We beg to differ.
[The following is an article by Star columnist Don Pedero published in The Philippine Star 29 October 2000 and also featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year.] * * * Last July 23, I wrote about Nasty (short for Anastacio), a balikbayan from Los Angeles, who, while vacationing in Manila, had nothing to…
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The wedding cake of Filipino starlets DingDong Dantes and Marian Rivera may have set a world record for biggest cake actually used in a wedding reception! A photo of said cake tweeted by a certain @yziimanabat was picked up by the British tabloid Daily Mirror after it reportedly became the “top trend” and “baffled half…
It is pretty much a no-brainer. The idea that the Philippines’ entertainment industry is a massive contributor to accelerating erosion of the collective intellect of Filipinos has long been a widely-accepted fact in Philippine society. As far back as 2006, Isagani Cruz wrote about this in an Inquirer article. I cited the key excerpt in…
Read More “How to stop Philippine Media’s systematic dumbing down of an entire nation” »
The word escapism, as defined on the Net, refers to a mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general…
“The price of finding me was losing you” – The Theme to WKRP in CIncinnati by Steve Carlisle I first encountered David Letterman not on TV in person. This was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and my parents took us to see magician Doug Henning. Doug Henning must be part Pinoy because…
Filipinos are infamous for their short attention spans and stunted mental faculties. As a form of entertainment, many Filipinos rely on television. However mass media giants use this medium, whether to educate the population or turn them into mindless, loyal, zombies, its power cannot be underestimated. If they do decide to show nothing but dancing…
Read More “Da Pilipino way: showbiz and government are inseparable” »
Indeed, American Idol Filipino-Mexican-American contestant Jessica Sanchez is a gifted singer. At just sixteen years old, she can belt out soulful with the power of a seasoned vocalist. Of course, she may never know what it is like to earn real stripes as an artist — the old-fashioned way — considering she has the backing…
Read More “Filipinos SMS millions into News Corp’s pockets for Jessica Sanchez” »
In my 2006 book Get Real Philippines Book 1, one of the key solutions I cited to the challenge of effecting fundamental change in the path we have (rather consciously) set for ourselves to chronic impoverishment is to re-evaluate the content of our mass media. I highlighted that it is an easy solution, because much…
Read More “Foreign capital will not solve Filipinos’ inability to apply capital profitably” »