Circle

FILM director and writer, critic, and Philippine Daily Inquirer entertainment columnist Nestor Torre opened the 2008 CineVita festival with a stirring keynote speech.

For Torre, CineVita is different from other film festivals since it screens life affirming, positive-minded, and inspiring films, which, he noted, are a “distinct minority” in the film industry because they lack contentious characters, trendy action, and special effects, which producers insist audience crave.

“Good characters and inspiring themes are supposed to be poison at the box-office because they are bland, predictable, and boring,” Torre said. “Yet they are the ones who would always bring meaningful stories that bear the true taste of life.”

ALWAYS shining beacons of the arts and letters, Thomasians have again proven they’re the country’s foremost humanists as many of them have again been nominated for the National Artist Awards.

At least 13 alumni have been nominated for the award as of press time, the Varsitarian has learned from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Leading the race for the National Artist Award for Literature is Cirilo F. Bautista, who was finalist in the 2006 edition of the awards (which are given out every two years). At that time, Bautista lost out to another Thomasian, the more senior Bienvenido Lumbera.

Both Bautista and Lumbera were former literary editors of the Varsitarian.

EVER since Jesus’ crucifixion 2,000 years ago, the cross has always been associated with salvation. And for the poverty-stricken residents of Dagat-dagatan in Navotas, only one gigantic cross has lifted their spirits living as they are in times juxtaposed with utter misery.

“I observed that the cross has inspired a lot of people; it’s as if their faith were invigorated,” said Fr. Allan Lopez, O.P., the parish priest of the San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs Church, whose roof the cross is now perched atop.

The cross was patterned closely after St. Dominic’s staff, but with mammoth proportions. The 12-feet-wide and 18-feet-tall cross is already believed to be the biggest Dominican cross not only in the country, but in the entire Eastern hemisphere.

RINGING the curtain down on its second season last December, Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Edition seemed to have improved the reality-TV franchise, but only on the surface. Reality TV essentially remains problematic.

The most apparent change was the airing period. Instead of prime- and late-night viewings in the previous edition, PBB Celebrity Edition 2 was shown twice on ABS-CBN daily, one in the afternoon (Pinoy Big Brother Über, hosted by Bianca Gonzales) and the other in the evening (the main prime-time edition, hosted by Toni Gonzaga). It also had a live feed on Studio 23.

Another innovation was the “two-in one housemate,” represented by the pairs of Marylaine Viernes and Jen Da Silva, and Baron and Donald Geisler III. The improvement added a new dimension to the game’s voting mechanics since each pair would share the same vote.

What gift would you give your terror professor this Christmas?

“Rosary and prayers.”
– Vince Muñoz, Pharmacy senior, Faculty of Pharmacy

“Calming and age-defying pills.”
– Faye Enriquez, Nutrition and Dietetics junior, College of Education

“My drawing of his face with horns!”
– Caroline Jayne del Rosario, Advertising sophomore, College of Fine Arts and Design

“A book on anger management.”
– Edric Frey Cruz, Financial Management junior, College of Commerce

“An eraser, so he could erase and change my grades.”
– Paulo Pasiona, AMV College of Accountancy sophomore

“Five boxes of his favorite pizza.”
– Edree Estaura, Journalism junior, Faculty of Arts and Letters

INTERWEAVING aesthetics and cultural identity, the College of Fine Arts and Design’s (CFAD) led by Professor Cynthia Loza launched the exhibit, Likhaan Bayan: An Exploration of Traditional Filipino Art, which depicted the intricate and colorful mesh of Philippine history and heritage as reflected in the nearly forgotten folk arts tradition of Bulacan and Laguna.

Held last month at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences, the exhibit included folk art demonstrations.

Loza said the exhibit served to draw public attention to the neglected traditional arts and the need to include their study in the CFAD curriculum. The new module, she explained, would develop a sense of national identity among students while encouraging them to apply folk art motifs and techniques to their designs.

SUCCESS is a hodgepodge of hard work and fervor for painter Wilfredo Offemaria as he reaps the fruits of his ingenuity for 13 years now after graduating from the College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

“I wanted to prove others that success is not just about the course you take up but on how you deal with it,” Offemaria said.

Offemaria started scribbling lines and colors at the age of three, which led him to become conscious of his veiled talent.

“It is already my interest when I was young, I was like any other child who would draw on walls and before I get home from school, I have already exhausted all the pages of my pad,” Offemaria said.

WHEN notes harmonize with beautiful musical pieces, choirs are almost always the innocent culprits. Choral groups tend to elevate music a nick higher since their songs reverberate glory, power, and majesty.

For its launching concert titled “First Verse” last October at the Angelo King Auditorium of the UST Hospital, the inVoce Choral Arts Society did not fall short of evoking an ambience of majesty. In fact, the concert showed the impeccable voice and maturity of experts rather than the pretense and insecurity of neophytes.

The leadership of Jonathan Ayson, a choral conducting student of UST Singers’ conductor, Prof. Fidel Calalang, proved to be of great significance in honing the music skills of the 24-strong choral group.

“We chose music that will tickle the fancy of the uninitiated to choral music and catch the attention of the well-versed,” Ayson said.

COME noontime, variety shows indubitably rule the boob tube. Like rice, shows such as Wowowee and Eat Bulaga! have become staples of the lunch ritual, promising hungry viewers savory entertainment that’s sure to suit anyone’s palate. However, for these shows, too much competition for ratings runs the risk of compromising quality, not to mention compromising values.

In many instances, since these noontime variety shows have metamorphosed into nothing but game shows featuring multimillion jackpots, they have been accused of promoting the culture of begging among the general masses of Filipinos who are poor.

For countless of poor Filipinos, these shows could be the answer to their prayers to be pulled out of poverty’s quagmire. Little do they know that they have greater chances of being struck by lighting rather than winning the jackpot.

Have daily noontime variety shows really gone overboard? Have they become unsavory like spoiled lunch?

YOUNG LOVE with all its sweetness and heartache is the focus of Teatro Tomasino’s Unang Dalaw, staged last Sept. 16 and 17 at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium.

Written by Eduardo Perez and directed by Niña Belle Gavan, Unang Dalaw tells of the triumphs and troubles of the sisters Lucia, Clarita, and Barbara as they find themselves caught up in the unsettling dynamics of love and growing up.

The story is set at the turn of the 20th century during which societal norms dictated that Filipinas be strictly conservative and demure, suppressing their desires and sentiments.

Barbara has just turned 12 and experienced her “unang dalaw” (menstruation); she falls in love with Bisero, a Katipunero whose name means donkey, the lad’s mirror image. But Barbara overlooks Bisero’s unfortunate looks and is attracted to him because of his principled conviction and bravery.