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Groucho Marx said it best when he quipped, “I find television very educating — every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” To be sure, the valiant maestro of Vaudeville understood a truism that seems to be at the root of our current great leap forward. While we pay a great deal of lip service to the alleged benefits of entertainment, in the end, what we are actually seeking is a kind of release.

The urge to plunge into surreality — or irreality, if you like — is as natural as hunger. Above all else, we want to become something else. We seek catharsis by any means necessary. This means, by and large, that we wish we were like the people we see in the movies. To be sure, there is always some element of envy at work when we watch 35mm film projected 60 feet high. We desire to be like “them” — you know, those special people (though I use the term with tongue firmly planted in cheek).

To quote Mick Jagger, we never seem to get any satisfaction — or, I should say, any satisfaction that lasts. There is something in the collective group-think that makes entering the very fantasy we have paid in excess of $20 for two hours of our time and a few boxes of sugar-coated biscuits, so desirable. Just to take our minds off things, as it were. To forget all our troubles and cares and find solace in a tale that has been told since time immemorial. What will this tale entail? A bit of romance, a dash of daring, and the thrill of victory are all that we require — perhaps not in that order.

While the promise of Roddenberry’s holo-deck may be a few decades away (I’m being generous — in all likelihood it will be perfected in five years), there are some technologies that can make slipping into your favorite film a reality. I should add the the caveat that by entering I mean superimposing and by film I mean only a short clip. Green screen technology and software developed by companies like Yoostar have made playing in a scene opposite Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca a feasible reality.

The slipstream, as Bruce Sterling coined it, is just a microchip away. A new realm of fantasy never before imagined. Certainly, the definition of entertainment itself will be rewritten or perhaps the notion of being entertained will be done away with all together. Perhaps being born in 2030 will mean being born into a realty chose by your parents. Perhaps a black a white world set circa 1940? The future is just a green screen away.

The popularity of karaoke is predicated on the promise of public humiliation. Belting out your rendition of Sinatra’s My Way — not recommended in the Philippines, by the by — is meant to either prove you have the chops to audition for American Idol or are nothing more than some half-drunken sod with a voice that could crack glass. While indeed the threat of public humiliation is palpable, anyone with even a modicum of vocal skill can manage to mildly entertain a crowd of enthusiastic drinkers.

While carrying a tune is one thing, acting on cue — and with conviction — is another. This is what separates “green screening” from karaoke. While this may be an unfamiliar term to most, it will not be for much longer. Thanks to the innovations of companies, like Yoostar, the future of karaoke may not be as secure as previously thought. Why simply settle for someone’s botched attempt to sing when you can jeer his or her botched attempt to act?

The technology behind green screening involves, of course, a foldout green screen and positioning software that replaces the actor, in one of dozens of popular film clips, with you or a friend — or both. By positioning yourself according to the software’s specifications, you can subsume the role of such stars as Humphrey Bogart, Harrison Ford, and even John Belushi. Mind you, this doesn’t allow you to commandeer the entire film, merely a three or four minute portion.

Heralded as the future of home entertainment, the promise of green screen technology, I feel, will be fulfilled by a more public setting. While your average pub may take some time to warm up to this new kind of karaoke, your typical weekend party or soiree would be an opportune time to delight your friends and relatives. This is made possible by the shrewd fact that everyone wishes, at one point or another, to be able to enter his or her favorite film.

Imagine an intimate gathering of your closest friends. Then imagine taking turns delivering Bogart’s lines in Casablanca. No need to worry, the dialogue will be provided by the software. Then imagine how far from the mark you all will be. The peel of laughter will be heard for blocks around.