"Close to You" Premiere

I spent a number of hours at SM Megamall on Valentine's Day... evening. For those who know me quite well, I don't find extreme pleasure in hanging out in crowded areas that attract various types of people -- from jologs to small-time thieves, except when I am overseas.

But there I was walking in a sea of humanity trying to kill time after having arrived rather early for a 7pm movie premiere.

My company was co-sponsoring a film , "Close to You" , to further provide mileage to the #1 tootpaste brand , Close-Up.

Synopsis here : http://www.abs-cbn.com/close2u/story.aspx

Trailer below (Overseas friends -- Sorry could not offer any translation to the Tagalog lines!) :



I am not an avid fan of the local film industry but sometimes I change my inclination and feel proud of what we have to offer to the world. Okay, that's me being nationalistic for a few seconds.

Why spend evening of Valentine's in a theater watching a Tagalog film? I had good reasons to go :

1) My company was involved in organising the event.

Not only was I guaranteed decent seats , it was also my way of showing support to my colleagues. I've always expressed interest in attending brand activities, especially Close-Up's so it was not difficult for me to find time for this one. I lost my mobile phone during the finals of "Close-Up to Fame", a reality TV show we co-sponsored in September ; all possessions intact this time round!

2) Sam's film debut.

I met Sam a few weeks before he entered the Pinoy Big Brother house. Hung out with him and few overseas friends a couple of times. It's cool that he has remained humble in spite of the instant stardom his stint in the show has brought him. Now I know why it was impossible to catch him via SMS or mobile call during the past few months, though I managed to chat with him a few times before seeing him at the premiere.

Sam : good start, man! Can't wait to hear you speak fluent Tagalog in future films. Now that the series of shootings is over, go get some decent rest.

Sam on the extreme left ; with the cast of "Close to You".

3) It's a showbiz event.

A local movie premiere won't be complete without industry personalities. As my friend and I walked along the red carpet leading to the (better) theater entrance, I can't help but wonder if the fans waiting by the metal barriers thought I was some bit player in some so-so film. Managed to chat with JB, a buddy of mine who was formerly a Pinoy Big Brother housemate ; meet a few people from the PBB show, the winners of "Close Up to Fame" (Reyson and Carine), Erick (Sam's manager) , some members of the film production team, and of course the main cast.

Three Ateneans: With "honorary" Unilever family members, Reyson Yap and Carine Cabebe.

With Bea Alonzo, female lead.

4) Guilt-free party night.

I filed a vacation leave on 15 Feb as I expected a long night. Last time I did this "don't-go-to- work-the-following-day" approach was when Paul van Dyk, a famous DJ, visited Manila in December 2004 (warehouse party was a Thursday).

Verdict on the film:

Pardon my review (I'm no expert !)...

Good. No hard-selling of the brand. Acting was very natural. Brilliant storytelling and attention to details. Surprise, surprise, film managed to bring out positive values as well.

Fantastic theme song (obviously, "Close to You") . Lyrics here:

http://pinoypundit.blogspot.com/2006/01/close-to-you-by-sam-milby-mp3-lyrics.html

Inside the theater, I did not manage to track the number of times the fans shrieked everytime their idol's face was focused onscreen and whenever the characters would have "kilig" moments. What an amazing experience to be in a theater filled with an animated and receptive audience (close to the thrill of watching an Ateneo or Ginebra game with the team winning).

Some realisations on V-Day after having been exposed to a semi-showbiz gathering:

1) Celebrities strive to be as simple as they can. A lot of people notice them big time but probably celebrities prefer that such is not the case so they can just carry on having meaningful and normal conversations with the people around them just as non-celebrities do.

2) Assuming I had more decent looks and possess a higher level of talent in acting/singing/dancing/flame-throwing hehe) , the only reason why I would only like to be popular is to get preferential treatment from people in the service industry -- e.g. waiters, salespeople in shops, security, even the traffic enforcers! So far, I haven't had any truly undesirable experience with service people but sometimes I feel they could be more responsive to customer requests. However, I don't want to be too popular that people will be interested to know what I pick up in the supermarket or who I hang out with.

3) People in showbiz could pass to be genuine friends. Same view for those in the modeling profession. It is easy to sense if a person is pretending to be nice (worst if pretending to be smart) , whether showbiz or non-showbiz. No matter how popular they can be, some celebrities don't change their attitude towards meeting and interacting with people. I pity individuals who behave negatively when fame kicks in. I declare war against people around celebrities who pretend they are more admired than the people they assist.

4) I can consider working in media at some point. Some friends have asked if I wanted to join the overseas MBA / post-grad bandwagon. My standard reply : "Maybe but the course should be media-related". Havent changed such thought. If I were to work for a local television network or film outfit, I predict a great deal of adjustment. I need to get along with everyone and consider how diverse their backgrounds could be. Politics in media should be exciting. Not to mention the increased level of expense during Christmas time -- need to give gifts to the entire world.

5) Will I consider Pinoy Big Brother as a way to get into the industry? Certainly not. I've been a fan of Big Brother Australia for half a decade now and can claim to be able to discuss "intelligently" the in's and out's of the program. However, I prefer to maintain my current lifestyle and expose my life to the entire country. With a creative productive team behind Pinoy Big Brother, one can be assured that trying to withhold further information is non-sense. I also find it uncool to cry on national TV (especially if I don't get the type of hair styling product I need). Hehe. Maybe I can try out as an anchor or segment host someday.

So with the above sharing, I feel that you are now "Closer to Me" , rightly or wrongly...