My amateur take on ABSCBN's late night shows

I watched ABS CBN last night until I fell asleep. I watched Pinoy Dream Academy, then the new Japanese series, Artificial Beauty, Bandila, and Harapan with Korina Sanchez and Ted Failon. I have made a pseudo-analysis to these programs. Well. Check this out.

In contrast to Pinoy Idol, PDA has the vitality of a reality show and the credibility of mentors and jurors. I would say that Mr. Cayabyab (the head master of PDA) obviously has the edge over Ogie Alcasid. PDA is much more interesting and diverse. Production-wise, my nod goes to PDA. I think Pinoy Idol sometimes becomes too boring for me to keep glued in my set. That’s it. ;-)

Artificial Beauty is so so so funny. You guys should watch it once. The Japanese lead is a beauty to behold and the character she portrays is interestingly entertaining and C-R-A-Z-Y. Well, it’s about an-ugly-duckling-turned-into-a-swan lady’s fairytale. With the help of science (read: Dr. Belo) she has skinned out her old “ugly” self, undergone the most complicated series of aesthetic surgeries, and returned home wearing a different face, literally. I can’t say everything here but I guess Artificial Beauty would be a sure click. Yeah, sure thing, I have something to watch in ABSCBN every weeknight.

Bandila, anchored by Korina Sanchez, Henry Omaga-Diaz, and Ces Drilon, is topnotch. I love their comprehensive scoops of late night news, though, not that comprehensive and fast paced as that of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. Bandila is very Pinoy and I just love it since its very first broadcast. The fact that Bandila outsmarted other foreign news programs and consequently became a finalist in the International Emmy Awards (by The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) is amazing!

The new Harapan by Korina Sancez and Ted Failon is a new commentary/debate/analysis type that ABSCBN offers. I thought it’s about serious analysis and debate. It turned out that I was wrong. Apparently, Tamabalan tackles hard news and issues, yet it provides them in a way that is comic and light. I’m surprised to see Korina Sanchez uttering words I have never expected her to say, and she responds to Ted in a very informal way. Very tambay, I say. That was one hell of a mess, I guess. But, on the other hand, it paves the way of current affairs to get into the general public: current affairs aren’t just for the elite; so, maybe, this is a strategy to get rid of the typical Juan de la Cruz’s apathy to national issues at hand. I don’t like it this time, though. We’ll see a few months from now.