This lonelysandwich post reminded me of the following experience with Filipino television/entertainment:
When I was visiting my dad at the beginning of the summer, we spent a lot of time with his girlfriend’s family. They’re Filipino. Every time we went over for dinner, they were watching the same show - ASAP ‘09 (All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party). This particular night, it was a wedding themed episode.
So we’re watching this and I asked, “Did these couples win the opportunity to be on the show?” My dad’s girlfriend, Marilette explained that they’re all famous and beloved Filipino actors and actresses who are paired with each other for romance movies their entire careers. The public becomes so enthralled with the idea that they’re a real couple that they quasi-pretend to be one.
So they produced a miniseries called The Wedding, and as far as I’ve been able to piece together from things on the internet, it culminated in this live event.
Then Marilette’s mother spent the rest of the evening trying to convince me to move to the Philippines because I would be revered as an American. She swore that this was true, implying she would only have to present me to a movie studio and say, “She’s American.”
So … anyway, that’s my back up plan. Utterly bizarre alternate life as a very famous American movie star in the Philippines, who possibly sings pop songs on All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party 2009.
