The inanities and shenanigans of Vice Ganda
With the latest tirade launched against him, the stock value of the Unkabogable Star actually gets a reboot and a fresh dose of relevance
Daily TribuneWith the latest tirade launched against him, the stock value of the Unkabogable Star actually gets a reboot and a fresh dose of relevance
VICE Ganda | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF IG/PRAYBEYTBENJAMIN
The mere mention of his showbiz moniker Vice Ganda immediately brings to mind this persona of a blabbermouth — a cross-dressing, larger-than-life gay man that is the creation of Jose Marie Viceral.
As Vice Ganda, he has had his lion's share of box-office hit movies and sold-out concerts, as well as becoming one of the pillars of the noontime program It's Showtime and an inspiration to the descamisados, madlang pipol and maricons aspiring for and coveting what he possesses and represents.
Vice is famous, affluent, social media and traditional media-savvy, with an Ion Perez as a lover that completes his fairy-tale existence.
His sense of humor and the kind of comedy that his adoring public consumes polarize viewers. His movies are no way near the guffaw-inducing antics and commitment of a Roderick Paulate. The comedic elements are almost similar but not quite with the political incorrectness and craziness that are staples in the movies of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon.
Definitely, the humor in Ganda's offerings are not as funny and pale in comparison with the intelligently written sketches and characters of Michael V. The junk food masquerading as laugh-out-loud fare is inferior to the charisma, magic and legend of the one and only Philippine Comedy King Dolphy.
It is a given that Vice Ganda is an easy target of the nakakainis na nagmamalinis demographics. Proof of this: An aging politician hogged the headline lately when he lambasted the comedian: "Sarili mo lang ang iniisip mo, akala mo maganda iyang ginagawa mo. Super bastos ka, bastos kang tao (You only think about yourself, you think what you are doing is good. You're super rude, you're a rude person)."
This outburst and judgment from a political dinosaur is lamentable. But with this tirade, the stock value of the reigning fairy this side of Hollywood actually gets a reboot and a fresh dose of relevance.
Prior to this high and mighty summation of who Ganda is and what he represents, public perception was ripe that the hold, popularity and reign of Vice was going downhill. Whatever he was holding on to was all confined, controlled and milked in the afternoon program and early primetime weekend singing competition that he hosted.
When Vice became the replacement brand ambassador of an online shopping app, the decision puzzled some, given the lackluster sales of the makeup brand that Ganda carries. Add the fact that even during the height of Jose Marie's reign and popularity, there were only a handful of brands that gave their trust to him.
It has been so many days since the app's sale date and still, there is no official statement on how massive the increase in purchases has been with Vice as the figure employed to seduce the public to spend their hard-earned pesos online.
Likewise, the box-office powers and premium of Ganda are no longer stellar and superior. Well- chronicled and documented are his "may pera sa basura" kind of movies. But for two years now in succession, his movies have been clobbered by family dramas that put an exclamation point to his producers laughing their way to bank supremacy.
Indeed, it was an astute decision not to participate in this year's December festival, because his movie not grabbing the number one spot is almost inevitable, and it will be further proof of the old saying that bad luck comes in threes.
But now, I cannot help but wonder: With a political dinosaur's statements about his crudeness and salacious behavior, and a "criminal case" filed by a "kapisanan" latching on to the MTRCB brouhaha, will everything turn rosy and robust once more for the career and romance of the Unkabogable Vice Ganda?
Time, being the best storyteller, will provide us the answer.
