With Bea on board, GMA needs to level up
Now that GMA Network has a prime actress in their stable, as Ms. Bea Alonzo signed up with them yesterday, it is high time for them to level up big time and prove that their primetime block is, indeed, Primetime!
We hope that the Network will give the newly-minted Kapuso actress noteworthy projects worth her name and stature in the industry. They have the opportunity, resources and the frequency to do so. It is time to put them to good use.
The network has everything under their disposal but the problem, it seems, they think of every project as a template. They have not gone out of the box. They probably need a new blood of brainstormers, writers and directors who are ready and capable of changing the GMA programming landscape. It is not bad to tweak what is the usual. It’s about time they experiment.
They need to put global appeal to their shows – something that can qualify for Netflix viewing. We hope that GMA 7 will not give Bea the usual fare but go unconventional for a change.
The last big hit show of GMA that became a conversation piece was the controversial and brave “My Husband’s Lover.” But that was ages ago.
We hope that GMA Network will find for Bea a project of the same caliber as “My Husband’s Lover” – edgy, out-of-the-box, controversial. That would be a winner.
GMA can also produce the reunion movie of Bea and John Lloyd Cruz for their film arm or in co-production venture with another film outfit.
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If you are a fan of Arjo Atayde and missed his much-talked about iWant movie titled “Bagman,” here’s your chance to watch the Dreamscape-produced project as it will be shown on Netflix starting July 9.
This original iWant movie gave Arjo the Best Actor trophy at the 2020 Asian Academy Awards (AAAs) last December 4.
For his portrayal of a barber-turned-henchman-turned-governor in the social-political statement piece, Arjo beat nominees from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan.
Before being chosen best in the region, Arjo was picked as national winner in the Philippines by AAA’s jury members in the Best Actor Category. He was also submitted for consideration by ABS-CBN’s Dreamscape Entertainment and iWant, now known as iWantTFC, in the local race.
This was the Philippines’ first win in AAA. Do catch “Bagman” on Netflix come July 9.
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A total of 1,500 film and audiovisual (AV) workers will be vaccinated during the “Bakuna Nights para sa Film at Entertainment Workers,” a partnership between the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Quezon City (QC) Government’s #QCProtekTODO program.
Launched on June 24 at the Quezon City Hall Vaccination Site, the “Bakuna Nights para sa Film at Entertainment Workers” has three sessions scheduled from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The first session on June 24 had 500 slots, with 477 workers vaccinated, and the next two sessions on July 1 and 8 will also have 500 slots each.
“Sa ating mga manggagawa, because of you, Quezon City is the City of Stars and I do intend to make sure to take care of all of the individuals who contribute making Quezon City the great city that it is. Siyempre, nangunguna ang ating mga manggagawa from the film and television industry,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in her opening remarks.
She also recognized the perseverance of film and AV workers, especially the daily wage earners, whose livelihoods have been greatly affected by restrictions in production activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ako ay umaasa na kapag tuluy-tuloy na ang pagbabakuna, babalik din sa normal ang ating mga buhay at ang ating industrya ay magiging masigla muli,” she added.
FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño expressed her utmost gratitude to Mayor Belmonte for being the first to extend a helping hand for the vaccination of film and AV workers. She also revealed that because of the FDCP-QC vaccination initiative for A4 Priority Group workers, the national film agency has pending partnerships with various local government units (LGUs).
“Malaking bagay ito para sa aming industriya. Napakalaking bagay nito para makabangon kami, maging protektado kami, at makapagtrabaho kami nang walang takot,” said Diño, who called on fellow vaccinated film and AV workers to encourage other members of the industry to get vaccinated as well as to register with the FDCP’s National Registry (NR), which is in charge of coordinating with workers regarding their vaccination schedule and requirements.
The FDCP’s National Registry for Audiovisual Workers (NRAW) has more than 5,000 workers, and almost 1,500 of them are based in Quezon City as workers or residents. All workers to be vaccinated during the QC Bakuna Nights will be contacted by the FDCP National Registry (NR) team via a call and text brigade for proper scheduling.
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