Metro Magazine’s June cover will stay in your social media timeline for a while. That’s for sure.
As soon as the photo of the full spread that features 12 young female stars made its way to social media, being a top-tending topic on Twitter for a day, fans started comparing it with other magazine covers that used similar theme. Additionally, fans couldn’t just appreciate the group shot as they see the stars only juxtposed with their closest rival.
You see, even before it hits the magazine stands, the magazine has already achieved its goal, which is to generate public attention by training the spotlight on the most popular young female celebrities.
The 28th anniversary issue of the popular fashion and lifestyle magazine recreated the now controversial 2010 cover, featuring the stunning stars of Star Magic. The cover, which celebrates “28 years of style, beauty, and culture,” and is dubbed “All Star,” has put together some of the brightest young female stars of their generation including Julia Barretto, Liza Soberano, Kathryn Bernardo, and Janella Salvador (too bad, Nadine Lustre is not a Star Magic talent, this cover would have been more epic if not more controversial).
The extension of the cover includes stars Maris Racal, Loisa Andalio, Sofia Andres, Sue Ramirez, Alexa Ilacad, Kira Balinger, Ylona Garcia, and Andrea Brillantes.
BJ Pascual, the talented young lensman behind the iconic 2010 magazine cover, was the same person behind the 2017 cover shoot, which also celebrates Star Magic’s 25th anniversary. Pascual, in his Instagram post, went down memory lane recalling what happened in 2010.
“Feels like yesterday, I was given this assignment not even knowing I was doing a cover shoot until I’ve already set up,” the bankable photographer said.
Dubbed as the “Star Power” issue, the full spread cover of Metro Magazine’s August 2010 issue featured Carmen Soo, Erich Gonzales, Maja Salvador, Maricar Reyes, Shaina Magdayao, Kristine Hermosa, Kim Chiu, Bea Alonzo, and Angelica Panganiban.
During the shoot, Pascual revealed that he had to endure shameless remarks from people who purposely let him hear (within earshot) their doubts about his talent and capability. Although he didn’t drop any names, he just divulged encountering “diva moments” from some of the stars who participated in the photoshoot.
“Little did I know the challenge it would present, from a studio full of people doubting me (hearing people say ‘sino ba yang photographer na yan? Marunong ba yan?’ right behind me), to diva moments (being told by a certain cover girl ‘Ilang shots pa? Overtime na kasi ako eh!’ Take note, I have only taken about 15 shots in less than a minute when she said this,” Pascual recalled.
Imagine the photographer and the magazine coming up with the same cover again after a decade or so. We may not know the story behind the glamorous “All Star” cover, but who knows, by then we would be surpised on what challege Pascual encountered during the iconic cover shoot. We didn’t even had a clue on what transpired in 2010 until Pascual made this interesting revelation. So, who knows?
