My 15 seconds in the spotlight

It was too late to turn back when I found myself on what I suppose is the local version of the red carpet going into the theater for the awards ceremony of the Manila Film Festival last Monday. It really is a strange feeling walking under the glare of spotlights and so many gawking eyes, all surely trying to figure which artista I might possibly be. There’s a bit of showbiz in all of us, and I thought it was a good idea to go with a friend, who was a juror, to this quintessential showbiz affair. I must say that all the preconceived notions I had of such events were proven true–and then some.

First of all it started late; fortunately not too late (meaning I was still awake). I was ready to ooh and ahh at all the artistas, but there were hardly any that I recognized. Robin Padilla came in late, tousled hair, macho stride and all; Nora Aunor came in even later, to loud cheers and all the flashbulbs in the house, sorry nalang to the performers on stage at the time of her superstar-caliber entry. The mayor of the moment Lito Atienza came relatively early, preening proudly like a peacock, having just won re-election and this surely was his night, the star among the stars.

The production itself was something straight out of a bad movie, a smorgasbord of miscues, technical glitches and dead moments as the live event waited for the television broadcast to finish with the commercials. Host Lorna Tolentino apparently went home not even half way into the show; she wasn’t around to receive her "Star of the Night" award. That left TJ Manotoc and Ara Mina valiantly trying to appear dignified and excited even when they were given wrong cue cards and announced presenters who were not there (leaving those who were standing there looking pathetically lost).

The entertainment numbers featured bouncing boobs, six-inch mini-skirts and four-inch heels, with the likes of Aleck Bovick, Angelica Jones, Cherrylou, Geneva Cruz and Patricia Javier giving it...ahh...all they’ve got, daring the laws of physics and gravity to do their worst. Fortunately or un-, nothing popped out that shouldn’t have, and the only major faux pas of the evening came from Best Supporting Actor winner Albert Martinez, who named the wrong mayor–twice. I guess his unpreparedness proved he really didn’t expect to win, unlike several others who came prepared with grocery lists of who to thank, everyone from producer to production staff to co-stars (all mentioned by name), mayor, congressman, councilor, agent, parents, siblings, aunts, neighbors... the only one missing was my dog Sophie. The longest thank you speech must have come from Best Actor Yul Servo, who more than made up for previous award speeches which, he said, consisted merely of "Thank you" by citing everyone he could think of including his neighbors in Binondo and the first producer who cast him in a movie. My friend whispered to me, "Siguradong kasama na dito si Sophie!"

The theater was packed with Noranians, who cheered every award that her movie, Naglalayag, won. And there were many, from Best Float (for which it won P50,000) to Best Picture (another P500,000 in addition to the P1 million production grant given to each of the six final festival entries) to Best Director, Actor and Actress and several more. Post-awards some felt that Naglalayag won on a big dose of sentiment, for although it is a good movie, Judy Ann Santos’ Sabel is superior in some respects, such as depth of story and character. But with the number of boisterous and avid–rabid may be more like it–Noranians in the audience there might have been a major riot if Nora Aunor had not won as Best Actress.

All in all it was an interesting and enlightening experience; I enjoyed it too, having finally seen Ate Guy in person. And I will go and watch some of the festival movies, certainly Naglalayag and Sabel to see for myself whether the awards were rightly given or not.

But next time–if there is a next time, which I doubt–I’m taking the side door.