GMA 7 celebrates Afternoon Prime leadership

The Kapuso network was in a most celebratory mood as it gathered its entire cast, staff crew and top officials to revel in its continuous predominance of the Afternoon Prime block of 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays.

This block, consisting of Hiram na Puso, The Good Daughter, Broken Vow, the Asianovela It Started with a Kiss and Alice Bungisngis and the Wonder Walis, runs opposite Kapamilya’s Mundo Man Ay Magunaw, Angelito Batang Ama, Pinoy Big Brother, Lumayo ka Man sa Akin and Wako Wako. On the Kapatid network, dramas are Isang Dakot na Luha and Felina: Princesa ng mga Pusa. It will be noted that both Channels 2 and 7 take a break from drama before fielding its fantasy-dramas geared towards youngsters. TV5 only has an adult drama Luha and the youth-oriented Felina.

Based on Nielsen ratings as of March, GMA had an average audience share of 36.9 percent, opposite ABS-CBN’s 27.5 percent and TV5’s 16.8 percent.

Redgie Magno, GMA’s AVP for Drama, says that the station’s growing audience share started in 2011 when they decided to field all original traditional dramas, while admitting that much of their strength can also be attributed to the invincible pre-programming of Eat, Bulaga!, leader in noontime variety entertainment for decades. ABS-CBN suffered significantly after the Willie Revillame brouhaha, and the station came out with Pilipinas Win na Win, Happy Yipee Yehey and recently, It’s Showtime.

 Magno confesses that the station is focusing on strengthening further the Afternoon Prime block, with the same attention given to the evening Prime, the opportunity of honing a younger batch of talents, aware that advertisers will flock to the block, which will offer more cost-effective options.                

Filipino tenors hold first solo Manila concert

Their ultimate goal is to render semi-classical/pop music appealing and digestible to mainstream music lovers. This is what drives The Filipino Tenors, a new group of classically-trained singers Christian Nagano, Johann Enriquez, David Ezra Cruz, Jenmar Buntalilid and Miguel Castro to make it their advocacy. On April 12 at 8 p.m., the singers will mount their first solo concert in Manila at the Conspiracy Bar on Visayas Ave.

The show titled The Filipino Tenors: Take a Bow will hopefully alter stereotypes of overweight, stiff-necked tenors and aging divas. We ourselves feel that it had been done before by Josh Groban, easily more popular than many a pop and R&B star. There is no reason for the Pinoys, known to be the Italians of Asia, not to be able to achieve it.

Already, the tenors have been experiencing minor successes. They have been invited to perform as guest in Valentine Voices at the Teatrino, with Bo Cerrudo and opera singer Rachelle Gerodias; in Mindanao Now benefit show at Rockwell Tent with Dulce and others; Smile of a Child benefit at Tiendesitas; The Company’s Push Up Brass concert at the Music Museum; and Voci Celesti, an Opera Gala where they performed a medley of Adajio/Prayer in the Night under conductor Antonio Molina of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.  

 Last Valentine season, they topbilled The Filipino Tenors in Iloilo. At the UNTV’s A Song of Praise Music Festival, the group won in the weekly competition. The performance over DZMM Teleradyo’s Music and Memories resulted in numerous calls and congratulations from viewers who liked the members’ casual attire and youthful look while performing arias and kundimans. Clearly, they are coming closer to their goal.

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