Entertainment trends in 2003

Since we’re now well into the year – a time when we’ve digested all the holiday food and have unwrapped, used or set aside all our Christmas presents – maybe we can think more clearly about the things to come in 2003. I’m no psychic, but somehow, I know more or less what to expect from the TV and movie business this year. Below are what I feel would be the entertainment trends in 2003:

* A couple of film bios would be filmed this year in time for the elections in 2004. I just don’t know yet whose life stories we would be seeing on the big screen, but I bet politicos would resort to that (because they always do) to get more mileage, which they eventually hope would translate into votes come election time.

* Expect to see politicians appearing even in sitcoms on television. Miriam Defensor Santiago did that in the now-defunct Palibhasa Lalake a year before the 1992 presidential elections. The acting she did, of course, was minimal. She was basically just responding to questions asked by mainstay Cynthia Patag. Now, as to the very colorful performances she did during the impeachment trial two years ago, nobody knows for sure if that was just acting or for real. But here’s hoping we won’t see any of that again.

* There would be a barrage of public affairs programs because political issues would be coming from all sides and all these would have to be aired on TV. Can you imagine what a boring year this would be on TV – what with all that political yak? Yuk!

* The quality of most local films would improve because of the creation of the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB), which would give rebates to well-crafted movies. This should encourage movie producers to come up with films of oustanding quality because the rebates they would be getting should be enough to bankroll another film project.

* Really bold films (like Priscilla Almeda’s Sutla and Ina Raymundo’s Burlesque Queen four years ago) will make a bold comeback and will be enjoyed by sex film aficionados for a while – until the moralists in our midst make another public uproar. The public outcry will not be as noisy, however, because politicians will not dip their fingers into the issue this time for the fear of losing votes. You see, the moralists are just a tiny speck in this country (they’re really just noisier) compared to the number of people who love watching sex films. (Yeah, count me in there!)

* Big name stars will take a backseat because 1) They’ll lose their appetite to make films considering that nothing will be left of their salary after taxes anyway – what with this stupid 10 percent VAT to be slapped on their pay slips on top of the 20 percent withholding tax imposed on singers, TV and movie stars the other year. So why work at all? 2) Just as we saw in the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival, the superstars don’t necessarily bring in the crowds anymore. Film producers would realize that they don’t need to shell out tremendous amounts of money to pay superstars because these days it’s the project that counts and not the stars – and this is good because this could be the beginning of the eradication of the star system in this industry.

* The Regine Velasquez-Richard Gomez musical – a la Moulin Rouge – to be filmed by Viva Films as its entry to the 2003 Metro Manila Film Festival will be a huge success and will be the toast of the December filmfest. This may even set a trend and revive musicals in local film.

* Those who lodged complaints, walked out and swore never to join the Metro Manila Filmfest again last year will be back with their respective entries this December. If they lose once more, you can expect them to lodge more complaints, stage another walk out and swear for the nth time never to join again – only to see them return in the 2004 festival race.

* Television networks may no longer produce that many soap operas this year because of rising production costs. The trend in television would be talk, talk, talk because talk is cheap.

* The presentations of the various award-giving bodies would no longer be as fabulous compared to recent years because everything is so expensive these days – rental of venues (the Araneta Coliseum charges as much as P400,000!), construction of sets and stage (even plywood is no longer cheap), at P680 a piece at three fourth.

* No one will score a grandslam in the acting categories. The best actress honors may be spread out among Vilma Santos (Dekada ’70), Alessandra de Rossi (Munting Tinig), Ara Mina (Mano Po) and Cherry Pie Picache (American Adobo).

* This is not a prediction, but I feel this happening this year: Some of the ABS-CBN talents would be hopping over to rival GMA-7 at the end of the first quarter – maybe with Nora Aunor leading the exodus.

* More awkward-sounding terms – like "kapulisan" would be coined by people in television. I know they mean police force when they say "kapulisan," but this gives me the creeps every time I hear it said on TV – especially in the news. And would Ces Drilon please stop saying "miraculo" because this word – obviously referring to miracle – is neither Spanish nor Filipino. Just say milagro.

Some of the things I mentioned above may not take place this year. But somehow I can sense that some would. I’m actually just basing this on the saying that history repeats itself – and yes, on the fact that in show business, we never learn from our mistakes.