Thursday, October 26, 2006
On The Contrary
Hooray! The anti-billboardists have succeeded in preventing several huge billboards from being put up again. So now driving down EDSA one sees huge steel girders naked against the sky. Are they a better sight than, say, a pretty face of some model or even Zanjoe half-naked? Do they enhance the beauty of the metro skyline? Is Metro Manila prettier now that we have giant skeletons along EDSA?
Yippee.
Speaking of billboards, they placed a huge billboard of Our Lady of Guadalupe on that massive one located (where else?) along Guadalupe, right above Café Lupe. It’s like they’re daring MMDA: “Just try and bring down Mama Mary, you f**kers!” Hahaha.
* * * * *
Mo Twister was a fairly popular radio DJ/rapper/actor when he first burst into the local showbiz scene in the 90s. But after disappearing for several years in the US, he’s back where he first started, in FM radio. He has a morning show on 89.9FM, and his particular schtick is that he dares to say things which other morning DJ would hesitate to mention on air, including stuff about local celebrities. Questions about sexual orientation, penis size and bedroom antics aren’t off-limits in his show. Interestingly, he also has a segment where callers can narrate on-air their actual bad experiences with celebrities.
So it’s no surprise that he’s getting a lot of press—and heat—from certain local celebrities because of statements made on his show. Showbiz old timers have repeatedly spoken up against Mo, decrying his lack of respect for his showbiz elders.
Frankly, these oldies are falling right into Mo’s trap. And instead of ruining Mo, they’re actually boosting his visibility and showbiz clout. If he’s really inconsequential, why are they taking time to react to him? Plus it’s silly that these oldies are belittling Mo and his show, saying that he doesn’t have the right to speak ill of established showbiz folks because “he’s not proven himself” and that “he’s not earned the right” to speak that way.
Duh.
What Mo’s doing is a very tame, Pinoy version of shock radio. With shock radio, there are almost no sacred cows, and outrageous is the norm. The point of shock radio is to provoke—but really, it’s just another form of comedy. It’s not supposed to be taken seriously. To shock and provoke is the joke. Unfortunately most people don’t have that sensibility to look beyond the surface shock value; worse, they take them too seriously.
This indicates that it will be a while before shock radio is fairly accepted by the Pinoy audience. Still I don’t mind having a show like Mo’s. I’m not a big fan of his show; it’s amusing in general but sometimes the topic being discussed just doesn’t interest me. But I’ll defend his right to have a show like his. Those who aren’t in on the joke are in danger of being punchlines themselves.
Yippee.
Speaking of billboards, they placed a huge billboard of Our Lady of Guadalupe on that massive one located (where else?) along Guadalupe, right above Café Lupe. It’s like they’re daring MMDA: “Just try and bring down Mama Mary, you f**kers!” Hahaha.
* * * * *
Mo Twister was a fairly popular radio DJ/rapper/actor when he first burst into the local showbiz scene in the 90s. But after disappearing for several years in the US, he’s back where he first started, in FM radio. He has a morning show on 89.9FM, and his particular schtick is that he dares to say things which other morning DJ would hesitate to mention on air, including stuff about local celebrities. Questions about sexual orientation, penis size and bedroom antics aren’t off-limits in his show. Interestingly, he also has a segment where callers can narrate on-air their actual bad experiences with celebrities.
So it’s no surprise that he’s getting a lot of press—and heat—from certain local celebrities because of statements made on his show. Showbiz old timers have repeatedly spoken up against Mo, decrying his lack of respect for his showbiz elders.
Frankly, these oldies are falling right into Mo’s trap. And instead of ruining Mo, they’re actually boosting his visibility and showbiz clout. If he’s really inconsequential, why are they taking time to react to him? Plus it’s silly that these oldies are belittling Mo and his show, saying that he doesn’t have the right to speak ill of established showbiz folks because “he’s not proven himself” and that “he’s not earned the right” to speak that way.
Duh.
What Mo’s doing is a very tame, Pinoy version of shock radio. With shock radio, there are almost no sacred cows, and outrageous is the norm. The point of shock radio is to provoke—but really, it’s just another form of comedy. It’s not supposed to be taken seriously. To shock and provoke is the joke. Unfortunately most people don’t have that sensibility to look beyond the surface shock value; worse, they take them too seriously.
This indicates that it will be a while before shock radio is fairly accepted by the Pinoy audience. Still I don’t mind having a show like Mo’s. I’m not a big fan of his show; it’s amusing in general but sometimes the topic being discussed just doesn’t interest me. But I’ll defend his right to have a show like his. Those who aren’t in on the joke are in danger of being punchlines themselves.
# posted by joelmcvie : 4:02 PM
