MANILA, Philippines?Recently, I stayed up way beyond the witching hour to finish viewing Regine Velasquez?s nostalgic ?Roots to Riches? TV special on GMA 7. I felt like giving myself a medal for staying awake up to 1 a.m. Why do some of our TV channels make such inordinate demands on viewers who just want to partake of some good entertainment, for a change?
Looking back, however, I felt that the challenging experience was worth it, because the special rewarded viewers with some memorable musical and dramatic moments. The show?s consistently nostalgic bent made it more emotional and empathetic than most other musical productions.
Regine revisited her hometown to look up some of the people who had helped her during the early years when she joined many amateur singing contests to help make money for her cash-strapped family. To her credit, the songstress didn?t milk the reunion for livid and lachrymose melodrama, and her joy at meeting her old mentors again was genuine.
Her most dramatic and touching encounter was with Eva Castillo, her perennial rival for prizes in the hundreds of singing tilts they joined when they were children. As fate would have it, Eva had fallen into bad times after she got married at 17, so her life story contrasted dramatically with Regine?s rise to the top.
In an inspired musical sequence, the special brought Regine and Eva together, after some 20 years of separation. They did a duet of ?Ako ang Nasawi, Ako ang Nagwagi? that brought the house down, not just because it was the height of ?reality TV? drama, but because it was so well sung?by both of them.
Despite her years of hardship and frustration, Eva turned out to be an exceptional singer whose velvet and yet powerful tones thrilled listeners. The fact that she has remained unheralded for two decades only added to her sterling performance?s significance and impact.
We trust that, after performing on Regine?s special, Eva will be able to revive her own singing career?and attain the popularity she deserves to enjoy. Yes, it?s a bit late in the day for Eva, but with Regine?s help, she can still make it.
Another significant number was Regine?s performance toward the end of the show of the belting and birit ?classic? ? ?And I?m Telling You (I?m not Going)? from ?Dreamgirls.? What was interesting was Regine?s non-birit take on the number, which she performed softly, lyrically and feelingly for the most part, until she let loose with the regulation belting salvos during the song?s final third section.
I felt gratified to see and hear the country?s birit queen herself now focusing on other musical elements in her performance?while still thrilling her audience. We hope that other musical stars learn from Regine?s now more mature and informed musicality.
SpongeBob?s big bash
It was a bright, yellow-letter day when almost 9,000 kids came with their families and friends to kick off the year-long celebration of SpongeBob?s 10th anniversary at the recently concluded ?SpongeBob & The Big-Wave Party? at the Bonifacio Global City Open Field.
The fun event brought together thousands of high-spirited fans to salute the sponge-y star.
In the special episode, kids thrilled to SpongeBob?s new and exciting adventure with Patrick and Squidward as they struggled to escape from a mysterious island where nobody has ever been able to leave.
With the help of a cool surfin? dude, Jack Kahuna Laguna, voiced by Johnny Depp, the gang learned that the only way out was to surf a gigantic wave called The Big One.
Feedback
From Michael Sarte of Quezon City: ?Instead of improving, some TV newscasts have become too entertaining for comfort, diluting what real broadcast news should be about. There are too many crime stories on TV, shown in bloody and graphic ways. We are also distracted by ?superstitious? features presented in the guise of paranormal phenomena and aspects of ?folk culture.?
?In addition, rumor is now being regarded as ?news.? And controversy and scandal are presented in an even more ?shocking? way to sate viewers? hunger for sex, violence and melodrama in real life. In the midst of all this, we urge the really responsible broadcasters out there to reestablish the objective standards that should guide us all.?
