Best Beth

Dad has been binge-watching "Yellowstone." And since I'm in close proximity to the TV while working, it can't be helped to watch along with him.

It's a very riveting series. Whilst the plot is very American - cowboys in Montana - the plot and characters are very relateable.

One of the characters that makes this series so great to watch is Beth Dutton. 

She's the only daughter of John Dutton. She's a headstrong woman who doesn't take anything from anyone. She has a bad temper and a foul mouth. She's very confrontational. But if you look at where all this is coming from, it's coming from a place of love, which makes her character very endearing.

It was great to see her growth from the 1st season to the 5th, and her character arc was so well-made. And her acting gave justice to that.

Kudos to Kelly Reilly for this character. Beth is definitely one of the best things about "Yellowstone."

Squid-ding aside

Netflix is serious about marketing.

For the launch of Squid Games 2, they turned Robinsons Galleria into a Squid Game hallway.

Well played, Netflix. Well played.

Blanket Observation

Was watching a Canadian documentary on the environmental effects of fast fashion. At one part of the program, the host was wearing something that made me stop, grab the remote, then pause the screen.

It was this shirt.

After observing it for a few minutes, the reason why it looked familiar dawned on me. The fabric looks exactly like the iconic Pinoy blanket I've been talking about. The same blanket that we also have at home.

This is another thing we can have made with those iconic blankets.

FMM: Bear it!

Speaking of bears, one of my fave 80s shows suddenly came to mind. 

The show was entitled, "BJ and the Bear," and their theme song is today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Even after more than 3 decades, this song is still embedded in my head and can still sing it. Strange, but true.

Even stranger? The "bear" in "BJ and the Bear" is actually a monkey.

The 80s were sure a lot of fun.

Eat’s Inspirational!

On last Thursday’s episode of “Eat Bulaga,” they featured young cancer survivors in one of their segments.

According to the hosts, through the collective stories of these different survivors - all under 25 years old - they’ll create awareness and inspiration for young people.

And among those who shared their inspiring stories is my niece, Toni!

She’s actually been actively campaigning about wellness and awareness for years now. I’ve sat in one of the webinars she was invited to, and proudly watched as she shared her story with so many people. That’s exactly what she did in Eat Bulaga, albeit for millions of people now.

Awesome job on this guesting, Toni! You truly are an inspiration!

Smells like Friendship

This is something I found online that was so novel, I couldn't resist buying them.

These are scents inspired by TV shows! Particularly, this pair was inspired by Monica's Apartment from the hit series "Friends."

Hope they come up with a Central Perk-inspired scent, too.

It's on!

Ah yes, the things you discover on Netflix!

My latest binge watch is this singing contest hosted by Tituss Burgess from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt". It's a show entitled "Sing On!"

It's such an addicting show, that I found myself sitting through one episode after the next.

Will this be my new binge watch?

Oh, it's on!

Designing Women

More than 2 decades ago, there was a hit Sitcom in the US which was also aired here in the Philippines. It was a sitcom about 4 creative women in the field of design, and it was entitled “Designing Women.”

The 4 women in the series were in the Interior Design industry, and they were all headstrong and had their unique points-of-view.

Fast forward to 2022, and i’m watching the finale of Project Runway Season 19. And while watching it, I couldn’t help but get flashbacks.

Here’s why:

The top 4 finalists are all women. They’re all in the field of design - Fashion Design, and they’re all headstrong, they have their unique points-of-view, and are all supremely creative.

It was like art imitating life!

But after the episode was done, the ultimate designing woman was Shantall! Which was no surprise because everyone was expecting her to win.

That’s the power of (designing) women!

Back in the Barrio

From it playing in the background like white noise, I'm now indulging in the guilty pleasure that is...

Maria la del Barrio is shown on TV5 every afternoon. Yes, it's been more than a decade since it was first shown on RPN-9, but now it's back. And now, I find myself stopping what I'm doing to watch the show. 

And admittedly, it's still as engaging as ever.

I guess it's true. Once a Thalia fan, always a Thalia fan. 

Half-Hearted

It's a fact. Most people are into Korean Drama Series in the country. Whether it's on free TV or Netflix, someone's always watching a K-Drama Program.

Heck, even D' Frendz has the occasional discussion on K-Dramas. Which ones they've watched, which ones are good, which ones are highly-recommended, plus post-game analyses on their favourite shows.

But in this K-Drama universe, I'm the outlier and the minority.

I've only watched one series from start to finish a few months ago. And I wrote about "Lie After Lie" as some sort of an accomplishment.

While I"m not a huge follower of K-Drama, I've been watching other Asian Drama shows, particularly from Japan and China. The reason why I got into these shows was because during my stint in HKG, they'd show a lot of J-Dramas and C-Dramas on free TV. (Which is what you watch when you don't have cable subscription at home.)

Recently, there was this C-Drama which found itself into my youtube show options. The promos suddenly appeared on my feed, I clicked, then my interest was piqued. 

That show is "The First Half of My Life."

To cut a long story short, I binge-watched this series from Episode 1 to 42! And every episode was awesome and worth watching.

This was actually an old series that aired in 2017. Despite the 4 year difference from the production to watching, the story is still very current and compelling. And because the series is about professionals in their midlife, it also struck a chord with me.

Now, I'm joining the millions of people who are saying the same thing: 

"The First Half of My Life, Season 2 please!"

A is for Apple. B is for Britney.

While randomly flicking the remote last night to find something interesting to watch, I found this cable channel called "HallyuPop" which turned out to be a channel that features concerts. Majority of the concerts they feature are Korean acts (thus, the "Hallyu") but they occasionally show other foreign acts as well.

And what was showing last night?

Britney Spears' Apple Music Festival performance.

Needless to say, my channel surfing stopped there and I had the pleasure of watching Britney perform once again.

As always, Britney is a joy to watch.

FMM: Best in Show

This comic panel is simply so true!

And because of this, I suddenly missed "The Muppet Show!" That's why I'm dedicating today's Friday Magic Madness to this awesome show.

As a kid, I'd never miss an episode of this laugh-a-minute extravaganza. If memory serves me right, this was shown on Channel 13, and when it was on, you could find me fixated in front of the TV. 

"The Muppet Show" was the best! It had so many funny segments like "Pigs in Space," "The Swedish Chef," "Sam the Eagle's Editorials," "Rowlf on the Piano," and "Muppet Labs." Plus, the unforgettable banters of the 2 grumpy men was always a hoot.

Looking back at the show is making me miss it even more.

Because of that, it's time to get things started on the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational, this is what we call The Muppet Show!!!

Now this is an awesome way to cap a Friday!

Start the week with Glee

Since I've been reconnecting with my High School Glee Club group online lately, I've also been reconnecting with old episodes of "Glee."

A few years back, "Glee" was the series on everyone's lips. Aside from the great music, the story arcs, the cast of promising newcomers and a powerhouse list of guest stars, it was really a joy to watch. 

And the music. Oh, the music. Watching every episode made me relive our Glee Club days with Sir Jun Ortega. How we'd be asked to perform in school programs, and eventually invited to perform outside school.

Some of my favorite LSQC Glee Club performances were "Overture from the Tales of the Manuvu," which we performed in LSM, among other places. There's "Age of Aquarius" which we performed in Greenbelt. And "Sometimes," which we performed for our Father Rector.

These were performances that were all heartfelt and hard to forget. That's why today, let me start the week with something that encompasses these things in one video. An excerpt from Glee which talks about forgetting.

This episode with Gwyneth Paltrow as substitute teacher Holly Holiday is still one of my all-time faves. Something that's worth watching over and over again.

Oh, Glee Club and Glee. I really can't forget you.

Good Show

The past few months, whenever we’d eat lunch, Mom would tune in to the noontime show on TV5 entitled “Lunch out Loud!”

One thing I noticed about this show is that it’s remarkably different from the usual noontime shows that we’re used to.

For one thing, they usually greet their guests and contestants with “God Bless.” In every show, they acknowledge the presence and contributions of the Lord. They have a segment where they talk about what they’re thankful for today. 

That makes for good and refreshing noontime television. Plus, their segments and contests are fun to watch, too.

Then, on one episode this week, they did something that was new and wonderful. They had a closing prayer before their episode wrapped up.

Good show, Lunch out Loud. Good show.

Of Biblical Proportions

One of the things that I look forward to during Holy Week are all the religious-themed shows that are airing on Free TV.

As kids, we'd often watch "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Ben Hur", as well as "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Today, I was able to catch the newer version of "Ben Hur." Aside from that, there was a mini-series on-air that which retold Bible stories. 

It was great to relive all the stories again, and this Holy Week is a great time to do it.

Notice that?

“Further Notice.”

It’s a universal and commonly used phrase that’s easy to understand and easy to spell, right?

Apparently not.

Proofreader, please.

Cool!

It's rare that I watch TV.

But I discovered a show that looks like it's going to make me watch TV more often.

"The Cool Kids" is a comedy series about 4 friends who live in a retirement home. And all the hilarity that comes with it.

Aside from the great script, I'm drawn to it because of David Alan Grier (of "In Living Color") and Leslie Jordan.

Growing old has never been this cool.

Makeover and above

I've got a new TV show portion to binge-watch!

The past few days, I've been watching "The Today Show" on YouTube, particularly the "Plaza Ambush Makeover" portion.



It's such a joy to see how a simple tweak on a person's look can change their life and self-image dramatically.

I'd love to see something like this in a TV show in The Philippines.

One in a million

"A Million Little Things," is another series I've been following lately.

It has a simple but intriguing premise, but what I like about it is how much it's grounded in reality. No big plot twists, no mind boggling reveals, just simple, honest drama.

The same things I want in a show to watch.

From Gofer to Goldmine

Who wouldathunk?!

The favorite gofer boy of Senora Santibanez:

Turns out to be a rum baron IRL!

How's that for a telenovela plot twist?