See the world with Paolo and Miriam
Inquirer
Published on page A2-6 of the July 10, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
THE POPULAR HOSTING TEAM OF PAOLO Bediones and Miriam Quiambao is currently making a comeback in the new GMA 7 show, “Pinoy Meets World.” We caught the program’s initial telecast last June 25, and found ourselves taking a trip with Paolo and Miriam all the way to—South Korea!
That’s what the new show does: It takes viewers to different foreign destinations to appreciate the culture and tourist sights there, and also to interact with Filipinos who have chosen to live and work abroad.
Why Korea for the program’s first sortie? Well, it isn’t as humdrum-near as Hong Kong, but it isn’t Europe, either, so it’s both exciting and manageable.
It also turns out that, due to the popularity of Korean telenovelas on local TV, the people behind GMA 7’s new program feel that Pinoy’s interest in South Korea is high, hence the decision to visit that country with the show’s TV cameras.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that after visiting the usual theme park and other tourist attractions, the show makes a beeline for the location sites used in the most popular period Korean telenovela, “Jewel in the Palace.”
Since we aren’t huge fans of imported TV melodramas, we found our attention wandering during this long section.
We also noted that the “extreme adventure” part of the show had yet to kick in, so our involvement was limited to appreciating the cultural and touristic points the show’s Korean coverage made. And, frankly, that wasn’t enough to sustain our interest.
We did perk up when the program focused on a Filipina who worked in Korea. That gave the show a more personal touch that it sorely needed.
We trust that there’ll be more of this in future telecasts, as well as more involving challenges. Make no mistake, we love traveling, even if only vicariously via our TV set, and we appreciate that new show’s international outlook. Its first telecast simply wasn’t that involving, that’s all. Nothing that greater creativity and hustle can’t fix.
As for the new show’s returning team of hosts, Paolo and Miriam did okay, but perhaps the program’s rather sedate proceedings cramped their more gung-ho signature style.
Again, nothing that greater involvement can’t take care of, so hopes remain high that, in due time, “Pinoy Meets World” will finally come into its own as a should-see TV show.
No comments:
Post a Comment