Opportunities seized–and missed

SHARON Cuneta should show that she means business.

In entertainment and in the arts, talents have to be alert and proactive because entire careers are made or lost, depending on how quickly and judiciously artists take advantage of, or miss, key opportunities as soon as they present themselves.

For instance, their new contracts with TV5 have given Aga Muhlach and Sharon Cuneta the golden opportunity to start a bright, new chapter in their respective stellar careers, which have lasted for more than three decades. If they play their cards right, their latest decade in the biz could turn out to be their best yet, with the full support of their new mother studio.

To date, however, Aga’s first TV5 show, “Pinoy Explorer” has failed to make waves, because instead of genuinely and excitingly exploring the planet, it’s cozily and lazily chosen to mostly make do with reedited footage from foreign nature documentaries.

We trust that Aga’s other new programs will be more ambitious and, uh, hardworking. After all, Aga is a major talent who deserves a better showcase to keep his loyal fans entertained and surprised. Otherwise, they may not remain loyal for much longer.

Fighting trim

For her part, Sharon should also come up with a really exciting and different show for her first TV5 project. To prove that she really means business, she could lose more weight, to really get back into fighting trim. Yes, she’s the mother of a young-adult star (KC Concepcion, who’s in her 20s), but she doesn’t have to look her age. The much older Vilma Santos has proven that, managed judiciously, age need not be a stellar drawback, as long as the star still looks trim and vital.

Other recent examples of opportunities seized rather than missed: Madonna’s already in her 50s, but her big mini-show last week at the Superbowl has won raves and done wonders for her image as an “eternally” sensational star who’s full of new surprises. She’s also just won an award for a new song (sending loser Elton John into a bitching spree), and has even directed her first film.

AGA Muhlach: His first show on TV5 has failed to make waves.

(Incidentally, Elton’s birthday reaction can also be cited as an example of an opportunity missed—he could have been magnanimous and come off smelling like roses, but he opted to be sour and sarcastic, and come off stinking like, well, like a john.)

Shining example

Also a shining example of an opportunity seized and fully taken advantage of is “The Artist,” the French film that’s poised to sweep this year’s awards derbies. The period comedy is silent and shot in black-and-white, and thus deemed a turn-off at the box office, and yet it’s so well-made that it’s shaping up as a hit—proof positive that, if you dare to do something different well, you can seize the day and triumph over the safe and predictable competition!

Finally, on the downbeat side, the recent death of the once hugely adorned singing star, Whitney Houston, tells a cautionary tale of a series of golden opportunities missed in the course of her stellar career. She was too young to become a has-been, and too young to die, since despite her drug dependence and other issues, the universal grief upon her passing shows that she still had the heartfelt appreciation of her fans.