The Inanities of the boob-tube

I got this article from the Manila Bulletin website while browsing for my last two entries for my project. (Hallelujah!!! Matatapos na kalbaryo ko!) It's a very interesting read, done by LOI LANDICHO from Makati.

Here it is:
(link: http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2005/02/22/ENTR2005022229289.html)

I have had enough of the following boob tube inanities and I shall combust spontaneously if I still see any of these on TV in the next few days. Enough already!

1. Celebrity porn videos. Boy Abunda was right, "sobra na ang kababuyan." But then again, gossip-oriented shows like "The Buzz," help proliferate kitsch by showing this on television. Think Cristy Fermin. The woman had the guts to proclaim on nationwide TV that she had seen every pornographic video that involved local celebrities. Yes, including Mahal’s.

2. Mystika-Madam Auring-Tita Swarding rift. Again, showbiz-oriented talk shows, and of late, even gag shows, are guilty of exploiting the non-issue that was the trio’s alleged animosity toward one another. There was a time when the triumvirate appeared in six shows in just a week! As it turned out, the fight was all for the show, and the ratings!

3. Reporters who outdo one another in creating the news instead of just reporting it. We have seen them during relief operations: News reporters handing over the goods to typhoon victims or news personalities sealing boxes of instant noodles and canned goods themselves. Oh please, leave the job to Rosa Rosal and Sec. Dinky Soliman!

4. Novelty songs with double meaning. The popularity of Lito Camo’s compositions like Basketbol and Bulaklak are indisputable. However, when your talent borders on the creative and the crass, that isn’t funny.

5. PR people who give awards. A majority of them were able to legitimize their "entertainment scribe" status by taking their oath as members of organized groups. They choose television’s and cinema’s best every year. But then again, who are these people? Can they even define what filmmaking is? Being fragmented has also eroded their credibility (if there was any). Most PMPC members are identified with ABS-CBN while the break-away Entertainment Press is perceived to be "closer" to GMA 7. They work as publicists for the networks’ stable of artists. So come awards season, who do you expect to win a lion’s share of their awards? Not IBC 13.

6. Madam Auring’s pregnancy. If the septuagenarian’s claims were all to be believed, then she would have been a new mother five times for the past five months. And that excludes miscarriages!

7. Network wars. The battle has become a bit more personal as each network’s artists exchange diatribes through their respective shows. It’s actually getting worse and each "patutsada" is inviting a potential mayhem!

8. Out of schedule programming. I miss those nights when I could still catch "Dong Puno Live" or "I-Witness" before the clock struck 12. Today, even late night newscasts cap after midnight. Ironically though, anchors still end their programs with the line, "Magandang gabi." Oh crap! It’s already morning and Ukraine’s got a new president!

9. Commercial overload. While strict implementation of the rule against excess airtime for advertisements is applied to larger networks like ABS-CBN and GMA 7, the KBP ignores the violation being committed by government stations like RPN 9. Imagine a boxing show lasting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to commercial overload! While RPN 9 rakes in hundreds of thousands of pesos in revenues, boxing aficionados had to wait for 60 minutes before a three-round fight is shown.

10. Mahal. Let’s all leave her alone.