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The Best Solar Entertainment commercials of all time
Sun, Jun 1, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
It's June and we're down to the two best teams in the league: the revamped Boston Celtics featuring the all-star triumvirate of Ray Allen, KG and Paul Pierce against the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers. While a lot of people are looking forward to the modern day version of this storied rivalry, I'm actually more interested in what happens every time the coach signals for time. Yup, that's right -- the commercials! It's our answer to the Yank's mega-popular Super Bowl Halftime show. In anticipation of the upcoming Friday morning's visual onslaught, I'm going to list the ten best ads Solar has excreted into the viewing public during the last couple of years:
10. Boysen Roofguard (2005) - What starts out like the typical "husband-and-wife" blueprint takes a sudden turn towards the surreal as the man climbs out of bed, sneaks up to their roof and lies down as a smother of rain pours down on his face. The camera then pans to the wife, peering contently. Now, I don't know what exactly Boysen was thinking when they made this ad but one thing's for sure: David Lynch would be proud.
9. The Prime Shift (2005) - As part of Solar's scheme aimed at rattling the cages of the "Big Two", Solar supplied the then-called RPN-9 a rich selection of programs packaged under the motif The Prime Shift. The umbrella project had an accompanying 5-minute ad narrated by an unnamed entity known as the "Prime Shift Voice" who immediately garnered a cult following with his unusually gruff voice that straddles the lines of D.O.M. and phlegm. Going below the radar for a year, the voice resurfaced in 2006 with a newfound passion for Tagalog ("baka isang kendat mo lang, baka ikaw ay masupelpel..") rekindling lost interest. Sadly, the voice was retired after wards.
8. Pigrolac (2006) - It's still a mystery how the pig scaled the roof but nevertheless, this commercial has it all -- melodic riffing, layered vocals and piglets frolicking in Eden. I don't think there's anything more you could ask for... maybe that they be spared after the shoot, although highly unlikely. Sing it with me:
"Habang bata pa
Sa damuhan maghabulan
Mag-tampisaw sa ulan
Dahil minsan lang sila bataaaaa..."
7. DENR Waste Disposal Public Advisory (2006) - Even a 10 peso budget isn't enough to dissuade DENR from their stream of public advisories. This under appreciated gem of guerrilla film making owes its appeal to the unintentional comedy generated by it's picture quality that would make America's public access channel's look like high-def and a lead with the face of an orangutan from a botched facial reconstruction surgery.
6. KFC Hot and Crispy (2008) - Nearly a month after its release, the message of this ad is still lost to me. It's either KFC is trying to replace heroin and booze by suggesting that a hot drumstick would make you forget a string of inconveniences ranging from a broken cellphone to a towed vehicle, or maybe the fantasy of being Ric Flair overnight.
5. Caltex "Listen and Win" (2007) - You rarely see Anthony Suntay on local TV these days and when he does, expect gold. Last seen uttering the comical phrase "si kobe na ang magiging focal point ng offense ng lakers! DIS WILL BE SHOWTAYM!!!" in what would be his last NBA Finals hosting job in 2001, viewers were left wondering where Chino Trinidad's crew-cutted palette swap went. Anthony made a surprise comeback last year, acting alongside Vito Lazatin in a Caltex ad which shows the pair listening (and providing play-by-play) to a live game streaming on their car radio... while parked outside and what appears to be office hours. Nevertheless, this lone appearance was enough to satiate the cravings of masochists everywhere as Anthony treats us to his trademark exaggerated shrieks and penchant for rolling vowels.
4. BTV Collection (2008) - Bleeding for creative writers, Solar continued to march on with what they have, displaying the resourcefulness and ingenuity that made them a byword in the competitive world of cable television. The result was a bevvy of ads low in visual design and quality that made fans clamoring for more. It would be hard to pick a favorite which is why this author lumped all ads into one spot. The minimalist combo of orange background/white font and marquee scrolling? The non-nonsensical rhyming ("What's your peeve, Steve?", "Dallas don't be an ass!") of the House of Holland-inspired commercial for the NBA's best playoff games? BTV hosts' Lia Cruz and Vito Lazatin's Cannes-worthy performance in the "There can only be one" spoof? In my book, they're all equally brilliant.
3. "Tubig Naging Bigas" trilogy (2004) - A series of "talking head" vignettes that started in 2004, sanctioned by GMA's all-powerful viral PR team. In each episode, a representative of the "masa" community proclaims their undying love for the President for her acts of kindness. "Sa wakas mayayakap ko na din si GMA!" utters one woman in a state of unparalleled giddiness.
Fun fact: 3 pails of water cost 16 pesos which meant they had to pay 5.33 pesos per pail.
2. Skechers "Real Life" (2006) - Tired of the street art stop-motion collage employed by every shoe company that caters to skaters, hipsters, faggots, and skating hipster faggots, Skechers decided to take a different direction this time around, seeking to appeal to the inner pervert inside the hearts of men by combining the ethereal camera work of American pornographic videos with a straightforward, asinine plot. Apparently the intention was to lampoon teen-oriented reality shows but almost everyone I talked to was thinking porn. That aside, the ad's claim to fame is definitely the acting chops of the characters who -- as cliche as it may sound -- seem devoid of any acting experience and was merely forced to participate at gunpoint.
And the top spot goes to...
1. Cherifer-PGM (2005) - A highly-sought after ad, this cult sensation aired for only a few weeks before disappearing completely off the face of the earth in favor of a mediocre alternative featuring a "tall" adult taking a jump shot amidst the aggressive double teaming of two adolescent males. In the original, a group of freshman college students are huddled in a living room teasing their friend who's embroiled on an SMS exchange with a mysterious girl. This sets up the scene that would forever cement the commercial's place in history as each of his friends utter "maganda?", "thoughtful?", "matangkad" in increasing decibels with the enthusiasm of a woman faking an orgasm. Due to the ad's rising underground popularity, a re-make was filmed from a female perspective but failed to garner the same amount of following as the original.
Sun, Jun 1, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
It's June and we're down to the two best teams in the league: the revamped Boston Celtics featuring the all-star triumvirate of Ray Allen, KG and Paul Pierce against the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers. While a lot of people are looking forward to the modern day version of this storied rivalry, I'm actually more interested in what happens every time the coach signals for time. Yup, that's right -- the commercials! It's our answer to the Yank's mega-popular Super Bowl Halftime show. In anticipation of the upcoming Friday morning's visual onslaught, I'm going to list the ten best ads Solar has excreted into the viewing public during the last couple of years:
10. Boysen Roofguard (2005) - What starts out like the typical "husband-and-wife" blueprint takes a sudden turn towards the surreal as the man climbs out of bed, sneaks up to their roof and lies down as a smother of rain pours down on his face. The camera then pans to the wife, peering contently. Now, I don't know what exactly Boysen was thinking when they made this ad but one thing's for sure: David Lynch would be proud.
9. The Prime Shift (2005) - As part of Solar's scheme aimed at rattling the cages of the "Big Two", Solar supplied the then-called RPN-9 a rich selection of programs packaged under the motif The Prime Shift. The umbrella project had an accompanying 5-minute ad narrated by an unnamed entity known as the "Prime Shift Voice" who immediately garnered a cult following with his unusually gruff voice that straddles the lines of D.O.M. and phlegm. Going below the radar for a year, the voice resurfaced in 2006 with a newfound passion for Tagalog ("baka isang kendat mo lang, baka ikaw ay masupelpel..") rekindling lost interest. Sadly, the voice was retired after wards.
8. Pigrolac (2006) - It's still a mystery how the pig scaled the roof but nevertheless, this commercial has it all -- melodic riffing, layered vocals and piglets frolicking in Eden. I don't think there's anything more you could ask for... maybe that they be spared after the shoot, although highly unlikely. Sing it with me: "Habang bata pa
Sa damuhan maghabulan
Mag-tampisaw sa ulan
Dahil minsan lang sila bataaaaa..."
7. DENR Waste Disposal Public Advisory (2006) - Even a 10 peso budget isn't enough to dissuade DENR from their stream of public advisories. This under appreciated gem of guerrilla film making owes its appeal to the unintentional comedy generated by it's picture quality that would make America's public access channel's look like high-def and a lead with the face of an orangutan from a botched facial reconstruction surgery.
6. KFC Hot and Crispy (2008) - Nearly a month after its release, the message of this ad is still lost to me. It's either KFC is trying to replace heroin and booze by suggesting that a hot drumstick would make you forget a string of inconveniences ranging from a broken cellphone to a towed vehicle, or maybe the fantasy of being Ric Flair overnight.
5. Caltex "Listen and Win" (2007) - You rarely see Anthony Suntay on local TV these days and when he does, expect gold. Last seen uttering the comical phrase "si kobe na ang magiging focal point ng offense ng lakers! DIS WILL BE SHOWTAYM!!!" in what would be his last NBA Finals hosting job in 2001, viewers were left wondering where Chino Trinidad's crew-cutted palette swap went. Anthony made a surprise comeback last year, acting alongside Vito Lazatin in a Caltex ad which shows the pair listening (and providing play-by-play) to a live game streaming on their car radio... while parked outside and what appears to be office hours. Nevertheless, this lone appearance was enough to satiate the cravings of masochists everywhere as Anthony treats us to his trademark exaggerated shrieks and penchant for rolling vowels.
4. BTV Collection (2008) - Bleeding for creative writers, Solar continued to march on with what they have, displaying the resourcefulness and ingenuity that made them a byword in the competitive world of cable television. The result was a bevvy of ads low in visual design and quality that made fans clamoring for more. It would be hard to pick a favorite which is why this author lumped all ads into one spot. The minimalist combo of orange background/white font and marquee scrolling? The non-nonsensical rhyming ("What's your peeve, Steve?", "Dallas don't be an ass!") of the House of Holland-inspired commercial for the NBA's best playoff games? BTV hosts' Lia Cruz and Vito Lazatin's Cannes-worthy performance in the "There can only be one" spoof? In my book, they're all equally brilliant.
3. "Tubig Naging Bigas" trilogy (2004) - A series of "talking head" vignettes that started in 2004, sanctioned by GMA's all-powerful viral PR team. In each episode, a representative of the "masa" community proclaims their undying love for the President for her acts of kindness. "Sa wakas mayayakap ko na din si GMA!" utters one woman in a state of unparalleled giddiness.
Fun fact: 3 pails of water cost 16 pesos which meant they had to pay 5.33 pesos per pail.
2. Skechers "Real Life" (2006) - Tired of the street art stop-motion collage employed by every shoe company that caters to skaters, hipsters, faggots, and skating hipster faggots, Skechers decided to take a different direction this time around, seeking to appeal to the inner pervert inside the hearts of men by combining the ethereal camera work of American pornographic videos with a straightforward, asinine plot. Apparently the intention was to lampoon teen-oriented reality shows but almost everyone I talked to was thinking porn. That aside, the ad's claim to fame is definitely the acting chops of the characters who -- as cliche as it may sound -- seem devoid of any acting experience and was merely forced to participate at gunpoint.And the top spot goes to...
1. Cherifer-PGM (2005) - A highly-sought after ad, this cult sensation aired for only a few weeks before disappearing completely off the face of the earth in favor of a mediocre alternative featuring a "tall" adult taking a jump shot amidst the aggressive double teaming of two adolescent males. In the original, a group of freshman college students are huddled in a living room teasing their friend who's embroiled on an SMS exchange with a mysterious girl. This sets up the scene that would forever cement the commercial's place in history as each of his friends utter "maganda?", "thoughtful?", "matangkad" in increasing decibels with the enthusiasm of a woman faking an orgasm. Due to the ad's rising underground popularity, a re-make was filmed from a female perspective but failed to garner the same amount of following as the original.
Wow. The 15Prallel is back online! :D
Pwede bang runner-up yung other GMA commercial? Yung "ramdam namin ang asenso". Lol.
Pwede bang runner-up yung other GMA commercial? Yung "ramdam namin ang asenso". Lol.
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