, if not historic ang paraan ng pasasalamat ng mga tao sa likod ng phenomenal success ng teleseryeng ito. Truly, ABS-CBN has produced another milestone project of epic proportions na maging kami mismo ay regular na manonood.
Kilala ang ABS-CBN, without any slight attempt at comparison, for being risqué and experimental in terms of conceptualization and pairings. Coco Martin was fresh from his brilliant performance in Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin, while Julia Montes made a mark in the remake of Mara Clara.
At face value, mukha silang odd pair. We were thinking of a leading lady who’s Coco’s age, at least a little younger. But ABS-CBN wielded its magic, making the odd turn perfect. Julia’s adapting herself to the nuances required of her adult role makes thing seem easy and credible.
‘Yun nga lang, we could not help but look into the personal side of Julia, she being Julia, at hindi bilang Katerina. Frustratingly revealing para sa amin ang nasaksihan na-ming interview kay Julia ni Boy Abunda. Julia and Coco were the last batch of sit-down interviewees.
While Coco’s answers were always punctuated with “po” and “opo”, not once did we hear Julia reply with the same level of respect expected of a youth na kausap ang tingin yata niya’y kanyang kaedad.
Hindi lang tayo humahanga sa husay ng isang artista sa kanyang pagganap, work ethic o professionalism, relationship with his co-workers, magandang imahe, etc. Mas bumibilib tayo sa isang celebrity outside his workplace, when no director in sight instructs him to drop his lines and do the right blocking. In short, kapag hinubad na niya ang kanyang karakter.
Saying “po” and “opo” is an oral exercise. Sa husay magdeliber ni Julia ng dayalog, kilometric lines at that, how come such respectful words do not seem to exist in her vocabulary?
Ano nga, Kuya Dan, ang karaniwang tawag sa isang bagets na pinaniniwalaang hindi pinakakain ng “upo” (bottle gourd) ng kanyang mga magulang?
THE FINAL Six among the showbiz hopefuls who made it to the last leg of the Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break would not have come this far kung hindi talaga sila nasala nang bonggang-bongga.
But the undeniable truth is that only one among Thea Tolentino, Zandra Summer and Elle Martinez would emerge as the ultimate winner. Ganoon din sa hanay nina Mikoy Morales, Ruru Madrid at Jeric Gonzales.
Sa nakaraang Final Results Night, Jeric and Thea were adjudged as winners.
Initially, mahiyain si Thea who needed to get out of her comfort zone. Comparatively, bagama’t may promise si Jeric, he has to further work on his acting. Ang maganda lang sa Protégé, holistic ang approach ng artista search nito in making a star out a then-ordinary boy or girl, developing and honing their skills in the various areas necessary to produce a future matinee idol.
Here’s hoping that these bagets stars learn to embrace their work with love and faith in themselves. Most of all, okey lang gawin nilang benchmark ng kanilang inspirasyon ang mahusay na aktres na si Julia Montes, but never ingest the words “po” and “opo” only to get flushed down the toilet bowl.
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
