There are many kinds of stars – stars that shine and shares its light to a room that’s really dark, shining stars that hurt your eyes already instead of being eye-candy, stars who won’t stop talking about their success stories when in reality “what success story he/she talking about?”, stars who are like you’ve been buddies for a long time though it’s your first time meeting them. More than anything, I’d always go for stars who share their light and make me feel like I’m just like him/her – just another human being.
I’m Saturday’s newsreader and while preparing in the studio I’ve read that story about this clown from Hongkong – actor Alex Man. If I take the report by Lee Sze Yong as it is, I want to be angry, I wish I could confront some of these so-called stars who are imprinting shame in this industry. Let me quote the report in one of the instances where this person exclaimed and shouted: “HOW COME NOBODY IS ESCORTING US DOWN? DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN EXTRA? I’M A GOLDEN HORSE WINNER!” Was he calling himself a winner or a horse? I remember spending some time with the famous Francis Yip years ago and she makes you feel super comfortable that It made me feel like she’s my close big sister, I’m just a radio dj and barely 3 years in Singapore’s industry at that time. Ms.Yip even gave me a hug! I mean, giving a hug is already not a usual practice here or in many Chinese influenced cultures yet she gave me one while speaking to her about some facts of life, health, her life, etc! I told myself – THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL A STAR and that chat with her was priceless! Â
In my final year in Uni, before finishing my Degree I’ve spent my last year I was attached to a big t.v. station with some of Manila’s biggest stars and I was also attached to another radio broadcast company. The attitude of the people in that t.v. station even if the ones I was assigned to work with have got “ultra-diva-negative-attitude” including the one who was operating the photocopier! Most Mass-Comm students will be able to relate to me about this. If you’re assigned to good t.v. execs you’ll have a good life and/or you’ll be treated nicely. Otherwise, you’ll have to run really humiliating tasks for the directors, actors, anyone. That’s what they call training. I’m not sure If that’s really gonna help me make better t.v. scripts or make me become familiar with their productions equipment (cameras, editing machines, etc) I didn’t learn much from my t.v. attachment but the bad attituide of many actors, directors, producers, office people from that station. But my experience in my radio attachment was amazing. Til now, all the things that I’ve learned from that media company taught me almost everything I need to prepare me for what I’m doing now – directing talent, writing copy, imaging & branding the sound of radio, and to top it all – the bonus of being able to reach down to a NOBODY like me. My female productions trainor was such a sweet and excellent lady, she’s sweet, she’s fun to work with, the Sound Engineers at their main production studio was straight out frank but when he says his opininons and tips it made sense to me. At another studio that I work with since I was 15, the main Sound Engineer gave me breaks I’d never be able to get If I didn’t hang around and observe his way of doin’ stuff in his studio. He made me voice his scripts, he made me sing, he sampled my voice – a NOBODY! That break has introduced me to this line and I’m loving every minute of my work that makes me do creative stuff like original music, produce a good commercial script, among others! This is why I love working in radio, these people gave me better reasons to be in the radio broadcast work.
Bottomline of this blog message – REAL SUPERSTARS ARE NICE, THEY’RE COOL, THEY’RE REAL, DOWN TO EARTH, THEY DON’T FORGET THEIR ROOTS, THEY KNOW THAT ONE DAY THEY WON’T BE AN A-LIST STAR BUT THEY REMAIN TRUE TO THEMSELVES AND THOSE AROUND THEM.
So, when and if you become the next big superstar here or in Hongkong or anywhere – please don’t be like that Hongkong clown. Deal??
