Hi! I need your help, please. This is a puzzle to me. And it is really difficult. The following are my considerations.
Sunday, February 8. ASAP on ABS-CBN. Kapamilya artists singing and dancing. Audience applauding, screaming. Like usual.
Half-way through the show, something special came up. Nice! Mega throwback of the many birthday moments of someone significant to the show. Upbeat and nostalgic numbers along with the song Happy Days Are Here Again with modified lyrics specially made for the ASAP director of 20 years, Johnny Manahan. The special segment was culminated with Ms. Lea Salonga singing Carol King's Tapestry. Happy Birthday, Mr. M!
A couple more segments were announced to follow. I believe that at this point, there were viewers, not only from the Philippines but from around the world, who had been stretching their patience and excitedly waiting for a number which they had been anticipating as something not usual, not just special, but extraordinary. Exceptional! I am talking about the much-awaited performance of Let It Go by Charice. I know I sound biased, but I am not. Please read on.
A clamor for Charice to sing the "Frozen" theme song in full was going around the social networking sites. Yes, "in full" because in mid-January, a video of Charice singing a part (from the bridge to the end) of the song was uploaded on YouTube and it immediately spread like fire. The viral video was picked up and uploaded by LionhearTV on its Facebook page and now has almost 1.5 million views. It was also featured on national television programs like GMA's Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.
Saturday, February 7. Chasters and those others who had seen the viral video became excited upon reading an announcement from ASAP Official accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram: Charice with her version of the phenomenal hit Let It Go!!! Bukas sa #ASAP4ever.
After about three weeks of waiting, they would experience Charice's full version of Let It Go!
Back to Sunday, February 8. ASAP in the last ten minutes or so of the show. Ms. Lea Salonga must have looked forward to Charice's performance, too. I see Ms. Lea as someone who is demonstrative of what she really thinks and feels; never pretending to be what she is not. And she is very transparent. The video below shows that she cannot contain her excitement while Martin Nievera is introducing Charice.
Video from twestj YouTube channel
Together with Ms. Lea, let us watch Charice perform the full version (her own arrangement) of Let It Go.
Video from ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel
Did you watch this performance last Sunday, February 8 during the ASAP live airing? If you did, what did you do afterwards? Did you tweet about it? It must have been difficult to focus on both watching ASAP's finale number, the Supah Dance number of beauty queen Miss Universe-Philippines MJ Lastimosa and tweeting about Charice's performance.
ABS-CBN was quick to announce it on their website complete with sample tweets and an embedded video of Charice's performance.
Charice tops the Twitter Trending Topics Worldwide
Those who had missed Charice's performance on TV and later heard about it, searched for her video online. They found one or two or three on YouTube. None of them was from the ABS-CBN Entertainment channel, so, none of them could be considered the official video. No matter. Official or not, people just wanted to watch the talk of the world last Sunday. One such video, according to comments I read online, reached as many as 600,000 views before it was taken down due to copyright issues. It was not official, remember?
So, why not upload an official video on YouTube, ABS-CBN? This is puzzling!
Monday. No video. Maybe tomorrow.
Chasters started their wait again. There should be an official video on YouTube. It was the #1 trending topic worldwide, right? They were quick to announce on their website about Charice being the #1 trending topic on Twitter, but not quick enough to upload the video on YouTube? This is puzzling!
Tuesday. Still no video. I started to wonder. What was taking ABS-CBN so long? Was the one in charge of uploading the video sick? No reliever? This is puzzling!
Wednesday. Morning. I checked on YouTube and there was nothing still. I went on with my usual activities. Night. Before going to bed, I checked on my Facebook. There, I read that ABS-CBN had uploaded an official video of Charice's performance on their YouTube channel. Later on, I learned that it was in the late afternoon when ABS-CBN.com tweeted WATCH: Charice belts Frozen's "Let It Go" on ASAP [link to YouTube]. Wow! They waited three long days before they finally uploaded the video. This is puzzling!
I clicked the given link on FB and watched the official video. It was actually exactly the same as the one embedded on their website article last Sunday except for three annoying pop-ups. The first and most annoying of the three pop-ups is shown below.
Screenshot of ABS-CBN YouTube video of Charice singing Let It Go with pop-up
What are they thinking? Are they thinking at all? What is that pop-up all about? Are they really telling me, "Hey, watch also our Pop Princess' version!" in the middle of Charice's performance? I have nothing against Sarah Geronimo. I watched her video of the same song weeks ago. I respect her as an artist. This pop-up or the one who initiated the idea of this pop-up, however, is disrespectful of Charice. I am not alone in thinking and feeling this way. Read the comments on YouTube. There are also comments on Facebook. Unless you x it out, the pop-up annoys you for 12 seconds! And of all the colors available, its background really has to be red. Isn't this puzzling?!
Again, I am asking for your help. I am extremely puzzled.
********** UPDATE **********
Wednesday, February 17, 2015.
This morning, about 8 o'clock PH Time, I clicked the link to Charice's official "Let It Go" video to watch it for the nth time. And I was treated to a pleasant surprise. There was no more Sarah G pop-up that was supposed to start at 2:00-minute mark. I could not believe it at first, so, I refreshed the video and true enough, the annoying pop-up was gone! It was replaced with a Charice-related pop-up shown below.
Screenshot of ABS-CBN YouTube video of Charice singing Let It Go
with a new Charice-related pop-up
When you click the new pop-up, it brings you to Charice's performance of Beyonce's "Heaven" on ASAP last month. This Charice video is part of the ASAP playlist in the ABS-CBN Entertainment channel. That playlist, by the way, is exactly the same playlist linked to the second pop-up shown below. Yes, back-to-back promotion.
Screenshot of ABS-CBN YouTube video of Charice singing Let It Go
with ASAP performances pop-up
Anyway, I am thankful that the Sarah G pop-up is now gone. And I commend the placing of each of the two pop-ups beside the ASAP logo, especially since they are both in red. Now, it is not so much of an eyesore. (I still go for a more subtle color, though.) The downside of this placement is the missing lyrics of the song in the duration of and in between the two pop-ups. On the second thought, who doesn't know the lyrics of "Let It Go" by now?
I hope that ABS-CBN reviews each and every video and article conscientiously and meticulously before publishing them for the reading and viewing public. I believe that it is part of their responsibility as an influential institution.
I am puzzled and wondered the same thing, as well... Why didn't they upload Charice's performance on same day? all other performances were! And that pop-up? Why? It's just not fair! I respect Sarah G, but this idea of advertising her performance on a CHAvideo it's just not fair. Why not do the same on SG video? add "Watch Charice - Let it go here". Right? i don't know why they're [ABS-CBN] behaving like this...Either they like it or not, Charice is one of the best artists in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ana for reading and sharing your thoughts. I wonder what Sarah and her fans would think and feel if your suggested pop-up appeared on her video. Puzzled perhaps?
Deletei dunno what Sarah G would say and feel about that, but one fan seemed to share my feelings when i tweeted abscbndotcom that it was not fair to advertise Sarah G video on Charice's.
DeleteThis is puzzling and upsetting. I don't understand why Charice is being treated so unfairly often here. Charice treat everyone with great respect and always giving her best to ABS-CBN/ASAP. She deserved to be treated the same way. Is that so much to ask? ! ABS-CBN/ASAP should treat all their Artist/Performer equally, after all they are "KAPAMILYA"
ReplyDeleteHello, Maria. Thanks for reading and writing what you think and feel about all this. Yes, everyone should be treated like a real Kapamilya.
DeleteABS CBN had to do it because they know it's hitting two birds with one stone. Promoting both artists and also taking advantage of the both Fan clubs fighting with each other. Business. But dont worry the whole world knows who's way better and incomparable. Lea cheering is enough proof that charice is charice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and leaving a comment. Whatever reason they may have, I hope they'll reconsider some of their ways especially because ABS-CBN is such an influential network.
Delete