AFTER CLICKING with viewers in “Dream Dad,” new child star Jana Agoncillo faded away from on-cam view, causing us to worry that her stellar ascent would be impeded by the lack of a good follow-up project. Happily, we are relieved to learn that Jana does have another starrer in the works, titled “Ning Ning”—and that the new teleserye will soon be seeing the light of TV day.
We hope that Jana’s new TV starrer comes in the nick of time to revive viewers’ interest in the pert and talented tyke. Child performers grow up much too fast, so it’s imperative that they’re built up and developed as soon as possible, before they’re no longer cute and precocious!
New talents
We also trust that Jana’s handlers have a movie lined up for her this year, because TV is good for “introducing” new talents to viewers, but it takes a hit film to really “make” a new child star.
Another young talent waiting to get a movie of his own is Alonzo Muhlach, who delighted viewers in “Inday Bote.” —So, we iterate our suggestion that producers hit two birds with one stone and get Jana and Alonzo to costar in a kiddie “dramedy”—before the year ends!
Another new star who’s getting some follow-up projects is Diego Loyzaga, who made viewers sit up in “Forevermore.” Since then, Diego has been seen in a couple of drama series, and has just been “introduced” as Kathryn Bernardo’s suitor (and Daniel Padilla’s potential rival?) in “Pangako Sa ‘Yo.” Clearly, some studio bosses agree with us that Diego has what it takes to go all the way to the top of the stellar escalator.
Quality not quantity
Trouble is, Diego’s follow-up vehicles haven’t been all that significant or noteworthy. Will “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” prove to be the exception? We certainly hope so, because when it comes to building up potential stars, quality, not quantity, is the key!
Take a look at Matt Evans: In the past couple of seasons, he’s played supporting roles in many drama series, from “Pure Love” onwards—but, he still hasn’t made it as a certified star.
Ditto for Yen Santos, who got to play a good role in “Pure Love” but later dissipated that advantage in so-so roles in other shows. At the moment, she’s in “Oh My G” as Janella’s older half-sibling—but, it’s Janella who’s getting most of the attention.
We agree with TV execs that she’s worth building up—but not with roles that don’t showcase her in an exciting and telling way. Why not give her a big, challenging role in an indie movie where she can really prove her stellar worth? It won’t take much money, and Yen can get a lot out of it!