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Date Posted: 20:21:22 01/11/04 Sun
Will Erik Santos be the next big star?
SARAH Geronimo was last year’s musical find. She now also working in the movies —Viva Entertainment Group had cast her in the film Filipinas. She had a short but noticeable role, as Richard Gomez’s daughter and she wasn’t bad at all.
Erik Santos
Sarah was the grand champ in the singing contest Star For A Night which Viva Television produced on IBC 13 as a franchised show from London. Only 14 years old but with a soaring voice that she uses well to belt out Celine Dion’s love songs, Sarah easily made a dent on the consciousness of star-loving Pinoys. Her debut album Popstar sold well last year, and so was her debut solo concert at the Music Museum. She had another well attended solo concert at the Ynarez Coliseum in Antipolo City last December. Though a newcomer, Viva managed to make her the star attraction in many mall shows featuring other upcoming talents of the entertainment company.
Viva has really done a lot for her in just one year. Will ABS-CBN 2 be able to do the same with Erik Santos who has just emerged as grand champion of Star In A Million?
Erik is already in his early twenties and while he doesn’t look awful, he would likely never make it to any of the network’s batch of Star Circle since he also happens to lack height. He sings with a soaring voice and his winning piece was a number from the Broadway hit Phantom of the Opera. While he sings well, his voice is pretty ordinary, nothing distinctive at all.
Luck seems to be on his side. He got into the finals as a second-timer in the contest, someone whom hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Edu Manzano, and Ryan Agoncillo mysteriously described as a “wild-card.” The other male finalists also had his soaring voice and they looked better and taller. But then the others were even eliminated way ahead of him, and during the contest’s final showdown, he was the lone male survivor who had to battle it out against two young women, one of whom was the dimu-nitive Cebuana Sheryn Regis. The latter was said to be have won the vote of the texters.
Erik’s prizes include a contract with Star Records, P1 million in cash, and a management contract with the network’s Talent Center.
But, then, a lot of people doubt that Erik can become as sensational a star as Sarah even in the hands of the Lopez’s star-building machinery. The Lopez’s star-making machinery is practically over-loaded and has been failing at packaging newcomers it has been signing up by the dozens. We have lost count on what batch of Star Circle the network is set to launch soon, and who remembers anyone from the last batch who has made it big?
The only young talent the network managed to catapult to stardom last year was Bea Alonzo who belongs an even earlier batch of unknown recruits. True, Lucky Manzano became a familiar face to the public last year, but he happens to be the only son of the ex-couple Vilma Santos and Edu Manzano and he might have become famous just the same even if he had been signed up by, say, ABC 5 or IBC 13. Lucky is just plain lucky to be his famous parents’ only son.
In the case of singers, the Lopez star-building machinery can’t even claim that it has made Michael “Josh” San-tana, King, and Divo really famous. Michael was the guy in the Nora Aunor-starred soap opera Bituin. His character’s name was Josh and he was teamed up with Carol Banawa. He was famous while the soap was bubbling into viewers’ homes and would have gone back to oblivion soon after Bituin ended but was happily saved by his having been asked to record a Tagalog adaptation of one of the songs of F4.
Michael’s version must have been just a mild hit. Otherwise, Star Records should have made him wax an entire album of adaptations of F4 songs, which can be sung be in Mandarin by children who are not yet in school! (It’s useless to have a Tagalog adaptation of F4 songs!)
By December last year, interest in the Tagalog translation declined, espeically since the F4 guys were all over Manila by then.
As for King and Divo, we have a feeling they were overshadowed by Nyoy Volante, Paolo Santos and Jimmy Bondoc. Incidentally, Jimmy was a Star Record contract artist for years who did not become popular until he struck on his own as an acoustic performer.
But, oh, well, if the Lopez star-building machinery would be turned on almost in full force in favor of Erik Santos, the guy might yet become this year’s Sarah Geronimo. But, then, again, he would have to share the limelight to the batch of Star Circle who will be launched soon in a new show called Star Circle Quest which will be hosted by Lucky Manzano. The show will be pitted against GMA 7’s on-going Star-struck whose goal, too, is to launch young newcomers to stardom.
Meanwhile, for those who have not heard Erik’s singing, Star Records has released an album featuring the 10 finalists of Star In A Million. Who knows, the company might release the guy’s first solo album this year.
The Lopez’s star-building machi-nery should really grind fast because Viva is now working on building up Mark Bautista who was among the co-finalists of Sarah when she won in Star For A Night. Mark might just overtake Erik easily. And, then, soon, since Viva has the on-going Search For a Star on GMA 7, the company might turn on the spotlight in full force on whoever emerges there as the first grand champion.
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Erick Santos: Next Big Star
