CITY OF SAN FENANDO – Their acrobatic dance routines coupled with their youthful exuberance impressed all of the judges as crowd favorite Snap Boys of San Roque, Lubao, Pampanga emerged grand champions Saturday night in the Star in a Million (Star Mills) Grand Finals at the Robinson’s Starmills here.
Eliza Marie Arnaiz of Parulan, Plaridel, Bulacan was proclaimed runner-up with her powerful rendition of the song “What Kind of Fool Am I.”
Bagging third place was 17-year old Daniel Ombao of Mountain View Village, Mariveles, Bataan who sang “Ordinary People” while rounding up the top four is balladeer Andy Pangan of Apalit, Pampanga who belted the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” of the Queen.
Star Mill judge Audie Gemora, president of Trumpets and the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-Aawit (OPM), was so impressed with the Snap Boys, a group of 18 young boys, that he announced them as his choice to win the regional talent search contest “because what they did was very risky.”
“For sentimental reasons and because you took a lot of risks on the dance floor, you really should be Central Luzon’s stars. A singer could go on for years but dancers like you just can’t once you suffer an injury. You are simply amazing,” Gemora said.
Robinsons Land Corporation National Events Manager Carla Tolentino and Cebu Pacific Marketing Promotions Specialist Claude Ramos shared Gemora’s observation saying the Snap Boys youthfulness is a factor since they cannot do their acrobatic dance routine all the time
Laus Group Chair and CEO Levy P. Laus was so impressed with the competitors that he gave additional cash amounts to increase their cash prizes.
For the 3rd runner up, Laus gave an additional P45,000 from the original prize of P5,000 to make it a total of P50,000. Laus gave an additional P55,000 to the 2nd runner up for a total cash prize of P80,000 instead of the original prize of P15,000 and the 1st runner up took home a total of P100,000 instead of P75,000.
The reality TV program and talent show was organized “to discover the talents of the people of Central Luzon, unravel and optimize their star potential, and in the process, inspire other people to work hard and follow their dreams, ” said Sonia Soto, CLTV general manager.
The competition is also a powerful avenue where contestants are given a wider scope of recognition through Central Luzon TV 36’s extensive media network and coverage. Such exposure is seen as a stepping stone for the contestants to realize their dreams, Soto added.
The Snap Boys took home a total of P3.5 million in prizes including a brand-new Haima 2 car, a house and lot from Amber Homes, a one-year contract with CLTV 36, P100,000 cash from Robinsons Land Corporation, home theater system from Robinsons Appliance Center, two round trip tickets to Macau courtesy of Cebu Pacific, P200,000 worth of skin care services from Ellen’s Aesthetic Center and a full year scholarship at Celtech College.
The other judges included singer-comedian Ara Muna, record producer and composer Ben Escasa, Arti Sta. Rita musical director Randy Del Rosario, Laus Group of Companies VP and COO Lisset Laus-Velasco, and choreographer Jobee Henson.
The jampacked competition was hosted by Andy Alviz, a multi-awarded international choreographer of Miss Saigon Asia and one of the country’s respected concert choreographers and stage directors and founder of Arti Sta. Rita and TV personality Dalsa Hizon. With Mary Rose Enriquez and Fatima Kristel Manarang, SPCF-OJT
