New challenges–and second chances

FALLON, Steps into Jay Leno’s outsized shoes.

Show biz stars appear to lead a charmed life, but they can’t afford to take their glittering success for granted, —because ambitious rivals are just waiting for them to get smug and make a wrong move!

So, entertainment luminaries have to keep topping themselves by taking on new challenges, especially at the start of the new show biz season, to keep the competition at bay.

For instance, Ellen Degeneres seems to have nothing more to prove, what with the decade-long success of her weekday talk show. But, she’s agreed to host the Oscar Awards rites early next month—possibly in reaction to the direct hit that the cohosting team of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler scored at the recent Golden Globes ceremonies.

DEGENERES. Needs to reassert her supremacy in awards rites hosting.

Ellen’s need to reassert her supremacy in awards rites hosting is understandable, but her rivals’ performance was so exceptional that many people are wondering what in the world Degeneres can do to top it!

Will she make her entrance as the gilded embodiment of Mr. Oscar himself—in the nude (with that huge sword covering her nether region, of course)? Will she do a brisk montage of “tributes” to past female Academy Award winners—in their original on-screen period costumes and hairstyles? More to the point, will her opening monologue be as silly-sassy-funny as the Globes’ hit cohosts’ witty and catty warmer-upper?

You can bet that Ellen has been asking herself and her army of writers and producers the very same questions—so, her Oscar stint next month should score an A+—at least for Effort!

Iconic show

SORIANO. Starts new chapter in her performing life.

Speaking of new challenges, the TV world is still agog over Jimmy Fallon’s recent “coup” on the iconic “Tonight” show, where he recently replaced Jay Leno. The talk-variety program has had a long and illustrious pop-history, serially presided over by Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Leno again—but now, it’s Fallon’s turn to make the show exciting anew, even after 40 years.

Fallon was tapped to step into Leno’s outsized shoes precisely because the production wants to appeal to a younger viewing demographic—without losing the “oldies but loyal goodies” who have made viewing the program a late-night viewing habit.

Can the new host create such ambidextrous magic? An upbeat sign was the hefty viewership that his debut telecast got—hopefully, a reliable indication of even better things to come!

Finally, local TV-film star Maricel Soriano is taking a deep breath and starting a new chapter in her performing life—from Kapamilya (ABS) to Kapuso (GMA) contract talent.

Will the big move energize her stellar career? Maricel’s recent film efforts were creditable enough, but still didn’t make her periodic comebacks  “breaking news” show biz events.

Let’s hope that GMA has some more convincing and impressive ploys and gambits in mind for its latest move-over talent. She still has what it takes to delight and move viewers—provided that she doesn’t hold on to her antic, frantic screen image of yore, and reinvents herself (with her new contract studio’s help) as a mature star.