Month: April 2006

The teen housemates once agian showed a lot of emotion inside the PBB house not only inside the confession room but in the normal goings of their day. Bam, the comedian, cried as well proving that clowns cry too. He was affected by the rift between Olyn and Mikki. Aldred as well cried for the same reason he cried yesterday. He still can’t seem to fit and make his mark among the teen housemates. The teen housemates came to his side when they saw Aldred shedding tears after his confession. Teen housemates, ano buzz! Tama na ang iyakan 3 araw pa lang kayo. Maglaro na lang kayo ng bilyar , magswimming, o magkwuentuhan. Masyado na maraming drama sa tv, sana gumawa kayo ng mga bagay na ika-aaliw namaing mga manonood. Mabuti pa si Kim. Nakakaaliw.

Sparks flew, tempers rose, and tears fell inside the Pinoy Big Brother House as the teen housemates witnessed the first full blown fight inside the Pinoy Big Brother House. Olyn, the teenstar wannabee from QC, and Mikki, the orig na astig girl from Davao, were at the opposite ends of this fight. Olyn’s validation of what Mikki was supposed to be what started this all. Mikki can’t seem to accept what Olyn said even if that was what Mikki was saying all along.

Though the two seemed to settle their differences, we still have to be on the look out for possible repeats of this incident. Mikki (while she alone) vowed that this wasn’t over yet. Let’s just wait on the next things that will happen.

Nagsimula ito kay Mariel Rodriguez. She claims na siya ang Kapitbahay ni Kuya. Tapos nagyon naman na si Bianca Goinzalez na ang host ng Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition UPLATE, ang title naman ni Bianca ngayon ay ang Kaibigan ng Kapitbahay ni Kuya dahil nga friends sila ni Mariel.

Napaisip tuloy ako kung ako gagawa ng Friendster connection connecting me and Kuya. May naisip akong dalawang Friendster connection para sa akin. Una, batchmate ko kasi si Bianca nung college kaya puwede kong alias is Ang Batchmate ng Kaibigan ng Kapitbahay ni Kuya. Ang pangalawa naman is naging friends.classmates kasi yung ate ko at si John Pratts nung college din. So pwede rin akong tawaging Ang Kapatid ng Kaibigan ng Second Big Placer sa Celebrity Edtion na Tumira sa Loob ng Bahay ni Kuya. Hehe.

Kayo anong friendster connection niyo kay Kuya?

I received another email containing some more pictures of Cebuana Chinese cutie from Cebu, Kim. Hope you enjoy them.

If you happen to be a fan of Pinoy relaity shows, feel free to visit my Philippine Idol blog for the latest on Philippine Idol.

I received thorugh email pictures of Teen housemate Kim, our Chinese Cutie from Cebu. Aside from Niña, she is one of the favorites by the guy viewers of PBB. Here they are:

If you happen to be a fan of Pinoy relaity shows, feel free to visit my Philippine Idol blog for the latest on Philippine Idol.

Dalawang araw pa lang ang nakaklipas at tatlo na sa Pinoy Big Brother Teen Housemates ang nakitang umiiyak loob ng Bahay ni Kuya. Sinu-sino ang mga housemates na ito? Yup, tama tatlong housemates ang nagtamporurot sa agad sa loob ng Bahay ni Kuya. Nung Season 1 si Franzen lang naman at Rico ang nagkaganoon. Si Franzen naawa sa sarili at ito namang si Rico nami-miss ang ex-girlfriend. Ngunit matagal pa bago nangyari ang mga kadramahang iyon. Dito sa Teen edition, Day Two pa lang Iyakan Galore na agad. Sa bagay, mga bata pa kasi sila.

Una ay si Clare, ang Barrio Lass from Bukidnon. Nakita siya ni Kim, ang Chinese Cutie from Cebu, sa garden habang umiiyak. Sinubukan ni Kim i-comfort itong si Clare. Nung nakatunog na rin ang ibang mga housemates sa pangyayaring ito, agad silang naglabasan upang lapitan at tanungin itong si Calre kung bakit siay umiiyak. Hindi kaya si Clare nalito sa dami ng nagcocomfort sa kanya? O, lalo kaya siyang naiyak sa pamamaraan ng pagcomfort sa kanya since yung mga girl housemates din naman ang isa sa mga rason kung bakit siya umiiyak? E, ano nga bang dahilan nitong si Clare sa pagtagaktak ng luha? Ang sabi niya kasi sa confession room, hindi siya makasabay sa kanyang mga housemates lalo na sa mga girls. “Feeling niya ang tanda-tanda na niya kasi.” Isa lang kaya itong adjustment at mawawala rin? O napansin niyang hindi siya makafit-in sa mga housemates niya? Clare, hija, ok lang yan, siguro ay culture shock lang yan. Sana ay makahanap ka ng kaibigan diyan sa loob ng bahay para mas maging maganda ang pag-stay mo diyan sa Pinoy Big Brother House. Ang ganda pa naman ng Bahay. Enjoy mo na lang yan. =)

Ang panagalawa ay itong Aldred. Ang pinakabatang housemate na si Aldred ay sa may altar naman gumawa ng eksena. Iyakin din pala itong ating Valedictorian Cook na si Aldred. Parang katulad din naman ni Clare ang problema ni Aldred. Pakiramdam niya ay wala siyang makuwento. Mabuti ay mga kamera lang ang nakakita kay Aldred habang umiiyak. Baka kasi bumaba ang appeal niya sa mga girls dahil sa eksena niya kagabi. Hijo, ok lang kung wala kang makuwento. Darating din ang panahon diyan. In the meantime, ikaw kaya ang magpakuwneto sa kanila. I’m sure maraming kuwento ang mga iyan. Mukha namang madadaldal ang housemates mong iyan lalo na yung mga girls. Humanap ka rin ng magiging kaibigan mo diyan. Makaktulong iyon para hindi ka magkaganyan.

Last but not the least ay itong si Niña, ang favorite ng mga kalalakihan na sosy girl from Makati. Medyo disturbing din ng konti ang sinabi ni Niña. Actually, what I found distrubing is the time she ‘revealed herself.’ It’s too early for her to open up and say things like that pero I guess mga bata pa nga sila at madaling mag-open up. She claims to this girl housemate, (was it Olyn?) that her family is not really that rich that’s why she joined Pinoy Big Brother Teen edtion. Hindi daw siya pumasok sa loob ng bahay dahil gusto niyang maging artista pero dahil kailangan niya ng pera. Para saan? Pambayad daw ng rent. Hmmm… Malaki-laking halaga din yan hija, lalo na na nakatira kayo sa Bel-Air. Magkano nga ba ang renta sa ganung lugar? 25-50 thousand a month ba? O basta, huwag mo masyado problemahin yun. Paglabas mo naman diyan, I’m sure marami ka ng magiging sources ng income dahil pang-model ka. Matangkad at maganda. Tama na ang iyakan ha.

Marami ngayon ang naiinis kay Bam, ang komedyante ng PBB Teen edition na sabi ng iba ay male version ni Ate Racquel dahil sa nunal. Ang tingin ko naman sa kanya ay anak Vandolph at Racquel. Kita niyo ba kung bakit? Ok fine, kapatid din siya ni Dimples Romana. At bakit naman maiinis sa kanya ang iba? E siyempre, kitan naman na nagiging close sila nitong si Niña, ang bagong pantasya ng kabataan. Nakita niyo ba kagabi nung nagyakapan itong sila Bam at NIña dahil sa takot sa mga aso. Niña, bakit sa lahat puwede diyan sa loob ay si Bam pa ang napili mong makalove-team? At ikaw naman Bam, sana ay hindi mo ‘napagsamantalahan’ ang ‘pag-yakap’ sa iyo ni Niña dahil sa takot sa aso. Sa bagay maaga pa para malaman kung may mangyayari ba o wala. Mabilis din kasing magbago ng isip ang mga teens. Basta ako ang gusto kong maka-love team si Kim. Hehe. =)

Teen talk would surely be incomplete without bringing out the topic of crushes. This was evident last night as the Teen housemates talked about who their respective ‘types’ were while they were in the bedroom. The girl housemates mostly had Gerald as their answers to this question. The guys on the otherhand picked Niña as most attractive among the girls.

It’s too early to tell if ‘love’ relationships will be formed among the housemates but with the teen housemates having these crushes, I guess it wouldn’t be all that surprising. Will these two housemates still be the crushes of the housemates when they get to know these two better? We’ll see.

This morning I received an email entitled The Perils of PBB Phenomenon. I haven’t read it completely but I guess it’s something worth sharing since I have high respect for its author.

The Perils of the PBB Phenomenon

The crowd gives a deafening cheer and a rousing standing ovation as six pairs of young men and women come out from the back part of a platform illuminated by a thousand glittering lights, clad in matching biker outfits of mauve, cerulean and gold—all bright colors that signify youth and vitality—each one ready to claim all the glory in the world from the center of the stage, as it were. Undulating awkwardly to the beat of a popular melody which has become the cultural catchphrase of an entire generation, the twelve wear smiles worthy of toothpaste endorsements as they bask in the adulation of people who unwittingly feed their egos. Riding in brand-new, gleaming motorcycles, the twelve part the motley sea of curious onlookers, supporters and followers as they travel to the place they will call home for the next forty-two days, in hopes of forging new friendships, finding true love, and (if they’re lucky) winning one million pesos.
Such was the scene in the opening of ABS-CBN’s latest installment of the (debatably) popular TV franchise, Pinoy Big Brother. Now sporting “Teen Edition” as its oh-so-creative kicker, the show intends to pit twelve (wonder of wonders) teenage boys and girls in dangerously close quarters for a prize package worth at least one million pesos, sans all the fringe benefits of appearing on such a show (read: endorsements, TV hosting gigs, modeling stints, having your own love team, you name it). And while I have never been a big fan of the series ever since it was adapted to suit the Filipino palate, I can say in my own humble opinion as an average member of the viewing public that I have had enough, and that this particular incarnation of the show flat-out stinks.
First of all, let me concede that it is hard to be objective while watching a reality TV series as Pinoy Big Brother. The temptation of seeing images of our own repressed, savage psyche subjected to cleverly concocted and well-executed dilemmas captured on camera is just so terrible that it’s become fascinating. I know we sometimes catch ourselves doing a reflexive uptake as we see ourselves in the entangled lives of Zanjo, Bianca, Sam and Rustom, and we sometimes even feel self-righteous over these characters in some kind of bizarre, vindictive Schadenfraude. That being said, however, I feel that shows like PBB perpetuate the voyeuristic tendencies of the Filipino culture; an acculturation that has somehow justified (and indeed, validated!) our “need” to fork over each other’s dirty laundry. In short, it breeds a culture of chismis, an act that the average Filipino has gotten around to accepting so long as it’s not being done to him. Political Science professors would tell you that politics exists anywhere there is human interaction, but Kuya’s household, being a “carefully controlled” environment where majority of external stimuli is eradicated, seems more like a cruel, if accurate, Pavlovian experiment. The reality factor of PBB is different from the reality factor of say, the Amazing Race, because while both provide contrived situations that “test” each contestant, the manner by which the Amazing Race elicits our empathy and attention is on how each pair overcomes such contrivances. PBB does just the opposite, capturing our attention by tastelessly focusing on how people get stuck in their respective ruts and spiraling down towards depression or self-destruction, as was the case with certain PBB contestants. If the Amazing Race is a display of humans’ triumph against adversity, PBB glories in the wallowing of people in the said adversities. Some people may argue that PBB eventually seeks the same ideal as displaying man’s glory in the face of adversity since it offers a prize at the end, but such a justification overlooks the fact that the means to get to the prize is by playing up the wrenching human (more often “romantic”) problems while inside the house to elicit viewer sympathy, and consequently, gather enough votes to muscle your way to the prize money.
Unfortunately, PBB: Teen Edition is no different from the previous installments of the show in this aspect. The concept is actually identical to the first two shows, with the only difference being that the players this time around are teenagers. I find trouble with this particular incarnation of the show on two counts.
First, I find it particularly disturbing that the portrayal of the youth in the show is highly one-dimensional and stylized. The show claims to gather together contestants from all walks of life, when in reality the difference among the contestants is largely geographical—and even that doesn’t count for much because some of the contestants live within one hour of each other. You may claim to have individuals of “unique and explosive personalities”, but in truth, PBB is a show about the bourgeois by the bourgeois. PBB glosses over the other 95% of the teenage population who do not fit into the show’s neat little categorizations as “the Teenage Mother from Laguna” or “the AmBoy from GenSan” or (gasp!) “the Atenean Scholar from Quezon City.” Why don’t we have “the Out of School Youth from Tondo” or “the Juvenile Delinquent from Subic” or “the Child Laborer from Payatas”? While I have nothing against people from the middle- to the upper-class, it is a crime for PBB: Teen Edition to consciously skim over these kinds of people in favor of those who are exponentially beautiful or glamorous. At least PBB: Celebrity Edition gave a fighting chance to the physically challenged and the virtual unknowns—the Teen Edition doesn’t seem to be so inclusive. Maybe it is not so much the fault of the contestants as it is the network’s, which as a primarily profit-oriented company needs to turn a blind eye to the less appealing but admittedly more real fringes of society in order to justify its capitalist roots, where the marginalized people are reduced to voting fanatically for the person that they want to win. Also to blame is the screwed-up portrayal by media of what is acceptable or not. In an age where myths and fallacies of beauty and fame and wealth are so prevalent, we become nothing but passive receptors of manufactured principles. It becomes doubly aggravating to watch the show and its contestants perpetuate its own feeble version of reality in such precocious and cutesy tasks as looking for a Miniature Schnauzer named “Disney” in a pile of exotic canines amid screams of “It’s gonna make kagat na!” or “Paano ko siya iki-carry?” And what’s next? Do we also expect the teens to flirt, fall in love, engage in catfights (“I don’t like Back Fighters na tao…”), and the like? Even worse, do we expect to derive amusement from such instances?
Second and picking off from the first point, the show undoubtedly plays with the volatility of teenage emotions. While it is true (and some WILL claim this) that a lot of our teenagers today are mature and independent for their age, still a great number of them have yet to fully form a well-developed sense of self and being. Many teenagers still have difficulty reining in their feelings, thoughts and emotions in a manner that will withstand the strong pressure of a society that dictates what they should and should not do or be. This is not to say that the youth are gullible—far from it—but my fear is that with the way media plays up the ideals of our age, their convictions may not develop in a positive way, or at least not in a way that will be beneficial in the long run. As some internet forums have noted, these teenagers will not do anything except magpa-cute, amid a context of sustained societal pressure in terms of how they should look, how they should act, and what they should do. These teenagers will begin to realize (if they haven’t already) that in order to win, one must play it cool or go with what the public wants. The consequence of not doing so would, of course, mean only one thing: eviction. If we continually foster this culture of voyeuristic familiarity and contrived socialization, what kind of future are we building for ourselves and for the next generation? The concept is made more terrifying when we realize that it is not just our own dirty laundry that we are airing out in public, but our children’s. In a way, we have prostituted the youth when we find a perverse sense of entertainment in watching how they operate in a Trumanesque setting, especially if we expect the same things to happen as did in the previous PBB shows.
As a teacher of teenagers, I take particular offense at the gross oversimplification of the adolescent life depicted in PBB: Teen Edition. If I have learned anything as a teacher, it is to believe unconditionally in the great potential of each student, and to actively refuse to box them under convenient but imprecise labels. Society should know better than to try to have an assimilated understanding of adolescents, much more impose its own pre-conceived yet faulty notions of what reality should be. We continually whine about our frustrated efforts of searching for the leaders of tomorrow, but who should we blame for a culture of mediocrity, elitism and immaturity but ourselves? If it is true that we can’t teach old dogs new tricks, then let our generation perish in our self-induced spiraling towards self-destruction. But for the love of God, spare the youth from this madness. Instead, if we want to see how savage human nature can be, I’m all for putting politicians—Administration, Opposition, their puppets, and everything else in between—inside Kuya’s house. That should prove to be an interesting sleaze fest if I ever see
one. Just don’t make the winner the next President.

Kagabi sa Pinoy Big Brother Teen edtion prime time, isa sa mga pinagawa ni Big Brother ang mag-assign ng bed assignments para sa mga Teen housemates. Pinapila ni Big Brother ang mga housemates according to age at namili ng randomly mula sa pilang ito. Naatasang mag-assign ng bed assignments para sa girls ang teen perfectionist na Teen housemate na si Fred. Para sa boys naman, ang sosyalerang Assumptionistang si Niña ang siyang nagbigay ng kanilang bed assignments. Wala namang naging problema sa pag-aassign dahil sinundan na lang nila kung ano ang napili na ng mga housemates na kama.

Ang nakatutwa lang sa pangyayaring ito ay nung magtanong ang housemate na si Niña kung puwedeng paghaluin ang bed assignments. Tawang-tawa talaga ako sa tanong na ito. Pero I’m sure hindi natuwa ang mga magulang ng mga housemates. Unang araw pa lang ay marami nang nagsasabi na naiinis sila kay Niña dahil maarte siya. Pero kagabi dahil sa pagtanong niyang iyon, kahit maarte siya parang ok na rin siya. Hehe.