New stars to shine in Star For a Night

When the curtain falls at the Ultra after the finals of the Star For a Night talent competition on the evening of March 1, one contestant will be richer by a million pesos and will have the honor of having won over his or her other talented peers. Win or lose though, the producers of the show have made sure that each of the eleven finalists will be treated and will be made to feel like the stars they believe they are destined to be.

The finals night will find the contestants garbed and styled by some of the biggest names in the fields of fashion, hair and make-up. Aside from their competition songs, they will also all get to perform with Zsa Zsa Padilla, Jaya, Joey Generoso of Side A, Jinky and Top of Freestyle and with the Star For a Night host, Regine Velasquez. The songs they will sing were arranged especially for them by Raul Mitra, the musical director and arranger for the event. There will only be one winner but the S4AN offers more than monetary rewards.

These young singers enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being one of the finalists in a talent show with the biggest prize money ever in local entertainment history. They recorded their competition songs for a special Star For a Night commemorative album released by Viva Records. During the period leading up to the finals, they were able to perform live in special showcases held in malls in Metro Manila. Hence, it can rightly be said that they have also been given an excellent headstart for a career in show business. I say again that win or lose, if they play their cards right, each of them can be a star.

The S4AN finalists and their competition songs are the following: Maureen Marcelo with Better Days; Jason Velasquez and You are My Song; Musica Cristobal with Emotions; Mailyn Yu and Vision of Love; Carlo San Jose with Never Ever Say Goodbye; Angeline Quinto with Habang May Buhay; Florie Mae Lucido and Ngayon; Angelie Mae Flores with Cry; Mark Bautista with Ngayon at Kailanman; Roxanne Castro with Fallin’; and Sarah Geronimo with To Love You More.

Each of them was a weekly winner who competed with the other weekly winners of a specified month. From out of the monthly finals came the 11 finalists. Their ages range from 13 to 25. Their singing styles also vary. They have become close friends who always look out for one another. They are also all dreaming of what they will do with a million bucks.

Check them out live at the Ultra. Tickets to the show are now available at P750 Court Seats; P650 Courtside Red; P500 Special Ringside Red; P500 Special Ringside Green; P500 Ringside Red; P250 Lower Level Red; P250 Lower Level Green; and P100 Gallery. Call Viva Concerts at tel. no. 413-2572 or 727-2201 Loc.118.

One thing more. All you out there who see future singing stars among the finalists can now text in your votes for whom you believe is the most deserving. To cast votes subscribers can simply key in S4AN <space><name of finalist> and then send to number 2966 for Globe/Touch Mobile and to number 269 for Smart/TalkN’Text. Only correctly spelled votes will be counted.

The correct names to be used in texting the votes are: ROXANNE, ANGELI MAE, ANGELINE, MUSICA, CARLO, SARAH, JASON, MARK, MAILYN, MAUREEN and FLORIE MAE. Subscribers may receive a list of the correctly spelled names of the finalists by texting LIST and sending to the same numbers. Subscribers can also contact the same numbers 2966 for /Globe/Touch Mobile and 269 for Smart/TalkN’Text to check on the top 5 in the text votes category by sending the text TOP.

Text votes will be accepted only up to seven minutes after the last finalist has performed on the finals night. The running tally of the votes will be broadcast starting at 8:15 and every 30 minutes thereafter with a time stamp to give the Ultra audience and television a chance to see how their favorites are doing. The text votes tallied will comprise 30 percent of each finalist’s final score. Another 30 percent will come from the preliminary judging made on their recordings and videotaped performances. The final 40 percent will come from the Ultra show.

Good luck to all of the finalists. May your stars shine the brightest come Saturday evening.