Finally, NOT Another Singer: Ultimate Talentadong Pinoy 2011 (Joseph the Artist)

There are too many talent search shows in the airstream these days, that I must confess.

So what do 3 dance groups, acrobatic couple, beatboxing rapper, theater partners, singing trio, sand artist and a pole dancer have in common? They are all finalists to TV5's Talentadong Pinoy Battle of the Champions Finals. After a grueling night of various technical difficulties and amazing talents, Joseph the Artist came out victorious and got to take home one million pesos and a brand new car.  "Why is this interesting?", you might ask. I'll tell you why.

I have expressed my criticisms to anyone who might listen about the way talent search programs are judged here in our country. It seems like it has always been this way. Mediocre talent plus some sob story about poverty and/or absent parent(s), throw in some face value, screaming fans and calculation of over-all marketability and you have your newest overnight sensation.

I can understand singing contests looking for the next big thing to act this way but disappointingly even a show like Pilipinas Got Talent was not spared the mentality of sympathy votes and the lure of millions of pesos of profit.

Talentadong Pinoy impressed me in a way that for the second time in a row, they did not pick the winner who would most likely bring in the bucks.  They took the higher road and granted the crown to someone who would be extremely out of place on a variety show stage or cannot record albums for public consumption. For probably only the second time in Philippine history, the one with the most impressive talent actually won a talent show.

Joseph the Artist's performance in the finals night cannot be deemed as the most original, nor the most complicated among those can do the same thing (creating art out of mere sand) but it exuded heart, not to mention mean skills, and brought out an innate appreciation of common citizen to visual art. It is a breath of fresh air to the constant singing, dancing and running around the stage acts that we all have been fed with for too long.

There have been talks that it was a partial copycat of this performance by Ukraine's Got Talent winner Kseniya Simonova, but I honestly don't think so.

Yes, the story is similar, but haven't almost all the countries in the world experienced the pain of loss and the catastrophe of war? I think Joseph presented his side of the story with grace and heartfelt emotion and because of that, even though Ukraine is ahead when it comes to technique and difficulty, I think we can all cheer in unison that he does deserve the title of ultimate Talentadong Pinoy.

Good job, sir and congratulations. :)