The Death of Radio: A Eulogy

We remember that it was the middle of the year when our favorite radio station, 106.7 DreamFM signed off to be replaced by something else that screams "Hi Pangga!" every few minutes; and it was 2010 (I think) when the Rock of Manila, NU 107, breathed its final breath and died to be replaced by a "winner" radio station.

Blame Steve Jobs and the iPod, blame the music pirates online and offline, but this much is true: the radio that we all came to know and love for decades is now dead. Otherwise, radio is now in a coma, with a lot of tubes and a breathing apparatus, and a single stroke more would kill it off completely.

In Dream FM's case, the former Kool 106.7 and DreamFM is owned by ABC 5 or TV5 to TV world, which is in turn owned by Mr. I-will-never-run-out-of-money-come-hell-or-high-water-because-of-PLDT Manny Pangilinan. When he took over the reigns of TV5 from previous owner Tonyboy Cojuangco, he probably thought that a radio station that caters to the elitist, relaxing jazz audience might not be as profitable as a mass audience radio station; thus the changeover.

Having a respectable number of radio stations is not a problem, but having a respectable number of radio stations that sound and feel exactly the same, may be.

This probably goes the same for Citilite 88.3, LA 105, Campus Radio, DWKC, NU 107 (the last bastion of Rock in the Philippines), Radio Romance, WLL (you are the music, and I'm your guitar), and of course Kool 106/DreamFM. God bless RJFM, RX93, DZFE (The Master's Touch), Crossover, and a handful of other "Spartans" who gallantly and hopelessly keep the flag raised amidst the pressure of giving up camp and just packing up.

Nobody listens to radio anymore because everybody prefers their iPods and media players, which can completely control the way music is listened to. I may be an accomplice to the murder because I own a media player myself, but I do miss the element of surprise, that time wherein you patiently wait for the DJ to play that one song that you have been waiting for for a couple of hours; and when it finally does play, you clasp a fist to our side and say "yesssss" and proceed to crank up the volume. Nowadays, the usual radio fare consist of lowbrow jokes, irritating chatterbox DJ's, the annoying radio station ID, Air Supply, Slow Rock, and Jovit Baldovino.

How I missed the way LSFM's The Triggerman took in requests from his top 20 at 12 playlist and rudely hung up the phone for callers who wanted to greet their friends. I miss the Graveyard Shift with a DJ that sounds like a stoned Count Dracula on WKC. Most specially, I miss tuning in to the most stress-free sounds on Citilite and DreamFM, while driving home from work.

Let us make it clear that there is nothing wrong with what we hear presently on radio; and we still do have quite a number of stations on air. However, this is ultimately not the case. Having a respectable number of radio stations is not a problem, but having a respectable number of radio stations that sound and feel exactly the same, may be. Let us not name names, but more than Half of the radio stations that are on air are similar to each other: all of them have DJ's with annoying puns for pseudonyms, all of them share the same mindless jokes, the same kid who mentions their station ID and motto, and all of them share all 10 songs on their playlist.

Again, broadcasting is big business. When they felt that the radio we knew was only for a handful of people, they changed it to make it more mass-appealing. What they failed to realize is that by doing so, they turned into the very same thing that they fought against.

Batangas Brouhaha: Cleverly winning tourists back to Batangas

Thanks to Facebook User Alan Chan for the photo.

I have to hand it to the folks over at the HollywoodPilipinas facebook page. This shows how creativity and humor can be a source of social consciousness. The stream of funny pictures really is a treasure trove of endless fun.

I do have to admit that this idea of putting up a Hollywood-style signage on taal lake may be one of Governor Vilma's not-so-better ideas, but I can definitely understand why there is a need for her government to OWN BACK the Taal Lake tourist-cow. Of course, being a Batangas-elected official, the Governor has to find ways on how to protect the interests of her Batanguenio constituents, and this is what people fail to realize.

She just does not want to make it public, but she has every right to think of ways on how to win back the Taal tourists and business from Cavite that rightfully belongs to Batangas.

Everybody knows how the Taal lake view is a beautiful creation and everybody wants to see it. So naturally, the tourists that Taal brings are big business. I would say that the Governor just started asking the question why Cavite gets all the Taal tourists whereas Taal is naturally located in Batangas; so naturally, the Batanguenios should be the one reaping all the benefits. Right? In truth, this is not so.

So, I'm making it my personal mission to defend the Governor in this case. She just does not want to make it public, but she has every right to think of ways on how to win back the Taal tourists and business from Cavite that rightfully belongs to Batangas. This 'Batangas sign' idea is very wrong though; funny, but very wrong.

I'm not from Batangas (I'm from Tarlac; and I love the Tarlac sign that i saw on HollywoodPilipinas), but you Batanguenios have every right to win back your tourists from Tagaytay. I'd say Tagaytay is using your Taal Lake, and they are getting more tourists than you.

You have every right to fight for it.

Just not with a stupid Hollywood sign.

Review of 'No Other Woman': Your textbook mistress melodrama

Thanks to the owner of the photo.

After 2 years, I'm back; and before that there was nothing.

I am forced out of my self-imposed Filipino movie exile to share my two cents about the new movie everybody in town is talking about: No Other Woman.

The movie stars ABS-CBN's Derek Ramsey as the philandering husband of Cristine Reyes, and Anne Curtis as the fighting mistress. Other cast members include Tirso Cruz III and others, who clearly lent their names in the posters for the money.

Firstly, how many movies were made with this same movie title? Secondly, how many other movies were created, sans the movie title, with the same premise about a philandering husband? These questions asked tells us that this movie has absolutely nothing new to offer the moviegoing public.

My other distaste probably came from the fact that that there's absolutely nothing I can relate to in the movie: not the setting, the premise, and absolutely not the characters.

The hype surrounding the movie was blown out of proportion and near destructive that left a very bad taste in my mouth. My other distaste probably came from the fact that that there's absolutely nothing I can relate to in the movie: not the setting, the premise, and absolutely not the characters. The beauty of La Union is unmistakable, but none of us own a resort there... Well, maybe a fraction of a percent of the entire population. The story, as said before, is very commonplace; just look around for a married friend or a co-worker who still tries to hit on that new-hired chick, and if he succeeds, look at their miserable wives and you will know that these people are who this movie's market audience are. The fantastical destroyer of suspension of disbelief is that affairs like this almost always DO NOT end happily; so there goes your reality right there. Some might say that it is only a movie, but how the story went is just too ridiculous to be enjoyed. Most of the time I was slapping my forehead, scoff-laughing, and shaking my head; and then I was playing 'Snake III' on my mobile phone. I kept asking myself: "Who talks like that?" I've seen a personal debate or two but I have never heard anybody argue cinematically.

The premise is commonplace: a self-confessed ex-playboy breaks his personal vows as he falls for the lucious traps of a femme fatale. However, the events and occurrences that shape the twists of the story are near impossible-to-fantastical: after having his way with both his wife and his mistress, he became confused as to which girl to choose, while the women fight over him in catty, epic cliche 80's dialogue proportions. Suddenly, In true Deus Ex Machina style, the story finishes with anout-of-place tragic realization

This movie is owned by the three lead actors, and as said before, the supporting actors are clearly unimportant; their roles should create a ground for reality as they give 3-sentence advices to make things extra-confusing. However, put them in or remove them and nothing changes. The only good thing that came out of this story would be Ms. Curtis' acting. Who would've thought that the teeny-bopping, lollipop wielding little darling would grow up and be taught to act? She's thousands of lightyears away from when she left GMA Artist Center, and in turn they must really be kicking their own arses for letting her go; or is it that they really do not invest in acting classes for their actors?

That being said, I would say that 'No Other Woman' is definitely not worth the fare. What should have been a quest for the filmmakers to create an unforgettable, timeless movie in the vein of 80's dramas such as the ones created by Bernal and Brocka turned out to be a forgettable, moneymaking fad to keep the movie department afloat. We are way better off watching a stress-free, feelgood movie like 'Dolphin Tale' after a long day of work. Some of us need not reminded of the stresses in our lives.