Goodbye, Snake; hello, Horse!

You can read it the way you want to (feel free) because, let’s face it, during the past 12 months, some people reneged on old loyalties and pledges of eternal friendship by turning "snakes" and feeding their supposed-to-be friends to the lions’ den. That was the Year of the Snake which formally ends tomorrow. Altogether now, good riddance!

Welcome to the Year of the Horse (which actually starts four more weeks from now).

Year 2001 was annus horribilis for local showbiz. What a horrible, horrible, horrible year it was, marked by tragedies and bad fortune, prompting showbiz denizens to offer a mass for absolution, not only as far as the personal lives of the stars were concerned but also the returns at the tills (not so many "happy returns," I’m sorry to say).

It was a year like no other, a very bad one influenced greatly by the economic crisis all over the world, worsened even more by the Sept. 11 bombing of the World Trade Center. When America sneezes, or so they say, the rest of the world catches cold. The Philippines has been suffering a lingering hangover and alarming symptoms of not recovering in the next several years. Hatsingggg!

As in years past, there were the usual noise-makers who desperately tried to hog headlines – in vain. Mystica split (no truth to the incredible rumor that she lost "it" that way) but her antics were confined to the dustbin as mere "noise," not "news," in the same snide manner showbiz-watchers dismissed the acrobatics of some cheapy-cheapy bold stars as desperate attempts at gimmickry.

But before we let The Snake slither into the past (to return 12 years from now) and let The Horse gallop in, let’s all take a misty-eyed last look at the past 12 months by taking note of the real newsmakers, to wit:

1. The Fall Of Erap – It’s politics, all right, but being the first actor in Philippine History to have conquered Malacañang, former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada’s ouster by EDSA II third week of January was perhaps felt more intensely by showbiz folk. Where did Erap go wrong? Showbiz guys are still asking. Where will he go from here?

That must also be the big question haunting Erap – and son, former San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada – at their quarters at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, their home these past eight months. EDSA II, which installed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the 14th President of the Republic of the Philippines, divided the stars into pro-Erap and anti-Erap (and therefore, in a way, "pro-GMA"). The so-called EDSA III, just as "starry" as EDSA II, erupted in May with a bigger crowd but it failed to return Erap to Malacañang.

The plunder case filed against Erap is being heard and all we can do is sit back and watch the whole proceedings as we do those Mexican telenovelas that have lost their luster.

2. The Murder Of Nida Blanca – It wasn’t just a movie plot or a "take" that gives way to reality after the director shouts "Cut!" It was for real. In the morning of Nov. 7, we woke up to the shocking news that Nida was found with 13 stab wounds inside her car at the parking lot of the MTRCB (which she served as reviewer for a few years) at the Atlanta Tower (Greenhills, San Juan). Almost two months after the incident, the authorities haven’t come up with a plausible solution to the most heinous crime involving a movie personality and the probe drags on and on and on, unfolding like a whodunit that would have baffled even the Alfred Hitchcock, The Master of Suspense.

Former child star Strawberry also died in similar although not as mysterious circumstances when she was caught in a reported shootout between her boyfriend Mark Doromal’s group and that of the Picars, precipitated by an earlier traffic altercation. Like the Nida Blanca Case, the killing of Strawberry has yet to be solved.

Between the tragic deaths of Nida and Strawberry was the suicide leap of Maria Teresa Carlson from the 23rd floor of the Platinum Building also in Greenhills, just a few steps away from the Atlanta Tower. Carlson’s death revived the nagging issue of domestic violence, with Carlson’s husband, former Ilocos Norte Gov. Rudy Fariñas, put on the defensive by a women’s group which accused Fariñas of virtually driving Carlson to take that fatal plunge.

3. The Live Show Brouhaha – Middle of the year, yet another censorship controversy exploded over the Joey Javier Reyes skin flick Live Show, spawned by the protest of an ultra-conservative group of women who faint at the mere sight of a bare buttock, male or female. The casualty of the whole brouhaha was Nic Tiongson who quit as MTRCB Chief after barely warming that hot seat (replacing Armida Siguion-Reyna). Taking over from Tiongson was Anding Roces. The Live Show row split the directors into two groups, one siding with direk Joey Reyes (and there pro-Live Show) and the other with Marilou Diaz-Abaya who was accused of "instigating" the whole mess.

4. The Vandolph Mishap – On exactly the same spot in Pangasinan where his parents, Alma Moreno and Rudy Fernandez, nearly met their untimely end in separate accidents, Vandolph was seriously hurt in a dusk car accident that led to a month-long coma at the Makati Med and the death (without having woken up from coma) of his girlfriend, Desiree "Ishi" Raquiza. Finally waking up as if from a prolonged nightmare, Vandolph was brought home to spend Christmas with his loved ones but was brought back three days later to the Makati Med for further treatment and therapy. He has yet to be told that his girlfriend Ishi is gone. Doctors say that Vandolph will recover and, after one year, may be able to play basketball again.

5. Stars In Politics – So you think that the Erap Debacle has scared the stars from the political arena? Think again. Last May’s elections were star-filled as ever, with more than 50 percent of actor-candidates (including those who are "showbiz-related") ending up winners, among them: Noli de Castro, Kiko Pangilinan and Ralph Recto as Senators; Ted Failon (Leyte), Gilbert Remulla (Cavite), Teddy Boy Locsin (Makati) and Chuck Mathay (Quezon City, biological father of Ara Mina) as Congressmen; Lito Lapid (Pampanga) as Governor; Mikey Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga), Imelda Papin (Camarines Sur) and Dan Fernandez (Laguna) as Vice Governor; Rey Malonzo (Caloocan City), Joey Marquez (Parañaque City), Jorge Estregan Jr. (Pagsanjan, Laguna) and, of course, Vilma Santos (Lipa City) as Mayor; Herbert Bautista (Quezon City) as Vice Mayor; and dozens of councilors.

An election side issue was the death threats that drove Mayor Vi into seclusion. Tagged as possible suspect was a National Penitentiary inmate alleged to have been contacted to do the hatchet job. Mayor Vi was a decisive factor in the election (to the Senate) of her husband Ralph and so was Sharon Cuneta (in husband Kiko’s victory).

6. The Aga-Charlene Wedding And Then Some – No doubt the Wedding of the Year (and possibly of the decade – unless a more fabulous wedding happens between now and Year 2010), the union of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez, solemnized on May 28 in Baguio City, ended happily ever after despite the squabbles (between people close to Aga) that threatened to turn the planned dream wedding into a nightmare. It was a whirlwind romance between Aga and Charlene who started as bosom buddies (lasting marriages are said to be founded on close friendships, or didn’t you know?). Aga and Charlene have been on extended honeymoon in Aga’s mansion at Ayala Alabang.

Other couples who tied the knot: Jessa Zaragoza and Dingdong Avanzado, Franco Laurel and Ayen Munji, Candy Pangilinan and non-showbiz guy Gilbert Alvarado, Lito Pimentel and non-showbiz gal Cris Lacap, L.A.-based Djoanna Garcia and divorced businessman Vincent Kocher, Pinky de Leon and American lawyer Derek Ledda, Pilita Corrales and Paraguayan (but Sydney-based) restaurateur Carlos Lopez, Gary Estrada and Bernadette Allyson, Many Ochoa and non-showbiz gal Gretchen Varela, Raymond Bagatsing and Lara Fabregas, TV hosts Paolo Abrera and Suzi Entrata, newscaster Vicky Morales and lawyer King Reyno, newscaster Karen Davila and ABS-CBN news executive DJ Sta. Ana, Paco Arespacochaga and non-showbiz gal Tinny Fernandez, and Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong (who formalized their marriage after 21 years and half a dozen children).

7. "Twin Births" And Then Some – Six months after their Baguio wedding, Aga and Charlene became the happy parents of fraternal twins (on Nov. 5), with the boy named Antonio Andres and the girl Atasha Aaron. The twins were scheduled to be baptized three weeks ago but the affair was postponed indefinitely for an undisclosed reason.

Besides Aga and Charlene’s twins, the other celebrity child born this year (in Sept.) was Angelina Isabella (named after Angelina Jolie, favorite actress of her mother), to Cesar Montano and Sunshine Cruz. Carmina Villarroel also gave birth to twins in the States in early January, with Carmina’s live-in boyfriend Zoren Legaspi as the father.

Several actresses are reported to be pregnant, including Jean Garcia, Bernadette Allyson, Karen Davila and Nini Jacinto; while a few are rumored to have "fled" to the States for their own clandestine dates with the stork.

8. The Death Of Ricky Belmonte, Eddie Rodriguez, Etc. – It wasn’t only the stork which was busy these past 12 months but also the Grim Reaper which cut a wide swath across the showbiz landscape, highlighted by the deaths (natural causes) of Ricky Belmonte (heart attack) and actor-director Eddie Rodriguez (same cause) in the fourth quarter of the year.

Others who have crossed to The Great Beyond: directors Pepe Marcos and Artemio "Temyong" Marquez, film critic Agustin "Hammy" Sotto, veteran actor Francisco "Koko" Trinidad, character actor Rey Ventura, former LVN actress Bong Erana (a.k.a. Nenita Vidal), Lilian Laing de Leon, comedienne Chuchi, film critic Pio de Castro III, movie producer Jessie Yu (Lotus Films), cinematographer Johnny Araojo, beautician/bit-player Jun Encarnacion, harpist Tadao Hayashi (whose murder has remained unsolved) and comedian Sandy Garcia (found dead, apparently from heart attack, at his bachelor’s pad in New Jersey early this year).

A side bar to this sad enumeration is the story about stars bravely waging their lonely battles against terrible illnesses, such as Alma Moreno against Multiple Sclerosis, Maritoni Fernandez against breast cancer (Maritoni is now undergoing chemotherapy) and Rio Diaz-Cojuangco who hasn’t given up her three-year battle with the Big C.

9. The Big Split-Ups – Aiko Melendez ended up second-placer in the race for councilor (second district of Quezon City) but her marriage to Jomari Yllana ended up on the rocks, with the un-couple’s son Andre in Aiko’s custody. Year 2001 was a bad year for partners who, like Aiko and Jomari, called it quits, among them: Mel Tiangco and Jay Sonza, Gina Alajar and Michael de Mesa (diagnosed to be suffering from the untreatable disease Hepatitis C), Janice de Belen and John Estrada, Lara Morena and her businessman husband Fausti Tambunting Galang, Isabel Rivas and her Chinese home companion, Julio Diaz and his non-showbiz wife (daughter of actress Marita Zobel), Sherilyn Reyes and Junjun Santiago (of the famous Santiago showbiz clan), Troy Montero and Nikki Valdez, and Kuh Ledesma and Louie Gonzales (the couple prefers to keep mum on the matter).

10. The 2001 Metro Manila Filmfest Gabi Ng Pangaral –And it came to pass that on Dec. 27, the third day of the 2001 Metro Filmfest, Cesar Montano turned the Gabi ng Parangal awards night at the PICC into a Gabi ng Pangaral when he lambasted (didn’t he?) the jurors for choosing Yamashita as Best Picture instead of Bagong Buwan, his own starrer that won for him the Best Actor plum. Cesar must have meant it as a "joke" when he said in his acceptance speech that Bagong Buwan is the Best Picture as far as he was concerned, "no offense meant," he added, although the harm had been done, the offense delivered with a punch. "Bibili na lang kami ng trophy sa Recto," he added, without perhaps realizing that he was, in effect, belittling the value of the trophy he was holding at that very moment.

Oh, well, what’s a Metro Filmfest without the usual controversy, the usual sour-graping, the usual finger-pointing, the usual fault-finding, the usual exchange of charges, the usual grandstanding?

In contrast, Best Actress awardee Assunta de Rossi (for Hubog), in plunging neckline, accepted her trophy with a wide smile, bending over a bit at the podium, oblivious of the danger that her treasured boobs would spill out any moment (it happened to Didith Reyes during an awards night once upon a time, didn’t it?)

To avoid a similar "Cesar Montano incident," I suggest that in succeeding filmfests (whether Metro Manila or whatever), everybody be given a small trophy. There. Everybody happy?