Sunday, July 17, 2011

Hello, everybody; and yes...it's been quite a while, so let's get right to it!

First up...on Friday came the shocking news that after seven years, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are done with each other. The couple said in a joint statement: "
We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time."

So...what happened? Throughout the first half of 2011, Lopez's star shone like never before with her latest album "LOVE?" as well as a judge on some show called "American Idol". In other words, she was non-stop. Anthony, on the other hand, pretty much stood back from his wife's spotlight.

But over the years, Jennifer's love life was nothing but a rollercoaster ride with three marriages (Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Anthony) and relationships that had the tabloids working overtime, especially with her and Ben Affleck. I said something at the start of my 2002 Year In Review that "Jenny from the Bronx and Benny from Beantown created bigger buzz than Brad Pitt and that other Jennifer (Aniston)", but after "Gigli" flopped hard in 2003, it was over for Bennifer I. Bennifer II came when Affleck met and later married Jennifer Garner (who had the hot "Alias" at the time); six years and two children later, they're still together.

There are millions of miles of highways criss-crossing the country, but right now, only one portion in a certain part is having commuters using Google Earth to look for alternate ways to get around.

Ten miles of the 405 freeway that is stretching between the San Fernando Valley and Westside Los Angeles is being closed
over the weekend due to a construction project involving the demolition of the Mulholland bridge in what is known as "Carmageddon". And all this week, the media was advising everyone to stay away from the 405 and opt for alternative routes in lieu of the freeway.

Meanwhile, JetBlue profited from Carmageddon by offering special commuter flights between Burbank and Long Beach for a mere $4; they were sold out in three hours. But if everything goes according to plan, Carmageddon will be over by Monday morning.

Now what if one of your area's expressways happened to be shut down due to matters like this? No biggie; we have our own ways to get around town. But being the freeway capital of the world, Los Angeles's traffic is clogged day in and day out like our arteries, and in the case of the 405, the time has come for some much-needed surgery.

And last but not least: "The Price Is Right" will kick off its 40th season this fall, and over those years, it has been a worldwide phenomenon with various foreign versions on and off the air in countless countries. But there is one that takes difference to a whole new level.

Lately, I've been watching episodes of the Philippines "Price Is Right" online, and its production and cheapness is somewhat atrocious it'll make Drew Carey regain his weight! First...the pricing game and the prizes. They always play these same ones over and over again: It's In The Bag, Secret X, and Hole In One, all for 120,000 Philippine Pesos which translates it's roughly over $2,700 U.S. (Punch-A-Bunch: up to P100,000, or $2,300) Sorry; no Lucky Seven, Any Number, etc., or even Plinko or Golden Road.

Second: The Showcase is the only time you see the big prizes being offered including a car, and the average price of that is around P1,200,000 to P1,500,000, which is $27,000 to $35,000. In comparison, our Showcases go up to $50,000 or more.

And thirdly, which is perhaps the biggie: THE HOST!! She's Kris Aquino, a very popular television personality and film actress whose father happens to be Philippine president Bengino Aquino III! That explains her job security.

As the self-described "Queen of All Media" (yeah, right; Oprah Winfrey owns that title!)/"Queen of Game Shows" (wrong; that belongs to Betty White!) as well as other ventures including her own magazine, a daytime talk show, and Filipino versions of "Deal or No Deal", "Pilipinas Got Talent" (where she's a judge; Howie Mandel better not shake her hand!), and "Wheel Of Fortune" as well as recently cutting her first album (good luck finding it on iTunes), Aquino has the popularity of Ryan Seacrest with the effervescence and loudness of Mila Kunis or "Jersey Shore's" Snooki. So in the case of the Filipino "Price is Right", she's Drew Carey or Bob Barker with the volume turned up to 100.

But I can give you this: They occasionally use some of the old music cues that we've already retired years ago. Maybe someday in one of their games, they should consider offering a trip to Los Angeles...where they could win some real prizes on our version! The Filipinos would sure "Come on down!" for that! So long and stay strong.