Serna: New TV shows, surprising exits

Thursday, February 2, 2012

WE'RE now on the second month of the year. Or have you noticed? Of course, Valentine’s Day immediately comes to mind at this particular time of the year.

To date, there are at least two big shows that are in store for Cebu’s fun-loving people out there, that of Sharon Cuneta and Martin Nievera, with Rachelle Ann Go as special guest, dubbed “Once In A Lifetime” on the day of lovers itself, and the second one being that of international singer James Ingram with Lea Salonga as guest on the 18th.

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With these two events alone, the month’s level of excitement has been raised rungs higher.

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Still on the 18th, Gaisano Main, Country Mall, Balamban and Bogo’s A Million Thanks Raffle Promo will have its third grand draw in the presence of fast-rising young stars Neil Coleta of Nestea fame (remember the mischievous smile while saying “Betina!”) and Sheena Halili as Rosemarie Gaisano’s celebrity guests.

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Up north in the town of Catmon, things are getting even more exciting with its annual fiesta in honor of St. William of Aquitania just around the corner.

Tomorrow, Feb. 4, the staff of the Community Rural Bank of Catmon (Cebu) Inc. and the faculty and students of the Passionists Sisters School join forces in presenting Nostalgia 2012, a night of songs and dances reminiscent of the eras of the ‘60s to the ‘90s as played by the Invasion Band and supported by the CHS Audiotech.

Chilling and grooving start at 8 p.m. at the Pedro J. Monsanto Sports & Cultural Center at the town square.

The Invasion Band and CHS Audiotech are managed by the same management group handling Chilen Chicharon, which has just made the crispy delicacy available to Mandaue City residents (at factory prices at that) at stall 10 of the grocery section of the city’s new public market.

The Invasion Band has become a favorite among Catmonanons as it was also the featured performer in a fund-raising event I attended sometime last year which was for the continuing construction of the Panalipan church.

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Was Pinoy Big Brother housemate Jessica Connely afraid of something or someone inside Big Brother’s house?

She has her reasons for voluntarily exiting from the top-rating reality show. However, for an ordinary viewer who rooted for her since the start, it comes not only as a surprise but also as a disappointment. But what can we do?

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One of the recent releases of Sony Music and released under Ivory Music & Video is the Westlife Greatest Hits album which contains all the hits of the popular group plus four new songs.

The songs in the album are Swear It Again, If I Let You Go, Flying Without Wings, I Have A Dream, Against All Odds (with Mariah Carey), My Love, Uptown Girl, Queen of My Heart, World of Our Own, Mandy, You Raise Me Up, Home, Lighthouse, Beautiful World, Wide Open and Last Mile of the Way. Needless to say, it’s one of my favorites and could be a worthwhile addition to your collection.

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GMA 7 prides itself in launching one of the top-rating new television series this year in Legacy.

Starring three of the most beautiful faces of local cinema in the persons of Heart Evangelista as Diana, Alessandra de Rossi as Bernadette and Lovi Poe as Natasha and ably supported by three good-looking actors in the persons of Geoff Eigenmann as Josh Ledesma, Mike Tan as Third San Jose and Sid Lucero as Iñigo Salcedo, Legacy is reason enough for all Kapuso loyals to go straight home from classes or work.

Veterans Eddie Garcia, Liza Lorena, Cherie Gil, Jackielou Blanco and Maritoni Fernandez, as well as multi-faceted talents like Mark Bautista, Sam Pinto, Solenn Heussaff, Ryza Cenon and Chariz Solomon, complete the formidable cast.

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Noontime show Happy, Yipee, Yehey! bows out this week. The reformatted top-rating program now named It’s Showtime takes its place.

ABS-CBN exec Bong Osorio has reportedly assured that HYY hosts will still get new projects in the near future. Keep posted.