I never watch TV seriously anymore; and there are two valuable reasons for it. First, the TV set on my room is broken. Even after a few punches and kicks to the side, the screen is still top-scrolling rapidly. My TV, I believe, is beyond repair.
Second, the things that I see on TV are just disgusting. It kind of reminds me of that famous saying that I keep on hearing all the time: “Ang mga Pilipino mahilig manggaya” (Filipinos love to imitate). And, being true to this saying, the mind of the entertainment creative writer does not fail to deliver the goods in proving this saying correct.
For starters, let me give a few simple examples:
1. Anybody ever heard of the Pinoy Big Brother theme sung by that Brit-loving Filipino band Oranges and Lemons? I don’t particularly CARE about who wrote the lyrics, but I do CARE about who wrote the tune. The words to the song ‘Pinoy Ako’” are original, but the tune was shamelessly copied from 80’s new wave band CARE’s song entitled ‘Chandeliers’. Get this: the members can even hold their head up high and tell everyone that they did not copy the tune, and was only merely ‘inspired’. Looky here, kids: there’s a big difference between inspiration and plagiarism. You think we’re that stupid, eh?
2. Ever since ‘Encantadia-mania’ hit the country, master plagiarizers ABS-CBN itched to create a series to emulate the hit-making soap opera of their enemy channel. As fast as a meteor hitting earth, the network quickly bought the rights to Fernando Poe Jr.’s trademark movie ‘Panday’ to be transformed into a soap opera. Oh, and they did not lack in pride in bragging about the show: a cinema-like atmosphere, endless fantasy battles, a different kind of animation, etcetera, etcetera. What did we get? Really cheesy CGI effects and a cliché fantasy plot-driver: the main hero enters a new dimension through the pages of his beloved comics. Oh wait, they copied this from A-ha’s music video for their song ‘Take On Me’ where the heroine lady enters the comics to meet with the handsome singer. Laughable isn’t it? Watch out for a more detailed critique on this later on.
3. Oh, and I will definitely not let ‘Encantadia’ go too easily. There was this one time where Sunshine Dizon’s character caught the betrayal of a comrade, and in order to get her revenge, she had to ‘punish’ the friend. What does she do? She watches ‘Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back’ and borrows Vader’s Carbon Freeze Chamber which he used on Han Solo. With exact effects, mind you, on Sunshine’s Judas friend: a sculpted screaming face in agony and two hands with palms outward: exactly like what happened to Han Solo on ESB. I do believe they borrowed the same sculpture of Harrison Ford to use in that show.
4. Anybody seen the teaser TV spot for Mulawin the Movie? You know, where that feather dancing in the sky that got sliced by a sword flipped in the air? Now, watch the opening sequence to Final Fantasy VIII and you’ll see the same thing: A feather from Rinoa’s wing, after disappearing in the sky, will transform into the gunblade. The gunblade flips exactly like the one you saw on the teaser trailer for Mulawin.
Yes, it’s true. They do think we’re idiots. However this time, we’re flipping the cards on them.
Insulting the Pinoy Entertainment Industry since 2005.
