When In Manila and sinking into your comfy couch after a hard way’s work, check out Solar Entertainment’s latest offerings to notch up your cable viewing experience!
Solar Entertainment is the media conglomerate responsible for cable networks ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, and Universal Channel. Rounding up a spectacular year in 2011, members of the press were invited to witness what these channels have in store for 2012 in All Aboard! Destination Entertainment at the Genting Club, Resorts World Manila last January 17, 2012.
Ah, the life of a blogger in a Solar Entertainment presser: food, live entertainment, and giveaways!
ETC made the big leap from cable to free television in 2011. With a commitment to airing the freshest episodes within days after their initial US broadcast, the No. 1 female channel in the country is ready to spoil everyone with new shows, new seasons, and new specials.
Starting the year with a bang, ETC brings the 11th season of American Idol this January 19 via satellite at 6 PM. Ryan Seacrest, Steve Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and “Dawg” Randy Jackson are back as the latest season unfolds the real-life drama of aspirants (talented or not) aiming high and making it in the grandest stage of all! Project Runway Philippines is back with a vengeance as Tweetie De Leon hosts the hallmark fashion reality series in its third season. Then, catch Patti Grandidge (of the famed Sweet Patti Cakes) and Kim Jones as they keep track of the latest trends in fashion, TV, the web, and the youth in the locally produced show ETCETERA.
Project Runway Philippines’ new host Tweetie De Leon and (an obviously starstruck) me!
2nd Avenue is the home of multi-awarded Modern Family and one of my personal favorites How I Met Your Mother. Ever since the suit-donning, woman-loving Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris) took out his playbook to teach young hopeless romantics the secrets of his art, I got caught hook, and, and sinker laughing with the series!
A much talked about addition to the 2nd Avenue roster is the musical drama Smash, premiering on February 9. Boasting of a strong cast including Debra Messing (of Will & Grace fame), Anjelica Huston, Katharine McPhee, and Megan Hilty, the show is a Marilyn Monroe inspired drama centering on the highs and lows of creating a Broadway Musical. And for fans of The Talk, new show The Chew adds a sumptuous ingredient as its hosts discuss topics on lifestyle and food while – well, if you have three chef-hosts, what would you want them to do? – cooking up a feast!
The ratings weren’t lying when they announced Jack TV to be the top general entertainment channel in cable TV. Conan, Family Guy, and The Big Bang Theory are three shows that never fail to get me glued to the screen. I’m also excited with the new sci-fi drama Terra Nova. With Steven Spielberg as its executive producer, the show’s plot is definitely intriguing as it reveals another group of humans desiring to control the past, making the series not just a humans v. dinosaurs survival series.
And Jack isn’t done just yet. Coming this February, follow the curious duo of fast-talking lawyer Harvey Specter and college dropout Mike Ross as they take on New York elite’s legal troubles in the legal drama Suits. 24’s Kiefer Sutherland makes his return to TV in Touch, a thriller about a young boy who can recognize patterns and predict events and his father (Sutherland) who tries to save the people who these events will affect. Also, our favorite characters from the brothers Grimm come to life the way the brothers conceived them to be: dark and fantastic. In Grimm, a homicide detective protects humanity from the supernatural creatures that each of us have been acquainted with through fairy tales.
With two of its channels taking top spots in general and female viewership and a parade of new shows and seasons to keep Filipino cable subscribers entertained, Solar Entertainment shows no signs of stopping. In fact, they’re crossing over by co-presenting Evanescence and Bush this February 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. And if you’re still craving for more, Solar Entertainment COO Peter Chanliong hinted on bringing Lady GaGa to the Philippines some time in the middle of this year.
When In Manila, be sure to check out Solar Entertainment in ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, and Universal Channel. Then go buy your tickets for Evanescence Live in Manila this February 19, 2012!
Patti and Kim of ETCETERA. Ah, the life of a blogger…
