MANILA, Philippines - May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face and may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars. — Johnny Depp in the movie Blow
One of this writer’s favorite weekend pastimes is watching movies with my nephews in our increasingly renovated cinemas, but we watch mostly Hollywood movies like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Inception or other fun titles like Avatar. What is happening to our once-prolific Philippine movie industry? Why are local producers not investing more in true quality and intelligent stories, so that we can make Sundays at the movies one of our routines after going to church and lunch with family members?
Congratulations to Philippine-born and Hollywood-based film director and actor Ace Cruz for his new science fiction movie Outrage, coming to local theaters on August 1 and being released internationally. Last year, Outrage was proclaimed “Best Sci-Fi Picture” at the Action on Film International Film Festival held in Pasadena, California. The film stars Michael Madsen (Sin City, Reservoir Dogs), Michael Berryman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and Natasha Lyonne (American Pie).
In our recent lunch with Cruz at Annabel’s resto in Quezon City, I realized this talented filmmaker is doing something right which most of our Philippine film producers are seemingly too lazy to do — he has been competing globally and tapping the international film market by attending the Cannes Film Festival, the American film festivals and others.
Why are other Asian countries — not as proficient in English as us, such as South Korea and even Thailand — able to export their films internationally, while we in the Philippines have film producers who don’t even compete locally in the Philippine cinemas versus the onslaught of foreign films? When will Filipinos invest more in technical improvements in film and better content in order to leverage our English-language advantage and our familiarity with Hollywood, so we, too, can export to the world?
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TV host, star and singer-actress Sharon Cuneta Pangilinan is at her best expressing herself, even if it’s about how stressed out she is by her husband Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s run for the Senate Presidency this July 26. At a recent lunch at Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, the Megastar said she understands, but is still hurt, that her uncle Senator Tito Sotto has publicly said he won’t vote for Kiko.
Sharon said: “I support Kiko 150 percent and in my reckoning, he’s already the winner, because he got 11 senators’ votes though this is not yet the required 13 votes needed for him to be Senate President. I’m very grateful to those who supported Kiko, especially President Noynoy Aquino and his sisters. I’m also thankful to Kris Aquino and other friends.”
Sotto’s wife Helen Gamboa Sotto is the younger sister of her mother Elaine Gamboa Cuneta, and I remember being invited to witness Sharon endorse Tito Sotto for his recent May 10 election bid. After our long talk, this writer that night honestly told Tito Sotto that my original misperception — that he was dumb — was wrong; then his niece Sharon exclaimed: “Of course my uncle is not dumb, he’s a comedian and you have to be smart to really be good and effective in comedy. My uncle Tito Sotto is very smart.”
Sharon is inviting Philippine STAR readers to watch her August 7 “Megadrama” concert at the Araneta Coliseum; her special guests include Sarah Geronimo, Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Pokwang, Ogie Alcasid and the G-Force dancers.
For those of the younger generation who only know Sarah Geronimo and Charice when they think of our top singers, a businesswoman (who is a big Megastar fan) told this writer: “Sharon Cuneta is the only Filipino entertainer to have filled up the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles City seven times, and also the grand ballroom of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas City where heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson years later bit off an ear of his rival at a controversial boxing match. Sharon Cuneta is still one of our finest performers. MGM Grand Hotel was the world’s largest hotel until 1999 when The Venetian opened, making MGM Grand today still the world’s second largest hotel.”
One of Sharon’s plans is to lose weight in time for her next birthday in early 2011. She declined to give details of how she plans to shed pounds, but our impeccable sources for the entertainment monthly S magazine told me that the Philippines’ leading slimming center known for non-invasive procedures is now assisting her to lose weight.
Sharon added in jest: “Kawawa sila Anne Curtis and Bea Alonzo (I pity Anne Curtis and Bea Alonzo) if I lose weight and become sexy, mawawalan sila ng trabaho (they’d be jobless)!”
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