Friday, August 31, 2007

Hello Pappy (?!) scandal

I may really be a Joey de Leon fan, but in this feud between the warring networks regarding the alleged Wilyonaryo scandal over ABS-CBN's Wowowee that rocked the noon-time show scene over the past week, I would have to side with him. Clearly, what Willie Revillame has done (all that crying, rebutting and putting shame on Joey de Leon) was a ploy to "unkill" the show.

As Filipinos we may already know that the only way to soften a heart of the public is to appeal to his/her emotions. Filipinos very much love the "api" (underdog) and would take the side of the person/ group in distress. That explains why the likes of Judy Ann Santos, Nora Aunor, or Julie Vega rose to stardom. Or why them telenovelas with "kawawa" lead stars skyrocket the Mega Manila TV ratings. Willie Revillame obviously was advised by ABS-CBN to appear in the show, cry, apologize, act as if he was the one persecuted, and hit on the other network. now, here's another person in distress in a "reality" variety show. Starring: Willie Revillame as himself. This formula has long been a very good controversy-killer. A very good skirter of issues. A very good persuasion technique. This time, Willie's acting skills made the tables turn. Now, he is the one in distress. Now, the issues have been covered up. The masses now have someone to support. The kaawa-awa at inaaping si Willie Revillame. Wowowee's ratings were saved. Bravo.

Another trick in the book that was released by ABS-CBN to save their own asses is to blow up the issue by giving Willie enough air time. And if they said that ABS-CBN did not plan the whole scenario, why were the cameras panning on the people crying in the audience? It just is confusing as it is...

Joey could just be simply focusing on issues pressed against Willie. He was not just hitting the guy personally. Well, if he wants to be really personal, he could have hit other aspects on Willie's life that are much more personal (e.g. domestic violence charges, etc.) than this one. As what other rivals would do, he could just be capitalizing on the fact that the show was caught cheating (allegedly). Perfect opportunity to boost credibility of Eat bulaga since they have no track record of "Cheating." That's just the way it is.

If there's one positive thing that arose from this scandal, it's that some people have been jaded by the incident. They will now think that game and variety shows are rigged anyway, so why waste time and money to wait in a studio and take a chance. Hopefully Filipinos would think it this way and not just look for other game show avenues to take their chances on. Sigh...

"Explain before you complain." These were the words uttered by Joey de Leon in response to Willie's words on him. I couldn't agree more.

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