Marimar Again on TV [plus Jestoni Alarcon]

When I was younger, I needed something to be obsessed over so I turned to the soaps on local channel tv. I’m thinking about it now, and the only reason I can validate is that probably I needed something to satisfy my closet drama queen – ego. I remember watching the Judy Anns and Claudines slugging Life out in the celluloid closet full of intrigues, backstabbing, cliches, and a despicable actor who went by the name of Gladys. My friends whose idea of a soap would have to be Days of our Lives or General Hospital back then, seriously snubbed Filipino tear-jerker soaps, so I naturally kept things to myself [except to our eager-beaver maid at the time] – anticipating the next episodes with a certain thrill. Then came the Mexican soap Marimar, which introduced the concept of a fast-paced telenovela to Filipino audiences. It was a phenomenal hit, as everyone went apeshit over the show – even my friends. That was ages ago. Recently, with my obsession over soaps a thing of the past, GMA 7 once again revived Marimar and made it a Filipino-language-and -cast show. I watched the pilot episode out of interest, and saw that it was, say, good – with a Spanish mestiza in the lead [Marian Rivera] and a miscast Sergio [Dingdong Dantes]. And of course, the father of Marimar there is played by the dishy Jestoni Alarcon [photos above]. Despite his age, Jestoni is still eye-candy, and an awesome actor. Now, if only I can snap out of this soap-opera neurosis again. Darn.