Timow's Turf

The Philippine Movie Press Club logo Last Thursday, I wrote on WordPress about how the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) has been desperately trying to cope with the post-ABS-CBN shutdown era. True enough, they proved my point last Sunday, March 16, when they released the winners on their official Facebook page ahead of the main event on March 23. Why? Probably because they just didn't want to waste hours building suspense for an event that would be aired a month later. This kind of delay in broadcasting awards shows isn't new, but it does raise a few questions about the relevance and excitement of TV awards in the streaming age . That said, they did hold back on revealing the “Big Seven” awards : Best Drama Actor & Actress Best Drama Supporting Actor & Actress Best Male & Female TV Hosts Best TV Station These major categories will be saved for the main event in the Dolphy Theatre (probably the swan song for the venue before they face the wrecking ball)—perha...

Back in 2014, I went on a rant on WordPress about the PMPC Star Awards for TV , frustrated by what felt like blatant favoritism toward ABS-CBN .  Year after year, if the Kapamilya network had nominations, it seemed like a guaranteed win, leaving fans of other networks questioning the credibility of the awards. It’s not that they didn’t produce great shows, but the perceived bias was hard to ignore. The PMPC, composed of tabloid reporters and entertainment press, should theoretically be neutral. But it felt like a local version of the Emmys , except with favoritism that was a little too obvious. Fast forward to early 2020 , right before the pandemic flipped the world (and the industry) upside down, and the PMPC publicly supported ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal . We all know how that ended—outright rejection, thanks to the former president’s ego trip . (Speaking of that former president. He's now in the Netherlands facing an ICC trial.) This deliberate turn amidst the unpredictable wo...