Too many awards: Which one is credible?

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Does that oft-quoted line apply to the award-giving bodies that have been proliferating like mushrooms?

I think so and, I’m sure, so does Tempo columnist Ronald Constantino who once wrote that, just like beauty contests, there are just too many award-giving bodies that the situation has become confusing with each body giving a different set of winners from that of the other bodies. The criteria is deemed to be the same (credible performance, etc.) but taste and perception understandably differ…you know, different strokes for different folks, leaving the public (at least those who are still interested in awards) confused and clueless which award-giving body is credible. Like you, I have an opinion but I’d rather keep it to myself.

Ronald mentioned the existing awards, to wit (with additions that come to mind as I write this): FAMAS (which is undergoing a major reorganization); Gawad Urian (by film critics); Luna Awards (of the Film Academy of the Philippines, currently moribund); Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA); Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box Office Entertainment Awards (but aren’t the bookers the authority on this matter? Ronald has asked that question and I’m asking it again); PASADO; Young Critics Circle Awards; Gawad Tanglaw; Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Awards; Star Awards for Movies/TV (of the Philippine Movie Press Club); Golden Screen Awards (of the ENPRESS movie writers’ group, inactive after giving out awards in 2004/2014/2015); Cinemalaya; CineManila; CineFilipino; Cinema One Originals Film Festival; Gandingan Awards; Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino; Awit Awards; Aliw Awards; QCinema Awards; and Eddys (of the SPEED Entertainment editors)…and so on and on and on, including those given by colleges and universities.

So who are to “blame” for this, ehem, “epidemic”?

If Ronald asked me that question, I would daresay: Yes, the stars themselves and nobody else but. They are so gullible and so starving(?) for awards that no sooner than they have the trophy in hand, they flaunt it for the whole world to see. Of course, recognition of any form feeds the ego but only if the giver has credibility and authority. Otherwise, awards are reduced to the a-dime-a-dozen level.

Okay, now. The envelope, please!

Young people can relate to Love at First Run

Young people can relate to and identify with the novel Love at First Run by Angel Constantino Aquino. The backdrop is a running club set in places like Bonifacio High Street (Global City), Nuvali, Mall of Asia (MOA), University of the Philippines Oval which are familiar to many millennials, especially those who join races and marathons.

Using language that is light and breezy, Love at First Run is a love story from kilometer 1 to 21 (instead of the usual chapters in other novels), centered on Diana who is torn between two athletic guys, Joshua and Paul.

In the races Diana joins, she suffers cuts and bruises physically and even emotionally. She pushes herself to the limit. But in the end, as the book says, “It’s okay if you finish last — as long as you finish!”

If Love at First Run were a movie, the likes of Maja Salvador or Kim Chiu or Anne Curtis could play Diana. And how about Joshua and Paul? Gerald Anderson and Xian Lim come to mind.

Let’s get to know the author, as noted in the book:

Angel C. Aquino has been crafting stories in her head and on paper ever since she was a little girl. After she graduated from college, she pursued her passion for words by working in the publishing industry, and later becoming the managing editor of several magazines such as Candy, Runner’s World Philippines and Good Housekeeping Philippines. Her short story, The Bucket List, was published in the Summit Books anthology Coming of Age.

Love at First Run is her first novel. Though the story is not based on her life, it’s inspired by some events that transpired in 2005 when she joined AMCI Mountaineering Club. She just wanted to climb mountains, but she didn’t know she had to run as part of the training! Since then, she has grown to love running, which relieves her stress and inspires her to come up with new story ideas. So far, she has finished one full marathon and several half marathons in the Philippines and abroad.

Today, she is a freelance writer, editor and content creator based in Manila. She believes she can make her tiny corner of the world just a little bit brighter by writing stories filled with positivity, hope and love.

Renee Salud takes the Big Apple

Renee Salud was in the US East Coast where he showcased his creations in New York and Philadelphia, featuring several of the country’s top models and beauty queens. The group’s first stop was at the opening of Discover Islands Philippines Tourism and Business Expo 2018 at the famed Vanderbilt Hall East of the historic Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan last May 9. The Philippine Tapestry Fashion Show was held later in the evening at the grand ballroom of the Roosevelt Hotel.

Among the Aces & Queens models spotted during the event were: Elaine Kay Moll (2012 Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational third runner-up), Angelee Delos Reyes (2013 Miss Philippines-Earth), Yvethe Santiago (2014 Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational/2014 Miss Supranational semi-finalist), Leren Mae Bautista (2015 Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific/2015 Miss Tourism Queen International), Vincent Jarina (2016 Mr. Ocean-Philippines/2017 Mr. Ocean semi-finalist), Aya Verdadero Abesamis (2018 Bb. Pilipinas semi-finalist) and Johannes Rissler Jr. (2016 Gentleman of the Philippines-Germany), together with Kim Ross Williams Delos Santos, Eloisa Jauod, Anne Barker, Anna Bradborn and Jasmine Maierhofer.

On the night of May 11, Renee was featured together with Rocky Gathercole during the posh Unity Gala of Friends of the Philippines Society Inc. at the iconic Cipriani on 42nd Street.

The final night of the Philippine Tapestry Show in the East Coast was held on May 16 in Dilworth Park at Philadelphia City Hall. — Reported by Felix Manuel

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)