STAR BLOGGERS

I once swore on my grandfather’s grave that one day I will do the family proud and be a celebrity.

Why wouldn’t I want to prance around in beautiful Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos, all clad in sponsored clothes from Dior, Chanel and Fendi?

Why wouldn’t I want to drive around in a 2009 Mini Cooper Convertible, complete with tinted windows to keep the prying eyes out?

Why wouldn’t I whip out my diamond encrusted Vertu mobile phone and call my personal assistant to find out what is my day’s schedule – which luncheon should I grace and which dinner party will the media be present at?

Why wouldn’t I want the media pandering to my grouchy manager to seek an appointment with me?

With such a beautiful wish list, how can anyone not want to be a star?

Gosh. I can even squeeze in a charity or two in between lunch and dinner appearances.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the damn hole somewhere in our ozone layer, the dying Amazon jungle and beached whales. 

And it crossed my mind how beneficial I will be to those around me.

My cousins will have a great schooling life considering their friends will be hankering after them for my signature. My mother can hold her head high when she shops at the wet market. My retired father will get more offers to play free golf with “Uncle-who?”

To borrow the words ex-Miss Singapore World Ris Low, “It’s all about ME!”

And as you can tell by now, I know how this whole thing works. All I have to do is to make sure that I’m not caught drinking Coca Cola when I’m the face of Pepsi, make sure that I pepper all my sentences with “Manolo Blahnik” and the moo-lah will all come rolling in.

“Yes I think we should stop using CFC products because it hurts our ozone layer! Manolo Blahnik.”

“Haha… It’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone. Manolo Blahnik. My schedule is so tight that guys find it hard to Manolo Blahnik ask me out.”

Pffft. Come’on, how difficult can it be?

So as a young girl, my sole ambition was to become a celebrity with good enough star power.

When I heard that talent scouts are known to pick people off the streets, I hung around traffic lights in Orchard Road a lot. But a potential star has got to have a “play hard to get” attitude. So I refuse to join talent search competitions. My reason is simple – someone will see the hidden potential in me someday.

But once I graduated from school, I realized that the talent scouts are still not knocking on my door. In a bid to still fulfill my promise to my grandfather, I decided to lower down my pride and take the step to be closer to my celebrity dream.

I applied to be a TV producer. Now I hide in the corners of MediaCorp, observing the stars, taking down notes. Someday I will become one of them.

But I am still hopeful because the money and power I will have when I become a star makes all this waiting extremely worthwhile.

This BlogTV producer requested for anonymity because in her words, “I cannot show that I’m desperate.” However, should there be any sponsors who are willing to throw lavish gifts on her or any artiste managers who doesn’t mind taking the gamble to fulfil her celebrity ambition, please drop us email at blogtv@blogtv.sg

The wedding of Fann Wong and Christopher Lee has been the talk of the town since news of their matrimonial union was made public. Perhaps as far back as just under a month before the telecast of their wedding, trailers have been gracing the television of many. This was, of course, aptly followed by the names of sponsors who contributed in some ways to their wedding.

While engaging in senseless banter with my friends over the weekend, we commented on how fortunate it must be for superstars to be bestowed with seemingly endless offers from sponsors to be seen using their products or engaging their services. Cars, watches, jewelries and even baby milk powder! We have seen them all.

On the other hand, we can’t help it but wonder which party is benefitting from these arrangements – is it the superstars, who seemingly are constantly supplied with products that take care of them from head to toe; or the sponsors, who get to put their products in the limelight, literally. Thankfully, in biology – the course that I am currently pursuing in my further studies, there is a name for such situations – mutualism.

Before I continue, let me give an example of mutualism in a simple context – ants and trees. Some types of ants build nests on trees and at first sight, it may seem that the ants are taking advantage of the trees. However, ants are, by nature, territorial; and in this aspect, protect the tree from other pests that may otherwise feast on the tree leaves and sap.

In respect of this, it may seem that both parties just benefit from each other and that the story is just as simple as that. If I may be allowed to carry on this analogy, there is a slight difference between being in the situation of the ant or the tree. You see, the ants decide which tree to build their nest on, whereas the tree, well, stands there and wait.

In the glittering glamour of endorsements and sponsorships, there may be very little that laymen, like me, can understand. I would like to think that endorsements are as simple as it is – I like a product and I tell the world about it. However, endorsement deals are probably far more complicated than that. It is usually made official and there are usually clauses that prevent the person endorsing it from using other competitive products; or at least be seen using them. For this, an agreement involving supplies of services or products, or perhaps monetary rewards are usually involved.

I probably will not mind eating the same brand of rice for 6 months or even use the same shampoo for the next 2 years. However, I will be cautious about having to eat at a particular fast food restaurant (or at least not be seen eating at other fast food restaurants) for an entire year for an endorsement.

Having said that, the question on who’s using who probably boils down to which party benefits most from the endorsement – something that we, as spectators, do not really know. However, the recent publicizing of the marriage between Fann and Christopher can’t help but make me envious of the former. I can imagine how much I can save from gown rentals (or purchases, if I am feeling a little generous on myself) and bridal accessories; not to mention a partially if not fully paid honeymoon.

To say that the couple made use of the sponsors is probably overbearing while saying the reverse is likely to be inappropriate. After all, the decision to get the newlyweds to promote their products is likely to stem from a commercial decision. Moreover, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to force a company to use them in an endorsement deal. In this instance, I’ll akin the sponsors to the ants and the endorsement party, the tree.

Simply Jean was a nominee for Most Insightful Blog at ping.sg, a community of meta blog for Singapore bloggers. She can be found discussing current affairs topics at http://blog.simplyjean.com