STAR SEARCHING
By Issa Sebullen


Filipinos are always in search of heroes. And it is a fact that heroes are made, not by deeds but by exposure. Remember Angelo Dela Cruz? He was the celebrated hostage who was portrayed a hero simply by media’s manipulation.

Since watching television is practically free, TV screen idols have the edge over those in the other fields. No wonder, there is always a very long line leading to the audition booth, an indication that a star search contest is the easiest pathway to stardom, even if only on television.

The pioneering GMA-7’s Starstruck Star Search was a huge success if gauged by the number of audition applicants and the warm reception of the TV audience. With solo movies to their credit, grand winners Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras are now considered stars in their own right. Although with stars not as bright as Jennylyn’s and Mark’s, Rainier Castillo and Yasmien Kurdi can stand on their own when it comes to movie casting.

Not to be outdone, ABS-CBN had their own version of a star search contest. Although shortlived, the Star Circle Quest produced Sandara Park and Hero Angeles who became the hottest items of ABS-CBN at that time. It used to be that a mestiza, with fair skin and an American or European features, is the epitome of a Filipino movie or TV star. But Sandara Park belied that myth. This Korean lass with nothing to show except her chinky eyes and broken Tagalog had paved the way for a new trend.

The pair’s movie Can This Be Love was a hit in the box office, according to Star Cinema insiders. The said movie was in a direct confrontation with GMA-7’s Let The Love Begin bannered by the hottest pair of Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez.

The second batch of Starstruck coincided with Pinoy Big Brother, a different type of search with a foreign franchise. While Starstruck stuck to their format, Pinoy Big Brother contestants, whom they call housemates, were confined in a custom-made house. Almost all corners of the house were filled with hidden cameras thereby transforming the TV audience into peeping toms. And if Starstruck had a vague set of criteria for winning, Pinoy Big Brother’s was even vaguer. Singing talents, dancing talents and whatever talents didn’t matter much. What’s important was the audience impact.

As a process of elimination, one contestant was evicted every week or so. For this purpose, Pinoy Big Brother exploited the texting mania where texters can choose who to evict or who would stay. Aside from earning money from the texts sent in by viewers, the texting method contributed to the snowballing of the program. Nene Tamayo, the gutsy lady, was the big winner of Pinoy Big Brother’s initial edition. But currently, Sam Milby seems to be the most popular among the 10 housemates.

Mike Tan and Ryza Cenon were the grand winners of the Starstruck II. With the million in prize money, not to mention the TV and movie contracts, Mike’s and Ryza’s fortune were enviable. However, it is obvious that the winners of Starstruck II were a bit overshadowed by the Pinoy Big Brother finalists. And in comparison with the popularity of Jennyln and Mark, Starstruck II winners Mike and Ryza are way behind.

Came next from ABS-CBN was the Pinoy Big Brother celebrity edition followed by the teen edition. The original Pinoy Big Brother proved to be a tough act to follow. In spite of the issues involving the gender of Rustom Padilla and the naivete of Keanna Reeves, people may have realized that the celebrity edition was a misnomer because all the housemates were has-beens. The same fate had befallen the teen edition which got a colder reception and lower ratings.

On the other side of the fence, Starstruck III was still hot although not too hot like the original version. The mestiza-looking Jackie Rice and an ordinary looking Marky Cielo were the grand winners. But finalist Iwa Moto is surely sharing in the limelight, perhaps not much for her looks but more for her bratty attitude and inherent audacity.

As of late, ABC-5 had joined the bandwagon of star search contests with their own Philippine Idol. Like Pinoy Big Brother, Philippine Idol is also a foreign franchise. Despite having honorable judges in the persons of Pilita Corrales, Ryan Cayabyab and Francis Magalona, Philippine Idol failed to capture the affection of the viewers according to TV ratings.

Another thing going against Philippine Idol is their main criterion which is centered on the singing ability. In other words, Philippine Idol is just a singing contest with a complex format but nevertheless it’s evident that only the singing talent matters. Worse, the said contest had retired their honorable judges in the final stage and had left the major decision to the texting populace. Again, it appears a misnomer since it is more apt to be called Philippine Texting Idol.

After the search is over, what happens next?

Blue Moon, with Jennylyn and Mark in the lead roles, won several best picture awards. Amid the presence of popular stars like Eddie Garcia, Christopher De Leon and Dennis Trillo, some say that Mark and Jennylyn can carry a movie on their own merits. Fans even say that Jennylyn had finally arrived with her acting prowess.

Hero Angeles, sad to say, had drifted into oblivion apparently due to his misunderstanding with an influential showbiz writer/host. It was said that Hero’s brother manager was the crux of the matter. Hero is now continuing his studies to occupy his time and probably to heal his broken heart. For her own booboo, Sandara left for Korea, in haste, for unknown personal reasons. That big blunder resulted in her faded glory. Although it was denied several times, Sandara had posed for a male magazine just to buy public attention.

With several movies under his belt and concerts to boot, not counting the TV exposure, indeed Sam Milby is already made in terms of stardom and popularity. While his housemates are slowly bowing out of the limelight, Sam has his hold firmly on the TV and movie screens. He has Toni Gonzaga as love team for his latest movie You Are The One.

Ryza Cenon can still be seen on TV but unlike Jennylyn, Ryza seemed to have been typecast in supporting roles. Mike Tan is rarely seen on TV nor in movies. In the footsteps of Hero Angeles, perhaps Mike’s quarrel with IC Mendoza had sealed his doom. It is no laughing matter to insult a gay who happens to be the son of an influential showbiz columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Keanna Reeves, the Pinoy Big Brother celebrity edition winner, just had her solo starrer movie which was recently shown. Maybe due to lack of promotion, her movie Reyna didn’t fare well at the tills. But showbiz analysts opined that there was no symmetry between Keanna and Troy Montero, her leading man, hence the flop. Despite having Boy Abunda for her manager, it seems that Keanna is destined to fade away for good.

Starstruck III winners are still clawing up their way to the surface while Pinoy Big Brother teen edition winners seemed to have lost their footing. Maybe the same can be said of the upcoming Philippine Idol finalists.

As a trend, star-search contests will definitely continue. But their success, if properly and fairly measured, will never break the record ratings unless there are innovation implemented. Too many of the same thing is having too much to digest.