The starstruck no longer have to be content just dreaming about looking like a movie star.

A Shanghai plastic surgery hospital is promoting a service it claims can turn an office clerk into a spitting image of a silver screen icon.

A lucky three to five people will receive a free face-lift, makeup, clothing and training to help them make a beachhead in the entertainment industry.

Everyone else will have to pay an unspecified fee for the service.

Even for free, however, local entertainment experts say that turning someone's face into a likeness of Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi or Andy Lau is far from a guarantee for stardom.

Shanghai Kinway Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery has been promoting the operations in newspaper ads since last month.

Anyone who bears at least a 30-percent similarity to a star can apply for a face-lift that will upgrade the likeness to 80 percent, the hospital claims. And with the right makeup, hairstyle, clothing and training, the program promises a full 100 percent cloning quotient.

"We've received applications from some 20 people age 20 to 25, two-thirds of whom are females," said Zhang Wei, a Shanghai Kinway official.

"Most are performance fans and are longing to enter the entertainment field."

The hospital will make its selections later this month, vetting applicants on appearance, surgical potential and aptitude for acting, singing or modeling.

The winners, Zhang said, will become the hospital's "brand ambassadors."

Shanghai Kinway became well known in 2003 when it gave away a cosmetic procedure that turned a plain-looking woman into a beauty.

"Now, we want to perfect some good-looking people and turn them into real stars," Zhang said. "A face recognizable to the public can streamline their startup."

Though the promotion may turn out to be a successful marketing tactic, show business insiders interviewed by Shanghai Daily said they don't think the idea can transform amateurs into stars at the touch of a knife.

"We never select an actor or actress just because he or she is good-looking - acting and singing require talent," said Hong Lu of Beijing Ciwen Art Agency Co.

Some Shanghai residents also don't think the promotion is a good idea.

"There may not be anything wrong with seeking perfection, but copying the face of a star is no shortcut to success," said Zhu Li, a Shanghai resident.

(Shanghai Daily April 4, 2005)