In Philippine television, more often than not, the influx of reality-TV shows in the past that aimed to discovering potential stars has produced winners and a bunch of talents that unfortunately until now never met people’s expectations!

It is then a bold move for GMA-7 to come out with a show that’s geared towards picking its next male and female star in their latest star search program aptly titled “Are You The Next Big Star?” After hundreds of contenders who auditioned, the final 16 were announced and Saturday night, the first bottom three will be named after weeks of grueling and very competitive performances.

So in this generation where singers and actors abound, what makes a big star?

Louie Ignacio, the director of “Are You The Next Big Star?” explained, “There are two aspects in entertainment that could make a star. It’s in singing and acting. Kahit magkaiba ‘yun kung singer ka or artista ka, para sa akin dapat isa lang. It should be a complete package.”

He added that discipline is a big factor in becoming a star.

“You will also succeed in your career with discipline. The question is whether these talented contestants are working hard, continuously honing their crafts and are disciplined...ngayon ‘yung talent mo and then ‘yung overall look mo na paano ka mamahalin ng tao especially the masa... hindi naman dapat maganda ka, kailangan lang pleasant ka na pwede kang i-idolize, mukha kang mabait, madali kang lapitan and of course mukha kang artista dapat,” opined Louie.

As for Danny Tan, musical director, composer and one of the judges of “Are You The Next Big Star?” he believes looks play an important role in becoming a star.

“It’s a different generation and Pinoys like their stars to have good looks... when you say a star, for example in our show, you’d first notice how well they look on stage. Pero kapag nag-perform na pag sumasablay siya, nawawala ang pagkamaganda at guwapo niya. It is still a singing competition, your looks count but you have to step it up with your talent,” he remarked.

He also believes that achieving stardom or discovering a star is harder than before.

“These contestants become popular the easy way. Parang ang dali-dali nilang na-attain ang stardom. Concept pa lang panalo ka na kaya feeling nila magaling na at ayaw na mag-aral. Unlike real stars who started from the bottom and because of hard work they’re able to cherish what they have achieved and they keep on working hard and studying their crafts,” he remarked.

Time will tell if the two winners of “Are You The Next Big Star?” would deserve such title of being a star. But at the moment, all the Kapuso viewers’ eyes will be on all the “Circle of 16” as they wait who among them will be on the brink of elimination.

As a recap, two weeks ago, 16-year-old Franchesca Farr emerged as the “best female former” while 18-year-old theater actress Christine Allado was declared the worst. While last Saturday Geoff Taylor, Anton Cruz and Jay Perillo performed beyond the judges’ satisfaction and became favorites. The 23-year-old Geoff from Cagayan Valley was that night’s “best male performer.”

Unfortunately for PJ Gonzales, he was voted as the worst performer.

Saturday night the “Circle of 16” will have their first group performance before the dreaded announcement of the “bottom three” group. And the final verdict will be at the hands of the judges – Danny Tan, Mon Faustino, Annie Quintos, Randy Santiago and Pops Fernandez.

“Are You The Next Big Star?” Saturday will be temporarily hosted by Richard Gomez with Keempee de Leon. It airs after “Pinoy Records” only at GMA-7.