Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2

Things are looking up for Pinoy Dream Academy, local franchise of the not-so famous Star Academy, which has made waves here thanks in part to the voyeuristic Big-Brother-like filming of the show which has scored a hit with local audiences. The christening of a star happens through a pretense of a school--an academy to be exact--and contestants are treated as students learning the hows and whys of becoming a star.

While I am not a fan of the format--I just have no tolerance to watch the off-stage portions of it not to mention the hyper-extended and unedited live-in portions of the show airing on Studio 23--the talent the show may have stumbled upon is promising. As to why the public would want to watch relative unknowns brush their teeth or hang around all day doing nothing, I don't know, but it worked and the formula is being exploited. The 15 they have chosen so far include:

Michelle Belmonte, 25, Quezon City
Hansen Nichols, 23, Taguig
Christian Alvear, 25, Taguig
Jay Bogayan, 17, Camarines Sur
Van Louelle Pojas, 17, Cebu
Jun Ross Dio, 25, Quezon City
Apple Abarquez, 18, Cebu
Cristina Pastor, 20, Paranaque City
Miguel Mendoza, 18, Muntinlupa City
Beatriz Munoz, 17, Muntinlupa City
Maria Liezel Garcia, 22, Dubai
Chivas Anton Mallinda, 22, Tanjay, Negros Oriental
Jovannie Mallinda, 22, Tanjay, Negros Oriental
Rafael Ignacio Ting, 18, Pasig
Laarni Losala, 22, Sultan Kudarat

A slot for a 16th is still up for grabs as one of the supposed finalists quit. The show, however, has yet to get a grip on its production. Billy Crawford has a lot of mishaps as host, the spiels need to be rewritten and polished, and the camera work is insanely dizzying, out of focus and uncoordinated.

What is doubly exciting for Pinoy Dream Academy is the selection of Ryan Cayabyab as "headmaster" for the academy. At the very start, Ryan Cayabyab has made strides establishing what he wants and what he's looking for, taking reigns not just over the contestants but also audience expectations.

(I'd like to compare it to Pinoy Idol but an 'exasperated' reader might find it colonial, even if the word colonial as a practice of appropriating culture has serious political implications.)