Why Charo Santos changed hosting style for ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’

Adapting to the changing times, Charo Santos offers a new and casual style of hosting in Maalaala Mo Kaya, which just made a comeback this week.

With a breath of fresh air, Santos’ storytelling for the show’s comeback is “more natural” and “more candid.”

“I noticed that my delivery was different from the usual (that’s) very formal, very traditional kind of hosting. Ngayon, mas casual and relaxed lang na parang, ‘wag kayong matakot, magkaibigan tayo (Now, it more casual and relaxed like, don’t be afraid, we are friends),” Santos said after shooting the first two episodes.

Santos also hopes for MMK to tell impactful and inspiring stories that will continue to resonate with viewers, especially this generation’s youth.

“Gusto ko (I want) inspirational stories. I-respeto natin na (Let’s respect that) we owe them good stories. We want to capture the perspective of the youth, of the Gen Zs. Gusto namin na mas maintindihan namin kayo. At kayo rin, mas maintindihan niyo ang mga magulang ninyo (We want to better understand you. And you, understand better your patents),” she said. 

It’s worth noting that Santos’ candid storytelling has already captured the hearts of the Gen Z even before the release of the pilot episode of the all-new MMK, thanks to her raw and heartfelt social media videos that have raked millions of views online. 

In fact, her storytime video on how MMK was conceptualized has already generated close to five million views on her official TikTok account alone.

For MMK’s opening salvo, the series featured the life story of no less than The Voice USA Season 26 grand champion Sofronio Vasquez, who was portrayed by award-winning actor Elijah Canlas, alongside industry veterans Romnick Sarmenta and Janice de Belen. 

The premiere of MMK’s 48 hours in advance on iWantTFC was shown yesterday, 24 April. It will also air on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. starting 26 April.

Jodi Sta. Maria plays bad role to scare

If there’s one thing that Jodi Sta. Maria is good at, it is not shirking away from the challenge of her character, be it on television or in the movies.

Bravely, she took on the role of Vivian Vera, a young, ambitious journalist and social media star who is hungry for scoops and exclusive stories in Regal Film’s Untold.

But the manner by which she gets her scoops and exclusive stories is replete with utter unprofessionalism.  Things take a dark turn, which leaves her traumatized, as she deals with her inner demons.

As Vivian, Sta. Maria displays a plethora of emotions as she deals with the consequences of her own shenanigans.  The actor meets the challenge with a very welcoming stance, leaving her marked portrayal exceedingly visible.

Others in the cast who shine in their characters are Joem Bascon, Sta. Maria’s boyfriend; Juan Karlos as a budding production assistant and Kaori Oinuma as a TV staff.

Untold, directed by Derick Cabrido, is showing on 30 April.

Maris Racal overwhelmed at Toronto Festival

Incognito star Maris Racal showed great enthusiasm with the world premiere of her movie, Sunshine, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In the movie, Racal plays a young gymnast in a great quandary as she finds herself pregnant just a week before she is to train for the Olympics.

“Upon preparing for the role, the heavier part for me was the emotional aspect. Physically, it was just as challenging, but it was the emotional part that challenged me a lot,” Racal said in an interview in OMNI TV in Canada when asked which posed a greater challenge: preparing for gymnast or preparing for the emotions that her role entails.

Sunshine won the Crystal Bear award at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival and coming right on its heels is the movie’s showing at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“To me, it means a lot. It’s not just about me. It’s about the production and for Philippine cinema as well being showcased on different global stages. It means a lot to us. It means we are sharing Philippine culture, Philippine stories abroad,” she said.

“We are so excited to be premiering in Toronto, Canada.  I know there’s so many Filipinos out there,” she added.

Racal was not able to attend the Canadian festival as she was scheduled to fly to Italy for the taping of Incognito where she plays Gab Rivera, a multilingual spy and master of disguise.