The night I slept with Rosa Rosal

I went to bed late Tuesday night with Rosa Rosal. When I woke up a bit late the next day, I missed Madame Rosa on my bed but, to quote the Beatle song, I saw her standing there, atop a pedestal, ramrod straight and voluptuous, looking up and holding in triumph a reel of film.

I touched her with all tenderness. She was cold…and steely hard. She felt like bronze. She was not alive. She is a statuette.

Rosa Rosal was the model for the 60-year-old FAMAS statuette and I just won her earlier that Tuesday night at the 60th FAMAS Awards at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel. Thanks to the Vera-Perez Family who gave it to me as a Dr. Jose R. Perez Memorial Award — thanks to Mama Nene, Manay Ichu, Pepito, Manay Gina, Betchay, Chona and Cocoy, most especially to the Original Starmaker “Doc” Perez who’s now Up There with the stars who will never lose their luster.

Holding the heavy (very!) statuette, I said in my feeble thank-you speech that the award meant so much to me (and, I’m sure to other veterans like Ethel Ramos and Ronald Constantino, previous honorees) because the Sampaguita Pictures big boss treated movie writers as family, pampering them with a heaving buffet of hot/spicy laing, adobong manok at baboy and other tummy-filling goodies during press conferences at the sprawling Sampaguita Studio, sending them off with passes to the movie even before it could start shooting.

FAMAS president Angelo ‘Eloy’ Padua

At that time, Christmas parties at Sampaguita, usually highlighted by the crowning of the King and Queen for a Day, were highly-anticipated events. One time, our group then known as The Seven Dwarfs (including Malu Tronqued-Mapa, Emil Raoul Tidalgo, Eddie Campañer, Mar d’Guzman Cruz, Eddie Padilla, and the late Robert Carreon and Rustom Quinton; our group was another recipient of the award years ago) showed up at the party as “beggars” clad in tattered clothes. We were young and naïve and shameless, that era’s batch of, huhuhu, “trying-hards.” But how Doc Perez and his family genuinely loved our group. Didn’t Doc pinch a button off my cut-off (brand-new!) long-sleeved shirt as a show of affection?

 I reminisced those good old Sampaguita days as I received the trophy, not from Manay Ichu who begged off due to a bad cold but from FAMAS president Angelo “Eloy” Padua. Oh yes, I also got the Art Padua Memorial Award from the Padua Family and I’m equally honored (and humbled) by it. Thank you, Padua Family!

But I didn’t go to bed with Art Padua because he is a plaque. Art simply watched (I guessed) as I slept with Rosa Rosal.

See you again tonight, Madame Rosa!

Anne Curtis, Best Actress

Salonga sweeps the FAMAS Awards

PHOTOS by VER PAULINO

Manila Kingpin: Asiong Salonga Story, a remake of the ’60s Joseph Estrada starrer, swept the 60th FAMAS Awards Tuesday night, Sept. 25, at the Fiesta Pavilion of Manila Hotel. Ten trophies all in all, count ‘em.

Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito, producer and actor of the movie and Best Actor winner, paid tribute to his Uncle Erap in his speech.

Baron Geisler, Best Supporting Actor

Star of the night was, hands down, Anne Curtis, Best Actress winner who won hearts by being nice and gracious, in contrast to Angelica Panganiban, Best Supporting Actress, who must be suffering from incurable stiff neck because she was looking neither to her left nor to her right, only straight ahead as if sleep-walking, arriving before midnight (from a shoot) and leaving as soon as she got her trophy. Let’s drink to that, Angelica!

The photographers swarmed Anne (on whose face a sweet smile never left) but left Angelica in peace, thank you!

In his thank-you speech, Baron Geisler, Best Supporting Actor, reminded everybody that he continues “to behave.”

Golden Lions couple Carlo J. Caparas and wife Donna Villa were, as usual, in their element, their cups running over and their hearts full of joy.

Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito, Best Actor, with wife Pagsanjan Mayor Maita Sanchez (rightmost) and Asiong Salonga leading lady Carla Abellana (also one of the event’s hosts)

The FAMAS Awards might have celebrated its 60th a bit late but it’s good and going strong.

Take a bow, Angelo “Eloy” Padua, FAMAS prexy. — RICKY LO

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)

60th FAMAS Honor Roll

 

•BestPicture: Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

• Best Actor: Jeorge Estregan, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

• Best Actress: Anne Curtis, No Other Woman

• Best Supporting Actor: Baron Geisler, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

Hall of Fame awardee Carlo J. Caparas with wife Donna Villa (also awarded as one of Outstanding Lady Movie Producers

• Best Supporting Actress: Angelica Panganiban, Segunda Mano

• Best Child Actor: Buboy Villar, Ang Panday 2

• Best Child Actress: Xyriel Manabat, A Mother’s Story

• Best Director: Tikoy Aguiluz, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

Angelica Panganiban, Best Supporting Actress

• Best Story: Carlo Caparas and RJ Nuevas, Ang Panday 2

• Best Screenplay: Roy Iglesias and Rey Ventura, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

• Best Cinematography: Carlo Mendoza, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

• Best Theme Song: Hari Ng Tondo by Gloc 9 feat. Denise Barbacena, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

Xyriel Manabat, Best Child Actress

• Best Editing: Jason Cahapay, Mirana Medina-Bhunjun, Ryan Orduña, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

Special Awards:

• Hall of Fame, Carlo J. Caparas

• German Moreno Youth Achievement Award: Daniel Padilla, Derrick Monasterio, Edgar Allan Guzman, Enrique Gil, Jessy Mendiola, Julie Anne San Jose and Kristoffer Martin

Carla with the three other hosts (from left) RJ Ledesma, Grace Lee and Victor Basa

• Outstanding Lady Movie Producers: Atty. Anette Gozon-Abrogar (GMA Films), Donna Villa (Golden Lions Films), Malou Santos (Star Cinema) and Mother Lily Monteverde (Regal Films)

• Public Service Award: Gov. Jeorge ER Ejercito

• Huwarang Artista sa Larangan ng Serbisyo Publiko: QC Dist. 2 Councilor Alfred Vargas

• Exemplary Achievement in the Field of Justice: PAO Chief Atty. Persida V. Rueda-Acosta

• Dr. Jose R. Perez Memorial Award: Ricky Lo

• Arturo M. Padua Memorial Award: Ricky Lo

• FAMAS Grand Award: Edmark International CEO Sam Low Ban Chai

• Posthumous Award: Sec. Jesse M. Robredo