Basking in reflected glory

A DISTURBING trend that some educators have noted is the increasing desirability of a “career” in show business for some young Filipinos.

Time was when the careers favored were the medical professions, education, engineering and business.

Now, more youths, especially those who think that they’re drop-dead gorgeous or hunky, want to become show biz stars. So, they don’t think it’s all that important to finish college—and drop out of school.

After all, they shrug, starlets already make money even without a degree—and isn’t that what getting an education is for?

Trouble is, there are so many young people dreaming and auditioning to make it in the “beautiful biz,” and only few new stellar slots to fill.

Literally, tens of thousands of show biz wanna-bes audition for the 10 or 20 slots available on a TV studio’s talent or personality tilt, which is now the new and expedient way for a beautiful and hopefully talented newbie to get discovered and built up as one of “tomorrow’s stars.”

What about the 29,980 other auditionees who aren’t chosen to fill those few slots, what are they to do? And have they haplessly and hopelessly become—chopped liver?

Well, that’s the flatulent fate of lazy dreamers who believe in the facile, self-serving promise of stellar fame and fortune served on a silver platter—which turns out to be a slivered, Fool’s Gold fantasy.

Another unfortunate consequence of the current popularity of stardom as a “career” of choice is the rise of an entire “support system” of aspiring starlets and stars’ relatives, handlers, “momagers” or “papagers,” patrons, financiers, image stylists and fans who are only too happy to bask in reflected glory.

They don’t become famous themselves, but that’s OK with them, because the other perks are quite substantial.

In addition, some of the new stars’ popularity “rubs off” on them “by association,” as evidenced by the TV exposure devoted to a star’s mother—or even a TV host’s alalay, who ends up getting his own guesting stints, or becoming an occasional character actress.

What do the patrons and financiers get? In some or many cases, their motivation is less than altruistic, so they don’t really mind all that much if they don’t get a monetary “return of investment”—as long as the new luminary whose career they’ve successfully funded repays them “in kind!”

Trouble is, there usually comes a time when a star becomes so famous that his secret, intimate involvement with his “patron” becomes a liability.

So, the mutually beneficial relationship has to end. Or, in some cases, the now big star is “patronized” by an even more powerful show biz executive, or by a tycoon with even bigger pockets!

For the members of his “support system,” this means even bigger and better “reflected glory” coming up!