Richard Gutierrez apologizes to Rhian Ramos

Richard Gutierrez apologizes to Rhian Ramos for not attending her 18th birthday party/debut. Richard will star in Zorro, and Rhian will star in Lalola, both premiering only months from now on GMA.

Richard Gutierrez in Zorro Philippine Remake

Richard Gutierrez will star in Zorro, the Philippine television adaptation of the famous novel by Johnston McCulley. It will be produced by GMA7 and will air in 2009. The female lead has not been cast yet, but Richard Gutierrez has already signed on to play Zorro/Don Diego de la Vega. The executive producer is Wilma Galvante.

Zorro in the Philippines

GMA7 still triumphantly holds the top spots in the TV ratings for both daytime shows and primetime shows for the week of October 8, 2007. 27 years later, the country's three favorite funny guys, brothers Mr. Vic and Tito Sotto and Mr. de Leon, are still on top with their hit show Eat Bulaga!, the longest running TV show in Philippine history. And Zorro comes slashing his way to the Philippines.

Top 10 programs in daytime and primetime TV for the week of October 8, 2007:

Daytime:
1. Whammy! Push Your Luck (GMA-7) - 23.5%
2. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 21.9%
3. Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap (GMA-7) - 19.8%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 19.3%
5. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 18.8%
6. Kapamilya Deal or No Deal (ABS-CBN) - 18.6%
7. Pasan Ko ang Daigdig (GMA-7) - 18.5%
8. Prinsesa ng Banyera (ABS-CBN) - 16.8%
9. Pilipinas Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 16.7%
10. Takeshi's Castle (GMA-7) - 16.3%

Primetime:
1. Marimar (GMA-7) - 36.6%
2. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 36.2%
3. Zaido (GMA-7) - 34.9%
4. Lastikman (ABS-CBN) / Hwang Ji Ni (GMA-7) - 26.1%
5. Kokey (ABS-CBN) - 24.8%
6. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 24.3%
7. Jumong (GMA-7) - 24%
8. Pangarap na Bituin (ABS-CBN) - 22.7%
9. Ysabella (ABS-CBN) - 19.8%
10. Natutulog Ba ang Diyos (ABS-CBN) - 15.6%

Source: AGB Nielsen Philippines

Meanwhile, we're really glad that Zorro: La Espada y La Rosa is showing in the Philippines and that the Filipinos can have a chance to enjoy this great telenovela via ABS-CBN, which is more like watching (and living in) a cinematic movie every day spread out for an entire year. Zorro is a historic novela, because it is the most expensive telenovela in history as it is a co-production of Telemundo with RTI and Sony Pictures Television International, and it is also the first telenovela in history to be shot entirely in widescreen HDTV (like a movie or the mainstream shows in the United States), which made it fantastic for us to watch it here in Los Angeles on a widescreen plasma TV. I recorded the entire series DVD-quality via my TiVo, which took up multiple hard drives that I had to buy just to accomodate it along with all the other shows I record. I don't think it's being shown in HDTV in the Philippines because the transition to digital television has just begun there, but the production values of this telenovela are so high, it is indeed like watching a really good movie everyday. Filipinos also get the chance to watch their favorite Gata Salvaje again as Marlene Favela enchants their screens with her beauty everyday.