[Featured Image for ALDUB Bucket List from Eat Bulaga Facebook Page.] This ALDUB Bucket List is based on a conversation I had online about ALDUB. Some of them are sympathetic to Erik Matti’s “Demand for better films” adage. And there is this segment of the ALDUB fanbase claiming that My Bebe Love is a little too “light-hearted” for love team with a popularity caliber as that of ALDUB.
Now that fans are starting to speculate on MaiDen (Maine and Alden) projects suggested. I thought of throwing in some suggestions too. I would not limit it to KDrama though because honestly. I am so outdated with KDrama (or any Korean pop culture circa 2015). So some Latin American influences would be thrown in for good measure. I will not limit the ALDUB Bucket List to drama either.
ALDUB Bucket List
Amanda O
If you’re looking for a credible romantic-comedy acting vehicle for Maine Mendoza in your ALDUB Bucket List. Amanda O is the way to go. Amanda O is an Argentinean internet television series that was once aired in the defunct GMA sister channel, QTV. It was dubbed in English when it was aired here. It is about self-centered, narcissistic, stuck-up, fame-hungry, spotlight hugging actress with the screen name Amanda O. It’s also one of the fascinating attempts to apply magic realism in a Latin American telenovela.
By the time Amanda meets her love interest, she has already suffered the consequences of an alcohol-induced, half-assed wish to be NOT Amanda O. Must have been the overwhelming consequences of fame after getting stuck on the bad end of her superstar complex. And this is why it worked so well as a comedy. Alden’s role as her love interest? A mechanic living in some bodega with not much access to the outside world because he’s some hipster oblivious to contemporary pop culture. In short, someone who have never heard of Amanda O before. A clear “contrapelo” to the cult of personality that Amanda O immersed herself in. Inside jokes are easy to inject in a ALDUB Bucket List entry like this.
ALDUB Bucket List
Mi Gorda Bella
(Released on GMA Network as “Tabatina”)
In other countries, it was released as “My Sweet Fat Valentina” because the lead character is named Valentina. It’s basically a story that discussed the pitfalls of being a fat girl and having image-conscious relatives. At first it seemed like these “evil” relatives bullied her for being fat. But her aunt, Olympia, is one money-hungry gold-digger ready to kill relatives for inheritance purposes. (So much for marrying into the family.) Relatives include Valentina. She orchestrates a plan to poison Valentina while framing her own son, Orestes, to save her own skin. You already see where this ALDUB Bucket List entry’s twist is going, right?
It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It pushes Valentina to get into a slimming program. She pushed herself to a figure that would make her unrecognizable even to Orestes, her crush, cousin and one of the few BFF’s she ever had in the household. In case there is one character in this ALDUB Bucket List entry that is closest to beloved grand-aunt, Donya Tinidora, it’s Valentina’s spinster aunt.
ALDUB Bucket List
Like Water For Chocolate
Laura Esquivel’s novel was already adapted into a critically-acclaimed movie of the same title. In fact it was an entry in the 65th Academy Awards (a.k.a. Oscars) for Best Foreign Language film from Mexico. Most netizens may not have realized this. But this is basically one of the first literary works that contained “hugot”-based recipes. Where is the “hugot” aspect in the recipes? The lead character, Tita de la Garza, is neither a writer nor an artist. But she expresses her feelings best when cooking. And the novel is written like a diary that contained recipes. The stories behind the recipes served as the meat of the story. It’s the kind of plot that I know would elicit mixed reactions. But Maine Mendoza’s Culinary Arts degree came to mind as I picked this entry into the ALDUB Bucket List.
Adapting this into a teleserye meant capitalizing on the focal points that the film version missed. Changing some of the recipes to fit the Filipino culinary environment is inevitable. Also, not all of the recipes mentioned elicited negative feelings like rejection and bitterness. Sure, elements of the conventional Latin American telenovela are seen here. Like the diary and the overbearing parent similar to the conflicts that Lola Nidora faced in the KalyeSerye. But never before has the kitchen and a cookbook/diary ever been crucial tools to get the plot moving forward. The diary not only becomes an interesting reading material for Tita’s indirect descendants. It becomes a legacy in their collection of family recipes. One problem I had in including this in the ALDUB Bucket List though is the ending. I will not spoil that for you even if I have read the book myself.
ALDUB Bucket List
Full House
Adding some suggestions in our ALDUB Bucket List is a little tough. If GMA is planning to taking the Mexican entertainment business model of reviving TV series every 10 years or so. Full House might fit the bill. It was the rumored business decision behind the 2015 MariMar remake. (Technically, it’s 8 years since the 2007 MariMar remake.) Nevertheless, whether it is true that Full House is one of the series to be considered for Maine and Alden. I would include it here since I have watched the Korean version in full.
To fans unfamiliar with Full House, it’s about Jessie losing her house to some complicated mishap. When the house got auctioned in the market, Justin ended up buying it. An issue of house ownership ensues. Fast forward to Jessie’s desperate attempt to reclaim her house that got auctioned by mistake and she’s married to Justin. It wasn’t a marriage for convenience. That alone became the source of the most hilarious situations in the story. With Maine and Alden having almost mastered the art of physical comedy in the hit KalyeSerye, you understand why KDrama enthusiasts would bring this to our ALDUB Bucket List.
ALDUB Bucket List
Delightful Girl Chun-hyang
(Released on GMA Network as “My Sassy Girl Chun-hyang”)
The main challenge here would be presenting Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards in several years. Plus an attempt to present a period avatar of their respective characters. Their time as high school students, struggling young urban professionals and eventually as adults (plus their Hermit Kingdom era avatars) would mean featuring them in different time frames. The Korean version is already a remake of an old Korean folk tale. Hence the period outfits. So having this transposed in the Filipino setting might mean a few adjustments again. Since the other draw of My Sassy Girl was the music, it can be a good repository of the ALDUB Songwriting Contest entries that made it to the finals. Also, physical comedy becomes a factor again. Hence an instant inclusion into our ALDUB Bucket List.
Speaking of an ALDUB Bucket List, here is a collection of the previous ALDUB-related articles for your backreading pleasure. Apologies for the episode that I missed.:
ALDUB We Belong Together
ALDUB Maybe This Time
ALDUB For You I Will
ALDUB True Love Waits
ALDUB You Lola
ALDUB Not ALDUH
ALDUB is for Real
ALDUB Keep The Faith
ALDUB Against All Odds
ALDUB Tuloy Ang Forever
ALDUB Love On Top
ALDUB Ang Lihim Ni Lola
Happy ALDUB Weeksary
ALDUB Getting Closer
ALDUB MaiDen Heaven
ALDUB The Revelation
ALDUB Battle for a Cause
ALDUB Kapit Lang
ALDUB Lost Without You
ALDUB Ko To
ALDUB The Abduction
ALDUB Worth Fighting For
ALDUB For Talk N Text
ALDUB 2nd Monthsary
ALDUB One More Day
ALDUB Most Awaited Date
ALDUB The Trials
ALDUB The Next Chapter
ALDUB More Than Words
ALDUB Our Mission is Love
ALDUB EB For Love
ALDUB Meets TVJ
ALDUB Switch
ALDUB The Decision
ALDUB Together Again
EB Dabarkads Pa More
ALDUB Missing You
ALDUB Stay With Me
ALDUB Way Back Home
ALDUB The Big Surprise
ALDUB Road To Forever
ALDUB EB Tamang Panahon
ALDUB Predictions
ALDUB 15th Weeksary
ALDUB Bahay ni Lola
ALDUB The Ring
ALDUB The Visitor
ALDUB 16th Weeksary
ALDUB Prepare Pa More
ALDUB Performs Together
ALDUB Missing Ring
ALDUB The Letter
ALDUB Last Chance
ALDUB 17th Weeksary
ALDUB Birthday Plan
ALDUB Happy Bday LOLA
ALDUB 4th Monthsary
ALDUB The Who
ALDUB The Rivalry
ALDUB 18th Weeksary
ALDUB Fixed Marriage
ALDUB Runaway
ALDUB Don’t Give Up on Us
ALDUB Stay Strong
ALDUB Kilig Continues
ALDUB Deja Vu Love
ALDUB 20th Weeksary
ALDUB De Explorer Trials
ALDUB Rendezvous
ALDUB MaiDen Moment
ALDUB Where To Go
ALDUB Bagong Simula
ALDUB Pagbangon
ALDUB 5th Monthsary
ALDUB 22nd Weeksary
ALDUB Ang Pagtatagpo
ALDUB Better Half
My Bebe Love Film Review
For the episodes that I missed in our ALDUB Bucket List of Episode Recaps, you can find them at Eat Bulaga’s official Facebook page. Like them at Facebook. And follow them on Twitter @EatBulaga to tweet your thank-you notes.
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