by Nickie Wang
In many parts of the world, social networking and micro blogging sites have become important tools in marketing because of their huge potential in reaching a great number of people. You see, they use these social media to become productive but the snag is that these sites are also exploited by some in their malicious attempt to tarnish someone else’s reputation without any clear motive. And most of the time, the culprits are difficult to locate or identify.
The latest victim of an online scandal is actor and dancer Mark Herras. The 23-year-old Kapuso talent recently became talk of the town after the search engine term “Mark Herras scandal” hit the web. The photos, which was first posted in a forum, were reposted in many blog sites and caused a lot of curious minds (especially those with filthy intentions) to probe more.
The person who spread the scandalous pictures had planned it for sure, in a very detailed fashion. First, there’s this screen grab of a man, who has striking resemblance to actor Mark, who seemed to be engaged in an online chat with someone (or with the person who took the screen shots), and then there’s another screen shot purportedly of the same guy showing off his stiff family jewel. The texture of the photos are consistent that for someone who doesn’t know anything about Photoshop or any other methods to enhance photos and videos, he would have jumped into conclusion that it was indeed the same person.
It’s not the first time that the young actor got victimized by a scandal like this. In 2006, when Twitter and Facebook were still hardly known to the masses, a video labeled “Jennylyn” was made available on VCD and sold on the streets. A file of the same label was as well shared and forwarded through mobile phones. Mark, a teenager then, instantly defended himself and his ex-flame Jennylyn Mercado, who was said to be the subject of the video (but never proven). He claimed that it was character assassination initiated by his detractors. Months later, the news died down.
This time, Mark has not issued any statement, yet. Once he speaks up about the issue, naturally he would deny it and would condemn the person or people behind the nasty act. It’s a default reaction from everyone we know who got involved in the same noise. But would he be thankful if suddenly this hullabaloo painted new color to his career? Well, it’s time for him to work this one to his advantage. In Hollywood, actors who became involved in this kind of incident became more in demand, look what happened to Collin Farrell.
Judy Ann’s bundle of joy
If it’s a misfortune for Mark Herras, it’s the other way around for young superstar Judy Ann Santos. Last Thursday evening, Judy Ann was sitting on top of Yahoo! Philippines trending topic and if you clicked on her name you would have redirected to reports that she has given birth to a 6.9-pound baby boy.
On national TV, Judy Ann’s mom,Carol, confirmed the birth of Baby Lucho (or Juan Luis Agoncillo) through a normal delivery. She said that the actress didn’t have any hard time.
“Saglit lang daw. 4 cm [centimeters] pa lang lumabas na ‘yong bagets,” she shared in an interview.
The delighted grandmother didn’t provide any details saying that Juday and Ryan will officially share the photos with their fans in due time. Nonetheless, Juday’s mom added that the baby got his father’s nose and his mother’s mouth. Lucho is set to be christened next month and just like the wedding of his parents, only friends close to the family are invited.
Is iDol going to say bye bye soon?
Musical comedy drama starring Sarah Geronimo and Sam Milby is not performing well in the ratings game, that’s a fact. Popsters, Sarah’s fan club, perhaps do not have enough numbers to put the series in the leading edge. So when we heard that iDol’s life on the air will be cut short, we’re not surprised at all. What made us wonder is the reason behind its early termination. They say it is production constraints and its cast members’ conflicting schedules.
When it was launched during ABS-CBN’s trade event in August, many anticipated the program. Viewers expected a lot—from the engaging story it promised to the grand productions a la Glee that it promoted. But to many viewers’ dismay, everything fell way short of those expectations when the series hit primetime.
From its poorly-crafted storyline to crappy production numbers (which appear to have been rehearsed a few hours before the actual taping, not mention that some actors cast in the musical can’t even sing or dance) iDol just eliminated the hopes that local television can produce a world-class program, or at least something decent that we could be proud sharing with our neighboring countries. The series just hurt the career of those in the lead roles most especially Sarah’s. She is too talented to be cast in a series that spells mediocrity.
If we are to compare iDol to US hit series Glee (though it’s extremely difficult to compare a succulent apple to an unripe durian), the first appears bland while the latter translates your time into an awesome viewing experience. The thing is, iDol lacks grandeur that everybody thought it would showcase based on its teasers.
Kapamilya network has produced numerous television programs but until now its people has not learned the value of originality, no wonder, they always come up with rip-off programs that are doomed to fail.
VERY WANG 