MAJA Salvador says her fans and those of Maine Mendoza have long requested for their collaboration. It seemed impossible then as she’s with ABS-CBN and Maine is with GMA-7. But now, it’s coming true as they are both part of TV5-Cignal’s new talent search, “PoPinoy”.

“May awards night kasi na host ako tapos nandun si Maine at nagpapansin ako sa kanya,” says Maja at the show’s zoom presscon. “Nakunan ang pictures namin nang magkasama at nang lumabas ‘yun, marami nga ang nagsabi na sana, magkaroon ng show na nagkukulitan kami. Sabi ko, wait lang kayo. Nag-uumpisa pa lang kami. O ngayon, heto, nangyari na. Host siya, headhunter naman ako or judge/mentor sa ‘PoPinoy’.”

So how is it working with Maine and with Paolo Ballesteros who are both from the Kapuso network?

“It’s very refreshing na makasama sila, kasi pare-pareho kaming bagets in one show. First time na we’re working together dahil, dati, magkakaiba kami ng networks. We’re now excited to work together in this kind of show for TV5-Cignal kasi we aim to discover new talents na pasisikatin sa industry. I’m hoping makabuo kaming lahat ng magandang friendship while doing ‘PoPinoy’ together.”

How does it feel to be a headhunter who will act as both judge and mentor to the contestants?

“Masaya, kasi tutulong kaming tuklasin at hasain sila. Ako rin naman, based on my own experience, when I started, hindi ako magaling sumayaw, o kumanta. And now, I’m a singer na talaga. Nakita nyo naman sa performance ko kanina.”

She’s referring to the song and dance number she did at the start of the “PoPinoy” zoom presscon. So what qualities will she look for in their contestants in “PoPinoy”?

“Una, gusto kong makita ‘yung puso nila habang nagpe-perform. Kasi, let’s face it, maraming magaling kumanta at sumayaw, pero hindi galing sa puso ang performance nila. So ‘yun ang unang hahanapin ko, yung puso, yung passion nila to give their best in entertaining their audience. Ang hahanapin namin dito are two groups, one boy and one girl, so kailangan, marunong din silang makisama sa mga magiging kagrupo nila. Importante yun para mag-click ang isang boy band or girl group.”

Maja was asked about John Lloyd Cruz during the presscon but she begs off to answer, just saying: “Hindi po nag-audition si John Lloyd dito.” Obviously, she feels the presscon is not the right venue to talk about John Lloyd who her Crown Artist Management agency is now handling.

So now, Maja is a bonafide Kapatid star since she has two regular shows on TV5/Cignal. Monday to Friday nights, she is seen with Noel Comia Jr. in the heartwarming inspirational dramedy, “Nino Nina”, and on Sunday nights, she will be a headhunter/mentor in “PoPinoy”.

The show will officially start on June 13 but, on June 6, Saturday, there will be a primer to orient audiences about “PoPinoy”, hosted by Lourd de Veyra and titled “Idols of Pinoy Pop: Manila Sound to KPop”, 8 PM on TV5 and 9:30 PM on Colours. Don’t miss it!

Filipino streaming platform Upstream inks deal with Universal

DONDON Monteverde says that his company, the Filipino streaming platform Upstream.ph, has inked an exclusive contract with Universal Pictures to bring the biggest Hollywood movies right in the comfort of your own home. This is a ground-breaking partnership and with this development, upstream.ph becomes the first Filipino live-streaming platform to have an unprecedented deal with Universal Pictures which means it is now home to global blockbuster movie franchises such as “Jurassic Park,” “Fast and the Furious,” “Despicable Me,” “Candyman,” “Minions,” “Halloween” and “Boss Baby,” among many others.

It also shows Universal Pictures’ vast library of existing films that have captivated audiences worldwide as well as upcoming film releases starring the biggest Hollywood stars from 2021 onwards to be part of upstream.ph’s content. Dondon says: “We are truly honored to be the first and only Filipino portal to be trusted by Universal Pictures to stream old and new titles from their catalogue of blockbuster films. This is timely because the pandemic has certainly imposed limitations on our activities and most of us find ourselves cooped up in our homes for safety.”

Here are some of upstream.ph’s upcoming releases from Universal: “F9 or Fast and Furious 9,” starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel; “The Croods: A New Age,” starring Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds; “Let Him Go,” starring Diane Lane, Kevin Costner;

“Bios,” starring Tom Hanks; “The Bad Guys,” starring Awkwafina, Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson; “ Last Night in Soho,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, Matt Smith, and directed by Edgar Wright;

“Crisis,” starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, Evangeline Lilly; “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” starring Steve Carell, Lucy Lawless, Julie Andrews; “The Forever Purge,” starring Ana dela Reguera, Will Patton, Josh Lucas; “Nobody,” starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd;

“Fatale,” starring Hilary Swank, Michael Ealy, Mike Colter;

“ Old,” directed by: M. Night Shyamalan, based on the graphic novel “Sandcastle,” starring Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie; “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” starring Ariana Greenblatt, James Marsden, Jeff Goldblum; “Echo Boomers,” starring Michael Shannon, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Alex Pettyfer; “Land,” starring Robin Wright; “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan; “Girl,” starring Bella Thorne; “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” starring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb; “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” directed by Spike Lee and starring David Byrne, Jacqueline Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva; and “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical,” a live-action TV adaptation of the Broadway stage musical based on the Dr. Seuss classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Aside from Hollywood blockbuster highlights from Universal Pictures and a vast array of genres from several local and international film productions, upstream.ph will also showcase the best and brightest Filipino filmmakers thru their original works under UPSTREAM ORIGINALS. So what’s the reception to Upstream of the viewing public so far?

“Maganda naman ang reception ng Filipino audience,” says Dondon. “But nasa infant stage pa lang tayo in this kind of platform, so unti-unti, little by little gumaganda ang audience reception. We’re thankful that Universal saw that we’re fit to serve as their platform to show their movies.”

He admits the pandemic has badly affected the local film industry? “We’re not stopping to produce content now, but we producers are really wondering, kailan ba matatapos ang pandemic? Meantime, yung mga pelikula namin, di namin maipalabas. It’s really a struggle. We hope vieiwers we’ll realize that sa streaming, you can watch right in the comfort of your homes and with your whole family with a payment of just P210. Content is king, so we will come up with more attractions like the Manny Pacquaio fight, to train the audience to watch us on Upstream. It will also be an eye opener for other producers na puede silang magtiwala sa streaming platforms as an outlet for their movies and show.”

He thinks streaming is here to stay. “Eventually, babalik naman ang lahat, pati ang cinemas. But one of the learnings with the pandemic is that we really believe that Upstream is here to stay. We’re looking for a good collaboration with the cinemas kasi marami namang gustong lumabas at manood sa sinehan when things go back to normal, but may market din naman for those who prefer to just stay and watch at home. Kasi even abroad, after a couple of weeks, napapanood na rin ang movies nila via streaming. We’re partnering other producers magsama-sama, magtulungan so they can also show their content with us.”

Upstream will show original content, the movie “A Guy & A Girl”, on June 24 starring new discoveries Rob Gomez and Alexa Miro, directed by Erik Matti who says it’s unlike any other movie he has made before in his entire career as it is so wild and should be rated R-18.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Mario Bautista