The camp of legendary starmaker Johnny Manahan, fondly known as Mr. M, has strongly debunked circulating blind items claiming he is parting ways with TV5.
According to an official statement texted by a Star Worx representative to PEP Troika, the rumors are completely baseless: “Mr. M is not leaving TV5.”
The Root of the Rumors
The controversy sparked from a series of showbiz blind items hinting that a veteran director and talent builder was bound to be let go by his current network. The rumors suggested that the station could no longer sustain the heavy production expenses required by his creative visions and that even his helmed shows faced imminent cancellation.
Given the recent high-profile launch of TV5’s rebranded talent management division, Star Worx (formerly MediaQuest Artists Agency), netizens quickly deduced that the blind items were pointing toward Mr. M.
Busy with Workshops and New Projects
Far from packing his bags, Mr. M is heavily immersed in training the fresh batch of Block 1 Star Worx artists. He has been spearheading rigorous acting and performance workshops to prepare these rising stars for upcoming TV5 programs.
Recently, several Star Worx talents—including Nico Matugas, Adam Buck, Chan Martin, Keisha Serna, Selina Griffin, and Marthena Jickain—made a successful promotional appearance at the Nanay Nation mall show held at SM City Manila.
Furthermore, young actor Adam Buck is already gearing up for an upcoming film, with some of his fellow management contract-mates securing guest appearances in the show A Secret In Prague.
Heartwarming Reunions and Current TV Lineup
The veteran maker of superstars expressed his joy over crossing paths with former Star Magic artists who now find themselves starring in Kapatid network programs.
Just recently, Mr. M shared a heartwarming moment on set with actress Shaina Magdayao, who was busy taping for TV5's newly debuted primetime series, My Bespren Emman.
Aside from artist management, Mr. M continues to serve as the director of TV5's Sunday music countdown program, Vibe. Addressing rumors regarding the musical show's potential cancellation due to its 0.6% rating last Saturday, May 30, a TV5 executive briefly told, “Hindi pa...” (Not yet), clarifying that the team behind Vibe remains unaware of any axe falling and continues regular production.
Industry Clueless on Rumored TV5, ABS-CBN, and AllTV Collaborations
Beyond the fate of Mr. M's current roster, rumors have also begun swirling regarding an alleged grand collaboration involving TV5 and ABS-CBN.
However, industry insiders close to the situation revealed to PEP Troika that they have absolutely no knowledge of such talks yet, noting that they still intend to clear the matter with network bosses.
Even representatives from AllTV, who were reached out to for a reaction regarding how these rumors might impact their own existing agreements with ABS-CBN, admitted to being completely clueless about the speculative cross-network partnership. For now, production teams and network insiders are still investigating to verify if there is any truth to these whispers.
With an active slate of programs, intensive bootcamp training, and direct backing from TV5 executives, Mr. M remains firmly in the director's chair to build the next generation of Kapatid icons
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