Imagine a day like this in the '90s.
The neighbor's loudspeakers (mobile sound system)—playing Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice Baby" or MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This"—rouses you from sleep one morning.
You switch on the TV to watch Hiraya Manawari, then after a few minutes, your beeper alerts you about a gimmick: Disco later at Limits Ortigas.
You decide to spend the afternoon at home and catch a few scenes of TGIS.
At 8:00 p.m., you begin styling your hairdo a la Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) of Friends; then put on your retro-inspired outfit—psychedelic pants, neon-colored hanging blouse, clogs—and your Swatch.
Just before leaving the house, you bump into your brother—your anti-thesis. He's wearing a pair of baggy pants and a colorful vest, and his friend is clad in a batik polo-shorts ensemble and a pair of mojo sandals.
You head to the Disco and enjoy dancing to the beat of Timmy Thomas's "Dying Inside" or Apache Indian's "Raggamuffin Girl." Bro and company have gone to watch Yano, Teeth, Rizal Underground, Siakol, and Put3ska in Club Dredd.
It's already 1:30 a.m. when you hit the road and listen to Joe D' Mango's voice on your car stereo.
Now back home, you switch on the boob tube to watch MTV until your eyelids drop...ZZZzzz...
That's a quick backtrack to the free-spirited '90s.
And in memory of Master Rapper Francis Magalona, who popularized our own brand of hip hop, and in celebration of the recent Final Set concert of Eraserheads, the music band who brought alternative rock to the mainstream—PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) lists down showbiz's Top Ten remarkable things, people, and events in that loud, colorful decade before the new millennium.
10. UNIVERSAL MOTION DANCERS. Before the all-girl groups took over the dance scene, male dancers were the ones eliciting shrieks and screams from the viewers.
Wowie De Guzman, Gerard Fainsan (+), James Salas, Jim Salas, Brian Furlow, Marco McKinley, Norman Santos, and Gerry Oliva became famous for their legendary Butterfly steps in Erasure's "Always."
This group, which started as back-up dancers in 1992, was said to be the pioneer of the mixed hip hop-street dance variety in the local dance arena. Their popularity paved the way for other all-male groups to gain access to showbiz.
UMD also recorded one of the top-selling albums of the decade, Dancing with the Motion.
9. SEIKO FILMS. Back in the '90s, Robbie Tan would produce about 13 movies a year—that's like releasing and promoting one film per month.
The movie mogul's strategy then was "generate more profit, spend less on production cost and talent fees." One way to achieve this was through the ST "sex trip" route, which introduced Gretchen Barretto, Rina Reyes, and Cristina Gonzalez as the country's sex goddesses onscreen.
Some interesting notes:
(1) In 1995, teen star Abby Viduya shed off her pa-tweetums image and changed her screen name to Priscilla Almeda when she starred in Sabik sa Halik.
(2) In the mid-'90s, the lady who became famous as Rosanna Roces was launched by Robbie as Ana Maceda.
(3) Cesar Montano, Claudine Barretto, Gardo Versoza, Romnick Sarmenta, Sheryl Cruz—who became famous in the '90s—were all movie stars of Seiko Films.
Some film critics claimed that rampant production of sex-themed movies put an end to the glory days of Philippine cinema.
But the followers of Seiko could always snap back, reciting the film outfit's popular tag line, "If it's from Seiko, it must be good."
8. MS. UNIVERSE 1994. The staging of the 1994 Miss Universe Pageant here in Manila is perhaps one of the most unforgettable events of the decade (aside from the 1990 earthquake, 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, and 1995 visit of Pope John Paul II).
More than 77 ladies from different countries flew to Manila in mid-April to join the month-long preparations and festivities before the grand coronation night on May 20.
And a few of the candidates became famous even after the competition because of their visibility on the entertainment scene:
1993 Ms. Universe Dayanara Torres joined local showbiz and became the girlfriend of award-winning actor Aga Muhlach. Aga eventually married our very own candidate that year, Charlene Gonzalez.
Ms. Australia Michelle van Eimeren tried her hand at acting and hosting in Manila, and married Ogie Alcasid.
Ms. Mauritius Viveca Babajee became controversial for her involvement in the 1994 Manila Film Festival scam.
7. MASSACRE MOVIES. 1993 signaled the "masaker" trend, movies that were basically adaptations of heinous crimes in the country. It provided a twist to the usual life-story films of famous people.
In a span of five years (1993-1998), director Carlo J. Caparas helmed 12 movies—from the then controversial Visconde Massacre, to the much-publicized rape case of Maggie de la Riva, to the 1948 murder of Lilian Velez.
Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, Cesar Montano, Dawn Zulueta, Vina Morales, to name a few, all had massacre movies. But it was Kris Aquino who emerged as the queen with the success of her two crime-related films, Vizconde Massacre and Humanda Ka Mayor.
6. FAMOUS LOVE TEAMS. On television, we'd all remember the tandem of Claudine Barretto and Rico Yan who top-billed Mula Sa Puso, which became the most watched soap from 1997 to 1999. It even had a movie version. Their reel-turned-real love story ended tragically with Rico's sudden death on March 29, 2002.
In movies, the love team of Judy Ann Santos and Wowee de Guzman was so popular that the duo generated more than 10 hit films—from their first project together Sana Naman (1996) to Esperanza The Movie (1999).
On the other side of the fence, many teens fell in love with Bobby Andrews and Angelu de Leon in GMA-7's teen show T.G.I.S., which launched the careers of the most popular television stars of today—Dingdong Dantes, Sunshine Dizon, Polo Ravales, and Anne Curtis.
5. GUWAPINGS. They became a household name in the '90s.
The trio—composed of Jomari Yllana, Mark Anthony Fernandez, and Eric Fructuoso—had a very brief time together, but its impact was phenomenal!
Girls went gaga over their TV show Guwapings Live on GMA-7. Their movie, which oddly used water guns and liquefied rosaries to kill bad spirits, was a box-office success. Even their "How Gee" dance became a craze.
When Mark Anthony announced his plan to go on hiatus from showbiz, there were even reports that a fan committed suicide.
More groups of good-looking guys surfaced in the '90s, but none came close to the popularity of Guwapings.
4. RENE REQUIESTAS. This funny-looking guy, known for his toothless grin, was said to be a cigarette vendor before a talent scout spotted him. Joey de Leon personally handpicked him to be his sidekick.
From his role as Cheetae "Ganda Lalake" in the multi-sequeled Starzan, he was given his first lead role in 1990 via the film Ganda Babe, Ganda Lalake with Maricel Laxa.
But what took the country by storm was Pido Dida, his movie project with Kris Aquino that had three sequels. Moviegoers followed the story of the "masang-masa na Pido" and "sosyal na sosyal na Dida"—from the time they met to their wedding to having twins.
His iconic status reportedly made lots of money for Regal Films. In 1990 alone, he did 10 movies—that's like having a movie every month.
He died of tuberculosis on July 24, 1993.
3. ANG TV. This gag variety show, in effect, filled the place of GMA-7's That's Entertainment.
At 4:30 p.m., television sets would start playing the so-familiar "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," and viewers would exclaim: "Ang TV na!"
Up came Claudine Barretto, Jolina Magdangal, Angelu de Leon, Rica Peralejo, John Prats, Camille Prats, Paolo Contis, Angelica Panganiban, and Patrick Garcia-who are still very active in showbiz today. For 30 minutes, the young stars would showcase their singing and dancing skills.
Their lines, such as "Esmyuskee" and "Nge," became the favorite expression of Pinoys. Their songs, dances, attire, hairdo—specifically that of Jolina—set the fad locally.
Ang TV discovered and developed young talents. It also defined celebrityhood for showbiz wannabes.
The original show ran from 1992 to 1996.
2. FRANCIS MAGALONA. The Master Rapper's "Mga Kababayan," released in 1990, was an answered prayer for every rapper. In a flash, hip hop became an acceptable music genre.
Francis's songs converted "non-believers" by flagging nationalism in his lyrics. His straightforward lines, recited the rapper's way, totally won over the skeptics. Don't we all like Kaleidoscope and Cold Summer Nights?
His other trademarks—the running man and his ethnic costumes—were all the rage in the early '90s.
Significantly, the King of Pinoy Rap was successful in conveying the important roles of the youth via his songs: they should be peace-loving, environment-friendly, and think and feel Pinoy!
The positive response of the public to his works paved the way for other rappers to make the scene, especially Andrew E. and Michael V.
1. ERASERHEADS. In the music scene, a group of college students in UP Diliman began making waves in 1992 with the success of their debut album Ultraelectromagneticpop. Three singles "Pare Ko," "Toyang," and "Tindahan ni Aling Nena" topped the charts and turned their first work into a sextuple platinum album.
Two years later, they released Circus, which was the story of the four members' life. Four hits "Kailan," "Magasin," "Alapaap," "With A Smile," and "Sembreak" were enough reason for fans to buy the album. It turned gold in just 30 days and, eventually, quintuple platinum.
In 1996, Eheads launched their third album Cutterpillow via an open-air concert, which was believed to be one of the decade's most attended events. Even before the album featuring "Ang Huling El Bimbo" hit the record bars, it went gold.
Hailed as "the Beatles of the Philippines," Eheads was the most influential alternative rock band in country. Its success in the mainstream market opened doors for Rivermaya, Parokya ni Edgar, Yano, Siakol, to name a few.
Most college students in the mid-90s could relate to the Eraserheads' repertoire. Their songs painted real-life situations with wit, humor, and down-to-earth lyrics, giving voice to the young generation's sentiments.
Some of their singles even became controversial—remember Ely Buendia's infamous curse in "Pare Ko" and the band's alleged promotion of drug use in "Alapaap"? But the issues worked to their advantage—more Pinoys got curious and bought the albums like the music addicts that they are.
The famous rockers had a movie, appeared in various TV commercials, and even went international.
No other band, to date, can match the impact of Eraserheads on those who lived through the '90s.
Some of you may want to add Robin Padilla, the Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema, or Lea Salonga, who counqered the international stage. Others may argue that Regine Velasquez should be in the list, but her successful career began in the late '80s. And what about APO Hiking Society's one-week presence on the boob tube...?
The space below is all yours.
If you want to check out the "IN" things in the '80s, CHECK THIS OUT.