Little Big Star creates big waves in Cebu

Nine-year-old Ken Austre woke up before dawn intent on pursuing a dream. Like the more than 300 kids who dutifully lined up in front of the ABS-CBN Cebu studio on Jan. 21, Ken together with her mom heeded the siren of stardom by auditioning for Little Big Star (LBS), Cebu edition. Touted to be the biggest children’s talent and singing search in the Queen City of the South, LBS drew kids ranging from six to 13 years old, not only from Cebu and its neighboring provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental but even as far South as Surigao.

"I think what we have here is a phenomenon," Enrico Santos, ABS-CBN vice president for Creative Synergy and New Genre, says, referring to the hundreds of kids and their parents and hanger-ons that made the LBS audition a mini-people power of sorts. "There’s a different level of passion when both the parents and the kids are involved." Though Enrico adds that singing is also a cultural thing for Filipinos (with most households owning a karaoke or magic sing microphone, as well as those who are abroad) and everyone it seems would be ready to belt out a song at the drop of the mike so to speak. Then there is the dream itself of becoming the next Sarah Geronimo or even like Cebu’s very own Sheryn Regis, who has been tapped to host the show.

Little Big Star Cebu will have exactly the same format and concept as that of its original Manila program. There will be a Little Division for children ages six to nine and the Big Division for 10 to 13 year olds. The slight difference is that in the Cebu version, the contest will be held on a daily basis and will have a weekly winner. The weekly winners will then compete with each other for the singer of the month honors and they in turn will vie for the top prize as Cebu’s newest singing sensations. "We have to expedite the contest here since we want Cebu’s best child stars to join the Grand Finals in Manila," informs Enrico who also intimated about future plans to launch Little Big Star editions in Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod and Baguio. The current stars of the month in Manila are Sam, Rachel, Charise and Gian for the Big Division while Makisig, Kyle and Micah are in the Little Division. With the regionalization of LBS afoot, hopes are high that by the second season, Little Big Star truly becomes a nationwide search for the best emerging Filipino talents.

Aside from the grand prize winners, bright and promising kids who made their mark but who missed out in the top honors will find opportunities in Little Big Voices, according to production manager Rizza Ebriega. She thought of casting those kids who didn’t make it to the honor roll as a way of cushioning the impact of being eliminated. "This way, we retain the kids on-stage and still give them exposure without making them feel so much that they’ve totally lost out to the other kids," a suggestion Rizza picked up from the network’s EVP, Ms. Charo Santos.

To further ensure that the show is not merely a poor copy of the Manila version, Tata Sy, Cebu regional station manager sent their production staff to ABS-CBN headquarters for a close look at the Manila operations. The production staff stayed in Manila for several days to get a feel and know by first-hand account how they run the LBS mother version. "Cebuanos are very finicky viewers. They want local production to be as good, or even better, as the national programs," she explained.

In fact, when some members of the press went to visit the Cebu taping of Little Big Star, they were surprised to see some of the production staff from Manila inside the studio. It was apparent that they were lending not only moral support but their expertise as well to ensure the smooth taping of LBS Cebu. "While it is true that we are sharing technical and creative expertise with our Kapamilyas in Cebu, we are more heartened by the fact that we are bringing what I think is the most important thing in a contest: and that is to see that even when kids compete on stage, always, at the end of the show, win or lose, they remain friends," director Lino Cayetano succinctly points out.

Enrico also reiterates that what is important is how the kids project themselves and relate to the public. The contests’ criteria are 50 percent voice and 50 percent star quality, he said. "We are not looking for that perfect note. We are looking for the total package in which the kids can connect with the audience." For those talented and lucky kids, a total of P1-M in cash and kind plus the chance to compete in Manila awaits those who will make it as champions on the Grand Finals.

For Little Big Star Cebu, network program planners knew it wanted somebody from Cebu itself to host the show. A Cebuana, Sheryn Regis, a product of ABS-CBN’s singing search, was their unanimous choice. Apart from the fact that she was once a winner in the Network’s singing competition, Sheryn could very much relate to the kids joining the search since she herself became a common fixture in town fiesta singing contests as a child. She also admits to feeling very excited about this project. "At least I get to visit my hometown on a weekly basis and be part of these kids’ chance to make it big," Sheryn explains. The show airs Mondays to Fridays, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., after TV Patrol Central.

A defining moment watching those auditions was how music could unite us all. As the members of the press waited inside the studio to watch the start of the taping, an instrumental piece was played and before they realized it, the kids who were waiting in queue, dressed in their Sunday’s best, started singing collectively – in one harmonious, melodic voice. Now, if only singing as one can be taught to our politicians. But that’s another story.