Oh, Lindsay!

If there had been a Search for a Singing Star when I was little, I would have been the first in line to join. With just a slight nudge from any one, I would proudly show my raw talent to my small adoring audience. Makapal ang mukha, I would do anything for the sound of applause—dance the Hawaiian, sing a Nora Aunor song, or recite a poem--anything as far as my repertoire could take me. Kung uso nga lang ang ballroom dancing for kids noon..tsk…tsk..tsk…

Fast forward now. We see a lot of kids testing their mettle in the world of showbiz. With the promise of fast bucks and instant celebrity status, their families line up their small kids in studios in the hope of making a star out of their off springs, only to find out later that the bright future they wanted their children to have suddenly turned south in a spiral twirl. Drug addiction, alcoholism, and promiscuity are some of the prices these young talents have to pay for a mere fifteen minutes of fame.

Real life parent-trapped

One of the glaring examples we see in Hollywood is Lindsay Lohan. My daughter and I were big, big fans of her when she was just a cute and precocious young star. She metamorphosed brilliantly as twins in The Parent Trap. She was lovingly overly dramatic in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. She was perfectly sharp in Mean Girls. Everyone thought she was heading for the top. But we know what happened after. Her too open and uncontrolled lifestyle led to her free fall. Now, no one wants to work with her in a film. Heck, no one even wants to go near her or be associated with her, except the paparazzi that get measly dollars to snap an ugly picture of her.

There was a rumour that she wanted to gatecrash in an Oscar party hosted recently by Madonna and Demi Moore, but she was vehemently denied entry. Even a star who knew her couldn’t convince the gatekeepers to let her in (Some overheard Josh Brolin saying, "Don't you know who she is?"). But all she could ever do was turn away and shout, “This is so humiliating!” (www.renegadeshowbiz.com)

What happened to you, LiLo?

Oh, Lindsay! Do you expect that after getting embroiled in DUI cases, and your latest escapade, being charged for stealing a $25,000 necklace, you'd be handed a free pass to Hollywood soirees? Don’t you know that you’re only as good as your last film gets? The moment you are out of spotlight, you’re A-list friends would turn their backs on you. Poor bratty girl!

Sometimes I look at my kids and wonder why they didn’t get their mom’s thick skin in performing. Sometimes I envy other eager moms who doll up their daughters for ballet shows or pageants. But when I read news (or gossips) about the Lindsays and the Mileys and the Demis getting in trouble because of too much fame in their heads, I can't help but thank my lucky stars for giving me kids who can’t sing and dance and act. And as for me, do they still accept middle aged starlets in showbeeez? (Teehee, nagbabakasakali lang poh!)