JEDDAH, 23 MAY 2003 — Just when you thought tabloid TV shows could not reach a lower point, you’re suddenly surprised when they sink even lower. What I’m referring to specifically is the showcasing of the split between the actor Lander Vera Perez and his mother Bernadette Vera Perez on “The Buzz” and “Showbiz Sabado”.
Lander is happily married to the dancer Regine Tolentino, with whom he has two children. The problem seems to be his mother-in-law, Gina Maristela, who appeared on Mother’s Day on “The Buzz”, accompanied by Lander. It seems that Lander hadn’t spoken to his mom for six years, the last time they had spoken being the night before his wedding. The reason for the gap between mother and son was never made very clear, though allusion to money matters was made.
The smug and self-satisfied Mrs. Maristela had the nerve to sit next to Lander and accuse his mother, who was sitting a few feet away, of being “thick-faced”.
Accusations were hurled back and forth, with the show’s hosts Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino egging them on. Mrs. Maristela harped on about how she had taken Lander into her family as if he were own son. The obvious implication being that Mrs. Vera Perez was a bad mother.
As if these were not enough public airing of dirty laundry by both sides, they all reappeared the following Saturday on “Showbiz Sabado” hosted by Alfie Lorenzo and Cristy Fermin. Lorenzo with his hippy-dippy Afro and guru clothes, looked positively stupid, but that’s a whole different story. The same lame accusations were hurled all around and still the parties remained unreconciled at the end of the show. What was the point of all of this? To boost ABS-CBN viewer ratings? To boost the sagging showbiz careers of Lander and his wife? What was meant to be achieved by airing a rather sad family feud that is intensely personal and private?
ABS-CBN television has found a tabloid goldmine in Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino. Both are tactless and ruthless in exploiting the misfortunes and squabbles of showbiz personalities to boost the ratings of their shows.
Just watch Kris on “Morning Girls” while she intensely interviews showbiz personalities, asking them tacky questions, shrieking in appreciation if they offer a provocative or revealing answer, and then switch her attention to her next victim. She’s especially good at asking probing questions about a poor childhood (“we only had rice and salt to eat”) or a failed relationship, and the inevitable tears glisten on the cheeks of female guests as they dab away at them with bare fingers, leaving one wondering, “where are the damn tissues?” (Perhaps Kleenex could become a sponsor of the show.)
It’s all cheap and fast television, thrilling to watch at times, but like much gossip, it leaves you feeling guiltily bloated at the end. It’s a vicarious look at the lives of celebrities that most of us cannot avoid being interested in but will rarely admit to liking.
Gloria’s Triumphal US Visit
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s state visit to the United States this week was nothing short of triumphal. A 21-gun salute on the White House South Lawn greeted the president on Monday morning, along with a smiling US President George W. Bush and his most trusted aides.
After the US had struggled to get open support for its invasion and occupation of Iraq in April, getting only lukewarm support from some allies and outright opposition from others, the Bush administration was using the symbolism of all this pomp and pageantry to reward faithful allies. And who deserved it more than America’s most faithful ally in Asia, the Philippines?
Not only did President Arroyo go home smiling, but the Philippines was named a major non-NATO ally of the US, meaning it will now qualify for increased US military loans, cheaper US military equipment and the chance to stockpile equipment. But wait a minute, stockpile equipment? I thought the US had already worked out agreements to keep equipment in the Philippines after its bases were closed down in 1992? In any event, is that really a plus point for the Philippines? Especially when these stockpiles could theoretically include nuclear weapons. I don’t think so.
Which reminds me of the recently divulged secret that the United States kept nuclear weapons at Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base in the Philippines in the past. The US government had maintained a “neither-confirm-nor-deny” policy then.
Watching the adoring coverage that ABS-CBN television was giving to the president’s US visit Tuesday night (triumphal music played as the title “Gloria sa Amerika” was flashed on the screen in big letters), I commented to a friend that she was probably planning to run for re-election after getting President Bush’s endorsement.
Sure enough yesterday, the Inquirer newspaper ran a story entitled “Fifty-fifty chance Macapagal runs in ‘04”, quoting a coy administration source who wished to remain anonymous.
The gist of the story was that President Bush wants to continue the special relationship he has with the Arroyo administration beyond 2004, and thus has presumably encouraged President Arroyo to run for re-election. But this whole premise turns on the fact that President Bush also has to be re-elected in 2004, something that he is not assured of given the unpredictability of the capricious US electorate.
But it seems that both presidents have really clicked. President Arroyo’s vocal support of the global war on terror has resonated with Bush and cemented the relationship. As one wire agency story pointed out, there are many similarities between the two presidents: Both are 56, both were sworn into office on the same day (both were also attacked for lacking the backing of a majority of the electorate), and both are children of former presidents.
Whether or not President Arroyo runs for re-election remains to be seen. Her insistent denials could well turn into a “yes” for re-election, as these things often do. It’s the classic, “I’m hurt from all the criticisms of my performance, but if the public is clamoring for me to run again, what can I do, di ba?” It’s just a little sad that the president seems to be more popular in the White House than back home.
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