On October 21, 2008,
the country's popular music channel MYX will officially choose the winner of
this year's edition of the MYX VJ Search. The special occasion will be held at
the TriNoma Mall in Quezon City.
The 12 finalists vying
for the coveted "dream job" are Chino Lui Pio, Erika Revilla Jocson, Jessica
Mendoza, JC Lingad, Macky Escalona, Bianca Roque, Monica Yncierto, Paolo Alino,
Robi Domingo, Sami Pinto, Cerah Hernandez, and Ezra Lacsama.
This year, the team
behind the music channel upped the ante by subjecting the aspirants to a series
of fun challenges meant to test their mettle and ability to handle the job
should they clinch the role.
PEP (Philippine
Entertainment Portal) managed to chat with Chino and Erika a few weeks back in
Glorietta Mall in Makati City. We asked the two VJ wannabes on how exactly they
ended up joining the contest and their experiences so far entering the final
stretch of the competition.
CHINO
LUI PIO. Having assumed the role of a campus geek desperately
vying for the attention of a hot schoolmate in Hale's music video "Kahit Na" a
few years back led the people behind MYX to take notice.
Unfortunately, Chino's
mind then was preoccupied with his studies and the thought of talking in front
of the camera as a video jock appeared to be a remote possibility.
"They asked me to audition kaya lang I was too busy
with school so I had no time," shared the 22-year-old charmer.
Chino—who is the younger brother of Hale frontman
Champ Lui Pio—recently graduated at the De La Salle University where he took up
Business Management major in Entrepreneurship.
With time and priorities
no longer an issue, Chino incidentally learned that MYX was looking for a new
batch of aspiring VJs to induce new blood into the program. The procedure
announced was that a contestant could either show up at the studio for a live
audition or just send in a video along with background information via e-mail.
Chino chose the latter
since, "we heard about it [the audition] at the last minute."
There's a big
difference between talking casually and conversing while at the same time
projecting in front of the camera, well aware that one is being judged.
Like all the other
aspirants, Chino experienced all the jitters that come every challenge. But he
gladly added that he is starting to feel at ease as the contest progressed.
He expounded: "At first, I'm really not used to it ‘coz this is like my first major thing on TV so siyempre at first jitters, kabado. But I think I got the hang of it now parang sanay na like if there's a camera parang wala na lang."
The camaraderie of the
contestants is also very admirable considering that they're all fighting to
outclass each other. "We're kind of close talaga," he said, "compared to the
other batch so siyempre feeling mo friends friends lang."
Chino also commended the MYX staff for making things easy for all of them while at the same time pushing everyone to work hard and earn their merits.
"Sobrang babait nilang lahat," gushed Chino, referring to the people behind the channel. "They make you feel na you're at home parang sobrang tagal mo ng ginagawa ‘yon kahit first time mo pa lang talaga. They tell you what to do but of course you have to do it still your own way, your own style."
As for the qualifications being sought by the local music channel, Chino explained that one doesn't have to be a walking lexicon of music terminologies to fit the bill. A little know how combined with the right chutzpah are all enough to land the job.
"You don't have to be sobrang knowledgeable about music. Just even a little bit of information na masasabi mo about the artists and the song."
Being the brother of Champ is like a double edged sword. Chino confessed it works either way though he would rather focus on the advantages than the drawbacks.
"Siyempre you can't take that out ganun talaga wala tayong magagawa dun pero the thing is we're not in the same line of work. It's both music but I don't sing so I guess you can't really compare it straightforward but I think it gives me an advantage din kahit papaano," Chino smiled.
ERIKA REVILLA HOCSON. Being a Revilla is considered as a sure ticket to boundless opportunities in the world of show business. But Erika Revilla Hocson knows by heart that there is still no substitute for hardwork and gaining entry the old-fashioned way.
Prior to her audition, Erika recalled talking to brother Bernard Palanca and expressing her desire to do other things outside school related activities.
"Why don't you try hosting or maybe you can be a VJ," Bernard casually suggested one afternoon.
The suggestion does have a good ring to it and Erika found the thought exciting: "So I asked him [Bernard] for help. I said If you know anyone who knows about hosting or any VJ stint that I can get involved with and he was like ‘Sige, I'll try to find out' and then he told me something like ‘But don't expect it to be soon it might take a few months, weeks' and ‘I said okay no problem.'"
A week after the conversation, Kai [Erika's nickname] learned that MYX was holding an audition for new VJs. She was supposed to be accompanied by Bernard on the audition day itself but her brother had work so she was left with no choice but to dash to the venue by her lonesome.
"Just do it," Bernard told his reluctant yet driven sister. Things happened quickly after that initial audition. Two weeks after the audition, an unsuspecting Kai received a text message stating that she was chosen as one of the finalists. "I was at the car, screaming," she laughed at the recollection.
Technically speaking, Erika's acid hosting test occurred outside the contest. Asked by Hale vocalist Champ Lui Pio to host one of the events staged by the band's Treehouse Productions, Erika was tasked to take center stage to handle the crowd, introduce and even interview all the bands lined up to perform that evening.
"That was without any script so I really had to hold my own and keep the entire thing rolling until the end. But I managed to pull it off, I guess," she smiled.
Most of the Revillas are, of course, more identified as actors. So why take the hosting path?
"I really enjoy acting but I don't think I'm ready to join showbiz," Kai—who appeared in a few stage plays and musicals in the past—readily replied.
"I'll start with hosting especially with MYX and being a VJ, I don't have to worry about doing another character or doing another role except of being myself."
As for the intrigues that might hound her brought by her lineage, Erika said that she's well prepared to face all of these and even more.
"That's one of the first things that my mom talked me about. She said that, of course, they're gonna dubbed you as Bernard and Miko's sister, as Armando Goyena's granddaughter, as Bianca Araneta's cousin, you know the list goes on.
But I think I'm prepared for that but eventually I hope that in time they'd be able to separate that label and know me as Erika Hocson. But, yeah, I'm prepared for that," confided Erika.