Which awards is ‘credible’?

That’s the hard-to-answer question Funfare readers have been asking me since time immemorial: Which awards is "credible"? I’ve searched high and low for the answer but until now I haven’t found a "credible" one.

There are four "official" major award-giving bodies, namely the PMPC’s Star Awards for Movies, The Film Academy Awards, the Urian Awards and the FAMAS. There are several others, of course, including the PASADO (ever heard of it?), the Young Critics Circle Awards and half a dozen "foundation" awards which continue to baffle me no end simply because I believe that "foundations" should concern themselves with projects other than (yes, except) giving out awards. Awards have so proliferated that they have become a dime a dozen, with "credibility" as major casualty.

The recent Star Awards got a collective nod for its roster of winners but the FAP Awards drew a collective ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, a reaction I’m afraid the forthcoming FAMAS Awards is bound to elicit judging by its choice of nominees favoring the controversial Lapu-Lapu with no less than 11. Unbelievable but true.

What about the Urian? Well, the Manunuri behind the Urian Awards always try to be, ehem, "different" so expect some little surprises when they stage their own palabas sometime this month.

Again, which awards is "credible"?

If you insist on squeezing an answer from this particular movie fan, I’ll give you a "credible"one: I have stopped taking awards seriously; I realized that if you take them as a joke (which we badly need in depressing/distressing times like this), you don’t end up disappointed or disgruntled when they, yes, pull the rug from under your feet. You are supposed to laugh at and not to cry over a joke, aren’t you?

Anyway, I got the following relevant reaction from reader Larry Perez, raising some issues about the recent FAP Awards. I agree with Perez. Will you? Read on:

Most of the local movie industry people address the Film Academy Awards to be the local version of the Oscars. I beg to disagree.

If they are talking about the voting process (separate guilds vote for the winners), then the similarity stops there.

For one, the Oscars is being watched by over a hundred million while the FAP cannot even urge all its nominees to attend the awards night, much more come up with credible winners.

I don’t know why FAP had sunk this low in terms of picking the Best Achievements for the past year, but I think the industry leaders should start doing something about it before the moviegoing public loses entire interest in it.

As a movie enthusiast for 20 years now, I believe that Pinoys can do world-class films. We have proven it before. Historical books and tablets attest to the fact that Philippine Cinema had two Golden Ages. Need I mention why we keep on viewing the classics on film festivals (local and foreign)? Or why we keep sending new productions to various parts of the world for competitions? Pure and simple: We have good filmmakers who can set the era for the Third Golden Age.

And yet, among the best films produced last year, industry people failed to recognize what are worthy of recognition. Seems like the biggest problem is that the industry people itself doesn’t even know how to distinguish a bad film from a good one. Oh, but we have different criteria for determining what a good film is... or so says the Academy.

Oh yeah? Tell me why Lapu-Lapu has been given the top plum (Best Picture) when, in fact, it has not only failed to give justice to the hero’s life and times, its production values were deemed not good enough to merit technical awards!

At the Oscars, they would often snub one deserving performance over the other, but upon reviewing thoroughly their nominees list, one would think that it is still a good list after all. Here, they nominate performances because of politics and because they want somebody to win the award irregardless if his performance is worthy which only puts the entire academy in a very bad light.

I can live with Lito Lapid’s citation and nomination for the Best Performance of the Lead Actor if only because he is a veteran in the industry and because he is good-hearted. But to give him that award over the more deserving Christopher de Leon and Eddie Garcia, my-oh-my, the Academy only confirmed that it doesn’t know how to distinguish good acting from bad acting.

The FAP should start "cleaning house." I pity Leo Martinez and Caridad Sanchez for being in such an awkward situation (along with the other industry leaders as well – I have high respect for them and I believe in their art). Because if not, FAP will be swept into oblivion.

Beauty tilt in time of SARS and war

On a lighter note, here’s a report from Funfare’s "beauty experts" Joey Cezeare, Felix Manuel, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib:

A pleasant day to you notwithstanding the war in Iraq and the mysterious pneumonia virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that has spread rapidly in some parts of Asia. Last March 31, 18-year-old model Aizza Francesca Velarde Briñas left the country to compete for the title of Miss Tourism Intercontinental 2003 Beauty Pageant in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

She was handpicked by noted fashion director Robbie Carmona of Saga Events+Models, who is also the national director/licensee for the international pageant. It was also Robbie who sent Alexander Aquino, our representative in the Mr. International 2001(an international male personality pageant), where he won the title in Jaiphur, India.

Aizza was one of the finalists in the MTV Fashionista Best Model of the World contest held at the NBC Tent last November. The winner was Gilmarie Lourdes Pacamarra and one of the runner-ups was Noela Mae Evangelista the current Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up.

Aizza, who stands 5’9" and measures 34-24-34, is an incoming freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University where she will be taking up AB European Studies in pursuit of a career in Foreign Service. She is the daughter of internationally acclaimed Filipina landscape artist Shirley Briñas Sanders.

She is the first Philippine representative this year to compete in an international beauty pageant. She was excited and well prepared to compete with 38 other delegates worldwide. "I’ll do my best to bring honors for our country in Malaysia. I hope that, in my own little way, I will be able to promote peace and goodwill with the rest of the international delegates especially in these very trying times," Aizza said.

The pageant was organized by Alaric Soh. The coronation night will be held on April 12, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and Sarawak Tourism Board.

Her wardrobe (national costumes and evening gowns) was provided by top fashion designers Renee Salud and Arielle Agasang.

Let’s hope and pray that Aizza will be the first Filipina to be crowned Miss Tourism Intercontinental.