Gusto Ko Maging Artista

"Lights, camera and ACTION!" Filipinos are always fascinated with the glitz and glamor of show business whether it may be the te...

"Lights, camera and ACTION!"

Filipinos are always fascinated with the glitz and glamor of show business whether it may be the television or movies because from the gossip columns to the raunchy sex videos it always fill our appetite for entertainment. After all Filipino life revolves around PBA -- politics, basketball (now includes boxing and billiards) and showbiz (a.k.a. artista).

Its not surprising to have this so-called "buhay PBA" as many politicians are actors in their own right, some actors turn to politics when their career ends, some basketball players and boxers to a certain extent turn to acting, and some take these professions all at once. Talk about multitasking. Because of this intertwining professions, political intrigues can now be attributed to showbiz scandals while private debauchery (sex videos) by some actors and actresses can now be tagged as national issues as Senate inquiries are handled in telenovela fashion. Politicians turn to their actress wives for political mileage in pre-election blitz. Well others are trying hard to jiggy their way to power by trying to portray themselves as the "good choice" candidate by doing the acting themselves not to mention the countless infomercials that filled the boob tube recently.

Why is it people want to be an "artista"? Many who wanted to become popular figures in showbiz are not prepared for the unintended consequences like intrigues, rumors and all the celebrity grapevine that will hound them for the rest of their lives. We are so focus on the who's hooked with someone and who broke up with who. In other words people are more focus on the vain-centered worship of people who are not talented but just famous because they look good. Gone are the days when the golden age of Philippine movies had rich heritage of classic films that made the Philippines the pioneer in the movie industry of Asia.

Television has become so saturated with movie stars that when you're watching a movie, the actors and actresses are the same people you saw on television. No wonder these actors and actresses just come and go. In the United States, you seldom see television actors successfully transition to movies because television and movies are way different. Television stars are judge through daily and weekly ratings and even some award-winning TV shows do get canceled while movie stars are judged though box office income per se and so you can see some quality movies become cult classic later even though they failed miserably in earnings. In our case, our producers and scriptwriters tend to make "ready-made" TV shows and movies because we tend to show "lip-synched" Korean and Mexican daytime soaps and even remake them as a Filipino movie.

Storylines are obviously patterned in a typical Horatio Alger-type tale and Romeo-Juliet plot, no wonder people get the giggles of these love stories. Forcing Brazilian-Japanese models who barely speak English or Filipino to do guesting gigs on TV?

Being in showbiz means its all about being popular because of your talent but if you become popular because of nothing then there is the difference. Just ask Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie for that. Honestly, not all actors and actress are talented as they are thought of. Do you think the famous telenovela stars are that talented? When you say artista, they should focus their craft by honing their acting skills. Why do they have to overdo by venturing in record producing even though they can't sing and competitive dancing when they can't even strut their stuff?

Showbiz news are included in our daily dose of local news. Why is it? I know its public interest but is it really important to know the mundane lives of these overpaid and pampered personalities? Just imagine watching the horrifying coverage of the flood that hit the country recently and you'll be reminded that this actor and actress broke up. Gossips and rumor mill are mixed true-blue journalism. How can that be? Is it tabloid journalism taking a root in network television. Makes me mad when I always hear "updated sa showbiz happenings," and I'm like "chismoso jud mo!" (they are just gossipers). Good thing, they don't have diarrhea of the mouth.

Oh well we can enjoy the whole Sunday listening to the litany of actress crying over small things like breakups and pregnancy rumors and actors defending their "squeaky clean matinee idol image." When some actor is being paired to a new leading lady, the vultures in showbiz media usually circulate the saying "sila na daw?" (are they a couple?) and of course this is just a publicity stunt and we all know that they'll answer that they are just "friends."

Reality television seems to be the proving ground for new actors and actresses. Many wanted to dream, believe and survive but the question is -- have they all survived? Not all of them became stars, some became washed up that they abruptly ended their showbiz careers or so it seems. One thing that I've noticed is that Philippine show business has a soft heart on mixed-race specimen -- as you can see on commercials, Hispanic and American beauty are the norm. While there are countless list of singing contests as high as Regine Velasquez can shout her hearts out.

Filipinos tend to forgive people of their infidelities and improprieties as long the couple looks good in television and movies. No wonder there are many of them -- products of #### relationships.

When an artista has shot a film in California, media tend to hype it up that he/she has shot a film in Hollywood to the point of branding an actor as an international star if he had a minor role from a U.S. B-movie. So meaning if you have been casted by a low budget unheard of an American movie then you are an international star right? WRONG. Just because Cesar Montano appeared in "The Great Raid" makes him a Hollywood star, the truth is that he barely appeared in the credits.

After all has been done, these actors/actresses go down the drain when their so-called star power consumes itself and so many of them try the sleazy adult film industry. No wonder, a doctor/celebrity moonlighted as a oversexed doctor of perversion. I know its the easiest job in the world and the men and women who have this profession worked their ass off but in reality, the industry is on a stagnant cesspool and sooner or it later it will drown itself by its own filth.

Some actors try the indie film genre but their films look mainstream. Game shows have grown in popularity recently but most of these shows are foreign syndicated. Gay speakesies have become so common that two popular comedians transformed themselves as the typical spoiled brat and Visayan-tongued nanny.

They should reform themselves and think about the times when Philippine showbiz produced the enduring films like that of Ishmael Bernal and Jose Nepomuceno. No wonder piracy of foreign films is rampant and many film producers like the legendary Sampaguita Pictures ran out of business because of the fact that the industry remained contented in importing foreign shows.

Our moral fiber has degenerated and has become so decadent that subliminal homophobic and ethnic slurs/stereotypes became accepted as norm. Just like the times when blackface was the highest form of racist insult, we tend to laugh when an actor acts like a typical "Bisaya" or when a slapstick comedy act usually humiliates a gay or someone who's "despicably ugly."

Are these reasons why we want to become actors? Think about it.