BY NESTOR CUARTERO
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JUST A THOUGHT: “A mother is the one who fills your heart in the first place.” – Amy Tan
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MORNING MOMS: TV programmers have made us believe that the first few hours of the morning are “the mommy hours.’’
From the 1960s when television was still in its infancy, morning shows were hosted by women who were mothers. Programmers didn’t seem to mind that mothers are usually busiest in the morning as they prepared their children for school, and their husbands to work.
Such programs tackled home concerns, like food preparation, cleaning tips, regular mommy duties.
Some of those who hosted morning shows and who made quite an impression through the years are Merce Henares, Baby O’Brien, Tessie Tomas, Kris Aquino.
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REAL-LIFE MOMS: The old tradition of casting real-life mothers in mommy shows airing in the early morning has continued to this day.
While the subject areas remain the same, there have been innovations here and there in keeping with the times.
One such show, GMA’s “Mars Pa More,” is celebrating its first anniversary. Hosted by Camille Prats and Iya Villania-Arellano, the daily wakeupper brightens mornings with fresh, exciting episodes through segments like “Mars Masarap” and “Pusuan Mo, Mars.”
I like their House Tours, where they show homes of actors with matching annotation. I thought it was quite interesting seeing the bed and breakfast inn of actress Glaiza de Castro in COVID-free Baler.
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FROM HOME: It was fun to learn that in keeping with the pandemic times, “Mars Pa More’s” fresh episodes are produced from the homes of Iya and Camille.
The two women, both hands-on moms, are their own cameramen, lighting directors, make-up artists and stylists.
“Mars Pa More” airs Monday to Friday, 8:45 a.m. on GMA Network.
