Charice Pempengco on Oprah TV show airs May 12

THE much-awaited episode of Oprah Winfrey’s television program with our very own Charice Pempengco as one of the special guests will finally air in the US on Monday, May 12.

Charice shares the stage with other gifted children, including, seven-year-old ballroom dancers, an eight-year-old guitarist, a three-year-old drummer, a seven-year-old pianist, a 10-year-old who plays the accordion, the youngest film director in history, a two-and-a-half-year-old pint-size prodigy who can identify more than 100 countries on the map and a 14-year-old international best-selling author, plus a nine-year-old dancing phenomenon nicknamed ‘Happy Feet’ who teaches Oprah how to dance the Cha-Cha slide, and Abigail Breslin and Willow Smith (son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) who join the show via satellite to discuss their upcoming movie, An American Girl.

Here is the teaser commercial of the show on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41SN0Zdia8E

After her stirring rendition of the Whitney Houston song I Have Nothing, an emotional Charice told Oprah, “I’m always dreaming that someday I can be a part of your show. I can’t believe I’m here standing with you. This is my dream come true.”

The 15-year-old singing wunderkind has been a very busy girl making her rounds of the top international talk shows, from Sweden, Korea, the United States and England.

She is now a sought-after guest on TV shows after being discovered by Ellen DeGeneres on Youtube and guesting Charice on her top rated show. Ellen admires Charice for her awesome, lung-busting vocal skills.

Filipinos rule Boracay Dragon Boat Festival

ILOILO CITY—Rowers from the Philippines ruled four of the six events in the recent Fila 2nd Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival at the world-famous island-resort.

Tribu Cam Sur topped the men’s event and mixed race over 300 meters, the Bugsay Boracay team ruled the women’s race, and the Philippine National Police Patriots dominated the mixed race over 500 meters.

Cam Sur clocked one minute 12 seconds in the 300m men’s event and 1:13.91 in the mixed race.

Bugsay Boracay won the 500m women’s event in 2:22.12 while the Patriots clocked 2:03.50 in the 500m mixed race.

Hong Kong’s Stormy Dragons prevailed in the 300m women’s race in 1:25.00 while Germany’s Wann Sea Dragons topped the 500m men’s event in 2:07.60.

The rowing festival, organized by the Boracay Island Paddlers Association, the municipality of Malay and the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, drew about 1,000 rowers and 50 teams from the Philippines, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and the United States.

Filipina popstar Chelsea E.

It has become a necessary strategy nowadays for artists to take charge of their musical careers head on, and launch their albums independently. Chelsea is no stranger to that method.

Having started her professional recording career in an all female music group called SX4, Chelsea has been working in the competitive world known as the music industry since the age of fifteen. Although promising at first and as fate would have it, the group ended its run shortly after. Determined to keep her dream alive, to move people with her voice, Chelsea gathered her thoughts and ideas and started to do her own music. Now a solo artist, Chelsea is releasing her new record “I’m that Girl.”

Chelsea is a native-born Filipino with Spanish and Chinese roots. She was raised in California and has lived in Los Angeles since the age of five. She is set to release her first full-length album titled “Greenlight Girl” in June. The album has mixed an infectious blend of pop, acoustic, and urban sounds.

Related site: Chelsea E. Official site

Filipina named head of global open source project

MANILA, Philippines–A soft-spoken Filipina in her early twenties was recently named project leader of one of many open source community projects run by the Apache Software Foundation.

Maria Odea “Deng” Ching, 25, became the first Filipino vice president and project management committee chairperson of the Apache Archiva Project of the foundation, a non-profit organization that supports numerous open source projects around the world.

In an interview, Ching said she is also one of two women members of the Apache Archiva Project project management committee, which is composed of 15 members.

A graduate of Bachelor Science in Computer Studies from the De La Salle University in Manila, Ching is currently working for software development firm Exist Global, which holds office in Ortigas Center in Pasig City.

A programmer by training, Ching said that “hard work” and active participation in the open source community has led her to being voted chairperson of the project.

The Apache Archiva Project is a top-level open source project that provides global software developers with a repository for components needed to build software applications.

As part of her responsibility in Exist Global, Ching said she has been actively contributing to the project–begun in March 2008–until she assumed her current position.

There are about 1,000 developers involved in the Apache Software Foundation, which is currently doing more than 60 projects.

source: INQUIRER.NET

Castro, Tuloy na sa NBL

HANDA na si two-time Philippine Basketball League MVP Jason Castro na dalhin ang pangalan ng Pilipinas sa kanyang pagsabak sa Singapore Slingers sa National Basketball League (NBL) na sisimulan ang bagong season sa September.

Si Castro, na inihatid ang Harbour Centre sa apat na PBL titles, ang unang Filipino cager na magpapakitang-gilas sa NBL makaraang pumirma ng six-month contract para sa Slingers kamakalawa.

Tatanggap ang 5-foot-10 na si Castro ng A$60,000 kada buwan sa kanyang paglalaro na Singapore Slingers, kung saan ang kanyang kontrata ay magtatapos sa February ng susunod na taon.

Si Castro ay magsisilbing ikatlong import ng Singapore.

“Ibibigay ko ang 100 percent ko sa Slingers tulad ng ginawa ko sa Harbour at sa Philippine team,” wika ni Castro sa biglaang press conference na ginanap kahapon sa Saisaki restaurant sa Mandaluyong.

Kasama ni Castro ang kanyang agent na si Danny Espiritu at sina PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad, Batang Pier team manager Eric Arejola, Slingers basketball operations manager Michael Johnson, managing director Bob Turner at talent scout Paul Monozca.

Ang Singapore-based na si Monozca ang naging instrumento upang makapaglaro si Castro sa Slingers, na hindi nakapasok sa NBL playoffs noong nakaraang taon.

Habang naghahanda ang Harbour Centre sa pagdepensa ng korona ng Pilipinas sa Southeast Asian Games ay nasaksihan ng Singapore Slingers ang impresibong laro ni Castro sa tune-up games.

Ang kanyang ipinakita ang naging tiket upang madagit ng Slingers si Castro, na handang isakripisyo ang kanyang oras sa mga mahal sa buhay upang matupad ang pangarap.

“Jason (Castro) is very talented. We will put him as a starter and he will be a great help for the team,” wika ni Johnson.

“We (Slingers) will also help him in honing further his skills,” aniya.

Natutuwa si Trinidad sa pagkuha ng Singapore Slingers kay Castro, na ang pagsabak sa NBL ay magsasaisantabi sa kanyang hangaring makapaglaro sa PBA.

“The PBL is glad na naging part kami ng basketball career ni Jason (Castro) and we wish him best. Isang malaking tagumpay ito sa Philippine basketball as a whole,” wika ni Trinidad.

Sinabi ni Johnson na maraming Filipino cagers ang maaaring sumunod sa yapak ni Castro.

Nang mapanood nina Johnson at Turner ang laro ng Barangay Ginebra at Purefoods Tender Juicy kamaka-lawa, nasiyahan sila sa magandang ipinakita ni one-time MVP James Yap.

Record-breaking Pinoy is World Sport Stacking champ

A US-based Filipino child has won this year’s WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships held earlier this month in Denver, Colorado. The new champ also posted new records for two events.

In an interview on ABS-CBN’s morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda,” Marivic Purugganan, the mother of 10-year-old Steven Purugganan of Longmeadow, Massachussetts, said her son earned the title of  2008 WSSA World Sport Stacking Champion during the championships held from April 5-6.

The child also posted a record of 1.86 seconds for the Individual 3-3-3 Stack Division and 6.21 seconds for the Individual Cycle Stack Division, topping his previous record of 6.50 seconds.

According to the World Sport Stacking Association, sport stacking is an international, individual and team sport where participants stack up and stack down 12 specially designed cups in pre-determined sequences in tremendous speed.

The competitors, generally aged 6-17, compete individually, on teams or in pairs, called “Doubles,” against the clock for the fastest time or on relay teams in head-to-head competitions.

Sport stacking, originally called “Cup Stacking,” began in the early 1980s, but it wasn’t until 1995 the sport caught the attention of Colorado PE Teacher Bob Fox, who held the state’s first Sport Stacking Tournament at his elementary school.

The sport continued to develop throughout Colorado, and the tradition of an annual state tournament began in 1997.

The sport soon extended to other states, and a regional tournament in 2002 attracted hundreds of stackers from Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida.

Sport stacking is now practiced in all 50 states and has caused great interest in countries all over the world.

The WSSA has sanctioned World Sport Stacking Championships for the past six years.

source: ABS-CBNNEWS.com

Pinay Madonna in UK

THE E-MAIL WAS SIGNED simply: Mado.

That’s the nickname of Madonna Decena, the Filipina singer who impressed audience and judges alike in the reality contest “Britain’s Got Talent (BGT).”

She passed the first round with flying colors and has moved on to the semi-finals.

Since uploading on YouTube on April 19, the video of her performance on BGT has gotten over 350,000 hits.

But Mado had gone through the wringer before hitting the big time.

In a series of e-mails to Inquirer Entertainment, she related a story commonly told by countless Filipinos who have opted to work abroad. Although she often goes onstage all dolled up, life as an OFW is far from glamorous, she confirmed.

Now 32, her first stint abroad was in Singapore, where she performed at Hard Rock Café and Club Momo, her father Rey Decena related in an earlier phone interview with the Inquirer.

Upon her return from Singapore, Mado was encouraged by high-school friend Renz Santos to try her luck in his new home, the United Kingdom.

With a student visa, she moved to Prescot in the UK in 2006. “Being a student, I was allowed only 20 hours of part-time work [weekly],” she recalled.

Back-breaking grind

Since gigs as a singer were all too rare, she worked in a Subway sandwich store.

“I took the late or closing shifts,” she recounted. “I had to clean and serve at the same time. It was hard work. Sometimes I had to drag my feet to get home.”

She also worked at a Choco Fruit outlet where she often stayed for “10 hours straight.”

Dad Rey said Mado didn’t mind the back-breaking grind. “She’s used to that. When she was studying in Miriam (College), she worked as marketing trainee at McDonald’s SM City and acted in stage musicals with Musical Theater Philippines and Trumpets. She wanted to help us out with her tuition.”

Mado admitted that her part-time jobs in the UK weren’t enough to make ends meet. And that inspired her to go back to music.

“Renz found Steve Jones Entertainment on the Internet,” she related. “They were looking for talents for a girl band. I passed the auditions and practiced with the girls.”

But her management company decided to bill Mado as a solo act. “That was how I got a work permit,” she said. “But I had to go back to Manila to complete my papers. So I went home in July 2007.”

That’s the last time she saw her two daughters: Ysl, 7, and Yra, 6, who are now staying with her parents Rey and Tess in their Quezon City home.

Best performer tag

Until the Internet connection in their house was disrupted last month, Rey said that his granddaughters communicated with their mother by chatting on Yahoo messenger every night. Now they just text and call each other regularly.

Between July 2007 and February 2008, when she auditioned for BGT, Mado sang in a string of shows and concerts. She got good reviews from those stints and was declared “best performer” on at least two occasions.

Rey said his daughter was naturally drawn to competitions like BGT because she had joined and topped countless local singing contests as a kid.

“I was ‘Star Smile Factory’ grand champion,” she said. “I also joined ‘Lunch Date,’ ‘Tanghalan ng Kampeon,’ and ‘National Panasonic Quest for the Best,’” Madonna enumerated.

Her background in theater undoubtedly helped hone her skills as a performer, Rey said.

Stage actor and director Audie Gemora of Trumpets points out, “Madonna is a testament to how dedication can one day pay off. For years, she was in the chorus of shows like ‘Lapu-Lapu,’ ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ and ‘Joseph the Dreamer,’ but never once did I hear her complain about how small her part was.”

That Mado wowed the likes of judge Simon Cowell came as no surprise to Audie. “She’s long been ready for such a moment,” he said.

Singing from the heart

Singer Celeste Legaspi of Musical Theater Philippines told the Inquirer: “I worked with Madonna in several plays—particularly, for the centennial celebrations (in 1998). In ‘Katy!” she played Mary Walter and in ‘Larawan,’ she was alternate to Mikee Cojuangco. She has grown a lot as a performer from what I saw on YouTube. She always had a good strong voice, but now she sings from the heart. That’s what bowled them over.”

Mado recalled that the BGT audience’s and judges’ reaction stunned her. “I didn’t expect that because I wasn’t able to give a hundred percent that day. I was on my own and not feeling well. I had [the sniffles] and had been crying at the pre-interview. I was trying to control my emotions, but I lost it when the audience gave me a standing ovation.”

source: INQUIRER.NET Global Nation

Charlie Green sings his way to Britain’s heart

Charlie Green, a ten-year old half-Filipino, sang his way to the next round of Britain’s Got Talent, a talent search created by American Idol judge Simon Cowell who also acts as judge in the show, alongside journalist Piers Morgan and actress Amanda Holdren.

During the program’s second week of live auditions in Birmingham, Charlie gave a spirited rendition of Frank Sinatra’s 1966 hit record “Summer Wind.” He was cool and composed throughout the entire performance, even doing some old-fashioned jazz scatting and finger snapping.

After he sang, the audience gave Charlie a standing ovation and chanted his name for a few seconds.

Piers, who called the boy “Old Charlie,” was entertained with both his singing and dancing. Amanda went as far as giving a bold forecast: “I predict, you [Charlie] could win in this show.”

Even the panel’s harshest critic, American Idol judge Simon Cowell, had nothing but praises. He said, “Charlie, I think you’re a little star! I really, really like you!”

In the end, Charlie got three “YES” votes from the judges, and is now set to move on to the next round of competition.

Waiting for him at the backstage were his Filipina mom Cecilia Sumargo— who hailed from Dumajug, Cebu—and British dad, who both gave him a warm hug. When asked about the boy’s reaction to the judges’ comments, he said, obviously starstruck, “They’re really good! They were better than I thought!”

Charlie is the second Filipino to make waves in the said talent search. First was the 32-year old single mom and club singer Madonna Decena, who auditioned in Manchester, and wowed the judges with her powerful rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”

Auditions for Britain’s Got Talent are currently ongoing and will air locally on the first quarter of this year.

source: GMAnews.tv Entertainment

New Heat coach has Pinoy blood

HALL of Famer Pat Riley has anointed an unknown for his successor as coach of the Miami Heat.

Unknown to many too, Riley’s heir has Filipino blood.

On Monday, young Erik Spoelstra became the new Heat coach after Riley stepped down from his post following one of the worst seasons in NBA franchise history.

Once the Heat’s video coordinator and advance scout who rose from the ranks and became an assistant in Riley’s coaching staff, Spoelstra, 37, has a Filipina for a mother, Fe Celino, who hails from San Pablo, Laguna.

Although born in Portland, Spoelstra traveled to the Philippines once when he was three years old.

A product of University of Portland, Spoelstra has been with the Heat for 13 years now, a stint that saw him win an NBA championship in 2006 when Miami rallied back from 0-2 down to beat the Dallas Mavericks.

“He’s a man that was born to coach,” said Riley when he presented the first ever NBA coach with Filipino blood to the media in Miami yesterday.

Red Bull mentor Yeng Guiao, former president of the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP), sees the appointment of Spoelstra not only good for local coaches but to Filipino basketball fans in general.

“Of course, that’s good news. Di ko yun kilala, pero if he’s Filipino, that’s good for all Filipino basketball fans, not just coaches,” he said.

His father, Jon Spoelstra, is an Irish-Dutch who was an NBA executive for the Portland Trailblazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets. His grandfather, Wilson Spoelstra, was a long-time Detroit Tigers beat writer.

As the youngest NBA coach today, Spoelstra has his work cut out for him as he tries to turn around a franchise that finished with the worst record (15-67) in the 2007-08 season, two years removed from its championship stint.

Riley, the Armani-wearing coach inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame recently as the brains behind the exciting and victorious ‘Showtime Lakers’ of the 80s, came aboard Miami in 1995 at a time when Spoelstra was still confined in the Heat video room.

“I’ve worked for a great leader, a Hall of Fame coach and someone who’s been a great mentor to me for 13 years,” Spoelstra said. “It’s been a great relationship.”

Spoelstra was the starting point guard at University of Portland for four years and was named West Coach Conference Freshman of the Year. After college, he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a team in the professional sports league of Germany.

Miami superstar Dwayne Wade welcomed his new coach with open arms.

“I believe in Coach Spo and have complete confidence that our team will succeed with him at the helm,” Wade said.

Spoelstra indicated he would like to keep assistants Ron Rothstein, Bob McAdoo and Keith Askins, a one-time PBA import.