Andoy Ranay is Back in ABS-CBN with former Kapuso Artists

After years of laboring as a Kapuso director, the brilliant Andoy Ranay is back on the grounds of ABS-CBN to direct the upcoming primetime series called Written in the Stars. This soap opera will feature four Kapamilya actors: Piolo Pascual, Toni Gonzaga, Sam Milby and Jolina Magdangal-Escueta.

UPDATE: Sarah Lahbati joins the supporting cast! So it seems like this is almost like a show of Kapuso-turned-Kapamilya.

It seems like this is a good move for Andoy since as a director, he can still explore in doing romantic movies as a Kapamilya rather than a Kapuso. His talent in directing needs to be utilized for the movies that only Star Cinema can really exploit to the best. VIVA Films may have given him opportunities but the movies he directed with the film outfit only reached a certain blockbuster level. With Star Cinema, he can still soar higher and add more to his label.

Andoy did a movie with GMA Films entitled Sossy Problems but he didn't like how they were pressured to a deadline which meant some scenes not done well. It disappointed him. It was a bad decision for GMA Films to disappoint him. They would have gotten a resident director for great films that would redeem the dead film outfit.

As a Kapuso, Andoy directed the first primetime series of Alden Richards back in his younger years. One True Love received great feedback that despite the strength of Walang Hanggan at that time, the soap was still able to leave a good mark to the audience in terms of popularity. The only problem is these good feedback did not translate to impressively high ratings. And it was not Andoy's fault, it was GMA Network's. Somehow, the network has a problem with how they hype up their shows.

After that, he directed another soap opera with the tandem of Alden Richards and Louise De Los Reyes which did not earn a good spot on primetime. Fast forward, GMA Network entrusted to him a series that would then earn him official recognition from award-giving bodies-- Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real. It was a major cast-- Dingdong Dantes, Maricel Soriano and Lovi Poe.

That was his last.

Now that he's back as a Kapamilya director, expect that there will now be more SUBSTANCE from ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. Emphasis on MORE SUBSTANCE. That's his forte-- to make TV viewing more worth the time.

Alden Richards & Alessandra De Rossi for a GMA Films Movie?

A romantic-comedy film for Alden Richards & Alessandra De Rossi under GMA Films to be directed by Andoy Ranay. Yes!

The headline is indeed interesting but it ends there. Unless of course the bosses behind GMA Films and the creative team would be brilliant enough to actually notice that this idea can actually become a big hit!

Given the right material, a comic role for Alessandra De Rossi who has been waiting and waiting and finally a younger guy comes along who meets the man of his dreams only younger. No conflict on third party is needed. The conflict can just focus on the lady's hard time to accept that she can't be old enough for the guy when it's true love.

Typical, age doesn't matter. But given a great script and a great director, this one will be a new movie to watch out for.

Get a glimpse of their possible onscreen chemistry by watching this clip from Basta Everyday Happy where De Rossi interviews Richards.

Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real Pilot in One Word: Riveting

Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real premiered its pilot last night. What can The Outsider say but... RIVETING! Let me give you three reasons why it is!

1. The actors played their roles!
Not that they were acting because as a viewer, you won't feel they are. You would feel that they are the characters. For those 30 minutes, the viewers may have forgotten that was Dingdong Dantes. To them, it may have been Mr. Real himself.

Ms. Maricel Soriano is still the Diamond Star. She still shines bright in her portrayal as the first Mrs. Real. Ms. Coney Reyes pushed the bar and helped build the foundation of the story. Her part in the story definitely plays a big chunk in the bigger picture. The parents of the 1st Mrs. Real also did well.

Lovi Poe, with the short appearance in the pilot episode, did not appear as Lovi Poe. She seemed to be the future second Mrs. Real indeed.

The actors-- riveting!

2. The scriptwriting had depth.
In this review, The Outsider will avoid terms like 'better' for the sake of not comparing it to other soap operas. Take it as it is for this time.

As far as Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real is concerned, much credit goes to the team of scriptwriters and the creative team at least for the pilot episode. As far as depth is concerned, they had it. You would know that the loyalty did not just get disturbed because of some tempting woman. You would know that the loyalty would begin to blur because of personal issues that has taken its roots from marital concerns.

In the case of Mr. Real, it is the undying undermining insults of his father-in-law  which, after ten years, would grow its bad fruit-- the tension between the couple. Which brought in the personal issue of insecurity in the part of Mr. Real. Then begins his unknowingly journey to finding his significance, his worth apart from the distorted reality he has with his current in-laws.

With that issue, the question that the thinking viewers are faced with is this: can there be a reason good enough to forget about marital loyalty?

3. The director knows well what to do.
If there's ever a reason why more Kapuso viewers looked forward to, it's not merely the cast. It's the fact that Andoy Ranay is behind this masterpiece. One who has made a big punch in his portfolio via One True Love and the blockbuster movie Ang Diary Ng Panget.

What we like about Andoy Ranay is his penchant for details. He selects extras who in turn would attract more viewers to stick! He seems to show importance for roles like the helper of Mrs. Real because they serve like glue, stitching the story together.

The good thing about Ranay is he's unconventional in his approach of creating moments. He seems to get away with the tradition of putting up big cat fights to gain higher ratings. He shows the viewers that all episodes, all scenes are important and not just the big fight scenes worth trending. He gives us a better taste of what a soap opera of the thinking generation deserves.

All these give us a promising, riveting soap opera at least on the side of GMA Network.

As far as weaknesses are concerned, GMA Telebabad shows have been low on ratings these days. They better push the button for this one and take it as a major show. Pour in efforts in consistent scriptwriting and brilliant promotion. Because the opposite of it is exactly the network's weakness.

Four Reasons Why One True Love Never Ends

It was supposed to be just a filler soap opera on primetime TV for GMA Network. But due to its winning formula, unexpected so to speak, One True Love won the hearts of the Filipino viewers and have made the show a historic romantic drama on primetime.

The Outsider has been asked many times why we think this soap is real good. Here are three reasons, finally, why One True Love never ends as few of the best soap operas on TV.

1. A typical story with a new context.
Credits to the scriptwriters headed by Ms. Suzette Doctolero, viewers finally had  a new taste of the Romeo & Juliet story. The story focused on that theme. They didn't have to have a lot of secrets but only secrets important to the main theme. They didn't present too many characters to prolong a show but focused only on characters who contribute to the main theme, the love shared by Elize and Tisoy.

What made the typical story of One True Love fresh? The depth of the characters they've shown totally changed the game on TV. The thing about soap operas is they usually present the stories, the theme without dwelling on the day-to-day scenes that explain the story in a micro perspective. They would tell the story in a 'secrets revealed' method. One character tells someone that he did this and that. They find out about this and that.

What One True Love writers did was to present the stories in scenes without letting the characters say things much.

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2. Scriptwriters came up with just a few characters who were well-thought of and justified.Impressive how they turned Leila, Agot Isidro's character, from a villain to one who was eventually forgiven by her victims. In the middle of its run, viewers even had times of being puzzled as to whether or not they're going to hate Leila. Her villain story was realistic and justified. Not the typical who takes revenge and plots any heinous crimes just to get what they want. Her's was out of pity, pity to herself that her husband does not love her anymore. Pity to herself that she couldn't give him a child despite her being an OB Gynecologist. Her actions were well calculated, thanks to the scriptwriters who still stuck their heads to reality.

Raymond Bagatsing's character, Carlos Samonte, also established a love-hate relationship with the viewers. He was the father to Tisoy who also tormented his life all because Carlos wanted to protect his daughter, as he mistakenly knew she was. In the end, people fell in love with his character.

Caridad Sanchez moved the hearts of the viewers as she played the compassionate stranger who took care of Tisoy. This could be her best role on TV so far. Ana Capri's character was also well-written. A mother to Elize who sold her not only because of poverty but because of her love for her daughter whom she felt she couldn't take care well. Writers were consistent till the end because Ma'am Dyna, her name in the show, didn't reveal that she was the real mom and still felt that what she did before was still the wiser thing.

3. The soap opera delivered good values without compromise.
In a generation when the culture of young people is now called PBB Teens, or those who couldn't wait but just give in to their desires, you would expect that the Romeo & Juliet themed soap opera would also tackle such. But One True Love ended without compromise. Some lessons it taught the viewers:

• Finish school, if not for your loved one, for yourself more than anything. Romantic love may inspire, but education should still be prioritized.
• Real gentlemen say NO to premarital sex. It can be remembered that Tisoy and Elize only kissed a few times, if not twice. When they were stuck in an island, they didn't at all do what most teenagers would expectantly do, premarital sex. Tisoy's character was established at the onset to be a gentleman.
• Honor your parents no matter what. Just because they did bad decisions, it doesn't give children any right to dishonor them, not at all.

4. The acting of all the characters were impeccable, thanks to their script that sucked them in and their director that brought them out of their shells.

Impeccable because every role played by the actors was well-delivered. Even the extra character of Wynwyn Marquez who played 'pamangkin' to Leila was well-delivered. Lucho Ayala, despite very short scenes, also performed well, here's saying that he deserves to be developed as one of GMA's stable character actors. Jean Garcia's performance was a breather in this show. We quipped: "finally, she's given a decent role after all the trash telefantasya roles."

Tiya Pusit, Benjie Paras, Rita, Carleen Aguilar, Pin Medina, Nomer, that new girl of Tisoy, and yes even the first driver of Elize all left a good mark for this show. Even the ones we're not able to mention. They all did well.

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Director Andoy Ranay deserves honor for this show. TheOutsider believes in his works. He does well-crafted shows. We remember how he pulled off taking Legacy directorship after its first director took a leave. He didn't just pull it off. He added his expertise and made the show even better with due respect to its original director.

These are just four reasons. Four reasons that you won't have a hard time agreeing with TheOutsider when you try to watch it on replay. Yes, news has it that GMA Network is bringing back One True Love through its morning slot. This could even be a better competition for the highly successful and historic show Be Careful With My Heart than with a new show Cielo De Angelina.