Pregnancy, network war, scandals and feuds, switching channels, breakups and reconciliation, and Gretchen Barretto were the contents of the showbiz news that became headlines here in PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) the past two months.
PEP now gives you a rundown of these stories in this special report.
BABY BOOM. The Year of the Rat was welcomed by the shocking news that young actress Jennylyn Mercado was three-weeks pregnant. The father of her child is, of course, boyfriend Patrick Garcia.
The young couple consulted a judge at the Makati City Hall on January 3 about their plan to marry. But the judge advised them to think about their decision thoroughly before plunging into a more binding relationship.
Before the end of February, however, Jennylyn and Patrick broke up. Jennylyn, now three months preggy, cited Patrick's lack of concern for her as the main reason she decided to cut ties with him.
Jennylyn was not the only star who admitted carrying a child. Sexy stars Sheree and Alicia Mayer also revealed that they are expecting their firstborns this year. Like Jennylyn, the two sexy stars are not yet married to the father of their unborn child—Sheree with singer Gian Magdangal and Alicia with a non-showbiz guy (reportedly the son of Jesus Is Lord leader Eddie Villanueva).
Meanwhile, former child actress Camille Prats gave birth to her first child with husband Anthony Linsangan last January 24 in Los Angeles, California. Camille and Anthony got married a few weeks before the young actress gave birth.
Another young actress who gave birth early this year was ABS-CBN talent Eda Nolan, 19 years old. The news about Eda's delivery last February 8 was a shock to many since news about her pregnancy never came out. What's more shocking is that the father of her son is a talent of the Kapuso network—Gian Carlos, 18, who was a runner-up in GMA-7's artista search, StarStruck 3. The relationship of the two somehow proved that love could blossom in the ongoing network war.
NETWORK WAR HEATS UP. Speaking of the network war, the ratings dispute between giant networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7 escalated at the start of the year. ABS-CBN presented several witnesses—most of whom agreed to show their faces on camera—while GMA-7 continued to deny the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) junked ABS-CBN's complaint against AGB Nielsen because the case was "prematurely filed." The Kapuso network lauded the court's decision, but the Kapamilya network vowed to pursue its TV ratings battle.
AGB Nielsen asked the court for protection against ABS-CBN. Later, the survey firm petitioned to sanction ABS-CBN for contempt, saying that the Kapamilya network's reports about the ratings manipulation in Bacolod were false. In its own investigation, AGB Nielsen claimed that ABS-CBN is also involved in promotional activities.
Another blow to ABS-CBN's case was the order of the QC RTC to stop issuing "damaging" statements against GMA-7. In return, ABS-CBN requested the Court of Appeals to nullify the TRO favoring the Kapuso network.
And so, the TV ratings battle continues.
"WOWOWEE" SCANDALS. The court battles of ABS-CBN do not only concern the TV ratings. Last January, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sued the Lopez-owned network for irregularities in the noontime show Wowowee because of an alleged anomaly in the "Wilyonaryo" segment of Willie Revillame's show.
The court also ordered the re-opening of the ULTRA tragedy case. The stampede during Wowowee's first anniversary on February 4, 2006 killed 74 people and injured dozens more. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to file charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries against some of the executives and employees of ABS-CBN.
