Betty La Fea in the Philippines

Betty La Fea
Not all, but many Latin telenovelas (and Filipino teleseryes) are ma-arte [over dramatic] and border on stupid and ridiculous, except for a lucky few. And one telenovela that changed everything was definitely Betty La Fea, which was a smash hit in the Philippines for many reasons: because it was smart, it had a dark humour that many Filipinos could relate to, and it was the most realistic true-to-life down to earth telenovela in history, which has made it the most successful telenovela in history, so much so that it has even been adapted for Hollywood by Salma Hayek into Ugly Betty, which is an okay show, but pales in comparison to the original and is made shallow to fit the shallow tastes of Hollywood and the image-obsessed world of entertainment in the US. It influenced Spanish telenovelas such as La Mujer en el Espejo. And let's not forget the influences Betty La Fea has had on Philippine TV and the extremely high ratings it got reaching #1 on GMA in 2002, and high ratings when it was shown for the second time on GMA the following year, and the high ratings it got with it's sequel Ecomoda on ABS-CBN the following year, and high ratings again when it was re-aired on Studio 23 just a few months ago in 2007, and high ratings again when it was also re-aired on QTV in 2007, and also how it influenced shows such as Bakekang and Kampanerang Kuba, which although is a remake of the Vilma Santos movie from the 1970s, the idea of remaking and making those shows into TV in recent years would not have been thought of or implented if the ugly duckling-turned-swan novela of Betty La Fea on Philippine TV had not taken place beforehand or had been so successful in TV ratings in 2002.
And from the great writer of Betty La Fea, Fernando Gaitan, there's a new hit telenovela from Colombia that I am currently enjoying now that I thought other Filipinos might also enjoy, and it's called Hasta Que La Plata Nos Separe, which is a play on words, "Hasta que la muerte nos separe" means "Til death do us part", a common wedding vow, but the word muerte has been replaced with "plata", which most Filipinos know formally is the word for silver, but is also a slang term in Spanish for money (and also a slang among Filipinos for money as well). It's about a poor, provincial taxi driver who gets into a car accident with an uptight business woman who sells cars. He needs to pay her back the money for the accident, but since he's poor, he has no other choice but to work at her company as a car salesman until he can pay her back, and in the process, turns her life upside down, and it's hilarious.

And this novela is fantastic, the entire cast is fantastic, they're all fantastic actors, and it's absolutely hilarious, you will laugh out loud watching this show, because the comedy is so clever and smart, and it's receiving #1 ratings all over Latin America, and it's as good or better than Betty La Fea in many ways, and I recommend you check it out if you live in the US, it's showing on Telefutura at 5pm on weekdays. It's entirely in Spanish, but some words and sentences are in English, there are no English subtitles, but there is closed captioning in Spanish, making it convenient for most Pinoys since many times, many Pinoys' abilities to read Spanish are superior to understanding spoken Spanish, but you'll understand it anyway when you watch it because of the thousands of Spanish loanwords in Filipino languages. And I love the theme song, listen to it, I've translated it for you in English:


Opening Entrance to Hasta Que La Plata Nos Separe
[I Will Marry You] Til' Money Do Us Part
My rough translation of the title

Theme song translation of chorus in English at (0:35 seconds)
It's a man singing to a woman:
I need you to slap me (Necesito que me pegues)
To insult me and to never let
a minute pass without treating me bad
Just so that you'll return to my life
I need your love
that won't let my scars heal
That you shout at me in a bar
That you offend me without thinking
That you make me fall to my knees and pray
But I hope you return soon
My heart is broken
Because the only exit out is (Pues no tengo mas salida)
towards your love (que tu amor)

Betty La Fea Opening Credits

• Cristine Reyes vows to honor contract with GMA Artist Center CF January 12, 2008 07:13 PM
• Ryan and Judy Ann fly to U.S. for "Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo" screening CF January 12, 2008 01:12 PM
• Filipino singer Vincent Bueno wins "Musical! The Show" in Austria January 12, 2008 09:51 AM
• Riza Santos still considers Mariel Rodriguez as her friend January 11, 2008 06:58 PM
• TV Ratings (Jan. 8-10): "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara" getting stronger January 11, 2008 06:16 PM
• Breakup with Mark Herras bruises Lian Paz's heart and pride January 11, 2008 04:49 PM
• Claudine Barretto talks warmly about sisters Gretchen and Marjorie CF January 11, 2008 03:25 PM

The Philippines' pride Vincent Bueno was named the first winner of Musical! The Show, a musical competition in Austria. The finale held early this morning (Philippine time) pitted him against two women finalists.

• Filipino singer Vincent Bueno wins "Musical! The Show" in Austria January 12, 2008 09:51 AM

TV Ratings (Jan. 8-10): "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara" getting stronger
Erwin Santiago
Friday, January 11, 2008
06:16 PM

Kris Aquino is once again proving that she really is the Queen of Horror. After her back-to-back box-office success in Star Cinema's Feng Shui and Sukob, both directed by Chito Roño, Kris's latest horror project, Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara, is also sweeping the ratings game.

Shown nightly on ABS-CBN, Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara has been making its way on top since its premiere last Monday, January 7.

Based on the latest overnight ratings of Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), the ABS-CBN horror-serye is now the third most-watched primetime show on television. Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara posted a rating of 32.8 percent last Wednesday (Jan. 9) and 31.8 percent last night (Jan. 10).

Meanwhile, Marimar, continues its reign as the No. 1 overall program while Kamandag is at No. 2.

Eat Bulaga! ruled the daytime slot on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Daisy Siete grabbed the lead Thursday.

PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) received overnight ratings from AGB Nielsen for Tuesday (Jan. 8) and from TNS for Wednesday and Thursday.

Here are the overnight ratings from January 8 to 10 conducted by AGB Nielsen (Jan. 8) and TNS (Jan. 9-10) among Mega Manila households:

January 8 (Tuesday)

Daytime:

1. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 20.7%
2. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 20.1%
3. Whammy! Push Your Luck (GMA-7) - 16.7%
4. Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig (GMA-7) - 16.4%
5. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 15.8%
6. Kapamilya, Deal Or No Deal (ABS-CBN) - 15.1%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 15%
8. My Only Love (GMA-7) - 14.1%
9. Come Back Soon-Ae (GMA-7) - 13.8%
10. Takeshi's Castle (GMA-7) - 13.1%

Primetime:

1. Marimar (GMA-7) - 39.6%
2. Kamandag (GMA-7) - 36.5%
3. Zaido (GMA-7) - 33.2%
4. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 31.7%
5. La Vendetta (GMA-7) - 27.4%
6. Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (ABS-CBN) - 26.7%
7. Coffee Prince (GMA-7) - 24.9%
8. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) / Lastikman (ABS-CBN) - 24.5%
9. Maging Sino Ka Man (ABS-CBN) - 21.2%
10. Ysabella (ABS-CBN) - 17.9%

Source: AGB Nielsen

January 9 (Wednesday)

Daytime:

1. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 19.8%
2. Whammy! Push Your Luck (GMA-7) - 19.4%
3. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 17.5%
4. Kapamilya, Deal Or No Deal (ABS-CBN) - 15.2%
5. Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig (GMA-7) - 15%
6. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 14.9%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 14.6%
8. Takeshi's Castle (GMA-7) / My Only Love (GMA-7) - 12.5%
9. Pinoy Movie Hits (ABS-CBN) - 11.7%
10. Come Back Soon-Ae (GMA-7) / Prinsesa Ng Banyera (ABS-CBN) - 10.2%

Primetime:

1. Marimar (GMA-7) - 37%
2. Kamandag (GMA-7) - 35.6%
3. Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (ABS-CBN) - 32.8%
4. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 31.8%
5. Zaido (GMA-7) - 31%
6. Lastikman (ABS-CBN) - 30.1%
7. La Vendetta (GMA-7) - 27.3%
8. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 25.2%
9. Coffee Prince (GMA-7) - 21.6%
10. Maging Sino Ka Man (ABS-CBN) - 21.1%

Source: TNS

January 10 (Thursday)

Daytime:

1. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 19.6%
2. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 19%
3. Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig (GMA-7) - 17.9%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 16.7%
5. Whammy! Push Your Luck (GMA-7) - 16.3%
6. Kapamilya, Deal Or No Deal (ABS-CBN) - 16%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 14.6%
8. My Only Love (GMA-7) - 14.1%
9. Takeshi's Castle (GMA-7) - 13.9%
10. Pinoy Movie Hits (ABS-CBN) - 11.5%

Primetime:

1. Marimar (GMA-7) - 37.6%
2. Kamandag (GMA-7) - 32.6%
3. Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (ABS-CBN) - 31.8%
4. Lastikman (ABS-CBN) - 30.9%
5. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 30.1%
6. Zaido (GMA-7) - 30%
7. La Vendetta (GMA-7) - 29.9%
8. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 25.6%
9. Coffee Prince (GMA-7) - 22.1%
10. Maging Sino Ka Man (ABS-CBN) - 21.9%

Source: TNS, PEPThe star of Betty La Fea, Ana Maria Orozco.