Moi Bien
The year 2017 saw the “discovery” of some lucky and plucky talents, whose unexpected “hit” vehicles belatedly launched them to stardom.
The first was Moi Bien, a heretofore “supporting” comedienne who benefited from costarring with Megastar Sharon Cuneta in the sleeper success, “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha.”
Next came Empoy Marquez, who costarred with Alessandra de Rossi in an even bigger hit, “Kita Kita.”
His “aw-shucks” style of comedy disarmed viewers, who found it a welcome departure from other comedians’ louder and more livid ways of making the hapless viewing public “laugh.”
Success aftermath
After their stellar success, however, both Moi and Empoy needed to follow up with similarly noteworthy starrers, to consolidate and build on their gains. How well have they done on that all-important score?
Uh, not very. For some strange and excessively laid-back reason, Moi and her handlers have failed to come up with a new starrer for her.
As for Empoy, his next film, “The Barker,” was megged by actor-turned-tyro director Dennis Padilla, and all too quickly vanished without a trace.
Another Empoy flick, “Kusina Kings,” costarring Zanjoe Marudo, was announced last October, but has yet to hit the silver or slivered screen (as the case may be).
The new project is touted to be about two squabbling friends who put up a restaurant, and have to patch up their differences and work together to save their business and friendship.
We hope that “Kusina Kings” will do better than “The Barker,” when and if it’s eventually shot and shown.
Empoy is a genuine comedic find, and the local show biz scene needs a “soft” exponent of humor like him, to counteract the excessively loud, livid and in-your-face comedy style that currently prevails.
The fact that neither Empoy nor Moi have scored big with well-conceptualized follow-up vehicles should serve as a cautionary lesson for the many other star-wannabes out there.
Not enough
It isn’t enough to finally attain star status—you’ve got to cannily, savvily make sure that you stay there, or else viewers will all too quickly forget that you ever made it in the first place.
Empoy Marquez
Far too many “overnight sensations” who didn’t do much to remain sensational have ended up as eventual has-beens—a sad and clueless fate we don’t wish on anyone!
The good news is that Empoy and Moi still have time to recover and shine up their stellar status anew.
All they need is another popular film or TV show this year, and they’ll be back in clover. For Empoy, that could be the new teleserye that is reported to include him in its stellar cast.
But, he’ll have to work harder to stand out in it since it has other regular leads—unlike “Kita Kita,” which was a more exclusive showcase for him and Alessandra.
What about Moi? Sometime back, it was bruited about that Sharon Cuneta doted so much on her former costar that she could bankroll a follow-up movie for her.
Hope springs!