Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Age proved no deterrent for some contestants who turned out to the Rising Star auditions at Island Village, Ocho Rios in St. Ann, on Saturday. - PHOTO BY CLAUDINE HOUSEN
MANY BELIEVE that the dream to shine brighter than all those around you as you float on the adulation of millions of fans, that is the dream of stardom, is fodder for the young. However, when one looks across the crowd of hopefuls that turn up to the Rising Stars auditions, there appear many faces belonging to those either exiting, or long departed from their salad days.
It was not different for the auditions which took place at Island Village, Ocho Rios last Saturday. Four hundred and fifty-eight contestants turned out, many of whom would not be termed young by any standard, and others who would simply not be young in the world of entertainment which gobbles up youth.
AGE AND ELUSIVE DREAMS
With the advent of the video, it is hard to hide behind talent, because how you look often begins to matter. So, the older you get the harder it is to chase this dream. Time, regardless of how kind it may be to some, will eventually show its passage, whether through wrinkles, sags or in the eyes.
Having the dream is easy, but holding on to it means staying true to what you believe is your calling in the face of great rejection.
Desrine Palmer was one of the older contestants trying to reach their stardom through the competition. At Saturday's auditions, she was one of those told that she had a good voice, but lacked that elusive 'star' quality. She finds the comment a little 'drastic', but is already rebounding from its censor.
"Within myself, I'm a star in my own right," she says. "But this is an amateur competition." At '30-something', Desrine understands that the judges may be looking for younger people who have a longer shelf life in the business, but that has not stopped her. "All this was not around when I was 22," she says. Now that it is, she is willing to knock on opportunity's door.
The mother of two is not yet willing to give up. She faced rejection with the Red Label Wine Superstar competition and the Tastee Talent Show and continues to push forward. "I gave it my best shot," she says. "I'm not disappointed."
OTHER OLDER HOPEFULS
Desrine is by no means the oldest person who tried out in the competition. There were people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. The numbers also included 61-year-old Waldron 'Cowboy' Paul and 51-year-old Albert Bryan. Carla Williams (36) and Yasmine Johnson (46) are both grandmothers. Johnson was one of the few who made it through to the second day of auditions, though it was there that this round of chasing her dream ended. When The Gleaner spoke to her on Saturday, she was quite confident.
"It let me feel that it's no discrimination of age," Johnson said of the fact that she was selected to return. "If you can do it, you can do it." She glowed with the joy of having made the cut. "I feel like fine wine," she said.
However, at the end of day two, all those past their spring had been sent home. Yet again, their dream of stardom had been deferred.
