With box-office receipts down, young stars flock to new TV shows

Manila Standard (page 186), Sunday, March 21, 1999

'''With box-office

The one things good going for young and aspiring actors under the wings of ABS-CBN Talent Center is the network's capability to absorb them into its shows, thus freeing them from worrying about not getting any film assignments.

Recently, ABS-CBN launched three new shows -- Tabing Ilog, Ang Munting Paraiso, and Tara-Jing-Potpot -- that utilize the services of aspiring actors which, in a way, also introduce them to the audience who one day might just be convinced to leave the comfort of their home for jaunt to the nearest mall and watch movies featuring the young actors.

Tabing Ilog introduces the young love teams of Patrick Garcia and Paula Peralejo, Paolo Contis and Desiree del Valle, John Lloyd Cruz and Kaye Abad, and Baron Geisler and Jodi Sta. Maria. The one-and-a-half-hour drama airs Sundays at 2:30 in the afternoon starting last Sunday.

In Munting Paraiso, Jericho Rosales shows off his thespic talents as one of the children of a couple played by Ronaldo Valdez and Coney Reyes (I didn't expect to be back on the small screen this soon after that tearful farewell presscon when her drama series got the ax.) Another young hopeful, CJ Ramos, plays brother to Jericho's character. This tearjerker starts rolling at 3 p.m. every Saturday.

Paolo Contis is again the main attraction is the half-hour action-comedy Tara-Jing Potpot, Saturdays, preceding Munting Paraiso. This time he is joined by newcomer Bentong (who is also seen in Magandang Tanghali Bayan, and Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis) and up and coming teen star Nikki Valdez. With film projects trickling in like rain on El Niño days, action star Ian Veneracion and pugilist Onyok Velasco agreed to work for the boob tube than find themselves with nothing to do. The two complete the cast of the sitcom-cum-action Saturday fare.