Entertainment in 2015: Stories that made you click
It was the year of the Kalyeserye and the one that ended the 42-year Miss Universe drought. These are the stories that made waves in show business in 2015.
An accidental love team eventually turned into a phenomenon. The Alden Richards-Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza team-up, popularly known as AlDUb, took the noontime TV block by storm.
A new character named Yaya Dub joined the "Juan For All, All For Juan" segment of "Eat Bulaga!" who was introduced as Lola Nidora’s maid. In July, the camera accidentally panned toward Alden and the host Allan K noticed how Yaya Dub’s snob image turned soft after she saw the Kapuso actor.
Since then, viewers followed how their love story developed, until the day they finally met in person at the "Tamang Panahon" event at the Philippine Arena in Meycuayan, Bulacan in September. Now their love team will go a notch higher as they star in their first film "My Bebe Love," which also features Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas. The film is an entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.
As the Alden Richards- Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza gained popularity, the already booming rating of "Eat Bulaga" increased further. This made netizens say that rival ABS-CBN noontime show "It's Showtime" is nearing its end.
Yet even before the show started, "It's Showtime" host Vice Ganda acknowledged that "Eat Bulaga" could not be defeated. He even described the show's hosts, particularly Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Tito Sotto, as their "idols."
Vice Ganda's co-hosts Anne Curtis and Billy Crawford agreed to what he said. Anne said that the shows' "competition" somehow proves that "people are still into noontime shows." While Billy said that the two shows' intention is clearly to make people laugh and have fun.
Some of the most talked-about weddings this year were those of Heart Evangelista and Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, Toni Gonzaga and director Paul Soriano, and Nikki Gil and BJ Albert.
But the ceremonies themselves were not only those that made the news. Even at the preparation stage, some weddings stirred controversy. Heart and TV host Cesca Litton had a rift over their reservation for Balesin Island in Quezon province. Cesca claims that her February 14 reservation was "bumped off" since Heart and Chiz are friends with the owner of the club. The Kapuso actress then claimed that she and her lawmaker boyfriend are reserving the place for their February 15 wedding. In the end the ladies were able to iron out their issues, with Cesca opting to wed in Eskaya Beach Resort in Bohol.
Fans, meanwhile, were abuzz over the wedding the wedding of Toni and Paul, dubbed the "ideal couple." It was well known that Toni comes from a protective family that set up dating rules for her and Paul.
Nikki's wedding to BJ was also the talk of the town for two reasons: Critics said the wedding was her vindication for her failed relationship with Billy Crawford, while others find their wedding too sudden. Yet for Nikki, it was the "perfect time" since she felt "at peace" with their relationship.
Other celebrity weddings that made news in 2015 were:
After the big wedding, another highlight of a couple's life is the first child.
Marian Rivera's pregnancy with her first child with Dingdong Dantes was highly anticipated. Last year, the couple was planning to have a child two years after their wedding in 2014, but it was given to them in February 2015. The Kapuso actress gave birth to Maria Letizia on November 23.
After the announcement of her pregnancy in August last year, Cristine Reyes gave birth to her daughter with boyfriend Ali Khatibi. It was on February 8 when she gave birth to Amarah, the same year the couple got engaged.
Some other first-time moms who gave birth this year were Melissa Ricks, who gave birth to Kiera Kelly on January 12. After years of waiting, Ciara Sotto and husband Jojo Oconer finally had a child on February 28, whom they named Vincezo Xose.
Aside from beauty queens taking home the crown, a number of Filipino talents also raised the Philippine flag internationally. Singer Rachelle Ann Go, meanwhile, became part of the West-End musicals "Miss Siagon" as Gigi and "Les Miserables" as Fantine. Both roles were portrayed before by Lea Salonga.
Another big winner was the shadow dance group El Gamma Penumbra, hailed the first grand winner of "Asia's Got Talent" in May. Three other Filipinos were made it to the finals of the competition namely Gerphil Flores, Junior New System and Gweyneth Dorado.
More Filipinos tried their luck in different international competitions. Filipino-Australian Cyrus Villanueva was named "X Factor Australia." On "X Factor UK," Filipino girl band 4th Impact made it to the third week before being eliminated, while Neneth Lyon made it to the top ten.
"Heneral Luna" and "A Second Chance" couldn't be more different from each other. One is an independent historical movie starring John Arcilla and directed by Jerrold Tarog—two names who aren't exactly known for their box office draw. The other is a sequel of the 2007 romantic movie "One More Chance" starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, two of the country's biggest movie stars. But would the sequel to what is essentially a modern pop culture classic live up to the hefty expectations attached to it?
Yet somehow, the two movies managed to become the country's biggest movies of the year. "Heneral Luna," despite being a slow burn in the box office, became an online sensation, a hit among millennials. In a way, its lack of box office appeal was its appeal.
Viewers in general were tentative to the idea of a "One More Chance" sequel at first (although the property was alive and well this year, even without it; a novelization and an anniversary DVD were released even before the movie was announced to be in the offing). But in the end, it seems people wanted to know what happened to Popoy and Basha. According to its producer Star Cinema, "A Second Chance" is now the Philippines's highest grossing movie of all time.
Three-time Binibining Pilipinas aspirant Pia Wurtzbach did what scores of Filipinas have failed to do: win the Miss Universe crown. The 26-year-old bested 79 other candidates in the 64th Miss Universe pageant—the second Miss Universe pageant this year, after the 2014 contest was held in January 2015. Her win was not without controversy. Show host Steve Harvey erroneously announced Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner first; it took more than two minutes before he realized the mistake and fixed the mix-up. She's the first Pinay to win the crown since Margarita Moran took home the crown in 1973
But Pia isn't the only titleholder this year—Ann Colis won the Miss Globe pageant and Angelia Ong won the Miss Earth pageant. Angelia's victory was also historic as this is the second year in a row a Filipina won the Miss Earth crown, following Pinay Jamie Herrell's victory in 2014.
These victories overshadowed a number of pageant issues earlier this year: the flak against the Philippines's bet Mary Jean Lastimosa's national costume and evening gown during the 63rd Miss Universe and the criticism against Toni Gonzaga's lively but flamboyant hosting during the 2015 Binibining Pilipinas pageant.
Local TV had many big moments this year—AlDub, 64th Miss Universe and the Pope Francis news coverage come to mind—but there is a sobering note to 2015's television victories. In April, Boy Abunda unceremoniously announced that the ABS-CBN showbiz talk show The Buzz is ending its run after 15 years of being on the air.
It was a huge deal: showbiz talk shows were staples in local television since the early 90s, dating back to Cristy Fermin's "Showbiz Lingo" with Butch Francisco (and perhaps even further). Its long-time rivals in GMA-7—for "S Files" to "Showbiz Central" to "H.O.T. TV"—had long folded. For a time, the network pitted its Saturday showbiz talk show "Startalk" against "The Buzz" on Sundays, but later returned it to its original timeslot.
But later this year, GMA-7 also canceled "Startalk." In its place is "CelebriTV," still headlined by Joey de Leon, Lolit Solis, STAR entertainment editor Ricky Lo—but with Ai Ai delas Alas added to its cast. The show, however, is more of a game show than a talk show. Hence, the end of an era in local television—an era where showbiz talk shows are no longer part of the weekend viewing habit of Filipinos.
One of the year's biggest scandals is Enrique Gil's "drunk incident" on an airplane en route to London for a show. The incident allegedly involved his onscreen partner Liza Soberano, actress Jessy Mendiola and TV host Luis Manzano; according to reports, Enrique's allegedly disrespected Jessy and Liza on the plane, heading to a confrontation that was stopped by Luis. None of these are confirmed, although the young actor apologized for his actions. The incident coincided with reports that Jessy and boyfriend JM de Guzman have broken up—amid reports that the "That Thing Called Tadhana" actor will be sacked from his TV show "All of Me" and movie "Walang Forever." The reports turned out to be true.
This scandal lords over the other controversies that happened this year, although not by much—Melissa Mendez's altercation inside an airplane, Jiro Manio's vagrancy inside an airport due to personal problems and Chris Brown being barred from the leaving the country due to his failure to fulfill his earlier commitment to perform at the Philippine Arena for the INC's New Year countdown celebration on Dec. 31, 2014.
It's not a year in showbiz without Kris Aquino making some sort of news, and 2015 is no exception. This year, the Queen of All Media became the talk of the town by simply being herself.
She was criticized by netizens for defending her brother, President Benigno Aquino III, from being blamed for the tragedy in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. She was similarly panned for allegedly trivializing the hardships of Metro Manila residents during the APEC summit by equating it to her sunburn (after hosting the APEC leaders' spouses for lunch in Intramuros). She was even criticized for working despite being sick. All of these made the headlines, simply because the subject of criticism was Kris Aquino.
But perhaps her lowest moment this year was when she was criticized yet again for backing out of the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry "All You Need is Pag-Ibig." She gave out a couple of reasons, although fans and haters were quick to point out that the real reason for her decision was her relationship (or non-relationship) with Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, her supposed leading man in the movie. All turned out well in the end though, as most Kris Aquino stories do: she ended up doing the movie after all, without Herbert.
- AlDub
- "Eat Bulaga" vs "It's Showtime"
- Celebrity weddings
- First-time celebrity moms
- Pinoy artists go international
- "Heneral Luna" / "A Second Chance"
- Philippines owned international pageant scene
- No more showbiz talk shows?
- Celebrities misbehaving
- Kris Aquino makes news
AlDub
Split-screen love team of Alden Richards and Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza. Facebook/Eat Bulaga
Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Since then, viewers followed how their love story developed, until the day they finally met in person at the "Tamang Panahon" event at the Philippine Arena in Meycuayan, Bulacan in September. Now their love team will go a notch higher as they star in their first film "My Bebe Love," which also features Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas. The film is an entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.
'Eat Bulaga!' vs. 'It's Showtime'
Noontime shows Eat Bulaga of GMA7 and It's Showtime of ABS-CBN.
Yet even before the show started, "It's Showtime" host Vice Ganda acknowledged that "Eat Bulaga" could not be defeated. He even described the show's hosts, particularly Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Tito Sotto, as their "idols."
Vice Ganda's co-hosts Anne Curtis and Billy Crawford agreed to what he said. Anne said that the shows' "competition" somehow proves that "people are still into noontime shows." While Billy said that the two shows' intention is clearly to make people laugh and have fun.
Celebrity weddings
Toni Gonzaga and Paul Soriano tied the knot on June in a Methodist Church in Taytay, Rizal. Oly Ruiz
But the ceremonies themselves were not only those that made the news. Even at the preparation stage, some weddings stirred controversy. Heart and TV host Cesca Litton had a rift over their reservation for Balesin Island in Quezon province. Cesca claims that her February 14 reservation was "bumped off" since Heart and Chiz are friends with the owner of the club. The Kapuso actress then claimed that she and her lawmaker boyfriend are reserving the place for their February 15 wedding. In the end the ladies were able to iron out their issues, with Cesca opting to wed in Eskaya Beach Resort in Bohol.
Fans, meanwhile, were abuzz over the wedding the wedding of Toni and Paul, dubbed the "ideal couple." It was well known that Toni comes from a protective family that set up dating rules for her and Paul.
Nikki's wedding to BJ was also the talk of the town for two reasons: Critics said the wedding was her vindication for her failed relationship with Billy Crawford, while others find their wedding too sudden. Yet for Nikki, it was the "perfect time" since she felt "at peace" with their relationship.
Other celebrity weddings that made news in 2015 were:
- Saab Magalona and Jim Bacarro (Jan 24, St. Ignatius Chapel, Baguio City)
- Yeng Constantino and Victor Asuncion (Feb 14, Hacienda Isabelle, Indang Cavite)
- Cesca Litton and Tyke Kalaw (Feb. 14, Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa, Bohol)
- Heart Evangelista and Francis "Chiz" Escudero (Feb 15, Balesin Island, Quezon Province)
- Eric Tai and Rona Samson (March 6, The Church of Jesus Cjrist of Latter Day Saints, Cubao, Quezon City)
- Patrick Garcia and Nikka Martinez (March 21, Blue Leaf Filipinas, Paranaque City)
- Gab Valenciano and Tricia Centenera (March 27, Highlands Golf Club, Tagaytay City)
- Diana Zubiri and Andrew Smith (May 10, Sampaguita Events Place, Quezon City)
- John Prats and Isabel Oli (May 16, Nuestra Senora Dela Paz Y BUen Viaje, Batangas)
- Toni Gonzaga and Paul Soriano (June 12, Methodist Church, Taytay Rizal)
- Nikki Gil and BJ Albert (November 21, Sta. Elena Gold and Country Club)
First-time celebrity moms
Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes welcome their little bundle of joy, Maria Letizia this year. Instagram/Dingdong Dantes
Marian Rivera's pregnancy with her first child with Dingdong Dantes was highly anticipated. Last year, the couple was planning to have a child two years after their wedding in 2014, but it was given to them in February 2015. The Kapuso actress gave birth to Maria Letizia on November 23.
After the announcement of her pregnancy in August last year, Cristine Reyes gave birth to her daughter with boyfriend Ali Khatibi. It was on February 8 when she gave birth to Amarah, the same year the couple got engaged.
Some other first-time moms who gave birth this year were Melissa Ricks, who gave birth to Kiera Kelly on January 12. After years of waiting, Ciara Sotto and husband Jojo Oconer finally had a child on February 28, whom they named Vincezo Xose.
Pinoy artists go international
El Gamma Penumbra was named the first “Asia’s Got Talent” champion last May at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Facebook/Asia’s Got Talent
Another big winner was the shadow dance group El Gamma Penumbra, hailed the first grand winner of "Asia's Got Talent" in May. Three other Filipinos were made it to the finals of the competition namely Gerphil Flores, Junior New System and Gweyneth Dorado.
More Filipinos tried their luck in different international competitions. Filipino-Australian Cyrus Villanueva was named "X Factor Australia." On "X Factor UK," Filipino girl band 4th Impact made it to the third week before being eliminated, while Neneth Lyon made it to the top ten.
'Heneral Luna' / 'A Second Chance'
Two independent films and a sequel of a movie from 2007 hit the box office.
Yet somehow, the two movies managed to become the country's biggest movies of the year. "Heneral Luna," despite being a slow burn in the box office, became an online sensation, a hit among millennials. In a way, its lack of box office appeal was its appeal.
Viewers in general were tentative to the idea of a "One More Chance" sequel at first (although the property was alive and well this year, even without it; a novelization and an anniversary DVD were released even before the movie was announced to be in the offing). But in the end, it seems people wanted to know what happened to Popoy and Basha. According to its producer Star Cinema, "A Second Chance" is now the Philippines's highest grossing movie of all time.
Philippines owned international pageant scene
Pia Alonzo-Wurtzbach ends the 42-year drought of Philippines in Miss Universe, while Ann Colis wins the Miss Globe Pageant and Angelia Ong hailed as Miss Earth 2015.
But Pia isn't the only titleholder this year—Ann Colis won the Miss Globe pageant and Angelia Ong won the Miss Earth pageant. Angelia's victory was also historic as this is the second year in a row a Filipina won the Miss Earth crown, following Pinay Jamie Herrell's victory in 2014.
These victories overshadowed a number of pageant issues earlier this year: the flak against the Philippines's bet Mary Jean Lastimosa's national costume and evening gown during the 63rd Miss Universe and the criticism against Toni Gonzaga's lively but flamboyant hosting during the 2015 Binibining Pilipinas pageant.
No more showbiz talk shows?
Showbiz talkshows "Startalk" of GMA7 and "The Buzz" of ABS-CBN went off air this year. Facebook/Eat Bulaga
It was a huge deal: showbiz talk shows were staples in local television since the early 90s, dating back to Cristy Fermin's "Showbiz Lingo" with Butch Francisco (and perhaps even further). Its long-time rivals in GMA-7—for "S Files" to "Showbiz Central" to "H.O.T. TV"—had long folded. For a time, the network pitted its Saturday showbiz talk show "Startalk" against "The Buzz" on Sundays, but later returned it to its original timeslot.
But later this year, GMA-7 also canceled "Startalk." In its place is "CelebriTV," still headlined by Joey de Leon, Lolit Solis, STAR entertainment editor Ricky Lo—but with Ai Ai delas Alas added to its cast. The show, however, is more of a game show than a talk show. Hence, the end of an era in local television—an era where showbiz talk shows are no longer part of the weekend viewing habit of Filipinos.
Celebrities misbehaving
Bad publicity is still publicity.
This scandal lords over the other controversies that happened this year, although not by much—Melissa Mendez's altercation inside an airplane, Jiro Manio's vagrancy inside an airport due to personal problems and Chris Brown being barred from the leaving the country due to his failure to fulfill his earlier commitment to perform at the Philippine Arena for the INC's New Year countdown celebration on Dec. 31, 2014.
Kris Aquino makes news
The Queen of All Media Kris Aquino. Philstar.com/Chuck Smith
She was criticized by netizens for defending her brother, President Benigno Aquino III, from being blamed for the tragedy in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. She was similarly panned for allegedly trivializing the hardships of Metro Manila residents during the APEC summit by equating it to her sunburn (after hosting the APEC leaders' spouses for lunch in Intramuros). She was even criticized for working despite being sick. All of these made the headlines, simply because the subject of criticism was Kris Aquino.
But perhaps her lowest moment this year was when she was criticized yet again for backing out of the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry "All You Need is Pag-Ibig." She gave out a couple of reasons, although fans and haters were quick to point out that the real reason for her decision was her relationship (or non-relationship) with Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, her supposed leading man in the movie. All turned out well in the end though, as most Kris Aquino stories do: she ended up doing the movie after all, without Herbert.
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