Runway 2006 - the night

Last night I had the opportunity to be a judge at Runway 2006, a modeling competition of sorts in Gibraltar.
It was a fascinating experience. The crowd was incredible - the show was sold out (Gibraltarians have big families!) - and noisy! Wow. You would have thought that some superstar was onstage by the reactions these wanna be models got. Silly in one way, but I guess you have to give credit to their level of support.
There were 26 contestants, though one, for whatever reason, was a no-show.
Walking in the door I really had no idea about what I was supposed to do. What I was judging on. I was to find out!
There were 6 judges in total. One was a Gibraltarian male model - off to NYC in a couple weeks (!), one a travel agent, one an account, one an artist, one I am sorry to say I can't remember...and me, a humble screenwriter guy. All the other judges were Gibraltarian. Some knew some of the contestants, which surely compromised their objectivity!
We were told what to judge on, and one criteria was 'age-appropriateness'. The show was for kids 13-17. Now, part of the problem I saw was that some of the judges obviously had no idea what 13-17 year olds really get up to as words like 'sweet' and 'innocent' were passed around as opposed to 'drunken' and 'horny'. With a soaring teen pregnacy rate I failed to see how forcing these kids to represent something that few of them probably were seemed a bit perverse.
Anyway, on with the show.
Let's face it, its a small town and therefore you are not going to be blessed with a wide catch of hopefuls. Of the 26 I could say right away that there were maybe 10 that I thought had something that could be molded into a person I would want to see in print and on the catwalk. Some were down right dreadful. The word 'Elephant' actually passed my lips.
I had my favourites. But sadly I was shouted down in the voting process. So, the people who won were not my choices. I was an outsider and I guess my background has led me to see people differently. I still think I judged well, in the cold light of what I saw on the night.

So, perhaps in violation of my judges agreement, I will say I thought the best were (photo links I hope):

Male:
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* Andrew Jefferies - this guy's presence onstage was palpable! He commanded the stage. He got in 2nd on the night and started to cry which did kind of damage his bad boy image. But still - he was great.
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* Adnan Laudy - again, someone who commanded attention. He was goofy, but oozed charisma. You could not help but look at this guy.

Female:
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* Tiffany Dalmedo - this chick kicked ass! Absolute confidence. Kind of frightening. The other judges found her too mature for her age. One actually said that she doesn't dress like a 17 year old. Guess what? She IS 17, ergo however she dresses is how a 17 year old dresses. Duh?!
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* Kirsty Cornelio - she's wierd looking...which is a good thing! Don't anyone tell you otherwise! A real sparkle. Her outfits (the kids chose their own) were something. Personally I actually found her in a completely different league as far as looks and style went. With some attention this girl could really do something, if she wanted. I got a little bit of an impression that she wasn't into it.
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* Genyka Celecia - has to be an actress or a model - just look at the wacky name! I have to say her photo wasn't that great, but in person I thought she was stunning.

I want to write a film using the above-mentioned kids. I wonder if any of them can act? Or even speak?

So, I have purged my heavy sarcasm from this post (I saved that for the version I told my friends), but, it was a good night.

The 5 I mention above had something we should have been told to mark on - confidence. Most people - not me - HATE going on stage. If you can't get on stage how can you pursue something that is in front of the public?

My fear is that these 5 will fall prey to the negative 'realistic' people who will tell them that pursuing such a life choice is silly. Become a banker or something else instead. Screw them. Don't listen to them! Do something you want to do - you dream of doing. Don't listen to your school's guidance counsellor! Why should you go into a job for life just because you MIGHT show a minor aptitude at it when you are 16?!?

Anyway. over and out!