Tv Review: 'destination Stardom'

Like the western and the variety show, the amateur talent competition program has been around since the dawn of television. But unlike those other extinct program species, the amateur show has survived its changing environment through camouflage and mutation. In the case of "Destination Stardom," the show cloaks its time-honored premise with huge dollops of glitter, glamour and hard bodies.

The latest talent competition is from the auspices of Al Masini, whose previous contributions to TV include "Solid Gold," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "Entertainment Tonight" and, of course, "Star Search."

The host of "Destination Stardom" is Lisa Canning, who has more than the requisite charm and pleasing demeanor to weave the disparate acts and uneven talent levels into a relatively seamless program. Canning, a three-year veteran of "Entertainment Tonight," was adept at leading contestants to their proper places following performances and, harder still, mastering the names of people and places in and around Honolulu, where the show is taped.

Like "Star Search," this show pits two contestants or groups against each other in specific categories: singing, comedy and variety. The singing category is divided between adults and kids and the variety category is divided between general variety acts and those in which all performers are from a single family.

Then there's the runway model category, the equivalent of the "Star Search" spokesmodel, which has almost nothing to do with talent and everything to do with eye candy. While the other candidates perform only once, the runway women make four appearances during the show, usually accompanied by native beefcake Kalai Miller, whose wardrobe allowance doesn't cover shirts. Their frequent appearances reflect a cynical belief that viewers just won't tune in to see amateurs compete unless the essence of the show is diluted with scantily attired models and, in this case, enough shots of Hawaii to qualify the program as a travelogue.

Winners in categories are selected by 100 voting members of the audience. Winners get $2,000 and the right to return the next week. Viewers can dial a 900 number to vote for a "Performance of the Week," the result of which is announced when "Destination Stardom" is rerun at 8 p.m. the following Saturday.

Talent for the initial group of shows was culled from auditions in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio, San Francisco and Miami. Most performances were actually good. But judging talent is a subjective matter. The winner of the comedy competition, had he appeared on a different amateur competition, would almost certainly have been interrupted by a loud gong.



DESTINATION STARDOM

PAX

Al Masini Prods., CB Entertainment,

Riddle-Weinstock Entertainment

in association with B&A Prods.

Executive producers: Al Masini, Byron Allen

Supervising producers: Sam Riddle,

Bruce Weinstock

Producers: April Masini, Marco Orsini

Line producer: Paul Van Wormer

Concept by: Al Masini

Director: Tony Charmoli

Theme song: Brian Rawling

Senior editor: Charlyn Honda

Set design: John Shaffner, Joe Stewart

Host: Lisa Canning

Island host: Kalai Miller

Airdate: Mondays, 8-9 p.m.