"SID & AYA" (Not a Love Story)

So far, Sid & Aya is the only Filipino film that grossed
over 150M this year.

The positive reviews that I read about "Sid & Aya" led me to watch the movie and I wasn't disappointed. I certainly enjoyed watching the movie.  I love the visuals, the music and the soundtrack particularly  "Darkness Fell" by the Juans.  Irene Villamor's direction is quite impressive and very contemporary. With three box-office hits in a row she now join the league of female box-office directors like Cathy Molina Garcia and Antonette Jadaone.  Villlamor's credits includes "Camp Sawi" and "Meet Me at St. Gallens."

Dingdong Dantes plays Sid, a successful but callous stockbroker, who is suffering from insomnia.  He hangs out at a cafe in the wee hours and this is where he met Aya (Anne Curtis) who works as a waitress.  Charmed by Aya's odd but pleasant personality, Sid half-jokingly offered to pay Aya to keep him for a company just for a few hours whenever his insomnia strikes. Strange as it is, Aya agreed with the deal.  Aya is a hardworking woman who will to do anything just to earn money to augment her income in order to support her sick father and save money to pay her visa expenses to get her to Japan. She also moonlights working as a laundry attendant. Their constant "paid bonding" brought them closer, just as about Sid's girlfriend (Bubbles Paraiso) began talking about moving-in to Sid's flat. The romantic plot thickens as Sid informed Aya that he plans to propose marriage to his girlfriend. Aya decided to leave and work in Japan as an entertainer and Sid subsequently followed but their meet up didn't bring them back together. Aya didn't show up to bid goodbye before Sid flew back to Manila and nothing was mentioned what happened to the relationship of Sid and his girlfriend.  The next thing we see was the final scene showing Sid clad in a street get-up, walking at a trendy street in Manila and unexpectedly bumped into Aya at a cafe.  What happens next....it's up to the audience to interpret, just watch the movie.

The tagline says it's not a love story.  I guess they just use it to attract viewers to make it more intriguing and appealing to audience and I guess it succeeded; the movie is a certified blockbuster.  Initially it wasn't a love story as there was money involved but as the story progressed, both Sid & Aya found themselves in a situation they didn't expect to happen.  The movie is presented in a semi-narrative style but what makes the movie even more appealing is the on-screen chemistry of Dingdong Dantes and Anne Curtis, somewhat reminiscent of Vi-Boyet tandem back in the 80's. There's a certain level of excitement that the two connects with the audience. Another factor is the directorial style of Irene Villamor which is very contemporary and adequately engaging.

The movie also stars Bubbles Paraiso, Gabby Eigenmann, Cholo Barreto, Joseph Elizalde with cameo roles by Joey Marquez and Jobelle Salvador.

TAWAG NG TANGHALAN - UNIQUE SINGING COMPETITION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Some of the country's popular artists are product of singing contests, among them are Regine Velazquez, Nora Aunor, Sarah Geronimo, Charice and more recently Darren Espanto.  World famous songwriter David Foster once said, the Philippines is home to some of the world's greatest singers. True enough, Filipino talents often wins in singing competitions around the world.  Karaoke is also a big thing in the country.  Imagine a Filipino household party or a beach resort without a karaoke bar: it would be boring, at least for the locals.   

"Tawag ng Tanghalan" which literally means "call of the stage," is probably one of the most popular, if not the most popular singing competition in the Philippines today.  The show was revived two years ago by ABS-CBN as a segment singing contest on popular noontime show "It's Showtime." TNT as it is sometimes called now, debuted in 1953 but was axed in 1972 following the declaration of Martial Law by former President Ferdinand Marcos.  The show was later revived in 1987 to 1988 and resurfaced again in 2016.  No doubt TNT  has become a vital factor of the show in the rating game giving the longest running noontime show "Eat Bulaga" a run for their money.

Now on it's second season, the modern TNT has a new set of winners composed of Janine Berdin (grand champion), a 16 year old lass from Cebu, Ato Arman from Mindanao (2nd place) and Steven Paysu (3rd place) representing the Filipino community in the United States.  The 16 year old grand champion received Php 2M cash prize, a management contract and a house and lot from Camella Homes.  The other  3 grand finalists are Anton Antenorcruz (Metro Manila), Arabelle de la Cruz (Luzon) and Reggie Tortugo (Visayas).

What is interesting about TNT is it's  diversity and it is open to everyone without social discrimination.  Some of the past contestants were farmers, fishermen, street vendors and what have you - representing all social classes from the country's four main regions (Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao).  Movie icon Nora  Aunor was a water vendor at a train station before she competed in the late 60's and the first winner of the modern edition of  TNT was an ordinary farmer from a remote rural area in the Visayas.  Most of the contestants' repertoire are mainly old ballads, something that has not changed even in modern times. Millennial kids are looking for some cool music but it doesn't seem to work out in local singing competition.

Tawag ng Tanghalan is unique in it's own way: If a contestant messed up or constantly off tune while performing, the head of the panel of judges gives the final third signal to the designated person to gong which means the contestant can be literally interrupted while performing and can no longer continue and gets booted out right on the spot. The judges will then explain their side why they decided to "gong" a contestant.  

Rey Valera, who is the head of the panel of judges, is often criticized by viewers for giving offensive comments to contestants, though not necessarily about the singing skills but sometimes a personal one, like body shaming in front of millions of viewers.  Another issue is the inclusion of Karla Estrada as one of the judges questioning her qualification noting that she failed in an audition in a popular reality singing competition a few years back.  But people believe their celebrity status are interesting enough to enhance the tv ratings.

Controversy also hounds one of Season 2 contestants. Just as Anton Antenorcruz began gaining grounds in the early rounds of TNT Q2, his controversial gay marriage video became the subject of rumor mongers online but it didn't stop Anton in pursuing his dreams and went on to become one of the grand finalists. Until now some fans can't just accept the fact that the former flight attendant is not a "straight guy."  Both Janine and Ato experienced rough roads prior to their TNT victories.  They failed in their first attempts and the grand champion herself also failed in her audition at The Voice Kids.

Public Voting and the Rating Game

Surely online and public voting helps the show gain curiosity and interest from the public but nowadays it has become so organized in that one can have a pretty good chance of winning if a contestant gets massive support  from relatives and friends and even financial help from politicians. Public voting accounts 50% of the judging scheme while the 50% comes from the judges.

Interestingly, not all winners become big stars.  Darren Espanto and Morissete Amon weren't grand winners in the reality show they competed but they are more successful than the actual winners.  Even Charice placed only 3rd place in a kiddie singing contest in the 90's.  As they say talent alone is not necessarily the key to success, but one should possess the looks, charisma and star quality and of course the right connections.   Youngsters Isabella Vinzon and Kyle Echari of The Voice Kids enjoys TV exposure at ASAP  than their contemporaries.  Well... this is showbiz.

TNT Kids make waves

Last year "It's Showtime" launched TNT Kids edition won by 10 year old John Clyd Talili of Surigao del Sur.  Among the finalists were Mackie Empuerto, Keifer Sanches and Francis Concepcion but out of the blue the 3 young belters became instant stars after they guested at Gandang Gabi Vice last year.  The show's host asked them to sing an impromptu rendition of Beyonce's "Listen" instructing them to look like as if they were challenging each other to a fight of sort by way of singing.  The video went viral online and bingo! They became instant Youtube sensation and got in demand in TV guesting not only in the Philippines but as far as UK, Australia and the United States.  Now called the TNT Boys, the trio guested in Little Big Shots (both UK and US edition).  They are currently part of the show called "Your Voice Sounds Familiar: Kids Edition."

#walangmagawa