Runner Up Rocco Nacino Has Left Starstruck 1 Winner Mark Herras Behind

ONE ACTOR whose career definitely suffered this year is Mark Herras. He went into depression at the start of 2011 when the grandmother who helped raise him passed. He was finally given a primetime show, “Time of My Life”, but it turned out that he wasn’t really the central character but Starstruck 4 winner, Kris Bernal, and Kris was not even paired with him but Starstruck 5 2nd runner up, Rocco Nacino.

Rocco’s career has obviously overtaken that of Mark, winner of Starstruck 1. He’s just 2nd runner up but he has also sidelined the careers of the winner, Steven Silva, and first runner up, Enzo Pineda, in Starstruck 5. He got glowing reviews for his fine performance in “Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” and now even has a Metro filmfest entry, “My Househusband”, as Judy Ann Santos’ younger brother. On TV, he’s the leading man of Kylie Padilla in the new afternoon soap, “Prodigal Daughter”.

As for Mark, he doesn’t have a new project yet. He does have a new movie, “Hitman”, but he plays a bad guy. We honestly thought Mark would eclipse the career of his partner in Starstruck 1, Jennylyn Mercado, after she had a child of wedlock and got into a tumultuous affair with Dennis Trillo. But Jennylyn’s career is no doubt blooming these days and has left him behind. She has proven herself a good host in “Showbiz Central” and “Protegee”, and even her new romance with Luis Manzano is well accepted by the public.

In the case of Mark, his meddling in the fight of Nadia Montenegro, mom of his girlfriend of four years, Ynna Asistio, elicited bad feedback when he posted some negative comments about Annabelle Rama. His fans wonder why “nakikisawsaw pa siya sa away ng mga matatanda sa kanya”. Can’t his manager, Manay Lolit Solis, do something to help put Mark’s career back on track?