New talent tilt focuses on kids and their ‘momagers’

THE CONTESTANTS of “Anak Ko ’Yan,” with vocal coach Dulce, host and judge Jennylyn Mercado, and dance coach Rochelle Pangilinan.

GMA 7’s new kiddie talent tilt, “Anak Ko ’Yan,” is reminiscent of “I Know My Kid’s a Star,” a US TV reality challenge that focuses, not only on the juvenile performers it features, but also on their “momagers.”

Expectedly, this has upped the local show’s level of competition and cattiness, and that could lead to even messier consequences as the TV tilt heats up.

There also appears to be a problem with some of the young finalists on point of overall talent and stellar potential. While many of them sing well, some have less than stellar good looks and “projection.” We trust that, as the weekday (10:45 a.m.) telecasts proceed apace, they will reveal why they were thought to be otherwise promising enough to get into the tilt.

Perplexing

Even more perplexing is the lack of energy and hilig  that some of the young bets evince. Their parents appear to be more eager for them to become entertainers and that disconnect could lead to control and motivational problems and skirmishes in the future!

The new talent tilt could also rethink its use of its talents’ mothers as “team leaders” and conceptualizers of performance numbers. This should be the purview of objective and better-trained professionals.

To date, the mini-shows they have put up have generally been predictable, so they haven’t been all that helpful in showcasing the young bets’ individual abilities as performers, on a revealing comparative basis.

It’s similarly relevant to note that the contenders aren’t all tiny tykes, but also represent various age groups, from adolescent to tween and teen. Instructively, the older bets generally turn in more limited performances, possibly because they’ve become more self-conscious, or have already acquired some bad habits that get in the way of the natural exuberance and charm that child talents are known for.

If this is an accurate observation, the tilt’s mentors would do well to motivate the older bets to arrest this limiting tendency—and to make sure that the youngest contestants don’t go down the same unproductive path.

Generic comments

Speaking of the tilt’s mentors, their comments are generally quite helpful, but they should go beyond “generic” notes like “push harder,” “focus,” “practice more”—etc.

Finally, a polite reminder for the kids’ “momagers”: Make absolutely sure that it’s your child who loves to perform, and that he or she isn’t just the willing or forced conduit for your own delayed, postponed and unfulfilled dream (or fantasy) of stardom!

P.S. Last Aug. 29’s telecast ended up messier than usual, because the mothers were made to decide on the “weakest three” for the week.

Naturally, some mothers fiercely “defended” their children from possible eviction, and one mom was even reduced to tears as she (successfully) got her daughter out of the bottom three!

This indicates that the decision to give the mothers here more clout and say than “stage parents” have on other shows needs to be re-discussed.

Yes, the strong opinions and emotional conflict they bring to the show make it more “eventful”—but at what price?