Pinoy Show Biz

A few months back, my cousin told me about this game show in the Philippines called Starstruck, an American Idol knock-off. Anyway, there was some controversy when a contestant made some derogatory comments about a fellow contestant, who was an Igorot. The guy eventually apologized, probably b/c he was swamped with complaints by all the Igorots from around the world. Strange how people still make ignorant comments about ethnic groups they don't know anything about. Anyway, when I heard about this, I looked it up on the internet and found another Pinoy in Show biz who also made derogatory comments about Igorots. This one involved Lucy Torres, a very European-looking Pinoy. I didn't find much info on the controversy involving her though b/c, as my cousin later told me, it occurred back sometime in 1999. Seems like there's no shortage of Pinoys in show biz making ignorant comments about Igorots. I'm half-Igorot myself so I would probably be offended if I heard those comments, but I'm over in the states and perhaps the only friction b/w Pinoys here is maybe the one b/w American-born Pinoys versus the FOBS, of which I'm a member. As Rodney King once said, "Can't we just all get along?" Sorry, Mr. King, no such luck. ;)

Anyway, while I was looking up info on Ms. Torres, I stumbled upon a Korean girl working in Pinoy show business. Her name is Sandara Park and her story fascinates me. She moved to the Philippines when she was 8 and became famous during her teen years after an appearance on a Pinoy reality TV show. What's weird is that South Korea obviously has a better economy than the Philippines and yet it looks like she prefers to work in the Philippines, probably b/c she's in the limelight and practically spent her formative years there. There's a switch: an overseas non-Filipino worker in the Philippines. Who'd have thunk? Well, I guess since the Philippines is exporting all their human labor overseas, the Philippines should at least get one foreigner who wants to work in the Philippines. After all, the Philippines does have a shortage of Show Biz entertainers. haha.