Daily noontime shows “Eat Bulaga” and “It’s Showtime” are always introducing new portions to please viewers. In doing so, the rival programs sometimes come up with segments that are basically the same or are highly similar to each other.
At the start of the year, “It’s Showtime” introduced the portion ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ . If the portion sounds familiar, that’s because “Tawag ng Tanghalan” used to be ABS-CBN’s most popular talent search show which ran from 1955 to 1972 and then from 1987 to 1988. It spawned the careers of Superstar Nora Aunor, Edgar Mortiz, Eddie Peregrina, Ric Manrique Jr., Diomedes Maturan, Pepe Pimentel, and a host of others.
‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ is now one of the most-awaited segments of “It’s Showtime”. It is credited for increasing the ratings of “It’s Showtime” significantly. The segment has produced two semi-finalists so far, Dominador ‘Daddy D’ Aviola Jr. of Mindanao and Rachel Gabreza of Metro Manila.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy2WiGV1Qy0
Judges for the segment are Rey Valera, Edgar Mortiz, Rico J. Puno, Yeng Constantino, Karylle, Mitoy Yonting, Nyoy Volante, K Brosas and Karla Estrada.
Not to be outdone, “Eat Bulaga” came up with its own segment in search of new singing sensations. The producers of the show introduced “Just Duet’ on February 1, a competition wherein the contestant sings with a popular singer on split screen. The concept is probably a combination of Kalyeserye’s split screen romance and the application “Sing” by Smule.
Popular singers like Lani Misalucha, Kuh Ledesma, April Boy Regino, Renz Verano, Ima Castro, Christian Bautista, Gino Padilla and others have guested on the show via split screen. The contestants are judged by a panel composed mostly of Dabarkads like Allan K, Ruby Rodriguez, Patricia Tumulak, Alden Richards, with Traffic Diva Aicelle Santos. There are other guest judges for the weekly finals. Members of the studio audience participate in picking the winners through text voting.
Just Duet had its first weekly finals this Saturday, February 6. Its first batch of weekly winners are Dennis Santos, Karl Zarate, and Rocelle Solquillo.
‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ showcases a formula which has been tested for more than two decades while ‘Just Duet” has a more contemporary approach in its contest. The former highlights the contestant’s solo performance while the latter emphasizes the contender’s skill in blending his or her voice with another performer.
Both singing contests cater to a different set of fans and comparisons will probably intensify in the future. But for lots of televiewers, the new segments bring new reasons for them to enjoy the noontime shows. For those who can’t decide which one to watch, hey, what’s stopping you from switching between two programs? What’s the remote for?
