Showbiz Dribble

CEBU, Philippines - Would you believe three Philippine-themed movies are competing in the Foreign Language category of the 2014 Academy Awards? They are “Transit,” “Metro Manila” and “Ilo Ilo.”

“Transit” is the Philippines’ official entry, chosen by the Film Development Academy. “Metro Manila” is the United Kingdom entry, and “Ilo Ilo” will represent Singapore.

“Transit” is the gripping story of a Filipino caregiver in Israel who is trying to save his son from deportation. The selection committee chose the film over a formidable field that included “OTJ,” “Thy Womb,” “Supremo,” “El Presidente,” “Dance of the Steel Bars,” “Ekstra,” “Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles,” “Tuhog” and “Boses.”

Directed by Hannah Espia and produced by Paul Soriano, “Transit” won as Best Film in the New Breed category in the last Cinemalaya festival. It reaped nine other awards in the category, including Best Actress for Irma Adlawan and Best Supporting Actress for Jasmine Curtis-Smith. The entire cast was also cited for Best Ensemble Acting.

“Metro Manila,” which won the Audience Award in the Sundance Festival, is the story of a farmer who moves his family to the big city and gets dragged into the criminal underworld. Sean Ellis directed and co-wrote the script with Frankie E. Flowers.

“Ilo Ilo,” directed by Anthony Chen, is about a Filipina domestic helper’s travails in Singapore.

No Philippine film has won an Oscar, in part because it needs a lot of money to promote an entry. Hundreds of foreign films vie for the Oscars every year, and an entry needs a good promotional push to get noticed.

And even if a film has the financial clout, it still has to go through a tough selection process before making the final top five. I remember Judy Ann Santos went on a fund-raising drive for “Ploning,” the Philippine entry in 2009. Juday, who starred and was deeply involved in the film’s production, even held an auction of movie memorabilia.

***

Pop Superstar Sarah Geronimo has been nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Southeast Asia Act. “For a decade now, she has achieved multiplatinum albums, record-breaking concerts, blockbuster movies, and high-rating TV shows. Sarah’s phenomenal musical talent has earned her recognition not just in her homeland, but all over Asia,” the write-up on Sarah on the MTV Europe Music Awards website read.

The article gushed over Sarah’s showbiz accomplishments. “She won the title of Best Asian Artist (Philippines) at the 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong, making her the first Filipino to receive the award,” it said. “In the Philippines, she has been honored by many prestigious award-giving bodies.”

Sarah will be up against Hafiz of Malaysia, My Tam of Vietnam, Noah of Indonesia, Olivia Ong of Singapore and Slot Machine of Thailand. Awards night on November 10 in Amsterdam will be shown in over 60 channels. But wait. Sarah’s year-ending concert, “Perfect 10,” is on November 15. Will she be able to attend the Amsterdam affair?

***

Speaking of Sarah, Tita Lolit Solis hasn’t given up hope that the multi-talented star can still link hearts with Gerald Anderson. Tita Lolit promises to pay for the honeymoon (in Paris!) of the two, if ever they decide to tie the knot. “I’ll have them marry in Notre Dame. Then I’ll bring them to Lourdes,” she said.

Tita Lolit admits that she is an avid Sarah-Gerald fan. “Rabid” I think is the more appropriate word.

***

How much is Britney Spears worth? A cool $44 million, according to Radar Online.com. Britney, it turned out, played the stock market in 2012 and made close to $12 million to boost her fortunes, according to Radar Online. Now that’s what I call rolling in cash.