One site caught my eye last night when I was searching the net for a proof that Darren Criss really is half-Filipino. (Yes, I admit, how pathetically groupie of me.) Anyway, it's a post on
Examiner.com basically asking the question on why Darren Criss (Kurt's openly gay new friend, Blaine) was picked up to be a
regular on the hit-TV series Glee, while Charice (foreign exchange student Sunshine Corazon) was not.
It's no secret that Glee is now one of the most popular and powerful shows in TV that even aging pop stars and Hollywood actresses such as Britney Spears and Gweneth Paltrow did not turn down the chance to guest star on the show to boost their otherwise lackluster present careers. One guest starring role, even for just a single episode, can transform an unknown artist to an internationally famous idol. Whether this trend will continue in the years to come or not, one can only guess, but as of this moment, let's just say almost everyone is in agreement that Glee is indeed a fast-forward track to stardom.
Enter
Charice and
Darren Criss. Both have guest starred for at least an episode and has garnered rave reviews for their respective performances and thousands of iTunes downloads for the songs that they have covered. Now, lately, it has been
confirmed that
Darren Criss has indeed been signed up as a regular cast of Glee for the rest of Season 2 and even Season 3. Which made a few wonder, including this site, what exactly does he have that she doesn't?
[Link:] GLEE: WHAT DOES DARREN CRISS HAVE THAT CHARICE DOESN'T HAVE
Read the comments below the article and be prepared for a barrage of
Argumentum Ad Hominems that will bewilder even the people who know just the most basic of logic and debate strategies.(Just saying.)
Going back to the point, here are MY personal views on the matter: (Hold the flames, Charice fans. Read, digest and meditate before you spew.)
5. Commendable Acting Skill
If you have read the comments on the site above, you may have read a heated debate on the direct proportionality of acting prowess to an actor's native language. Which I honestly think is crap, but even if Charice did not perform as well on Glee because she did not grow up speaking English as primary means of communication, one could not deny the fact that Darren Criss did study Theater Arts in college, starred in a variety of productions, TV guestings and thus have more experience in acting. Charice may develop her acting chops in the future, but as of today, she still needs more work.
4. Great On-Screen Chemistry the Writers Can Expand With Sunshine Corazon may be an interesting character as the audience gets to see Rachel Berry come to grips with the unbelievable fact that someone can actually sing just as good or maybe even better than her. The infamous Telephone bathroom scene will remain as one of the most amusing scenes of Season 2. However, Blaine is turning out to be an important individual in Kurt's life and can be a catalyst for more character development and future storylines. Plus, let's not deny the fact that Ryan Murphy wants to keep the femme fatale spotlight on his dearest Lea Michelle.
3. A Penis
Yes, a penis, and there is nothing Charice can do about that unless she goes to her godmother Vicky Belo for a consultation. The majority of Glee viewers are female, most likely to swoon and melt into a puddle by Darren Criss' charm than by Charice's high notes, giving Glee more appeal to the sex demographic that it is most likely after. And yes, let's admit it, most females see Darren Criss as sex appeal on legs.
2. Age-Bracket-Perfect, Non-Rabid Fans
This actually goes with item number 3, Mr. Penis. Oprah, David Foster, Ellen DeGeneres, Celine Dion or whoever the heck endorsed our pop princess may compliment all they want, but the fact of the matter is, Charice is
still not as popular to the consumer age-bracket that she should be popular in. Aside from
Filipinos, OFWs, middle-aged moms who see her as a great role model for their kids and also
some middle aged men (I shudder at the implication) she isn't really as well-known to the Bieber-loving Tween/Teen community that
she should be breaking into by now. Darren Criss, however, whose admittedly small but growing fan base, starting from Starkid's viral video play
"A Very Potter Musical" to new fans he gathered from Glee, are precisely the kind of viewers a show like Glee is targeting. Business is business. Who can give them better ratings and drag in new audiences will win the match.
1. Being Talented in Almost Every Aspect of Music and Theater Here's what I've been saying all along originating form the
first post I did saying that I am waiting for Charice to explore and exert more effort to expand her musicality for she is still
not the
Perfect Music Diva everyone of her
rabid fans is so keen on insisting that she is. There is still, and always, going to be room for improvement. I'm not saying that Darren Criss is the epitome of music artistry but he does
write, compose, plays (the violin, piano, guitar and drums) and performs
his OWN songs. I for one is less awed by singers who just mimics another's voice and style. I think people nowadays appreciate
raw, jack-of-all-trades talent more than the usual can-sing-high-notes routine. Charice surely has a great voice but it would be better for her to tap into other forms of artistry and not be caged into this bubble way behind its time.
Whether Charice will follow Darren's contract signing in the months to come or will she even need it at all, (She might actually explode into Superstardom without Glee, who knows?) I don't really care, but here are some of the things I am hoping for:
1. That the Filipino fan base of Charice stop harassing everyone who doesn't like her as an artist. We all have our tastes. Please respect. The fact that Charice is a Filipino does not mean that it's MANDATORY that ALL Filipinos be a fan of her. That is just absolutely ridiculous.
2. If you are going to comment on this post, please google first
Argumentum Ad Hominem before typing. Avoid it. Never ever again use it especially on online debates. It just makes you look
stupid. And yes, comments like
"You're just jealous!", "You can't sing as good as she does!" etc. etc. is part of that fallacy.
If you have made it until the end of this article, I thank and admire you. I've just realized that this is one freakishly long post. I apologize for any headache or eye strain reading this might have caused you. May God bless the Philippines. And Glee. Here's a toast for the fans.
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