JEDDAH, 27 August 2004 — The avalanche of sleaze that ABS-CBN television has been focusing on lately makes one wonder whether the Movie and Television Rating and Classification Board is actually doing its job. Instead of warning noontime TV show hosts for using salty language, the MTRCB would do better to tackle the seemingly endless obsession that ABS-CBN has developed for call girl Keanna Reeves.
She first popped up a few weeks ago on Boy Abunda’s “Kontrobersyal” program after being approached by his producers, who asked whether Keanna would admit to having sex in exchange for money on camera. She agreed and hasn’t looked back since. What’s the big deal about that, one may ask. Well, for one Keanna has no redeeming value whatsoever. She wasn’t abused as a child, nobody forced her into prostitution against her will (except for poverty perhaps), she never sent money home to her poor family, and she had the nerve to admit on “Good Morning Kris” that she entered her profession to sleep with as many men as possible!
After admitting that she had slept with some politicians, although she claims not to remember any of their names, Keanna now endorses a brand of T-shirts with a billboard on EDSA, and is booked solid for the next two months with TV appearances. She utterly lacks charm and has the hard edges of someone who literally grew up on the kalye. Her mouth is untamed and I really doubt that any mother would like her children exposed to Keanna on a morning talk show. Kris Aquino admitted on her show that Keanna was her “favorite” for her lack of pretension and frankness. I think that is just another way of Kris saying she likes her gutter mouth. What has television come to?!
And what was the theme of Kris’ show on Aug. 25, that included Keanna? “Battle of the Sexy Stars” with a line up of starlets that included Carlo Maceda, Gerald Madrid, and Rodrigo Velayo on the men’s side, and Camille Roxas and Sheryl Lou on the women’s side. After each round of questioning by Kris and her co-host Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, one guest stripped an item of clothing. Is this what MTRCB chair Marissa Laguardia would call wholesome entertainment?
Instead of sending warning letters to the GMA Network and to ABS-CBN for dealing with the issue of lesbianism, Laguardia would do much better to focus on the shows that gone mad featuring sleazy characters such as Keanna Reeves and others.
How ‘Ur D’ Man’ Touched Our Hearts
HAVING SLAMMED ABS-CBN for its Keanna obsession, I must also admit that it can get things right when it wants to. It’s recently finished “Ur D’ Man” competition on the noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan managed to touch the hearts of viewers around the globe.
The five young male contestants, Ahron, AJ, Marc, Kiko and JE, were vying for the chance to win P1 million and to get a contract as a host on MTB. For weeks, we watched as they were put through various challenges and rounds of questioning. Televiewers were allowed to vote via text message for whichever candidate they preferred, but their vote only counted as a portion of the total vote. MTB hosts, ABS-CBN management and a trio of judges, namely Desiree Del Valle, Cristy Fermin and Ryan Agoncillo, all had a share in the final score. This made guessing who would win rather difficult as viewers were never given a detailed breakdown of the scoring.
In any event, all the contestants endeared themselves to the viewing audience as well as to Ai-Ai delas Alas and Edu Manzano. Ahron, who won in the end, was liked for being the best all-rounder; AJ was the tallest and most handsome, but his pa-cuteness was irritating; Marc was the comedian who made everyone laugh, especially in his difficulty in pronouncing words correctly in English; Kiko was the youngest at 15, and always ready to burst into tears, while JE had big eyes and a charming way of speaking.
The grand final on Aug. 21 had many viewers in tears, as well as Ai-Ai who broke down several times. By the time Ahron had been declared the winner it was a veritable flood of tears both on the set and at home in front of the television for me and my friend Marvin. ABS-CBN producers should realize that they can achieve high ratings with compelling and funny stories, not only with the sleaze of the likes of Keanna.
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