The 2008 ‘Winners’ Club’

Author: Alwin M. Ignacio, Contributor
Column: Life

In the blink of an eye, 2008 became “the year that was” and 2009, “the year of hope.” The world has seen so much corruption, calamities, death, strife and what have you. There doesn’t seem to be an end to them yet, so in an effort to bring a more positive note to the concluding 12 months, we decided to give you a rundown of the year’s Winners’ Club.

Topping the list is, of course, Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao, who made boxing history once more by taking out the G in Oscar De la Hoya’s Golden Boy title as he vanquished the olden incarnation of the telegenic De la Hoya. He showed the world that he is the best pound-for-pound boxer. And, yes, as expected, hereabouts there was no traffic, no crime and no incident of mischief or semblance of chaos during the fight.

In the world of music, she wowed Oprah Winfrey with her powerful voice. She made Celine Dion one proud diva as she performed with her in a sold-out concert and, according to the grapevine, she might sing in President-elect Barrack Obama’s inaugural! What more can we say except hep, hep, hooray to Charice Pempengco!

Kudos, too, to Arnel Pineda, who is now the frontman of the internationally renowned band Journey. Pineda’s life story could rival any rags-to-riches melodrama and his distinctive voice makes Journey’s legions of fans delirious!

In the local music front, two are the most outstanding winners, the first being Sarah Geronimo. With a box-office hit in her sleeve (she starred with John Lloyd Cruz), a successful concert, not to mention her high-profile endorsements, Geronimo is undoubtedly the Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez of her generation.

The other stellar name in the winners’ circle is the Eraserheads. Their reunion was the most anticipated concert of the season. The concert ended after 15 songs since lead singer Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital after suffering from severe chest pains. Until now, fans are keeping their fingers crossed, waiting in bated breath, hoping against hope that another reunion concert happens at the soonest possible time. They want more!

Showbiz royal parentage, added with a lot of talent and megawatt charisma, made Mark Anthony Fernandez (son of the late Rudy Fernandez and Lorna Tolentino) and KC Concepcion part of the elite group. Fernandez made people swoon with his portrayal of Cyrus in the Filipino version of Kim Sam Soon (opposite Regine Velasquez). The case of Concepcion being in the group needs no further explanation, just check out the number of her print endorsements and count the number of commercials airing on television. Despite the “mild hit” status of her movie debut with another showbiz royal, Richard Gutierrez, KC is definitely here to stay.

Gutierrez, of course, shares the biggest male star pie with Dingdong Dantes. The two are the hottest young male superstars nowadays and some say their rivalry will get fiercer in years to come.

For the women, Marian Rivera, despite all the negative publicities hurled at her, is at the top of her league and coming in close in the popularity sphere are Bea Alonzo, who is making a killing as the Filipino Betty La Fea, and Anne Curtis. Despite the forgettable Dyosa, Curtis is poised to wow the people in the rated-A movie Baler.

To go back to the men, since we cannot seem to get enough of them, in random order, the three that made our hearts palpitate were the squeaky clean Ateneo Blue Eagles team captain Chris Tiu, the British soccer player and part-time singer Phil Younghusband and the hottest Brazilian-Japanese male supermodel import Akihiro Sato, who, according to the grapevine, might invade show business very soon.

The brand new year is here, and we hope to seem more winners, inspiration and hope in 2009!

Source: The Daily Tribune

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