"StarStruck" and "Star Circle Quest" graduates shift network allegiance

The stars who came from GMA-7's StarStruck and ABS-CBN's Star Circle Quest (SCQ) are switching networks.

Masasabing ang mga artistang nagawa sa dalawang reality shows ng magkalabang TV stations ang pinaka-homegrown talents na nagawa ng respective stations. Sa mga reality shows sila nagsimula, so they owe their allegiance to the network that created them.

Years later, situations are changing as StarStruck talents are now Star Magic exclusive and SCQ questors can now be seen on GMA-7, and one is even a GMA Artist Center (GMAAC) exclusive.

Sa GMA-7 na mapapanood ang tatlo sa original SCQ questors—ang grand winner na si Hero Angeles and two of his runners-up na sina Michelle Madrigal and Joseph Bitangcol—at ang kambal naman noon sa SCQ II na sina Bebs and KC Hollmann.

Hero is now being co-managed by GMAAC and German Moreno. He was included in the GMAAC plug na kinunan noong Sabado, March 29, sa Bulacan airport. Kasama niya pa sa segment ang original Final Four ng StarStruck na sina Jennylyn Mercado, Mark Herras, Yasmien Kurdi, and Rainier Castillo.

Hero's first regular show for GMA-7 will be Marian Rivera's Dyesebel, kung saan magkakasama silang muli ni Michelle who will play a mermaid.

Michelle is now under contract with Annabelle Rama kung kaya't freelancer na siya. But since mostly Kapuso stars ang mga artista ng ina nina Richard, Raymond, and Ruffa Gutierrez, it is understandable that Michelle gets her next job sa Kapuso network.

Huling nagkasama sina Hero and Michelle sa SCQ Reload ng ABS-CBN.

Another freelancer now is Joseph Bitangcol, who is being managed solely by Manny Valera. Joseph's first primetime appearance sa GMA-7 was on Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita where he played the young Paolo Contis in the pilot week.

The Hollmann twins, meanwhile, are set to compete with another reality show over at QTV-11, sister station of GMA-7, ang piloting The Debutante hosted by Marc Nelson. The Debutante will start airing on April 14. KC and Bebs are now under Artist Center also.

Over at ABS-CBN, dalawang StarStruck 2 Avengers at isang StarStruck Kid ang regular nang napapanood sa Kapamilya station.

The first to transfer was Megan Young, now a Star Magic talent. Nakakatandang kapatid ni Lauren Young who really started with ABS-CBN, Megan's first two regular shows for ABS-CBN were Star Magic Presents: Abt Ur Luv and Kokey. She also became one of the housemates in Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition Season 2. Megan is now a regular of the new youth-oriented show of ABS-CBN na Astigs.

During her StarStruck days, Megan Young and Kirby de Jesus were the last cut before the Final Four na sina Mike Tan, Ryza Cenon, LJ Reyes, and CJ Muere. Now, Kirby joins his original partner sa ABS-CBN as he is now managed by Becky Aguila—whose stars are now mostly Kapamilya headed by Angel Locsin and Valerie Concepcion.

Isang StarStruck Kid naman ang Kapamilya na rin, si Paul Salas who is now part of Kung Fu Kids. His last regular show for GMA-7 was Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.

Meanwhile, isang StarStruck 1 Avenger ang in limbo pa rin dahil sa contract dispute, si Cristine Reyes na kapatid ng kalilipat lang din sa ABS-CBN na si Ara Mina.

Reportedly now being considered to play the lead role of an upcoming afternoon soap ng ABS-CBN na Eva Fonda, 16, pinag-uusapan pa rin ng mga lawyers ni Cristine at lawyers ng GMA-7 ang kontrata niya sa GMA-7. Ito ang dahilan kung kaya't hanggang guest appearances pa lang ang kayang gawin ni Cristine sa ABS-CBN na sinusuklian naman ng memo ng GMA Artist Center kada appearance.

Megan Young is ready for grown-up roles

Megan Young is through with teenybopper roles. But while she’s open to kissing scenes, Megan insists she’s not ready for steamy love scenes. This much she can say now that she turned 18 — sans the usual fanfare expected of celebrities like her.

“I never wanted a big debut,” Megan relates. Even if her family can afford it (her American dad works in Virginia), the 5’8”-tall Megan prefers a quiet dinner with family and close friends way back in high school over a lavish coming-out party.

A big party calls for a lot of preparation, and she’d rather focus on something else, like her career. Even in her choice of clothes, Megan would rather dress down than dress up. She’s happiest in her favorite jeans and T-shirt.

If Megan speaks her mind more these days, it’s because at 18, she has become her own woman.

“I’ve grown more mature, more independent, more self-assured,” the Star Magic talent smiles.

This means that while she can appear sweet and innocent on Abt ur Luv, Megan is open to heavier roles like the one she auditioned for on Palos (it went to Bangs Garcia).

“If the role is not for me, so be it,” she muses. “I’m happy for Bangs.”

ABS-CBN, after all, is giving her everything she needs to become a future lead star. She’s taking up singing and dancing workshops. The Star network chose her to be Piolo Pascual’s leading lady in his MTV.

“I felt nervous, especially in the scene where we were waltzing because Piolo is my crush,” Megan blushes.

She felt more at ease when the network paired her off with Enchong Dee on Astigs.

“That’s why I have no reason to regret my decision to move from GMA 7 to ABS,” relates Megan. Back then, her contract with GMA has expired, and she didn’t have shows. So Megan decided to hop over the other side of the fence.

And while she leaves it up to ABS to pick shows for her, it won’t hurt for Megan should the network cast her in roles that made the likes of Natalie Portman famous in Closer.

“That’s my favorite movie,” she explains.

Does that mean Megan is willing to shed her goody-goody image to play a stripper and have love scenes the way Natalie did in the movie?

“Not until I reach my 20s,” the Fil-Am teenager replies.

Meantime, she’d rather wait quietly in the wings for that one big role that will be the turning point of her career.

Patience, after all, is a virtue.

Megan Young admits being net addict

Young actress and former Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 housemate Megan Young admitted to abs-cbnNEWS.com that she's an internet "addict".

“Ever since I was a kid super internet addict ako, as in bata pa ako internet talaga ang hilig ko,” Young told abs-cbnNews.com before her television guesting at ABS-CBN.

The teen star made the confession after reports began circulating that many TV and film stars are getting hooked at internet surfing--one of them, in fact, besides herself, is her friend and fellow ex-PBB housemate actor Victor Basa.

“Actually I blog, I do blog but it depends on the mood because I don’t want to blog on something uninterested naman. But yeah I also go to forums like, you know, ang hilig ko magbasa ng creative writing like iyon mga fan fiction,” Young explained.
Young affirmed that her blog is exclusively for her online friends but  she’s open to entertaining guests who luckily chance upon her blog.

“Usually it’s for my online friends but if ever somebody finds it I'm open to it, but it’s not like I advertise it or anything," she said.
Young who is the youngest of all PBB Celebrity Edition 2 housemates is now busy taping for ABS-CBN’s weekly show “ASTIG.”

She is also attending workshops, including acting and voice lessons.

Megan Young was the first-ever Starstruck Avenger of GMA-7 and moved to ABS-CBN after her contract with the former expired. She was relaunched on ABS-CBN as member of Star Magic Batch 15.