WATCH | Clueless Americans decipher #AlDub in Buzzfeed video

Buzzfeed finally came to the AlDub party.

“This show is electric! I don’t know what the f*ck is going on but it’s just like a whirlwind of fun sh*t,” says a staffer of one of the internet’s premier merchants of viral content in the video “Americans Respond to #AlDub”, released online on Friday, two days after BBC Online reported about the global social media phenomenon spawned by the “Eat Bulaga” love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza.

The hilarious two-minute video dissects the tandem’s appeal and the meaning of “pabebe” from the point of view of Americans who not only don’t understand a word of Tagalog but also think “Bulaga” sounds like a whale — “a cute whale.”

One respondent even pronounced it “Ba-loo-ga” — as in the pejorative term for a dark-skinned person — while paying the the 36-year-old noontime show the ultimate compliment.

“Say good bye to your ’Desperate Housewives’, ‘Parks and Recreations’. Throw that sh*t out. ‘Eat Baluga’ is coming to the States.”

Watch the video here:

source: interaksyon.com

BBC, Reader’s Digest, Spotify join #AlDub bandwagon

Even the rest of the world is taking a closer look at #AlDub.

No longer confined to the entire country, the phenomenal #AlDub love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza is also beginning to capture the imagination of foreign media.

One day after InterAksyon tried to make sense of #AlDub, BBC News Online, the most frequently accessed news website of the United Kingdom, posted the news story “’AlDub’: A social media phenomenon about love and lip-synching” Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).

Written by Heather Chen, the piece also tries to put #AlDub in the proper perspective as it offers “everything you need to know about lip-synching, being in love with somebody you have never met and how to break records on Twitter.”

The story includes interviews with TV host and blogger Daphne Oseña-Paez as well as BBC presenter Rico Hizon who confesses to being a fan of the “Kalyeserye” segment of “Eat Bulaga” where #AlDub began as a split-screen love team.

It also cited several local reports, including InterAksyon’s own piece on Maine Mendoza being in the same league as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry as among the fastest growing celebrities on Twitter.

Aside from the BBC, Reader’s Digest is also jumping on the #AlDub bandwagon. Alden and Maine are set to grace the cover of the December issue of the Asian edition of the 93-year-old general interest magazine that originated in New York in 1922.

Like the BBC, Reader’s Digest is also considered an institution and to date, continues to have a strong presence in print media.

The “globalization” of #AlDub does not end there as the popular music streaming service Spotify recently created its own “#AlDub: Happily Ever After” playlist featuring such tracks as Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” which is now known as the entrance theme song of Lola Tinidora (Jose Manalo), Bryan White’s “God Gave Me You” and Alden Richards’ latest hit single, “Wish I May”.

Spotify has currently over 75 million users worldwide.

source: interaksyon.com

Sotto admits #AlDub 'somehow helped' him top latest senatorial surveys

MANILA – The “#AlDub nation” has not only conquered every home and office, but may have played a role in cementing Senator Vicente Sotto III's lead in senatorial surveys.

The senator, a mainstay in the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga that is now enjoying an unprecedented boost from the "#AlDub" mania, remains number one in all survey ratings for senatorial candidates in 2016.

“Siguro, siyempre nakakatulong iyon [Maybe, somehow, it helped],” Sotto said, referring to the "#AlDub" factor in an interview before attending Tuesday's session.

However, Sotto said it is not only #AlDub that helped him land on top in voter preference, but also the ratings of the entire show.

He noted as well his consistently high ratings in surveys even before the "AlDub" phenomenon came into being. He has also consistently been in the top 3 of winners in past Senate races.

“Pero hindi naman iyon lang kasi iyong mga survey nakaraan, kapag tinignan mo mataas din naman ako kahit wala pang #AlDub,” Sotto said.

Sotto also attributed his ratings to his work in the Senate, citing his perfect attendance and participative attitude in all plenary and committee hearings.

“I think those who were surveyed are aware of all these," he said, referring to his Senate work.

“Siguro naman kung gusto mong bumoto ng isang senador, gusto mo iboto ang masipag siguro [I'd guess that if you wanted to elect a good senator, you'd vote for the one who works hard],” he added.

Sotto said his being top in the ratings will inspire him to work harder. “All I can say is I'm pleased, I am humbled. Probably being highest in the ratings will inspire me to work more, work harder,” Sotto said.

“Whereas before, I'd be here in the Senate at 3 pm, maybe now I'll be here at 5 minutes to 3," he quipped.

Sotto said he will appear in Eat Bulaga until the election period starts on February 5, 2016, and start his own campaign around the country.

“Of course you still have to campaignbecause come February 5, I'll no longer be seen at Eat Bulaga,” he explained.

Sotto said that his popularity cannot be attributed soley to #AlDub but also to all shows in Eat Bulaga including the “That’s My Babe,” "Juan for All, All for Juan," among other things.

“Kaya lang natatabunan ng ratings ng #AlDub, akala nila #AlDub lang, of course, it plays a big role, pero sa reading namin, eh, it is the entire Kalye Serye gimmick eh,” Sotto said.

NPC deciding this week

Meanwhile, Sotto said that the Nationalist People’s Coalition will decide whom to support within the week in undisclosed meeting.

“Siguro, yes, hopefully very soon, baka makapagdesisyon na ang partido kung mag-e-endorse ng isa lang, kung isa lang kandidato o maso-sona libre o ano,” Sotto said.

source: interaksyon.com