Millennials don’t have it easy. Probably the most polarizing generation ever, millennials are sometimes described as driven and ambitious.
But they are also described as lazy, impatient, selfish, and the embodiment of narcissism. They are, at least according to the adults who define them, the most spoiled generation in history.
The six “Baes” of Eat Bulaga and young actress Taki Saito — stars of the GMA late morning show Trops — are millennials. But they are anything but selfish, impatient, and lazy.
The “Baes,” composed of Kenneth Medrano, Miggy Tolentino, Joel Palencia, Tommy Peñaflor, John Timmons, and Kim Last were finalists on Eat Bulaga’s “That’s My Bae” talent search last year. Joining them on the show is 16-year-old Taki, the Japan-born, France-based newcomer who entered showbiz via the drama Calle Siete.
These seven young stars prove that millennials can live up to their other, more positive moniker as the next greatest generation.
“This has been a dream come true, but we’re not resting on our achievements just yet. Since a year ago, we’ve been wanting to do something different, we’ve been waiting to show our talents,” said Kim, the 19-year-old Filipino-British dancer who ended up giving up his studies in London to give showbiz in the Philippines a shot.
Kenneth, the 25-year-old Cebuano who came to Manila to try his luck in show business, said they were not impatient at all. Instead, they used that one year to prepare and become better artists.
“Hindi namin inexpect ito,” he said. “Hindi namin deserve ito, pero may goal kami sa sarili namin na gagalingan namin at magiging idol kami ng mga kabataan.”
Trops is the perfect project for these young stars. It’s a show that tells the story of six young men and the problems they face as millennials — their friendships, their relationships, their dramas. In short, it’s the modern day Bagets, but with Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and everything that defines today’s youth culture.
“Sa isang taon na yun, hindi natin maiiwasan yung may away. Normal sa isang grupo yun, e. Doon namin na-improve sa sarili namin kung paano masosolusyonan yung mga problema,” said Joel, a 22-year-old artist who left the daily grind of being a call center agent to pursue his real passion – performing.
Filipino-American Jon, 21, said: “The only competition is ourselves. So as long as we do better than yesterday, then that will bring us closer to the top. That’s all that matters.” Like most newcomers in show business, he wants to eventually support his mother, who has four jobs in the States. “Seeing my mom smile is the best part,” he said.
“Kaming mga Baes, sobrang close talaga kami, halos kapatid na kami kung magturingan. Every morning, nagse-share kami ng Bible verses para maging positive kaming palagi at maging masigla kahit pagod na,” said Miggy, 20, who was helping out in his mother’s carinderia before entering showbiz.
But the wait was worth it. During their first week of airing, Trops dominated its timeslot by rating 6.2 to 6.4 percent. That’s not just because they are showbiz’s most current eye candies. It’s also because of hard work.
“The night before our first day, hindi ako nakatulog ng maayos. Our call time was six in the morning, dumating ako ng five. Ganun kagrabe yung excitement ko,” said Taki. “Pero yung pressure is on all of us. A lot of people expect so much from us kasi they gave us this huge opportunity. So we really have to give it back to them and do our best.”
“But it’s a good pressure. Positive pressure. Ayaw namin magbigay ng bigat sa sarili namin, kasi baka hindi kami makapagtrabaho ng maayos,” said Kenneth.
“Kahit may pressure sa amin, mino-motivate namin yung isa’t isa. Chini-cheer up namin yung isa’t isa para makagawa kami ng tama. Sa set, hindi kami naglolokohan. Kapag nasa taping kami, lahat kami nakatutok sa trabaho.,” said Tommy, the 23-year-old from Bataan.
And they don’t do this for themselves as well. Beyond the popularity, what they want to do with Trops is provide a good role model to the often-misrepresented millennials.
It’s difficult to rewrite and change how adults see millennials. But they’re up for the challenge.
“I believe in ‘never stop learning.’ I always want to inspire people of my age na you don’t have to be 18 to know what you want to do in life. I knew what I wanted to do with my life when I was 14-years-old,” Taki said.
Kim shared, “For me, the happiest part of showbiz is that you can be someone. At the end of the day, you know you’ve done something good if you’ve inspired someone.”
“We’re taking the work and accepting it and not giving up,” said Jon.
Trops airs daily before Eat Bulaga on GMA 7.
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Kristoffer Martin and Joyce Ching as a love team has been trending for their sweetness in the afternoon soap in GMA Afternoon Prime’s Hahamakin Ang Lahat from the time it premiered on the Kapuso network.
In fact, the followers of the show say that they felt the love of pair for each other when the characters they play came out in the show as adults.
They play Jun Jun and Rachel in the series. They saw each other in the swimming pool with Joyce in a two-piece swimwear, her first on screen.
That scene sent fans in frenzy and twitted it to make the show in the trending list of Twitter.
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Encantadia continues to dominate nationwide ratings, according to data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (NUTAM). Since Oct. 24 to 31, the show proved it is a formidable player in the primetime ratings game with its 12.5 percent ratings average.
According to the producers of the show, the weekly pasabog makes it to be a worthy nightly watch, especially with the appearance of Agua (played by Janine Gutierrez). What will be her role in the lives of the Sang’gres. Is this a sign of Alena’s return to the magical world of Encantadia?