Things AlDub’s ‘Sa Tamang Panahon’ got right; Tweets hit 39.4 million and counting
At the height of emotions, drowned by the noise of screaming fans, Wally Bayola, as his “Kalyeserye” character Lola Nidora, stood between Alden Richards and “Yaya Dub” (Maine Mendoza) and took a moment to acknowledge where they were – a strange place between fantasy and reality, truth and fiction, and
uttered these words: “Ang mga bagay na pinaghihirapan natin, mga bagay na hindi pinipilit; hinihintay ang tamang pagkakataon, dumating na hindi inaasahan… binago ang mga buhay natin. (All that we’ve worked for; things that we did not force; waiting for the right chance; now has come unexpectedly and changed our lives).”
Lola Nidora was, of course, talking about the whirlwind romance between the “accidental love team” the world now knows as AlDub, but she could very well be referring to the series of events that turned a once unassuming segment on “Eat Bulaga” into a ratings juggernaut and changed the lives and careers of those involved.
Apart from lording it over Twitter trends for several Saturdays, “Eat Bulaga” upped the ante and staged a recordsetting live show at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan yesterday.
Selling out the 55,000 seating capacity of the venue in record time, the grand celebration was billed “Sa Tamang Panahon.” And what a moment it was for them.
Fairy tale for all It’s got all the feels, as kids today would say. From the moment Alden stepped inside the arena proper and Maine, standing onstage, turned around and looked at him, the fairy tale lives. He, dressed in a grey tailcoat; she, in a pink long gown – the Cinderella moment, with Alden even putting shoes on Maine’s feet as if he were Prince Charming, strangely mixed with reality to let fans have the shared experience with their idols they’ve been longing to see.
The highlight of the meeting was Alden telling Maine, “Ang tagal kong hinintay ang chance na ’to (I’ve waited long for this moment)… to say God gave me you.”
He added: “Ang layo na ng narating natin. Dalawang taong naghahanap at finally nagkita na rin (We’ve gone so far together. Two people searching and finally meeting).”
He offered her his arm and sang to her Bryan White’s “God Gave Me You.” She sang a few lines as well. At some point, the split-screen lovers conquered all divide and finally hugged – it was a long time coming and as sincere as it got. The crowd went wild; Twitter exploded.
Lessons imparted In the roughly hour-and-a-half of program before AlDub even stepped on stage, Lola Nidora and her sisters, Tidora (Paolo Ballesteros) and Tinidora (Jose Manalo) held court. Segments of talk and funny antics were peppered with various production numbers including a throwback segment with the lolas’ younger versions: “Eat Bulaga” co-hosts Pauleen Luna (Lola Nidora), Julia Clarete (Tidora) and Patricia ‘HBD Girl’ Tumulak (Tonidora).
What’s more important than the spiels and squeals were the nuggets of wisdom Lola Nidora dished out, a word of the wise to the young and impressionable fanbase the AlDub love team attracts.
Speaking on family, particularly grandparents, Nidora said, “Dalawin niyo naman sila o kahit tawag niyo sa telepono, malaking bagay yun para sa kanila. Malayo man o malapit... sa konting panahon, napakadaling bagay nun.”
On love and emotions, she noted: “Kapag madaling makamtam, madali ring makakalimutan,” and, “Ang pag ibig magtatagal nang mahabang panahon, kung ito’y inaantay sa tamang panahon.”
On education, she dished out a funny quip: “Mga kabataan unahin ang edukasyon,” adding, “Mag aral muna ng square root bago humarot.”
Safety and numbers
Rumors of threats floated around days before the big arena event. The “Bulaga” hosts had been vigilant in calling on the entire AlDub nation and its supporters to not pick fights even on social media; to ignore bashers and let insults slide; and more importantly, be safe and follow rules at the event.
On Friday, Alden tweeted, “Bago tayo umalis lahat bukas para sa ‘Tamang Panahon’, I’m encouraging everyone to pause and pray for the safety of everyone.”
The precaution is not unwarranted. As early as 8 a.m. yesterday, the area surrounding the arena was packed with fans. Photos surfaced online showing thousands waiting to get in for the 10 a.m. program. The program proper started at 11:30 a.m.
At the venue, the people were happy and patiently waiting. They reserved their energy to scream for “EB” cast members and go wild when AlDub finally showed up. People jumped for joy, screamed, cried and even hugged each other out of sheer delight – it seemed like a giant feelgood party among friends and family.
Aside from broadcasting the show live, various communities hold live screenings in public venues in Cebu, Davao and other parts of the country. “Eat Bulaga” also aired live in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea, Saipan, Australia and the Middle East; with scheduled replays.
Tweet, repeat: 39.4 M
As is the norm with Saturday episodes of the “Kalyeserye,” fans set Twitter ablaze with their posts and pushed the hashtag for the day atop the worldwide trending topics. Yesterday wasn’t any different.
As early as 1 a.m. the tweets bearing the hashtag “AlDubEBTamangPanahon” hit the 2.4 million mark. By noon, the number climbed to over 15 million. At 1 p.m., the time Alden and Maine finally made an appearance on the show, the tweets were at over 18 million.
By show’s end at around 3 p.m., with the rest of the “EB” Dabarkads joining AlDub and the lolas on stage to sing the show’s theme song, the numbers climbed to over 22 million. By 5 p.m., the tweets had reached 27 million and as of 11:57 p.m., Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto confirmed 39.4 million tweets, breaking the Super Bowl record of 28.4 million tweets in Feb. 2015.
The website http://onemilliontweetmap.com/ that tracks live tweets real time shows the areas all over the world from where the posts originate: the most coming from the Philippines and various areas in North America; and places like Australia, Japan, Europe, parts of Asia, and even Africa and South America.
What commercial?
In an unprecedented move, “Eat Bulaga” gave followers at home (Team Bahay) and at the venue (Team Arena) an added treat – a non-stop show with no commercial interruptions. Such is the clout now of the “Kalyeserye,” it seems, that the show has managed to do what even big-ticket boxing matches refuse to do.
Sure, logos of various sponsors flashed on screen every now and then; and even Frankie (Manalo), Yaya Dub’s former suitor, had to perform a production number wearing an outfit emblazoned with sponsor logos. Still, it seemed a small price to pay if it meant none of the audience had to sit through 25 minutes of advertising to see five-minute show segments sandwiched in between.
Library advocacy
More significant than any of the hype surrounding AlDub is the fact that its creators and stars used it as a means to affect change. Putting their money where their dubsmashing mouths are, they use “Sa Tamang Panahon” as a fund-raising campaign for an invaluable advocacy.
At the beginning of the show, Lola Nidora announced on stage that the fans raised 14 million from “Sa Tamang Panahon” tickets, which will go into the AlDub Library Project. It aims to build libraries in various public schools all over the country, including the Ongol Ilaya Primary School in Dumarao, Capiz, and Tambacan Elementary School in Mindanao, as a start.