Celebrity Bard and Shining Star ability

[8 Red Wizards]

I don't understand the wording between the ability of the Celebrity bard called Shining Star. Can you use the Fascinate ability in the middle of combat with the Shining Star ability to fascinate a target without it breaking or can you only Fascinate the target before combat starts and he just has to make a harder save to break the fascinate while combat is underway?

I'm thinking about playing one if the Fascinate ability can work in the middle of combat such as 4 rounds into the fight I attempt to fascinate some enemies.

[mplindustries]

"At 8th level, the celebrity has learned how to focus attention on himself so thoroughly that even the presence of danger does not distract his adoring crowd. When using fascinate, a target making a save to break the effect because of a potential threat takes a –4 penalty on that save, and even obvious threats require a save rather than automatically breaking the effect. Creatures affected by the bard’s fascinate ability ignore the shaken condition."

Nothing about that ability suggests that it can be used in combat. All it does is penalize the save triggered by a potential threat.

The best thing it can do really is allow you to fascinate someone than have your allies attack his allies.

It's still not very good.

Any archetype that gives up Inspire Courage is pretty weak, because Inspire Courage is just so powerful. The only ones that are viable without Inspire Courage, really, are the Court Bard (since it's just inverted Inspire Courage), the Dawnflower Dervish, and the Archaeologist.