Star Magic equals star power, 20 years in the making

Expect an unprecedented show of force to take off starting Nov. 21 in theaters all over the country. This is when the Star Cinema offering,  24/7 In Love, opens with 15 of its major stars in seven stories of love celebrating the 20th anniversary of Star Magic. All we can say is that when ABS-CBN decides to drive home a point, it goes about it in a way difficult to duplicate.

The last time this happened was in 2009 when Star Magic took 47 of its prized stars to stage Star Magic: The World Concert Tour for a weekend of concerts in Ontario, California and Cow Palace in San Francisco. Speaking of the project, Piolo Pascual congratulated Star Magic for coming up with such a huge offering, something he said may not be repeated too soon.

And now comes 24/7 In Love, which has taken 20 years to complete, stories of love in its many facets and forms directed by John Lazatin, Dado Lumibao, Mae Cruz and Frasco Mortiz involving selected Star Magic talents. Kathryn Bernardo will do whatever it takes to get to Daniel Padilla’s concert. What about 40-year-old virgin Pokwang thrown in the company of gigolo Sam Milby? Or hopeless romantic Maja Salvador together with handsome boss Diether Ocampo? Angelica Panganiban and new love John Lloyd Cruz alone together in Vietnam? Bea Alonzo with true love Zanjoe Marudo except that he is gay? This can’t be real! The 35-year-old Papa Piolo Pascual as a clone of Budoy, courting kid Xyriel Manabat with no thanks from Zaijian Jaranilla? Kim Chiu with first love Gerald Anderson together again finally?

We find the short situations an intriguing combination of the real life and the dream role. What fun! And that is what we are certain to get from this heavy dose of star power from the Star Magic family. And just like what Papa Piolo had said about The Star Magic World Concert, the movie 24/7 In Love with its gallery of stars may not come again in the near future.

But how did it all begin? In 1992, ABS-CBN EVP and general manager Federico Garcia and program director Johnny Manahan hatched the idea of creating a stable of new stars exclusively for ABS-CBN. Garcia and Manahan recognized the need for the station to establish a means of discovering and developing a pool of its own stars for movies and TV. It was with this as the primary directive that the Talent Center was born and given a mission to develop on-cam talents.

The early years of the Talent Center had it concentrating on “star-building” through an initial  project, Ang TV, intended  to  develop and serve as the breeding and farming ground of  talents meant for other ABS-CBN projects.

The collective efforts and success of the Ang TV project in October 1992 and the Talent Center which Johnny Manahan or popularly known Mr. M thought of calling Star Magic, produced teen idols like Jolina Magdangal, Claudine Barretto, Gio and Guila Alvarez, Rica Peralejo, Roselle Nava, Patrick Garcia, Lindsay Custodio, Victor Neri, Angelu de Leon, John and Camille Prats, Paolo Contis, Angelica and more. They were more or less 50 talents, all coming from Ang TV.

In November 1995, Star Magic launched Star Circle Batch 1 with eight new artists of teenage appeal led by Rico Yan. Since then, Star Magic has launched several batches and new talents. At present, there are some 300 talents being managed by Star Magic. The stars of 24/7 In Love all started with and are still being managed by Star Magic.

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