Making up for lost time and stellar edge

Some years ago, we reviewed the show biz scene with the specific focus of identifying the “young stars most likely” to have long-running stellar careers.

We concluded that, among the male comers, the stars most likely to succeed for the long term were Jericho Rosales, John Lloyd Cruz and Piolo Pascual.

We put Jericho at the top of our very short list because he had the looks, charisma, thespic talent and versatility (he also sings and dances) that make for especially compelling stellar promise.

It’s instructive to note that, a decade later, Jericho is “still around,” but John Lloyd and Piolo have outpaced him (to date) in the stellar race.

Dreamboat

Piolo’s edge now is the fact that he’s no longer just a laid-back hunk and dreamboat, but has finally learned how to really act and be.

For his part, John Lloyd Cruz still topbills hit rom-coms, but has gone beyond that and proven his thespic worth and depth in drama.

In addition, both actors have supported indie productions and made them more popular. That’s a signal service that other big stars should think of doing, because indie makers urgently need stellar support to make enough money at the box office, so they can keep coming up with more movies.

Jericho has had his share of indie success and honors (“Alagwa”), but all told, he isn’t as popular as he should be. He’s gone periodically “on leave” from his career too often, so his more focused rivals have been outrunning and outgunning him.

We still believe that he’s the best of the stellar troika, so we hope that, in 2016, he takes no more holidays and buckles down to work, to remind everyone how good he is—and can be.

 Superiority

We’re glad to hear that he has a new TV series and mainstream movie in the works, so we trust that he makes them huge critical and commercial hits, to prove the point of his innate superiority, beyond doubt or rebuttal.

Aside from that, his handlers should create other showcases for him, to underscore his exceptional versatility, like a music show and a dance program on TV.

It’s interesting to note, as well, that Jericho’s son, Santino, is already 15 years old, and some people are pushing him “to go show biz,” too.

After all, he’s tall, good-looking and sporty, so he could be trained, polished and packaged into a young stellar comer in his own right.

This “next generation” step would be similar to the move Piolo has made in relation to the emergence of his own scion and heir, Iñigo, as a teen show biz comer.

It must be observed, however, that Iñigo’s initially strong bid has been diluted of late by his being “bunched up” with other male starlets.

Still, if he’s given a challenging, attention-calling role in an indie movie, Iñigo could still make it big.

What about Jericho’s Santino? If he’s at all interested, he too could make it, with his dad’s guidance and help in opening important doors.

Before that, however, dad Jericho should work really hard and consistently this year to remind everyone that he’s still the best of the best—no ifs and buts about it.