PBB teens all ready for showbiz

After her victorious feat inside Pinoy Big Brother's house, Kim Chiu, the big winner of the teen edition of ABS-CBN's "teleserye ng totoong buhay," visited her hometown last Saturday in a grand homecoming party put together by "ASAP '06." Eleven ex-housemates joined the "Chinese Cutie"-Gerald Anderson, Mikee Lee, Matt Evans, Bam Romana, Fred Payawan, Aldred Gatchallian, Joaqui Mendoza, Mikki Arceo, Olyn Membian, Brenda Fox, and Clare Cabiguin.

In a press conference held at Café Havana in Ayala Center Cebu, these youngsters, all seemingly bent on making the most of their newfound celebrity, eagerly and candidly answered all the questions thrown at them by the Cebu media. Of course, most of the questions were addressed to none other than Kim, who looks more innocent and prettier in person, as well as her love team partner-General Santos' Amboy hottie Gerald Anderson. Grilled about their natural chemistry onscreen and friendship off screen, Kim chirpily reacted to a statement that her family might not approve of Gerald because he is not Chinese by saying, "Sige lang, Bisaya pud bitaw." The two are expected to star TV and film projects together in the coming months, but refused to offer more details.

With almost their entire summer spent inside Kuya's house, the ex-housemates had loads of learning experiences to share. The dusky, very Filipina beauty Clare, the "Barrio Babe" of Bukidnon," learned to trust other people and rely on friends since it was her first time to be apart from her family. The "Amazing Amerisian" Brenda, on the other hand, discovered the essence of camaraderie in her short stay inside the house. Bam turned teary-eyed when he shared that one of the things he'd forever cherish was the gift of friendship he found in his 13 other housemates. He added that although they have divergent backgrounds, it had been their individual personalities that brought them together. He added that it made him happy to have them in his life.

As the newest faces to grace the showbiz realm and the freshest roster of talents of ABS-CBN, the housemates are aware of the inevitability of being compared to the rest of the of stars in the network who have been around longer than them. But the housemates revealed that they are willing to face up to the challenge, and in order to prepare themselves for whatever projects that come their way, they are going through a series of trainings and workshops on acting, singing, dancing and hosting. The housemates said they believe that to be able to achieve staying power in the entertainment industry, they have to love what they do, follow their home network's advice, and not complain because it would be for the best.

Even though the housemates admitted of being overwhelmed by the torrent of support from fans and thrilled at the idea of being thrust into the limelight, most of the housemates haven't set aside their studies. Determined to finish their schooling, some are planning to take up distance learning or mix show business with school like Mikee. He said that that since other showbiz personalities have done it before, it might also work for him.

Other showbiz personalities who came to Cebu last Saturday for Kim's homecoming included John Pratts, Melissa Ricks, Joross Gamboa and Roxanne Guinoo, who hosted the remote telecast of ASAP '06. "ASAP '06" mainstays Aaron Agassi and Sam Concepcion also rendered a production number with Aldred, while acoustic duo M.Y.M.P. made a guest appearance to sing Peng Yu with Kim.