Beyond ABS-CBN
It is therefore no surprise that gone are the days when any actor or actress could just gather enough gumption to hold a microphone and instantly become TV host. So much more is at stake now, given the fact that many of these reality shows are expensive franchises. And it is that one host who needs to keep audiences from changing channels at any given time. (more…)
The reality show taking over local television has been lamented often enough; what has gone unnoticed is how this has also brought upon us a set of faces and voices that have become television show hosts. Unlike their predecessors, these hosts are usually created from scratch – they’re not primarily actors or singers who have ended up hosting one variety show or another. Instead, they are groomed to become the “ideal” hosts for any given show, any given network. Ultimately allowing for the hosts to become symbols of not just the shows they hold together, but of the network they are part of. (more…)
The past couple of weeks, Randy Santiago has been pinch hitting for host Willie Revillame on noontime gameshow Wowowee. Suffice it to say that it has been a breath of fresh air, a relief and respite from the kind of hosting that Revillame has been allowed to do on nationwide (worldwide!) television. (more…)
for something that ABS-CBN hyped up to high heavens, and advertised like anything, there was nothing new or extraordinary about Kidnap, the story of how Ces Drilon and her cameramen Angelo Valderama and Jimmy Encarnacion were abducted in Sulu. in fact, it was so much worse than the standard Correspondents episode that the network churns out weekly, or even a Probe Team segment – which says a lot if you’re familiar with the usually shallow and biased (for big business and hacienderos/elite) slant that these two shows usually take.
Kidnap lacked focus, sold a false sense of truth (or the limited one that ABS-CBN wants to feed us), and really was a perfect example of journalism turned propaganda – and tribute. (more…)
napadaan kami kahapon sa Academic Book Fair sa SM Megamall, na usually naman ay mas boring talaga – at mas mahal – kaysa sa annual Mega Book Fair na ginagawa sa far away venue na World Trade Center. parang ang market kase ng ABF ay mga libraries ng eskuwelahan na ideally ay may budget para gumastos ng libo-libo for local and imported sets of encycolopedias, journal subscriptions, and “new releases” ng mga university presses. may discount pa rin naman, na siguro’y lumalaki pang lalo kapag maramihan ang bili.
itong “new releases” ang dinayo ko dun. dahil alam kong may centennial books na ilo-launch ang U.P. Press in relation to the centennial celebrations of the University. at sa ganang gumastos na rin lang ng limpak-limpak ang admin sa mga concert at commemorative products, aba, mataas ang expectation ko na ginastusan rin nila ng limpak-limpak ang mga libro.
but no, ang unang installment ng mga librong itinuturing nilang “the most excellent of the excellent”, ay mga librong matagal ko nang nakikita sa kanilang bookstore shelves. hindi ito “new releases” kungdi old releases, na binibigyan ng bagong buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagtaguri sa kanilang “Centennial Publications”.
wala naman akong issue sa usapin ng mga lumang libro. ang librong Ang Bagong Lumipas (translation ng A Past Revisted) ni Renato Constantino, na bahagi ng Centennial Publications, ay hindi nawawalan ng bisa. at maraming librong katulad nito.
ngunit subalit datapwat! anubanamang mag-isip ng iisang theme para sa mga cover ng mga librong ibebenta sa atin bilang “landmark collection”? anubanamang i-package ng mas maganda ang mga libro, magpanggap man lang na may budget na inilaan para sa mga manunulat at librong itinuturing ng Unibersidad na kumakatawan sa kanyang isang-daang taon bilang State U? at the very least, pampalubag-loob na ito sa mga “National Scientists, National Artists, and respected scholars” na ipinagmamalaki ng Unibersidad sa pamamagitan ng pagturing sa kanilangmga akda bilang Centennial Publications.
instead of any of the above, what did the press do for this first installment of “classic” releases to pay tribute to its scholars, and its readers as well?
nilagyan nila ng sticker ang cover ng mga libro, kung saan nakasulat ang “U.P. Press Centennial Publications”. isang 2″ by 1.5″ sticker in a color that’s barely gold bilang tatak ng pagpaparangal.
it’s just one step above using a stamp and purple ink.
unless soooobrang bongga ng susunod na installment ng mga libro, and that is not just in terms of really new releases but in terms of the authors they’ll publish and the relevance of these books, then this Roman administration will just prove itself uncaring of books, scholarship, and culture altogether.
at please, wag na nilang iwagayway ang kanilang nga concerts at commemorative books bilang proof of their love for culture. the former is really just a show of Filipiniana attire (in fairness, hindi nag-uulit si Roman ng outfit ha), and the latter, an excuse for propaganda for one U.P. admin to the next cloaked by historicism and scholarship. ang literary contest, tinipid pa, at walang runner-up prizes. anuba.
ok lang sana kung ang moda ng admin ng U.P. ay pagtitipid sa panahon ng krisis at sentenaryo. but no. kumusta naman ang P5 million para sa Centennial Notes! sa konteksto ng lalabing-isang naka-bracket 1 sa STFAP, ay, kahindik-hindik! kahiya-hiya.
The Breakdown of the P150 Million Budget for the U.P. Centennial Celebrations
Item Amount in Millions (P)
1. Centennial Lectures = P 13
2. Tri Media Projection = 12
3. Centennial Concert = 5
4. Centennial Notes = 5
5. Centennial Awards = 2
6. Centennial Literary Contest = 2
7. Audio Visual Presentation = 2
8. History Project = 1.4
9. Coffee Table Book = 1.5
10. Digital Film Making Contest = .7
11. Centennial Music Video = .7
12. Centennial Address Book = .5
13. Centennial Glass Plates = .5
14. Centennial Song Contest = .4
15. Centennial Newsletter = .3
16. Events Poster = .15
17. Capital Outlay Projects = 5
18. Administrative Expenses = 5
19. Honoraria = 1.5
20. Centennial Commission
a. Operations = 1
b. Travel = 2.5
c. Contingencies = 10
Total: P147.15 milyon
*Inaprubahan sa Pulong ng UP Board of Regents September 28, 2008, UP Los Baños.