Kapamilya Christmas Special showcases stable of stars
In the recent ‘Family Is Forever – The ABS-CBN Christmas Special 2019’ held at the Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City, it was evident who among the stars in the Kapamilya galaxy shone brighter and with more glitter.
‘Unkabogabol’ star Vice Ganda appeared in at least three production numbers and in the finale in the annual special that featured more or less 200 Kapamilya stars.
In two of the numbers, Vice was hoisted, first with harness then with a human pyramid from a university pep squad. In those two performances, Vice managed to appear surprised when his wig was detached and exposed his receding hairline to the delight of the audience.
Among the younger stars, Kathniel tandem (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) as well as LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil) had more than one exposure.
Other stars also had their moments like Coco Martin who sang and danced with his group from the long-running series ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.’ Daniel Padilla first appeared with Piolo Pascual, who looked much younger with his short-cropped hair, and later with other stars and his on- and off-screen partner, Kathryn Bernardo.
The Janella Salvador and Joshua Garcia tandem and the fast-rising Gold Squad (Andrea Brillantes, Kyle Echarri, Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin) from the top-rating afternoon soap Kadenang Ginto also had their share of the limelight.
Big stars like Sarah Geronimo, Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta, Angel Locsin and Angelica Panganiban offered song numbers. The networks thespians in likes of Eula Valdez, Gian Magdangal, Tirso Cruz III, Ian Veneracion, Christopher de Leon, John Arcilla, Sunshine Cruz and Franco and Ayen Munji-Laurel also displayed their musical talents.
Diamond Star Maricel Soriano shared the limelight with Sharon Cuneta in thanking the network’s bigwigs for their longevity in the business.
Hunk groups commonly referred to as Kapamilya Hombres, Bidaman led by big winner Jin Macapagal, the #Hashtags led by Zeus Collins and the cast of Los Bastardos (Albie Casiño, Jay Cuenca, Joseph Marco and Joshua Colet) and other leading men Vin Abrenica, Ejay Falcon and Gerald Anderson, to name some, flaunted their physiques amid applause from the predominantly female audience.
The all-female K-Pop group Momoland surprised the audience by dishing out some original hits and a cover of Yeng Constantino’s ‘Salamat.’
Asia’s Timeless Diva Dulce who sang a nostalgic Maala-ala Mo Kaya, opened the segment on TV anthogies and series themes, followed by other Cebuana warblers (Sheryn Regis, Vina Morales, Morisette and Jaya) and some Kapamilya singers (Erik Santos, Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, KZ Tandingan, Angeline Quinto, Piolo, Yeng Constantino and others. Jose Mari Chan and Moira dela Torre did Please Be Careful With My Heart.
In her message, Charo Santos Concio stressed the importance of the family in the celebration of Christmas. Afterall, the network’s Christmas slogan was ‘Family Is Forever. The specials lasted for three hours and was shown in two installments that same weekend.
Note: Photos by ABS-CBN
