Non-amusing potpourri on the boob tube

First off, being shown on tv at prime time no less, is that boring and banal “Hole in the Wall” early evening offering of GMA 7.

All so-called “couch potato” watchers who surf the two rival tv channels – ABS-CBN and GMA 7 – for evening news and entertainment programs, say, game shows, showbiz sitcoms, or political talk shows, often switch channels during promo/ad intervals. It’s annoying to channel surfers in avoidance of canned ads that, almost always, the other rival network also simultaneously runs ads for its own sponsors to the last second.

Getting back to that corny “Hole in the Wall” that features two male minor showbiz hosts dressed in drab, non-stylish, female get-up, with artificial hairdo in side pigtail and ponytail usually, talking in hardly homo tones and accent, and behaving like half-baked gays… There’s no entertainment value, no lesson or message undertone, nothing really, save for the dry humor of getting wet at the small waterhole when the contestants’ figures couldn’t get through the varying shapes of the cut-out holes in the moving wall… Even small children viewers fail to see the showbiz value, much less the dry and tasteless antics and adlibs of Ogie Alcasid and Michael V.

The second exasperating turn-off on the boob tube fare is their open violation, nay, defiance of the imposed ratio limitations with regard to the length of time exposure of paid promo ads and the main featured tv program, such as, championship boxing, or whatever.

Especially in the boxing bouts featuring international pugilists, or such other main event sports, say, during the Olympics championships, etc., more often than not, the repeated promo ads are even much longer than the main fare. The worst examples had been the various fights of Pacquiao. For every 3-minute round, the sponsors played out during the short interval between rounds would run more than twice in length and, with as many as 30 to 40 mentioned sponsors.

It has come to a point that those with short fuse in patience would rather pay sizeable viewing pay in pay-per-view facilitators.

Thirdly, another tv attention-getter is that not so young program host whose forte is to ask questions not only on the sex life of participants, but more specifically on the lusty side of sex. Not far behind in stressing sensual questions are gay hosts who have proliferated in broadcast, boob-tube media and the showbiz. Of course, there’s nothing wrong, as long as there be proper balance in treatment, and canalized within the limits of decency.

Fourthly, that Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili vulgar face-off before the Senate hearing – of all supposedly staid fora that ought to have frowned upon such leery voyeurism – has cheapened the solemnity of the Senate. Instead of devoting to issues of dignified statesmanship, it has lent its honor by stooping into shameful nadir over a sex video scandal and obscenity.

Just imagine if the august Senate were now composed of such Senate giants then, like, Quezon, Recto, Roxas, Briones, Sumulong, Diokno, Manglapus, Osias, Tolentino, Padilla, Pelaez, Aquino, or even Rodriguez, et al. – not the present crop littered by showbiz misfits and shallow so-called solons – that episode of pure lewd video cam ugliness could have had no place at all.

Finally, after that unexpected anomaly of a hearing – what, still in the name of “in aid of legislation” excuse? – facilitated by its eccentric chair, any other deliberation on any legislation has become anti-climactic, even a dull denouement.

In fact, with the much-abused trend of both chambers of Congress to conduct the so-called probes or investigations “in aid of legislation” – as if it were the principal functions and onus of both houses now – the media, especially the inquisitive and ubiquitous tv has providentially found a convenient excuse for sensationalizing the mundane, the obscene, and the vulgar.

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