Their time to shine

SANTIAGO “Retroactive winners.”

Our last report on “The X Factor USA” ended with the upbeat news that lone Fil-Am survivor Ellona Santiago’s group, Intensity, had squeaked through as one of the tilt’s 12 finalists. Last Nov. 3, however, the first “elimination” telecast bore less than happy tiding for Ellona and her group:

One by one, the “survivors” of the elimination phase were announced, and it was sobering to note that the most popular finalists were soloists, not groups. True enough, by the time that 10 of the survivors had been announced, the two remaining finalists (with the lowest scores in terms of viewers’ “votes”) were both groups, and Intensity was one of them.

And when the loser was decided on, it was Ellona’s group that bit the dust.

So, that’s it—our last Pinoy bet is no longer in the competition. Aside from tasting the ashes of defeat, however, Ellona can take away some positive gains from her “X”-perience: In her group of 10, she was singled out  most often by the jurors, and mentor Paula Abdul clearly thought so well of her that she gave Ellona the best solo parts to sing, thus showcasing her fine and strong singing voice in a special way.

Charisma

The other mentor-jurors also singled Ellona out for special mention, so we expect to hear more of and from her in the future. She’s proven her exceptional ability and charisma as an Asian-American talent, and record and show producers should offer her “star-making” projects that could end up making her a winner in her own right.

In this regard, we advise a savvy Philippine-based production company to beat everyone else to the draw and offer Ellona performances and recording deals here, while her singular success on “X” is still fresh in music fans’ recollection.

LAHBATI. “Retroactive winners.”

Other ‘nonwinners’

Speaking of “nonwinners” who eventually make it, Ellona can derive inspiration from the “gradual success” enjoyed by “American Idol” rejects like Jennifer Hudson and Clay Aiken, who ended up bigger stars than some of the tilt’s winners.

On the local scene, “retroactive winners” include singer K-La and actress Sarah Lahbati. K-La didn’t top the singing tilt she joined last year, but her combination of looks, talent and charisma is belatedly reaping its much-deserved reward by way of her concerts and her ingenue lead showcase in the musical, “In the Heights.”

For her part, Sarah had to patiently wait for quite a long while after the talent tilt she topped, but the long wait has been worth it, because she’s now playing the title role in the new teleserye. “Kokak.”

If Ellona decides to launch her singing career here, it’s likely that she’ll go places, as well, even if “retroactively.” So, let’s spread the welcome mat and red carpet for her—and help her come into her own!