CHA vids at BnK on January 29, 2009.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Charice dazzles guests at RP embassy
by Jose Katigbak , Washington DC Bureau
WASHINGTON – Teenage singing sensation Charice dazzled the guests and Filipino American Rep. Steve Austria, a new member of the US Congress, lifted their spirits at a reception at the Philippine embassy to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.
Charice, a surprise appearance at the reception on Monday, belted “One Moment in Time” and then did a haunting rendition of “God Bless America” that left many spellbound.
The power of her voice in a small, enclosed auditorium like the Romulo Hall where the reception was held literally blew people away. Many were left gasping for breath. Others could only mumble “Oh, my God.”
Austria, a first-generation Filipino-American member of the US Congress, in a passionate speech called on all Filipino-Americans to involve themselves more in mainstream politics and speak with one voice so they can make a difference.
“Yes, we can,” he said, echoing Obama’s famous campaign mantra.
He said he was very proud of his Filipino heritage passed on by his father, the late Dr. Clemente Austria of Tiaong, Quezon, a World War II veteran who came to the US to study medicine.
“It was so important in my family, and especially to my father, that we knew and understood Filipino traditions and customs,” he said.
The newly minted congressman, a Republican from Ohio, said he looked forward to working with the Philippine embassy and Ambassador Willy Gaa “on issues near and dear to us” and hoped to visit the Philippines soon.
His last visit was in 1977, a high school graduation gift by his father to him.
Austria arrived at the tail-end of the reception when many guests had already left because he was caught in a two-hour traffic jam while traveling the less than five-mile (8 km) distance from Capitol Hill to the Philippine embassy.
Hoards of people from all over the country have converged in Washington for Obama’s historic inauguration, and thousands of police and national guardsmen have been called in from other states to help secure the capital, especially the parade route between Capitol Hill and the White House.
Up to two million spectators are expected to turn out for the ceremony, though the final figure may be smaller because of freezing weather forecast for the whole day.
Ambassador Gaa in a welcome address said Obama had universal appeal and under his administration the Philippines looked forward to even greater cooperation and stronger alliance with the US.
“We will intensify our partnership in reducing poverty (in the Philippines) under the Millennium Challenge Account. We will intensify our efforts for the passage of the veterans equity bill,” he said. “We will promote human rights.”
Gaa told reporters the unexpected presence of Charice “spiced up” the reception. “I’m happy she was able to make it at such short notice,” he said.
Charice herself said she more or less invited herself to the reception when she heard about it because she wanted to “sing for Pinoys.”
After her two numbers at the embassy she had to rush to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to perform at the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala organized by the Asian Pacific American community.
On Sunday night Charice sang “God Bless America” at The People’s Inaugural Gala at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and brought the house down.
Witnesses said she also brought some people to tears, an amazing feat considering that was the first time she sang that song in public, according to her.
“I’m honored and blessed to be invited to perform in the inaugural balls here in Washington. It’s a great honor for a Pinoy,” she said.
On the other hand, another Filipino-American student has been chosen to witness Obama’s inauguration.
Gabriel Angelo Yap Millare was invited to attend the ceremony, and will even sit in the front row.
Apart from witnessing the historic inauguration, Millare was invited to attend the inaugural convention, giving him the opportunity to rub elbows with Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, former State Secretary Colin Powell and former US vice president and environmentalist Al Gore.
Millare is a two-time Presidential Academic Excellence awardee. While at the Barbara Bush School in San Antonio, Texas, Millare was a delegate to the Junior National Leaders Conference in Washington where he had the opportunity to meet America’s top political leaders.
Other Filipino students invited to the historic ceremony are Luisa Kristabel “Abbey” Manliclic, Paul Michael Thomas Cruz and Anna Marie Liwanag.
Consul General Domingo Nolasco, who oversaw the preparations for the reception, said about 140 of 200 invited guests attended, a good turnout considering many other receptions, galas and parties for Obama were being held in Washington at about the same time.
In addition to the 10 official balls that President and Mrs. Obama and Vice President and Mrs. Joe Biden are most likely to attend on Tuesday, there are a gazillion other parties in town.
During the reception, about 30 Filipinos held a peaceful protest outside the embassy demanding an end to US military aid to the Philippines.
The protesters, mostly from Kararungan, Bayan USA and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, urged the Obama administration to “withdraw US support to the unpopular Arroyo regime.”
Source Link: philstar.com
Charice: ‘One moment in time’ for Obama
by Pocholo Conception, Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines—As the program for US President-elect Barack Obama inaugural ball—the party that follows the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20—have Americans all agog for its lineup of performers, a separate set of shows preceding it has got Filipinos doubly excited.
A series of pre-inaugural parties has been organized to build momentum to the main event; one of them, to be held on Jan. 18 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel, will feature teenage Pinay singing sensation Charice Pempengco.
On the same day, another pre-inaugural concert featuring an all-star lineup including classical musician Yo-Yo Ma and rock singer Bono will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. It is said to be the event that the President-elect is expected to attend in its entirety.
Off to US
The Cabuyao, Laguna-born Charice, who is now formally called only by her first name, confirmed her participation in the Obama celebrations in an interview with a news team of her home network, ABS-CBN, on the day she was to board a flight to Washington.
Oprah’s protégé
Discovered by the world through the video-sharing website YouTube, Charice—whose international career is being handled by no less than billionaire media personality Oprah Winfrey—will sing two numbers, as requested by Obama’s staff: “God Bless America” and “One Moment in Time”—the latter originally performed on record by pop superstar Whitney Houston.
It was Winfrey, an ardent supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign, who reportedly lobbied to have Charice included in the pre-inaugural program.
Although Charice made her debut TV appearance in the US on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in December 2007, it was a guest stint on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in May 2008 where she was featured in a special segment dubbed “The World’s Smartest Kids.” In that segment Charice sang another Houston hit, “I Have Nothing.”
Four months later, Charice returned as a guest in another special segment, “Dreams Come True,” on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Charice’s performance piece, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was made extra special because it had the renowned Canadian songwriter-producer David Foster accompanying her on piano.
‘World’s most talented girl’
In the same show, host Winfrey described Charice in glowing terms as “the most talented girl in the world.”
From then on, it has been a dizzying ride to music biz recognition in which Charice —guided by Winfrey’s influential clout—graced a number of high-profile events: a rare duet with Dion at the latter’s Madison Square Garden concert which reportedly merited mention in the New York Times; a spot number at Andre Agassi’s “Grand Slam for Children” benefit concert in Las Vegas; a performance at the annual Carousel of Hope Ball 2008 in Beverly Hills, California, for the benefit of children with diabetes; another guest stint at the David Foster & Friends Charity Gala & Concert at Alberta, Canada; and an appearance at Macy’s 150 Years Anniversary Celebration in New York City, among others.
With music greats
America is bound to hear more of Charice with the release of a DVD/CD of a tribute concert in which the Philippines’ pride shares the stage with various stars who have worked with Foster, including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Dion, Katharine McPhee, Blake Shelton, Kenny G, Peter Cetera and Brian McKnight.
Charice steals People night
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo, philstar.com Updated January 17, 2009 12:00 AM
Ninety-percent of the well-heeled guests graced the People of the Year 2008 Awards Night (marking People Asia magazine’s ninth anniversary) Thursday night at the grand ballroom Sofitel Philippine Plaza went home tsk-tsking in awe over Charice who rendered three numbers after she got her plaque as one of the 10 awardees (also including, among others, Pres. Cory Aquino, Sharon Cuneta, Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Vice Pres. Noli de Castro, Sen. Manny Villar and US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney).
“I came not only to witness the awarding but also, more so, to watch Charice sing ‘live’,” was what many of the guests were saying.
Charice didn’t disappoint. She unleashed such a powerful voice that everybody listened with mouths agape.
“What a jaw-dropping performance,” quipped an “invited” guest.“Siguro kung may langaw dito, lahat pumasok sa bibig ng audience.Mabuti na lang wala.”
Charice stole the People night by singing first a medley of I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing, followed by Listen which was, according to Charice, re-arranged for her by the David Foster who was quoted when he and Charice guested together on Good Morning, America, that Charice actually helped him with the re-arranging. “She’s a musical genius,” said Foster, “she can re-arrange a song so easily, as if she’s just picking a dress from the closet.”
Revealed Charice, “Mr. Foster asked me to point out kung saan ko dapat itaas ang aking key at kung saan dapat ibaba, kung saan dapat magtu-turn ang boses ko.”
In response to shouts for an encore, Charice obliged with a heart-stopping rendition of I Will Survive. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
Last night, Charice and her mom Raquel took a JAL flight to the US where she’s performing two songs, God Bless America and One Moment in Time, tomorrow, Jan. 18, in one of the pre-inaugural parties for President-Elect Barack Obama.
“I will send The STAR exclusive photos of my performance,” promised Charice. Good. That should put in place detractors who have been belittling Charice’s part in the event.
Incidentally, as Funfare reported in a “scoop” several issues ago, Charice is included in Foster’s album entitled You’re The Inspiration: The Music of David Foster & Friends which honors Foster’s colorful four-decade career. The CD/DVD features the tribute to Foster held last year in Las Vegas. Aside from Charice, also on the DVD/CD are Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Katharine McPhee, Blake Shelton, Kenny G, Peter Cetera and Brian McKnight. It’s available in record bars at P550 apiece.
Charice Pempengco: People of The Year 2008
Thu, Jan 15, 2009
By Fatima Parel; Video Submitted by FalseVoice
All roads lead to the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila tonight as People Asia magazine honors its “People of the Year 2008 ” in glittering awards rites to be graced by the country’s movers and shakers.
The prestigious roster of awardees is led by former President Corazon Aquino as special awardee. The other awardees include Vice President Noli de Castro, Sen. Manny Villar, US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Go Negosyo’s Joey Concepcion, “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta, Philippine National Red Cross governor Rosa Rosal, Century Properties Group head and Special Envoy to China Joey Antonio, Kuok Group-Philippines CEO Andy Bautista, social worker Dominique Lemay, fashion designer and social entrepreneur Rajo Laurel, and international singing sensation Charice Pempengco.
The magazine, which is also celebrating its ninth anniversary, launched the awards, a brainchild of the late STAR and People Asia publisher Max Soliven five years ago. The awards night has since become a much anticipated event at the start of every new year.
The special award, which goes this year to Mrs. Aquino, is a first for the magazine. As an icon of democracy, Mrs. Aquino’s inspiring story of courage and integrity continues to encourage and empower Filipinos as well as citizens of other nations from all walks of life.
De Castro rose from being a radio field reporter to TV Patrol anchor, earning the tag “Kabayan Noli” for being accessible to the people. The vice president is a frontrunner in surveys for “winnability” in the next presidential polls.
A “self-made” man, Sen. Manny Villar’s rags-to-riches story is a source of inspiration to millions. He was the biggest homebuilder in Asia before he threw his hat into the political ring. The first post-war House Speaker to have also become Senate president, he is also a frontrunner for the presidential polls.
The first woman US Ambassador to the Philippines, Kristie Kenney’s people-oriented style of diplomacy has created stronger RP-US ties. Active, sociable and sports-oriented, Kenney has reached to many Filipinos from all walks of life, from Luzon to Mindanao.
With over 25 years in the political scene, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay certainly knows what public service is all about, and he continues to serve the people of Makati with the same zest as he did years before, making this city one of the most flourishing in the country.
Business is undoubtedly in his genes, and Go Negosyo’s Joey Concepcion has used his expertise to encourage Filipinos to start their own businesses. He has published several books on entrepreneurship that aim to spread the Go Negosyo mindset among Filipinos.
Mention the word “Megastar” and there’s only one face that will come to mind: Sharon Cuneta. The actress-singer has been through many hurdles but her grace, strength and of course, her unmatched talent has continued to endear her to her many fans through the years.
A visionary in real estate, Century Properties chairman Joey Antonio has led his company to great heights of success. Antonio tries to cultivate the real estate industry through education and has set up an academy for the purpose.
Holding two top positions in two different institutions is no mean feat, but FEU’s law dean and Kuok Group CEO Andy Bautista makes it look easy with the savvy way he balances his multifarious responsibilities.
Despite an uncertain future, Dominique Lemay left his beloved country of France two decades ago to make his way to the Philippines. To this day, the head of the Virlanie Foundation continues to help thousands of Filipino street children by giving them comfort, providing shelter and much-needed guidance in their lives.
Rosa Rosal came into the limelight as a dramatic actress with a flair for contravida roles. In real life, however, her beautiful face is matched by an equally beautiful and caring heart, saving the lives of countless Filipinos through her untiring work as governor of the Philippine National Red Cross.
Fashion maverick Rajo Laurel proves that high fashion is not only for the rich and famous, as he utilizes his talent to provide livelihood for the women of Payatas through his Rags2Riches line.
A star is definitely born in Charice Pempengco, a young lass from Laguna who makes the whole country proud by conquering the international stage, the only Filipino to have performed abroad with big stars like Celine Dion, Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. She has been seen on international television in the Oprah Winfrey show and ellen.
The “People of the Year” awards will be hosted by Johnny Litton and Champagne Morales.
This year’s event sponsors include HSBC, Volvo, Thai Airways, Dockers San Francisco, Ever Bilena Gandang Pinay, International Container Terminal Services Inc., Eurocopter, Margarita King, Havaianas and The Philippine STAR.
Source link: philstar.com
Oprah and Ellen and Celine and Charice
Sat, Jan 3, 2009
by Eric Caruncho, Philippine Daily Inquirer
SPAM & Eggs - We are in an ABS-CBN dressing room, waiting for Charice’s call to go on “Wowowee!,” where she will presently knock them dead with her new version of Gloria Gaynor’s disco chestnut “I Will Survive.”
Meanwhile, she takes advantage of a lull in the flurry of activities to have a late breakfast.
“I’m not fond of fancy food,” she says in Filipino, eating the spam and eggs—spamsilog, actually—out of a Tupperware container with her right hand encased in a clear plastic baggie.
Charice would rather eat with her fingers like any true-blooded Pinoy, but then she wouldn’t want to get any grease on her Macbook’s keypad, would she?
The silver laptop is powered on in front of the dresser, revealing a Garfield screensaver.
It’s more than just a prop.
Speaking mainly in Filipino, she explains: “When I get sleepy, I lose my voice. So I need games on my laptop to keep me awake. I love gadgets— cellphones, iPods, laptop—dati napapanood ko lang sila sa TV, ngayon nabibili ko na sila (I used to just see them on TV, but now I can afford to buy them).”
Charice is wearing a floppy blue hat, with her big toothy grin and eyes that turn down at the corners in a broad, good-natured face that reminds one of Alice’s Cheshire cat, or Evisu, the Japanese god of wealth.
Like any 16-year-old girl, she giggles a lot, and it’s probably this natural, unforced quality that must have appealed so much to Oprah, Ellen Degeneres et. al., apart of course from the outsize voice that got everyone’s attention.
“Kalog po talaga ako (I’m really goofy),” she explains. “I’m a cheerful person. I only look serious when I’m performing on TV. People like me because I make them smile, although when I perform, they say I make them cry too, being the first Asian to have achieved this stature, this being the ’little girl with a big voice,’” she continues. “I felt really touched when Oprah Winfrey described me as the most talented girl in the world. Naisip ko na maraming talented sa mundo pero ako yung napili niya na sabihan ng ganoon (I thought, there are a lot of talented people in the world, but she chose me for that tag.) ”
Her cellphone rings.
Charice’s ringtone is a snippet of her Madison Square Garden duet with Celine Dion, a measure of the impossibly high esteem in which she holds “Miss Celine.” Of all the incredible achievements she’s racked up in such a short span of time—appearing on “Oprah” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” singing a duet with Andrea Bocelli and performing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade—it’s still the highlight of her life thus far, a dreamlike moment during which she ascended to the higher realms and tasted nirvana.
Or in her own words:
“Talagang napaka-perfect kasi niya at napakabait kaya hanggang ngayon nandoon sya,” (She’s really so perfect and so kind, so until now, she’s up there),”she gushes.
And she would love nothing better than to record another duet with “Miss Celine,” God willing, on her international debut album, due next year from Warner Brothers. Or Josh Groban. But that’s really up to her managers and producers.
In the meantime, she’s happy to be our first truly bi-coastal star, or in local showbiz parlance a “lagare queen,” only her lagare involves juggling local performances with bookings in the US and other countries. In fact, international stardom has prompted the family to keep an apartment in LA, although Charice is more often on the road, racking up frequent-flyer miles and living out of hotel rooms.
Luckily, at her age, it’s still an adventure and not yet a grind. Being pronounced “the most talented girl in the world” by Oprah doesn’t seem to have jaded her yet.
“Syempre po nakakapagod yung byahe, pero pag nandun na ako sa stage at nagpe-perform ako, naiisip ko na lang ang pagod pag matutulog na ko, (Yes, the trips can be tiring but when I’m performing onstage, I only think of the fatigue come bedtime),” she says. “The events where I sing are enjoyable and I get to perform with big stars, and that banishes the tiredness,” she adds.
Like any star-struck fan, Charice’s Macbook contains her photo album of cherished snaps with the likes of Alicia Keyes, David Archuleta of “American Idol” fame, Nicole Richie, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban and Peter Cetera of Chicago, to name just the more recent additions.
The Mac is also a reminder of just how much Charice owes her present celebrity to the existence of the worldwide web. Like Arnel Pineda, she was discovered on YouTube through videos posted by her fans.
“That’s the main reason I’m here,” she admits. “Because of YouTube, I got invited to Sweden, Korea, the Ellen Degeneres show, then Oprah’s show. That was also where I was discovered by the brother of David Foster (her current producer).”
Through her laptop, Charice is able to keep track of the numerous blogs and fansites devoted to her, as well as her official website charicepempengco.com, although she is leery of actually posting anything.
“I don’t blog. I might miss some websites and people might get offended. So I just view them but don’t post anything.”
Her newfound celebrity has also somewhat curtailed her activities.
“Sometimes when I go malling, I can’t really shop and look around because people ask to have their pictures taken with me. So I don’t go anymore. But yes, I do get to play—mostly with my brother.”
Like many showbiz kids with irregular schedules, Charice has had to opt for home schooling, where she is now in third-year high school.
“Syempre po nakaka-miss din,” she says of having to say goodbye to her friends. “I was in regular school till first year high school so I really miss my classmates. I visited them once and it was a good feeling, but I couldn’t stay long. It feels good to see them and to hear them say they’re proud of me.”
Right now she’s settling for a routine that she describes as “bahay, ABS-CBN-States—’yun lang po (home-TV studio-the US)” but allows for the possibility that showbiz may not be forever.
“College—I’m still undecided, but given the opportunity, I’d like to study in the US and take up Law. I wanted to be a doctor initially, but I was inspired by Tito Mike (immigration lawyer Mike Garfinkel, whose wife Millie manages her career Flipside). I want to be an entertainment lawyer. But school doesn’t have to be in the US, as long as I get to finish college.”
It all depends, of course, on what the future holds for Charice. Pop superstardom beckons, but she seems wise beyond her years as regards the perils of instant celebrity and its long-term prospects.
“Syempre gusto kong maging superstar, pero gusto ko rin maging lawyer,” she says candidly. “Gusto kong makompleto ang maibibigay ko sa mommy ko, gaya ng sariling bahay. Basta pag nakompleto ko yon, kahit mawala na ako sa showbiz, at least nakompleto ko na ang mga gusto nila. (Of course I’d like to be a superstar but I also want to become a lawyer. I want to give my mom a house and everything she wants. As long as I get to do that, I wouldn’t mind fading out of showbiz).”
It is her mother, after all, who remains her main role model. Raquel Pempengco was a vocalist for Souls Free, a show band. She would take Charice along on her shows, and at age four, the little girl caught the bug.
“I really envy my mom because she was a vocalist in a band, and she influenced me. One time the band asked me to sing and I found myself enjoying it. I asked my mom to teach me how to sing. She didn’t expect that I’d sing well, so in effect, she discovered me.”
Singing is the one thing that comes most naturally, and she doesn’t want to mess that up by thinking too much about it.
“I don’t want to think about it. I’ve joined a lot of singing contests before and I always lost, so I don’t want to think that I’m that good. In fact, in those amateur contests, I would imitate the other contestants whom I idolize because I didn’t think I was good enough. As long as I get to sing the song and feel it, that’s it. When people say I’m good, I just don’t think about it; it makes me uncomfortable.”
She’d also like to show her audiences that she can do more than just the big showpiece ballads. Occasionally she’ll surprise audiences by doing a Miley Cyrus number, or even “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson. Her own listening these days runs to rhythm and blues, Chris Brown and Rihanna, she says. But audiences have come to expect full birit mode from her, the athletic numbers that showcase her big outsize voice and what she can do with it.
With her “keep it simple” philosophy, Charice doesn’t worry about how much to give to a performance. She always gives it all she’s got.
“I always give 100 per cent; if possible, 110 per cent, because I really want to satisfy my audience. When they go home, I want my performance to be imprinted on their mind.”
Charice will turn 17 next May, most likely in Las Vegas where she’s booked on a promotional tour for her DVD “David Foster and Friends.” Right now, however, she’s still very much a kid at heart, but a kid who’s learned some valuable lessons in life.
“I always say this because I’ve been through it,” she tells aspiring young singers. “If they really dream of being a singer, they need discipline. Don’t take advantage—hintayin mo yung para sa iyo (wait for what’s really meant for you). But don’t give up either. I remember how after ‘Little Big Star,’ I gave up. For one week, my mind was a complete blank because I’ve lost. Good thing some people helped me stand up. ’Wag susuko, kasi talagang may plan si God para sa inyo (Don’t give up because God has a plan for you).”
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