Another shot at stardom

(Second of two parts)

30 Days is a new GMA 7 show hosted by Lorna Tolentino that is open to former TV-movie stars whose careers failed the first time around. Whoever is selected winner here will be given a makeover and a managerial contract by the network.

When I saw the show’s premiere telecast last Monday, it started to make me think why most movie-TV celebrities whose careers had already dimmed would still want to come back to an often cruel and unkind profession. In my column the other day, I pointed out the fact that most showbiz people would want to return to the limelight because in this country, people really look up to celebrities and a lot of times, it pays to have a "name" and be known to the public.

Being a public figure actually opens doors and gives extra perks to most celebrities. Some showbiz personalities, for instance, even if they are not so big, are given free services and treatments in most skin clinics because they may be used as walking advertisements.

In some cases, starlets – male and female – get free vacations in Boracay because some iced tea company or a suntan lotion product is sponsoring a volleyball tournament and they would need celebrity participants. Of course, it’s impossible to get the likes of Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual there because these stars hardly have time to breathe because of their work schedules. So they end up with second or even third stringers in the movies who are basically just idle and are just dying to go on all-expense paid vacation. Lucky for these bit players who will get all these perks on the strength of their being celebrities – no matter how insignificant their positions are in the business.

In some cases, however, there are movie personalities who keep coming back to the business because acting is really their passion and we’ve seen a lot of that. Sure, we’ve heard of a lot of stories about how some movie stars make it big, but can’t handle the success. They get into drugs and lose their careers. But since they are passionate about acting, they return to the industry and are given another chance – until they get into drugs again and the same vicious cycle happens. And this is such a pity because these fallen movie stars are often very talented and, yes, very passionate about their work – that is if they are not busy sniffing illegal substances.

And then, there are celebrities who stay on even if their chances of making it again in the movies are bleak because being in the limelight can be addicting and some stars really thrive on public adulation. To most of them, it feels good to be recognized in public. There are also those whose lives are already interwoven with the limelight. Since they’ve made their private lives public, they might as well just live, eat and breathe showbiz – and hopefully earn a living in the process.

But basically, most movie-TV stars return to the limelight or hang on to it out of sheer desperation. Even in these hard times, money is fast in this business if you are lucky enough to get projects. For entertainment personalities who do not have a fall back outside of show business, their only option is to wait it out until they get another crack at stardom. Lucky for them, they now have 30 Days to make things easy for them.