The Dismal State of the Philippine Mainstream Entertainment Industry

Okay, so I said many weeks back in my last blog entry that I will be doing the ACTORS-WHO-ACT. And here I am, doing it. Yey! But here’s a little catch, I will be adding a bit more. I will also be discussing the dismal situation of the Philippine television and the Philippine mainstream cinema (Emphasis on the MAINSTREAM, so for those indie-loving film buffs, don’t worry, I won’t be bashing indie films. Though I must say that I hate poverty porn indie films.)

This entry will probably sound a lot like ranting, so if you do not want to read a bunch of outbursts from a person who you believe is in no position to critique, the close icon is just on the top right corner of the window, click it.

Now, first topic for discussion, actors who act. I greatly believe that the purpose of acting is to portray a DIFFERENT character. So, an actor must be the one to adjust to the character, not the other way around. There is this Filipino young actor who is the ultimate crush of teenagers and young adults (and who will remain nameless as I do not want to fight with bashers and also because I want people to guess) who has a bad boy look and attitude. Lemme call this guy BADONG. Badong’s film and television characters, by some reason, are always rich bad boy. He is actually doing a remake of a world renowned television series, and the character he is playing was drastically modified. In the original version, the character was a kind guy. And in this reboot version, the character was a rich bad boy. So you see where the “WHUT?!” lies?

Obviously, because Badong is very famous, he has the right to say “Hey, I want a character that is, well, to make the explanation simple, just like me.” So, even if he was supposed to be doing a good guy role, the character would be modified to be just like who he is. And the purpose of acting goes POOF!

Please allow me to express my opinion that the reason why Badong is given such privilege, is because, besides the fact that he is mega famous, I think he just cannot act. He could definitely memorize the script, but I doubt that he can actually act. The only way to test my theory is if the management would give him a completely different character. Say… a gay role? Or perhaps a meek, nerd guy? Or something DIFFERENT FROM THE EFFING BAD BOY CHARACTER!!!!

Another classic example is this old lady actress, who I will give the alias of BARBIE. During her younger years, and actually until now, she is very pretty. I believe she was tagged as the Philippine’s version of this very famous Academy Award-winning Hollywood actress. Not because she could act in the same caliber, but because she looks kind of like this Hollywood actress. Anyways, Barbie has been in the Philippine television and cinema since forever, and from forever until now, her acting skills did not improve. She just delivers her lines in this dead pan face, raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, and the director shouts cut.

Perhaps it is because Barbie is a veteran actress that she is given roles until now. Why she was actually considered an actress in the olden times is a great mystery to me. And I guess, directors are nahihiya to tell her that her acting skills, or lack thereof, is appalling. You know, this is one of the moments when the hiya characteristic of the Filipinos is a bane. Maybe the solution would be for the management to stop giving her roles. Just give Barbie’s husband more jobs so that they won’t become poor. I mean, at least Barbie’s husband could act. Or maybe some advertising company should create an advertisement featuring the beautiful faces of the Philippines throughout the years and include Barbie.

Another example, is this yet another famous, by some miracle, award-winning actress, who I will christen as Josefa. Josefa has won more than 10 awards by speaking her dialogues in this monotonous voice and a wild penchant of widening her eyes in every other line. Watching her feels like watching an owl, honestly! For those who are familiar with Bebe Neuwirth's character, Lilith Sternin in Cheers and Frasier, you guys know that she speaks monotonously. The difference between Lilith and Josefa is that Lilith is a character, while Josefa is an effing actress! I assure you, that even though I have not seen Bebe Neuwirth perform live, I know that she does not speak monotonously when she acts. Josefa is like a walking robot. Whether she is angry, or sad, or or happy, or condescending, all Josefa does when portraying a character is stare at the opposite character with ever big eyes (like saucers, if you must) and speak in a flat voice. And she is an award-winning actress!!! What happened?? There is this one child actor, who I will call Dora, who imitated Josefa's ever so redundant acting style. All who've seen Dora imitating Josefa was laughing like crazy, not realizing that Dora was showing them the truth - that Josefa cannot act. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

For my last example of actors who act, or rather, who CANNOT act, is this middle aged woman I will baptize as Inday. Inday belongs to a VERY well-known family, which I think made her think she can penetrate the Philippine silver screen and the television. Well, actually, she already did – several bloody times. And I think, the same principle that applied to Barbie was applied to Inday, which was why she has films and shows – the hiya. I mean, no one in their right mind would claim that Inday could act. My groupmates and I did a thesis on one of her films and all of us reached a conclusion (which, sadly, we cannot include in the results of our study) – Inday cannot act even if that is the only way she could save her sons’ lives. By some unfathomable reason, Inday has this penchant of starring in horror films (which I think require the most authenticity in all the genres of films). And all she does in all of her horror films is scrunch up her face (or worse, just frown) and shout in this barely half-hearted scream. And to demonstrate how stupid she sounds when she screams, open your mouth and say in a loud voice, “Aaaaah.” Done? That is how she does it. Nuff said.

I could go on forever, but I still have to discuss the depressing trend in the Philippine mainstream cinema and television.

First with the acting style. Comparing the acting style of the Filipinos with the Americans, Americans would never shout just to prove that the character is mad; but the Filipinos would scream their head off just to let the person standing inches from him/her know that s/he is angry. Filipino actors also love to do big movements on screen, like to look smug, the camera would take a close up shot of a female elitist raise an eyebrow and flip her hair just to let the audience know that she is belittling another character. I mean, to raise an eyebrow is enough, given that the camera can do a close up of her face. If you are a theater performer acting on stage, such action is needed since the audience from the balcony has to see your movements. BUT NOT ON TV OR MOVIE. Then there are also these outrageous monologues. It is true that as humans, we sometimes speak to ourselves, but never long monologues. I mean, I would say to myself “You can do it, Tin!” but never “The nerve of Jaime! How could she spread a rumor that I had sex with her boyfriend, when she was the one who is sleeping with half the boys in school! I swear, I will take revenge on her! She should not have messed with me. She will regret the day she decided to make fun of me. I will make her feel the wrath of Christine Andrea Cruz!” (Not to mention that her name would be delivered as: CHRISTINE. ANDREA. CRUZ!!!)

Of course, sometimes, you cannot blame the actors for doing such things. They are only just following the script and the direction given to them. But then again, writers and directors should have the right mind of doing things realistically. But people would say, the television and movies are the people’s escape of reality. Fine, true. But there still has to be some boundary for fantasies. Even The Hunger Games has a touch of reality.

Then, the stereotypes. Stereotype is the most stupid thing ever invented/discovered. It is racist, it has no basis and it is too generalizing. For example, dumb blondes. If this is true, then explain to me the existence of Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and so many others. Fine, there are blondes who are dumb, but there are also brunettes, red heads, Filipinos, and other non-blondes who are stupid.

In the Philippines, there are a bunch of whitening products that show dark-skinned girl who is sad and bullied and disliked. After using this whitening lotions, the girl would be as white as paper and she would be all smiles, people like her, she is in the ‘in crowd’, and her boy crush would court her. HONESTLY?! There are actually a lot of people who would go to the beach to get tanned. And there are actually a lot of morenas, including me, who are perfectly happy with their skin – Isabel Daza, Lovi Poe, Wilma Doesnt, and a lot more. To be perfectly honest, never have I dreamt of having fair skin. That was why I did not have conviction when I delivered a speech saying that “I’ve always wanted to be like Snow White.”

Then the prejudice in appearance. In our thesis, this is my favorite discussion, which was why I volunteered to do this part. The good looking people are the good guys and the not-so-good looking people are the bad guys or those who are educated are the good guys and the ill-educated are the bad guys. REALLY?! Have we forgotten that the politicians are the ones who rob the dues that we pay? Given the prejudice of the Philippine showbiz industry to good looking people, aspiring actors think that to become an actor, s/he has to have his/her nose fixed, be as white as snow, have the hour glass shape, and other stupid notions. This is why the Philippine show business is full of pretty faces but bad actors.

There are actually a lot more stereotypes, but I want to move on with the most outrageous trend in the Philippine entertainment: the story plots.

I am watching this television show that has three women, all are in some kind of relationship with a man, and all have a child each. All of these women were, at some point, left by their partners. And their reaction? CRY MY EFFING WHOLE HEART OUT AND ACT DESPERATE. This is just not true!!! Many women nowadays are single mothers and what they do is move on from their stupid partners and prove that they actually deserve a better person. As a single mother, you should be the one to be strong because for goodness’ sake, you have a child that you have to feed and send to school. If you will be desperate and weak, who will take care of your innocent child? And so what if your partner left you? The earth is still rotating; the day and night still come and goes, LIFE GOES ON!!! Talk about lack of women empowerment.

Two of these women’s daughters are as stupid as their mothers. When they were told by their sobbing mothers that their fathers left them already and that their fathers no longer love them, these two girls cried their hearts out (just like their mother) and asked “Why did he leave us? When will he come back?” Come on!!!! A lot of children now are raised by a single parent, and some are even more unfortunate not to have both parents and be raised by a guardian. And none of them are that desperate. Okay, fine, you lose a parent, but you still have the other one. You might not have a father figure or a mother figure, but your guardian’s love is enough to fill your heart with warmth. So please, may the management STOP showing such desperation.

Another laspag story plot is the poor-girl-meets-rich-boy-and-poor-girl-works-for-rich-boy. Actually, the whole romance plot is laspag in the Philippine entertainment. There are far more important things than being in love and getting married. Say, having a diploma. Or following your dreams. Or raising your family from poverty. And none of these has to have a romance plot to make them happen. I mean, you do not have to have a girlfriend to graduate college. Neither is it part of the requirement for work to have a boyfriend. If my dream is to become a lawyer, I do not have to have a boyfriend. And if my family is so impoverished, having a boyfriend would only make me spend more. See, romance is not everything!

Almost all of the Philippine TV shows and films are about romance – romantic-comedy, romantic-horror, romantic-drama, gay romance, everything is about romance. But look at the US, How to Get Away with Murder is not romance. Yes, Wes and Rebecca are in a relationship, Michaela is engaged, Conner is in a relationship, and Annalise had a husband and a boyfriend, but their romantic relationship played a minor part in the series. It complicated the murder of Sam, but the story did not revolve in the love story. Another example is Madam Secretary. Yes, Elizabeth and Henry have a very hot relationship, but the story actually revolved on Elizabeth being the US Secretary of State, with the sideline of hers and Henry’s parenthood to their three children, and a bit of their husband and wife relationship. Also, Madam Secretary is about women empowerment. Then there is Smash. Fine, this show actually has more romance in it compared to the first two examples. However, Karen’s love life and Ivy’s love story was not the center of Smash. In fact, they are just included, but the TV series is about creating a Broadway show based on Marily Monroe’s life. Once I see this on the Philippine television, I know that change is happening.

We all know that there are a lot of bad politicians and cops, but you do not have to show that in the shows. Perhaps making them the good people will evoke the change in the real life bad cops and politicians. That is why I wonder why Benjie Paras’s character was killed in Nathaniel. Melai is not good looking, but she is quite a comedienne. Look for other talented people, not beautiful people who can do nothing. I think it is high time to give the people something new. Change is the only constant thing in the world.