Friday, July 08, 2005
'Sugo' tops ratings war
By Nelson C. Bagaforo
THE pilot episode of Richard Gutierrez starrer "Sugo," aired over GMA 7's top-rating primetime telebabad block, has easily beaten its competitors in the ratings game on Monday night with a commanding 36.5 percent share of television audience in Mega Manila in its timeslot.
The love adventure teleserye, aired after the back-to-back telefantaseryes "Darna" and "Encantadia," is pitted against ABS-CBN's "Kampanerang Kuba," topbilled by Gutierrez's former girlfriend Anne Curtis, and the new Asianovela "Green Rose," which also premiered on Monday night.
"Sugo" had a comfortable seven-percentage advantage as against "Kampanerang Kuba's 28.7 percent audience share while "Green Rose" was rated 25.2 percent, based on overnight survey conducted by the respected AGB Philippines in Mega Manila.
Mega Manila consists of Metro Manila (13 cities and four towns) and parts of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. The region has 3.5 million households with television sets, equivalent to 16.82 million viewers.
"Sugo" is touted to be GMA's most expensive and elaborate teleserye.
The new primetime series brings viewers to a timeless battle between good and evil, with a rich story of drama and romance laced with exciting stunts and adventures.
"Sugo" features a powerhouse cast topbilled by Gutierrez, who will give life to the dual role of twin brothers Miguel and Amante, with newcomer Isabel Oli, Amy Austria, Ariel Rivera, Gardo Versoza, Leo Martinez, Boots Anson Roa, Luz Valdez, Paolo Contis, Chynna Ortaleza, Emilio Garcia, Ramon Christopher, Yayo Aguila, John Arcilla, and Lorna Tolentino.
GMA also hired and imported a group of acclaimed Asian talents to ensure the quality of the production, including Taiwanese actress Joe Chen, who plays a pivotal role in the series.
Besides Chen, who appeared in the top-rating series "MY MVP Valentine," "Twin Sisters" and "Lavander"--all of which were shown on GMA 7--the network also imported fight choreographer Wong Wai Fai, whose credits include such elaborate productions like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Anna and the King and Bulletproof Monk.
Wai Fai brought in his own stuntmen to create the fight sequences for "Sugo."
Miguel is described to be the "son of light" belonging to the Karag-ayan tribe. He is raised to be kind and humble but his life changes when he encounters a foreign student (played by Joe Chen) who's in the Philippines for an important mission.
The other twin is said to be arrogant, no thanks to the upbringing he had, which came courtesy of the Binhi-lan tribe's "seed of darkness."
The twins have been tasked to accomplish distinct yet related missions. Amante has to protect the "alay" (played by Isabel Oli), whose blood could awaken an evil chieftain (Gardo Versoza) buried in a hidden labyrinth. Of course, Amante would have to slay the alay to prevent anyone from using her to awaken the chieftain.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 8, 2005 issue)
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