The AlDub love team is currently making waves in the Philippine showbiz industry, and is often described as “phenomenal”. It is said that not since the time of Nora Aunor have we seen such mass hysteria over a love team or a celebrity. We agree that AlDub’s meteoric rise is really something to marvel at, but the local industry is peppered with celebrities who at one point in their career literally created mass hysteria.
Evidence of their immense influence and popularity among the masses are quantifiable thru blockbuster movies, best-selling records, shows, endorsements,etc. These celebrities are mobbed wherever they go, and people stumble all over the place just to get a glimpse of them.
Here’s a list of celebrities who we think have created a wave of hysteria in the local showbiz industry, in the last 50 years.
Nora Aunor
The one and only Superstar in Philippine showbiz is undisputed and the most phenomenal of all Filipino celebrities. When it comes to mania or hysteria, everyone is measured against the yardstick of Ms. Nora Aunor.
At the height of her career in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Nora made movies left and right,and all of them were blockbusters. Wherever Nora goes, expect thousands of people lining up on the route she’ll take. Like a statue or a saint, she is sometimes carried on top of the shoulders of her bodyguards to keep her safe from the uncontrollable mob.
Known also as the girl with the “golden voice’, Nora holds the record for 30 gold singles in the local recording industry. She also holds the record for most singles, numbering 260 in all.
Vilma Santos
The arch rival of Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos also achieved immense popularity during the same era as La Aunor. Like Nora Aunor, Vilma had die-hard fans who were ready to fight tooth and nail to defend their idol. It was not uncommon during that time to witness fights, physical or verbal, between Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos fans.
Vilma was a child star before Nora Aunor came into the picture. But her career blossomed in her teens, as she was the only one who can challenge Nora Aunor at the box office during their era. Long after Nora’s career has dimmed, Vilma Santos was still going strong with her film career. Her string of box office hits and acting awards in the 1980s to 1990s earned her the title “Grand Slam Queen” and “Star for all Seasons”.
Sharon Cuneta
Judging by her title alone, “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta is one of the most exceptional stars in the country. She went into showbiz at the tender age of 12. Her first hit, “Mr. D.J.” jump-started her singing career. Her songs “Naalala Ka”, “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko”, and “Langis at Tubig” are just some of her hits which are still being played on radio up to now. Her first film “Dear Heart”, with real to reel partner Gabby Concepcion was a big hit.
The Sharon-Gabby love team is considered one of the most successful love teams in the local industry. Here’s one trivia: Viva Films was initially created by Pablo Cuneta and Vic del Rosario to further the film career of Sharon. Most of Sharon Cuneta’s films were box office hits. For several years in the 1980s and early 1990s, Sharon was given the “Box Office Queen” award. Her success at the tills, prompted the press to call her a “Megastar”.
Sharon’s mass appeal not only translated to mega bucks at theaters, tv shows, concerts, and records. She is widely known as the highest paid Filipino celebrity endorser because her endorsements translate into sales. The Megastar is also known for the highest-ever 1 billion talent fee for a Filipino artist, when she signed up with Channel 5.
Vice-Ganda
Jose Marie Borja Viceral, commonly known as Vice Ganda, is known in the local industry as the “Phenomenal Performer”. His achievements to date prove that he is worthy of such title. He started out as a singer and stand-up comedian in local comedy bars. But his quick retorts and famous punchlines which were full of wit and sarcasm, started getting rave reviews on tv and tabloids.
His rise to stardom was fast tracked when he became part of Showtime in 2009, and then starred in the film Petrang Kabayo in 2010. Vice Ganda is the current box office King (or Queen?) in Philippine cinema. His film, “The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin” in 2014 remains unbeaten with its 440M gross earnings at the box office. His other films “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy” also earned around 400M pesos each. Although Vice Ganda is admittedly gay, his appeal is androgynous. He is adored by fans of different sexual orientations. Girls and boys of different ages scream “I love you Vice!” during shows and concerts.
Vice Ganda’s brand of humor may not please everyone but he is undoubtedly a big hit anywhere in the country. His controversial interviews of celebrities gracing his talk show Gandang Gabi Vice are always talked about in social circles.
Richard Gomez
Tall, dark, and handsome, that’s exactly how people will describe Richard Gomez. He got his break in the movie “Inday Bote” with Maricel Soriano in 1984. He starred in several movies as a leading man, but it wasn’t until the late 80s that Richard Gomez became a certified star. In 1989, Richard Gomez was featured in the award-winning advertisement of Bench. This ad propelled Bench to become a household name.
At the pinnacle of his stardom, Richard had several tv shows and blockbuster films to his credit. It was during the 1990s that the love team CharDawn was born. Their 1991 film “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit” is considered one of the best romance films in Philippine cinema.
Screaming girls and women from all segments of society, and from different age brackets greeted Richard’s appearances and guesting. He also became a model for young Filipino males, who imitated his looks and fashion as much as they can.
Robin Padilla
The iconic “Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema came into stardom with his film “Anak ni Baby Ama” in 1990. He ruled the genre of action movies during the said decade. The movie “Maging Sino Ka Man” in 1991 with Sharon Cuneta, showed that Robin can also swing it as a matinee idol.
He is popular among the masses, and some reporters have tagged him as the male Nora Aunor for all the commotion that he causes in his personal appearances. He is very charming and popular, thus he is also a known product endorser. Robin popularized the “bad boy” rugged fashion and way of talking, among his male fans. His leather vest and the way he wears his cap are iconic bad boy signature looks.
Daniel Padilla
Never go near a place where Daniel Padilla will make a personal appearance, unless you are prepared for a mini-stampede or is ready to become deaf. Daniel Padilla made a mark in Philippine showbiz when he played the role of Gerald Antonio “Gino” dela Rosa in the prime time series The Princess and I. He is currently one of the hottest young stars in the industry today.
As the other half of the KathNiel love team, he is known for his good looks and his hip fashion. Daniel Padilla is also known for being a singer. His debut album Daniel Padilla sold more than 10000 copies in just less than a week.
AlDub
The AlDub love team, composed of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, is the latest in the list of celebrities whose careers can only be described as “sensational”. By now, the 3 month-old love team is breaking a lot of records from social media to tv ratings to endorsements.
Alden Richards is mobbed wherever he goes. Same with Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza. Both of them are surrounded by “Rogelios”, to protect them from the masses who simply go wild whenever they are around. AlDub is a phenomenon that has been studied by social scientists, scholars and marketing executives alike.
The record 25.6 million tweets for #AlDubEBforLOVE is still a feat that no one saw coming. Alden Richards’ songs are on the top list of iTunes Philippines and his debut album has gone gold.
Of the two, however, Maine Mendoza’s career is more jaw dropping. It is through her that social media has melded with traditional media. Maine Mendoza is known as the “Queen of Dubsmash”. Her dubsmash of Kris Aquino’s comments and dialogues was viewed 1 million times in just one day on Facebook.
Maine started in Eat Bulaga on July 4, and look where she is now. Barely three and a half months after her foray into showbiz, Maine Mendoza has become a star to be reckoned with. The AlDub love team will be featured in “My Bebe Love” with Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai de las Alas this coming MMFF. Will they break another record?
Throughout the years, the local showbiz industry has become colorful and interesting because of these phenomenal and sensational celebrities. A few years down the road and we might witness other phenomenal stars in the making. Who will they be and where will they come from? For all we know, he or she might be in one of those viral videos we are watching on YouTube or Facebook right now.
