MOST STARS who?ve made it big in show business take their success for granted and get into a rut?but, Sharon Cuneta, Piolo Pascual and a few others are made of more proactive and sterner stuff. They sure don?t rest on their laurels?which helps explain why they?ve kept their careers flying high longer than most of their contemporaries.

Sharon?s latest self-renewing and -transformative gambit is her current campaign to lose a lot of weight and get back to ?fighting? trim. At first, the Megastar appeared to resist the challenge to become less than ?mega? in the physical sense.

Battle of the bulge

But, we kept harping on it, even at the risk of earning her ire, because she?d won the battle of the bulge once before, so we knew she could do it again. Besides, it was good for her health and career?so, she had to give it another go.

Well, Sharon has done exactly that?and, being Sharon, she?s done it in a big, public way, with the help of Marie France, which has come out with ads proudly announcing Sharon?s loss of ?more than 20 lbs and 23 inches all over? (and still counting).

It?s also instructive that Sharon?s ongoing battle of the bulge could dovetail quite nicely into one of her new TV shows set to debut this year, which has a weight-loss format. ?How?s that for having your cake and eating it, too (without the icing)?

What?s great about Sharon?s current transformative gambits is their beneficial effect, not just on herself, but also on the many thousands of people who watch her shows. Taking their cue from her enlightened example, they could also decide to lose weight and opt for a healthier lifestyle. ?Everybody wins!

Options

For his part, Piolo Pascual has sort of hit a glass ceiling in his stellar career, so he?s been trying to vary his options by exploring other creative possibilities as a singer and indie actor-producer.

His indie gambits haven?t come off all that well, but his musical initiatives by way of recordings, concerts, performances for Filipino fans abroad, etc., have fared better.

Piolo?s best move in this regard is his decision to be mentored by the Ryan Cayabyab in his concert this Valentine?s Day at the PICC.

We trust that the first-time collaboration will lead to other learning opportunities for the actor-singer. His very wise decision to be mentored by Ryan in music should also motivate Piolo to go out of his way to learn from top artists in other areas of performance.

Glass ceiling

With their astute and rigorous guidance, Piolo could finally learn how to break through that comfortable glass ceiling that?s kept him from finding his true worth as a performing artist, after more than a decade of lucrative stardom.

The mere fact that he?s now known as ?Papa Piolo? indicates how chummily predictable his portrayals have become, after a series of facile and convenient rom-com hits.

It?s time to break out and break through for Piolo (say goodbye to the ?Papa?), and only top mentors like Ryan Cayabyab can help him succeed!