July 2017 – Clare

Solar Energy for My Home (I Want It, Can’t Afford It)

Environment July 31, 2017

Remembering My Father

Life July 30, 2017

Bookworm

Books July 29, 2017

Bring Them Back to Late Night!

People July 28, 2017 (This is an old entry from an old blog, edited/updated for this one. Enjoy!) Whatever happened to late night talk shows? I remember when I was younger that Martin Nievera and Edu Manzano both had talk shows that I used to enjoy watching even if they were really late at night. For a time, these shows were popular but for some reason they just disappeared. Why did they disappear anyway? Am I the only one who enjoyed these shows back in the day? I think Jojo Alejar has his own talk show on TV 5 (is it still airing? I’m not so sure…) but that’s just about it. The last person who had something on late at night was Kuya Germs and his Walang Tulugan show, but that was a different type of late night program entirely.

This always reminds me of Late Night shows — photo from Splashi on Pixabay.com

The US has its share of late night talk shows which I enjoy watching. Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden and Jimmy Fallon (OMG all their names start with a J…is this a thing?) all have really great talk shows in the US. Maybe one day we could have versions of here in the Philippines. I’d love to see local (and maybe if we’re lucky, foreign) celebrities stop by to chat about themselves and what they’re up to in a non-showbiz intrigue kind of way. Nothing controversial, just a non-scripted conversation and some funny antics here and there (like James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke or Jimmy Fallon’s Lipsync Battle). I often wondered why we could have that locally. I wish they could bring back the whole talk show scene in local TV. I loved how Martin and Edu were very witty, funny and entertaining as they interviewed their various guests on a whole range of topics. I loved that their talk shows were not gossip shows. They reminded me of the talk shows in the US. I know both Edu and Martin did not come from standup comedy like most of the late-night show hosts in the US but I know based on what I’ve seen from their old shows that both could hold their own in the late-night hosting department. Watching Edu Manzano on GMA 7 reminded me of how much I enjoyed watching him talk on his late-night show from many years ago. It also made me wonder where Martin Nievera is right now (seriously, where is he?). Why can’t local TV stations like GMA 7 and ABS-CBN give us similar late-night talk shows today? If Martin and Edu are no longer available, are there any other local celebrities who can do the same kind of shows today? Is there no one willing? Is there no market for it? Is the local late-night talk show scene just not going to work anymore? I think it’s sad if that’s the case because I really wish we could graduate from having interviews with celebrities be all about gossip. I think we need less gossip and more talk. I want more conversations, more showing of a more natural side to celebrities, something that would show them more as people like you and me that we can talk to. Vice Ganda’s Gandang Gabi Vice is the closest we have to a late-night talk show that has that spontaneous conversation vibe that I’m looking for but I wish we had more. Here’s an ad for the resurrection of Martin Nievera’s talk show, Martin Late at Night. From what I remember it didn’t last long though. I couldn’t find one for Edu Manzano’s talk shows so this is all I can share: Can Martin and Edu please come back to late night? Can ABS-CBN or GMA 7 please discover new talents who can bring back late-night talk shows? I saw Christian Bautista on GMA Network’s Artistambayan Livestream and he seems to be someone who could do the job if he ever chose to.

I’d really love to see these types of shows locally again! Can someone do this please?

Miss Fix It

Memories July 27, 2017

Me, A Chef? Not Really!

Food July 26, 2017

Review: Maybelline BB Cream

Finds July 25, 2017

Green Bags

Environment July 24, 2017

Changing the Stereotype

People July 23, 2017

Reading and Watching Famous in Love

Books July 22, 2017 Usually I’m the person who reads the books first then watches the movie or TV show later but this time around, I saw the TV show first. When I heard that there is a new series called Famous in Love that you can watch online, I downloaded a VPN app and watched the pilot. After that I decided that I couldn’t wait to watch the show when it airs here (if it does, it hasn’t yet) so I watched all the Famous in Love episodes online. I liked the show and I couldn’t help myself. I just had to read both books: Famous In Love and Truly Madly Famously. Famous in Love (the book) is written by Rebecca Serle and is about Paige Townsen, a young unknown actress who is cast in one of the biggest franchise films in Hollywood. It’s about how this girl who was once leading a normal life is suddenly thrown into a new world that she has to get used to while at the same time she is falling in love with two of the men who are with her in the movie. First off, I was surprised at how many changes were made in the series compared to the book. Some changes were disappointing (would have been nice if they did film in Hawaii) but some I felt were for the better because it made the story much more interesting. I think that the series tweaked the weak parts about the book and made it better. They added more depth to the characters and more interesting plotlines. I think the book was a bit bland compared to the TV show but then as a 40-year-old reading a book for young adults I felt that maybe I just wasn’t the market for the material. Having it from a point of view of a teenager was probably what made it a little boring for me in spite of the potentially exciting setting of a young girl thrust into the Hollywood life. I was surprised that the first season was basically the entire book (well, since the end was very similar of her having to choose between two guys). It has me wondering if Famous in Love Season 2 (if there will be one) will tackle the second book, the part where Paige had already made a choice on who to be with and was dealing with the consequences of it. I think that the second book was more interesting than the first, but it still had the Paige POV which was, as I said previously, a bit bland for my taste. I do think that it would be interesting to see how the series would shift the story to sort of adapt the second book but still stay true to their revised plot.

Photo from Sophkins on Pixabay

Reading the books and seeing the TV show has me conflicted about who I like for Paige. In the books Jordan was the better guy, in spite of the bad boy image. BUT in the TV show, Jordan isn’t even interested in Paige. Rainer, as troubled as he is, seems to be the more interesting guy. For both the TV show and the books though, I feel that Paige is a blah. She needs to have more of a backbone and have more of a personality. I feel that there’s just something missing with that one. I hope that in the second season of the show (if it does happen) they can improve on the character because even if she is the lead, she can be a bit boring (at least they got that consistent with the books).

My review on the books? Read at your own risk. If you want to short cut it, watch the series instead. It’s much more interesting.

Confession: I Was (Am) A Fan of Dennis Trillo

Memories July 21, 2017

My Sharon Cuneta Story

Memories July 20, 2017

My Take on Cafedelite’s Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mushroom Chicken & Bacon

Food July 19, 2017

Concha’s Garden Cafe: A (Sort of) Review

Finds July 18, 2017

Thinking About Septage Management

Environment July 17, 2017

Swipe Right for Michael Vartan

People July 16, 2017