Wednesday, September 29, 2010

CHARICE PEMPENGCO, GLEE AND FILIPINO VALUES

I saw Glee's Britney Spears episode last night. I was hoping to see Charice make her second appearance in the highly popular show. But the credits flashed with Charice not making even a brief appearance.
From reliable sources, Charice will not be in the Britney and Rocky Horror episodes. She might make her second appearance on the fourth or fifth episode. But to this day, she has yet to receive her script for the said episodes. It makes me wonder if Charice will truly be a regular cast member or merely a regular guest star.
Interestingly, from the first episode, Sunshine decides not to join the glee club.  She opts for another singing group primarily because of the green card that will be given to her and her mom upon joining the singing group. In typical Filipino fashion, Sunshine grabs the opportunity to get a green card. Add to the equation a condo unit and she but naturally heads for the more financially rewarding option.
I think the show's depiction of Filipinos while true for a lot of Filipinos, may be an affront to a few. After all, there are Filipinos who do the right thing even without considering the financial aspects of things. There are those who value the greater good of others than monetary gain.
I think Sunshine Corazon deserves her limited exposure in Glee. People who are only after material gain deserve to be less seen.

5 comments:

  1. Charice is coming back in episode 7. Also it has already been said she is a recurring guest star and not a regular. She will be in around 10 episodes and maybe more out of the 25 this season. It's about the same exposure as Jonathan Groff and more than Kristen Chenoweth. IT has nothing to do with Greed or financial gain. Is the right thing to do is to let someone treat you like dirt,put your life in jeopardy and turn the other cheek? IS the right thing to do be subservient and let people walk all over you? It's an audition, like a job interview,people audition or apply to multiple jobs. Just because someone hires or accepts you does not mean you have to accept. You have the option to choose. Being a "martyr" is not the right thing to do. That's called slave mentality.
    Then again, It's just a story line. It's a comedy show. You are either over-thinking it or making much ado about nothing.

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  2. Apologies for the double post. I just think it is hard to make a generalization that the show Glee , which has given Charice a great opportunity, was slighting Filipinos and should be considered an affront. I am A Filipino and I am not offended. That is because I am a fan of the show and have watched every episode and Know what is going on. VA (the glee club) that Sunshine was "recruited" has always been portrayed as affluent with many boosters (that is supporters of the school/club). They have offered each of their members A Land Rover among other things. If nothing else, I'm affornted that they didnt offer Sunshine ENOUGH as a condo rental in Ohio would just amount to just around $12,000 per year, while a Landrover would be $60,000 plus (depending on options). So before making perceived slights, base your opinions on the totality and not just one snippet of an episode.

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  3. dear laser,
    thanks for reading my blog.
    i am happy the way sunshine is prtrayed as an intelligent english speaking Filipino exchange student. but i am disheartened that all it takes for her to switch allegiance is a green card and condo unit. Filipinos have better ideals than that.
    if it's any consolation, i really think charice is the best singer in the whole cast of glee.

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  4. bro, i think you got this all wrong... it was also emphasized in the show that she was mistreated and manipulated by rachel. Though it was mentioned first that she was given a condo and green card, if you were in her shoes, will you stay in a school where you are being bullied and treated or exposed to danger? She does trust rachel (or maybe the school for that matter)anymore. Moreso, it is a reality in the US of special gifts given to students in return for their talents...

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  5. You said "I think Sunshine Corazon deserves her limited exposure in Glee. People who are only after material gain deserve to be less seen."

    Then Rachel Berry deserves lesser exposure than Sunshine Corazon. She is more self centered than anybody else and she is only after personal gain.

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