Disclaimer: This was written last Friday, July 14, but posted only now. Sorry about that.
Kill me now. Though I feel happy it when it rains, an overstaying downpour can be such a damper (pun intended). For three days in a row, I have to drag myself out of bed (the cold weather plus the late nights in the office took its toll on my sleeping patterns). I haven’t had any exercise in a week. And the “TO DO” list on my planner has stretched to three pages loooong.
But the real bummer came this morning as soon as I open my eyes. I found out that two of my virtual friends are abandoning me. With my social life that borders on non-existent, there is one thing I turn to for “company” and that’s the ever-reliable TV. My morning staple is Breakfast…Supersize (Studio 23, 6AM).
In a drastic and surprising move, they announced today that Bam Aquino and Marieton Pacheco will sign-off as hosts.
Why, why, why?! I always thought that Breakfast has the right mix of hosts. If you want high-brow and serious, there is Bam. If you want light but with substance, there is Marieton. Perky and fun is Patty. Smart and goofy is Atom. Smart and naughty is Asia. The other hosts (JC, Wacky, Juddha and Angel) are neophytes compared to the other five, but they are getting there.
Yes, I understand that Bam and Marieton are more senior and they have “outgrown” the show but I thought the show was aimed at yuppies. With the remaining hosts, it now points its radar to the college and post-college/pre-work populace. I don’t think the remaining hosts can handle heavier stuff like, say, politics and business.
No one does political interview with the wit, passion and “lightness” of Bam. The only thing close is Ryan, but he has also graduated from the Breakfast gang. And with Marieton out, Breakfast lost one of the smartest and prettiest girls (my weakness) in the newsroom. Marieton will be transferred to Mornings at ANC (which will be too serious for me). Bam will be part of Y-Speak but if there is one part that I want Bam to play…it is being president of this country.
So today was the token farewell episode for the two. And episodes like this make me nostalgic that I just wanna stay at home and sulk.
I hope Breakfast will get “meatier” replacements for Bam and Marieton. After all, they have big “appetites” to fill. And I hope Studio 23 will re-evaluate further before they do any drastic reformats. This has been the third of its kind that makes me think that Studio 23 is losing it.
First, they reformatted Gameplan and put in “un-fit” host (pun intended) and poor production (one time, I even saw the overhead microphone). They cannot regain Gameplan’s glory when Carlo, Akiko, Rovilson and Trisha were there. And in another stupid move, they changed F! to Us Girls. F! has all the ingredients of an intelligent lifestyle show (that guys can watch). Us Girls was just….maarte girls gabbing all the way.
I have always applauded Studio 23 for coming up with intelligent local shows. I know ratings matter (hence, the reformats) but I hope they realize they have found a niche…loyal viewers who think of them as KABARKADA (just like what their station ID says).