Another Philippine News

I just would like to share this amusing presentation which I saw on yesterdayís "MTB" variety show here in the Philippines in regards to their "Rosalinda" Loca-Like" contest which OctoArts-EMI produced. Loca, because the contestants can be quite crazy imitating Rosalindaís costume, like in "Rosalinda" telenovela as Rosalinda was singing at the "Blanquita Theater", with featherís and short sexy costumes and the way the contestants have to sing the "Rosalinda" theme song live. It was such a sight that you could really give credit to those 2 first contestants that won as a tie because of how they sung the song beautifully like a Latina singing it when they are Filipinos and wearing their costumes looking like Las Vegas Show Girls like what Thalia wore but not the same of course. That outrageous costumes, ha, ha, ha. The 2 contestants memorized the whole song and sung it live. In order for the TV audience to follow the lyrics of the song, the lyrics were posted at the TV screen. ;-) Both contestants received the same amount of cash for winning the contest as a tie. The grand prize winner by the way, will be judged by Fernando Carrillo in the flesh when he visits the Philippines on August 09 to 13. I am no Fernando Carrillo fan though.

Date: 21 July 2000

News Source: People's Journal" newspaper.

THALIA'S TV SERIES MOST WATCHED FOREIGN TV SHOW ON PHILIPPINE TELEVISION HISTORY.

"Thalia's TV series are the second and third most watched TV series on Philippine television history"! The only TV show that has beaten Thalia's soaps was "See True" Showbiz talk show hosted by Inday Babiday. Imagine that! "MariMar" got 75 % of total viewership. "Rosalinda" got 73%. "See True" got 85%. No other TV shows both local and foreign got close to the number one spot like what two of Thalia's TV series got.

Date: 17 July 2000

News Source: PHILIPPINES FREE PRESS Magazine issue July 22, 2000 By: Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra Edited by: Anna

(The Cover Story from page 22 to 24 has been edited for the purpose of posting it here. Kindly buy a copy of it worth PHP 20.00 to read the whole cover story of Thalia.) It has a nice cover picture from ABS-CBN.

It has reached insane proportions. Many stories on how the telenovela "Rosalinda" had saved the lives of an entire family in some places around the country has been reported in many newspapers from time to time.
 

It's hard to play down Thalia's allure.

Many surreal but true to life incidents said to have been directly related to the TV series "Rosalinda" ( which is the number one TV series since its initial airing last January 10, 2000).

Of course, "Rosalinda was used only as an angle in the reporting, but it made the news stories more interesting. Indeed, one of the measures of a piece of entertainment is its potential to transcend the show-biz pages and land on the front pages of major newspapers.

And just what exactly is it about "Rosalinda" that paralyzes millions of households in the country from 7:00 to 7:30 evey night? What's with this program that makes everyone so concerned about what's going to happen to Rosalinda and Fernando Jose? Why is everybody completely axious whether she will eventually end up with Fernando Jose or Alex? Why is this show (even in its original Spanish) reported to be the forth most watched program in New York?

If local producers knew the secret formula, perhaps they would be exporting programs to Argentina or Taiwan. But there is no secret formula involved in "Rosalinda". The formula for this successful series is ridiculously simple: an outlandish plot, fast-paced narrative, mawkish dialogue, heart-stopping twists, and ultimately, impossibly beautiful actresses and handsome actors. The series- which airs on Channel 2 from Monday to Friday - has dominated the prime-time battlegrounds with an audience share of 73%, according to an independent pollster.

The star of "Rosalinda" is the Mexican bombshell Ariadna Thalia Sodi y Miranda, better known as Thalia. In the mid-1990's, the singer-actress had a similarly unbelievable hold on Filipino prime-time viewers through the soap "MariMar", a phenomenal hit that could go down in history as the most successful foreign program on Philippine television ever, shaking the ratings game with impunity. No Hollywood actress had been able to affect local audiences the way this finely shaped Latin performer did. And the success of "MariMar" could be credited to the exactly the same elements that now make "Rosalinda" a commercial winner: a glamorous cast, fast paced story, and a plot so outrageous it stray into magical-realist territory. "MariMar" sparked an insane wave of Mexican telenovelas on local TV; every major network had at least one. You can b_tch all you want about the seemingly clumsy dubbing methods, but the series teaches the local soaps that there is more to offer audiences besides glacial plots and lachrymose dialogues.

GLAMOUR. Joy Bautista, ABS-CBN's manager for films and foreign programs, attributes the success of "Rosalinda" to a lot of factors. "It's got a new look that is really glossy, a more glamorous setting, and more contemporary feel to everything," she said. "Here's also, I think, they will find a new Thalia, who appears to be more mature and modern. It also has all the elements of a successful telenovela, and especially the actors- they're all better looking than the usual." She also credits the dubbing, which, if poorly done, can break a program, and the simple translation. "Before we got "Rosalinda", we were hearing a lot about the series," Bautista said. "Did we expect it was going to hit it this big? Frankly, we felt that with THALIA, you can never go wrong."

Will ABS-CBN bring Thalia back to the Philippines? "We have been receiving a lot of phone calls asking if we're going to bring in Thalia soon" Bautista said. "Well, actually, we tried, but she was too busy working on her Hollywood singing career." Bautista said, however, hinted that ABS-CBN may introduce yet another Thalia series in November. (Hah!? The Maria Trilogy had been shown already and "Luz y Sombra" so the only Thalia series I know which was not been shown yet here in Filipinas is "Quinceanera" so, if it's not that, then, they're pulling our legs.)

New Album. As for her singing career, Thalia has her eyes now on Hollywood with the release of her latest album, "Arrasando", (teka muna, hindi yata) with ex-Miami Sound Machine member Emilio Estefan Jr (husband of pop singer Gloria Estefan). The new record- which has received favorable reviews in the United States- is an interesting blend of salsa, rap, reggae, cumbia, ballads, and aggressive club beats. The buzz is that she is now dating SONY President Tommy Mottola, ex- husband of pop diva Mariah Carey.

Can Thalia become a Latin Mariah carey? We can't really tell. What we know is that in the next few weeks, devotess will be too busy watching her even to care. They will have their eyes glued to their TV screens waiting to see whether Rosalinda and Fernando Jose will live happily ever after.
 

Date: 14 July 2000

News Source:"Alas Cinco Y Media" Morning TV Show. By: Julius Babao

Philippine Thalia News

ulius Babao one of the hosts of the early morning TV show on Philippine local channel ABS-CBN 2 advertised Thalia's latest CD "Arrasando" and showed Thalia's CD to the viewing public and said that it is a beautiful CD matching with beautiful Thalia pictures.

Since "Rosalinda" telenovela is such a monster hit to the Filipinos, the said early morning TV show conducted a survey and asked the viewing public to send their text messages and vote among the staff and crew of the said early morning show who would be the Rosalinda and they got a lot of fun having that survey with lots of participation from the viewing public.

Date: 12 July 2000

News Source: La Botana(Thanks to Jacqueline O.) Alex for the Translation

THALIA'S INTERVIEW BY LA BOTANA

TODAY THALIA CALLED TO THE TV SHOW " LA BOTANA " WITH JUAN JOSE ORIGEL:
HERE IS THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW:

Juan José: Thalía Precious, how have you been?

Thalía: Juan José my love, how are you? How is everyone here?

Juan José: Missing you my queen, missing you. Because you arrived (in Mexico) and you didn't pass by here.

Thalia: Hey but what's up, we're going to see each other right now on this return trip. I'm going to be in Monterrey and you and I are both going to be there.

Juan José: Really! We're going to be in Monterrey. Tell us why you are going to be in Monterrey.

Thalia: I'm going specifically to continue the promotion of my album Arrasando which is conquering everywhere. We're going to finish promotioning in Mexico and from there I leave to Monterrey to participate in a very importnant Radio festival up north and we're going to be singing and I am dieing to see you and I leave to the "King of the goat" to enjoy a few tacos together.

Juan José: Hey Thalía I was watching the TV and in Argentina you are in first place in sales. What do you think about this?

Thalia: I'm fascinated. You know, on our promotional tour we covered Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, all the United States, Spain, and well we're also going to France and Italy, but what happened in Argentina and Brazil was sensational, remember that I went three years without releasing a CD. And so the CD has been the craze, the song Entre el mar y una estrella has fascinated the public. I am fascinated with the sales of the CD. It's something marvelous for me. First place in Billboard for two weeks in a row, what else can I ask for out of life?

Juan José: What just came out in the magazine "TV Notes" is that you have already picked out St. Patrick Church in New York. Is it true, yes or no?
v Thalia: And you believe everything you read?

Juan Jose: Are they lies or what?

Thalia: Look, alot of speculations have come up over my wedding, over my romance, over if María Félix said something over me. Do you understand? They're things that obviously when someone wants to sell a note they use other people for the kill. In one of ten rumors they say how María Félix talked bad of me. That made me want to laugh because someone in which I place my confidence in is in Madame María Félix. She is a beautiful person who has been wonderful to me and it's dificult for her to open her heart, and both of us talked about this rumor. We immediately laughed about it, and well, the other rumors up till this day concerning my wedding, well, they've already put a date on my wedding.

Juan Jose: Well let me tell you something, that Félix really didn't talk bad about you. She said that you were a wonderful young lady.

Thalia: The thing is that she didn't say anything. The worst thing about this is that she said nothing. About the wedding we have our plans over which we will talk about in Monterrey.

THALIA'S INTERVIEW BY LA BOTANA

TODAY THALIA CALLED TO THE TV SHOW " LA BOTANA " WITH JUAN JOSE ORIGEL:
HERE IS THE INTERVIEW COMPLETLY:

Juan José: Thalía Preciosa ¿Cómo estás?
Thalía: Juan José mi amor ¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo están todos por ahí?

Juan José: Extrañandote Mi reina extrañandote. Porque veniste y bueno ni por aquí pasaste.
Thalia: Pero que tal nos vamos a ver ahora en este viaje de regreso voy a estar en Monterrey y ahí vamos a estar tu y yo.

Juan José: ¡Pregúntame¡. Vamos a estar en Monterrey . Platica a que vienes a Monterrey.

Thalia: Voy bueno precisamente a seguir lo de la promoción del disco Arrasando que así va Arrasando por todos lados. Vamos a hacer todo lo que es promoción en México y de ahí parto para Monterey a hacer un festival de radio que es muy importante por allá por el Norte y vamos a estar cantando y yo me muero de ganas de verte de irnos al "Rey del cabrito" a echarnos unos taquitos.

Juan José: Oye Thalía fijate que estaba viendo la tele y en Argentina estás en primerisimo lugar de ventas ¿Cómo ves?

Thalia: Estoy fasinada fijate que cubrimos con esta promoción desde Brasil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, todo Estados Unidos, Espáña y bueno nos vamos a todo lo que es Francia e Italia, pero lo que sucedió en Argentina en Brasil fue una cosa sensacional acuerdate que yo tenía tres años sin sacar un disco.Entonces bueno el disco ha sido la locura, la canción Entre el mar y una estrella le ha encantado ala gente. Yo estoy fasinada por las ventas del disco. Es algo maravillosos para mo. Primer lugar en el Billboard hace dos semanas que mas le puedo pedir ala vida.

Juan José: Acaba de salir en el Tv Notas que ¿Es verdad que apartaron la Iglesia de San Patricio en Nueva York? Di si o no

Thalia: ¿Y tu crees todo lo que lees?
Juan Jose: ¿ Es que son mentiras o que?
Thalia: Mira han salido muchas especulaciones obre mi boda, sobre mi romance, sobre si que la Felix dijo algo sobre mi. me entiendes son cosas que obviamente cuando alguién quiere vender una nota utiliza a otras personas como carne de cañón. En una de ellas se habla de algo de que María Felix habla mal de mi.eso me dió mucha risa porque bueno a alguién ala cual yo deposito mi confianza es en la Señora María Felix es una persona que ha sido muy linda conmigo que es muy dífici que abra su corazóny las dos nos hablamos inmediatamente nos reimos de la nota y bueno las demás notas ya hasta día de boda me pusieron, ya me pusieron fecha de boda.
Juan Jose: Bueno dejame decirte una cosa realmente la Felix no habló mal de ti dijo que eres una muchacha bonitilla.
Thalia: No pero ni habló, lo peor del caso es que ni habló.Lo de la boda nosotros tenemos nuestros planes como ya platicaremos en Monterrey.

A EMBRACE