Where the PBB guys are headed to

During an informal dinner gathering at a friend’s house late last year, one of the guests asked the host if he could possibly watch Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) on ABS-CBN. To us, that was odd because this guest normally would never be caught dead watching anything local (in stark contrast to me who adores Filipino entertainment).

What was in Pinoy Big Brother that was so interesting that it had to interrupt delicious conversation? The PBB fan told us about these housemates — a bumbling young man from some remote area and this dusky girl from General Santos City — who are starting to fall in love and the romantic twists and turns had turned comical.

While we were all willing to watch with him, the PBB fan got disappointed because the show was already wrapping up by the time we tuned in. Too bad for the viewers, the two giant networks don’t have a rigid scheduling of programming, except for the early evening newscasts.

In the succeeding days, however, I made an attempt to catch some episodes of Pinoy Big Brother, which never really interested me because I generally don’t care about other people’s lives (which ironically I have to do because of the hosting job).

And so what did I find out? The young man turned out to be Jason Francisco, but I doubt if we are related. Physically, while he may not be bad-looking, his features were molded in a non-conventional way. That in a way turned out to be an advantage because in this profession, it pays to be different because you stand out from the rest.

The young woman, Melissa or Melai, I thought was grating in the beginning (she still is grating up to this day, but I find it more tolerable now maybe because I’m already used to it). In the looks department, maybe she will be the first to admit that she’ll never be Miss Philippines. But like Jason, she used her being different to be noticed and obviously it worked for her a hundred ways.

As for the romance, it was cute at the start, but I couldn’t help but notice some scripting to it in time — or maybe that’s the jaded and paranoid TV person in me who knows what goes on backstage and how the medium can manipulate viewers.

Then came the grand finals, which I skipped — in the same manner that I was also unable to watch the StarStruck big event. However, I got to watch and observe the two after the finals in their various TV appearances on ABS-CBN and can now more or less size them up and what awaits them in showbiz.

In the case of Jason, he is supposed to have this charm that others find in him, but I honestly cannot see — no matter how hard I try. A previous PBB finalist, Jayson Gainza, actually showed more promise when the first PBB edition was just starting and he is still around to this day.

I hope Jason’s fans don’t clobber me for saying so because it took me a while to recover after I got swamped with hate mail and text messages from the followers of Taylor Hicks when I predicted that the American Idol winner won’t go far in the profession and even questioned his winning in the US-based singing competition. But where is Taylor Hicks now?

But going back to Jason, this is how I see his future: If ABS-CBN acts swiftly now — as in strike while the iron is hot — he can either be a Dolphy or a Panchito. If he really gets lucky, is given a huge project that hits it big-time and he is able to sustain that success (but I swear it’s not going to be easy), he could be a comedy king in the future.

The worst that could happen, again, given ABS-CBN backing, is for him to become a Panchito — a sidekick who was never out of work till practically his last breath. But it is important for his mother network to act now — and fast — while he still has his ardent followers.

As for Melai, I’m very sure she will surpass the achievements of Patani, a Survivor Philippines alumna who tried comedy after the competition.

Maybe she can be another Ai-Ai de las Alas? That’s one tough act to follow because it took Ai-Ai years in the movies and television to become the Comedy Queen — and even longer, honing her craft in sing-along bars.

Fortunately, for Melai, stardom had been offered to her on a silver platter. But then, if you ask Ai-Ai, I doubt if she’ll have it any other way — given the chance to live her life all over again. It was those struggling years and experiences of rejection, frustration, disappointment and hardship that made her what she is today.

The pressure is building up for Melai because it’s make or break for her at this point. She may hit it big, but can she sustain it? In time, audiences may also tire of her fast-talking ways and she herself may get tired because what she does is physically exhausting.

Right now, I only have one piece of advice for Jason and Melai: Don’t let success get into your head because aside from talent, luck and looks (which is relative in showbiz), attitude also counts for so much in this profession where everyone is disposable.